new best friend?

Skin that sparkles Are precious metals your skins new best friend?

You’ve probably seen or heard of diamond and gold facials, and perhaps assumed it was just pampering taken to a new and decadent extreme. However, passing fad it is not. Precious elements have been used in luxury skincare throughout history, and not for entirely spurious reasons. The Chinese Chou dynasty used gold on their skin, a habit taken up by geishas for 300 years, while the last Empress of China used pearl powder and was famed for her youthful appearance.

Cleopatra is said to have worn a mask of gold every night to preserve her beauty. Skincare companies today claim that gold has powerful anti-ageing properties. Twenty four carat gold in modern face creams is said to increase collagen production, boost elasticity and reduce the appearance of fine lines and age spots. Some product houses say gold flakes merely look pretty, but do nothing unless broken down small enough to actually penetrate the skin. So if you are going for gold, make sure it’s colloidal (a solution which contains tiny particles of the element in question).

The scientific evidence to back up any of this is rarer than gold itself. But that doesn’t stop folk in Beverly Hills parting with just under two thousand dollars for a Black Pearl Gold Cleopatra Mask, or London’s rich paying for a gold flake mask at “Oro Gold Beauty Clinic” on the King’s Road. True, the properties of gold are not to be entirely scoffed at – in medicine it is given to people with arthritis, and currently being researched as a possible treatment for cancer. However, this does not mean it is automatically good for our skin. Some dermatologists consider gold a serious skin irritant, so those with sensitive skins might want to give the 24 carat face masks a wide berth. Stick with the reputable creams that contain other ingredients – such as Temple Spa’s Skin Truffle which contains black truffles, grapeseed, champagne, gold and silk elements, and diamond powder. Silver was used by the ancients to heal wounds and treat ulcers. Today, its antimicrobial and antibacterial elements make it a prime candidate to treat skin ailments, from acne to fine lines and wrinkles. Again more evidence is needed, but you could try Kerstin Florian Mineral Wellness Soak, which contains minerals and salts, as well as hand harvested crystals and colloidal silver.

Colloidal platinum is said to be an antioxidant, and researchers in Japan found that platinum nanoparticles prolonged the life of worms amake of that what you will). It is also used in cancer treatments as it has the ability, in certain chemical forms, to inhibit the division of living cells. According to the blurb on La Prairie’s Platinum Rare, platinum “helps maintain the skin’s electrical balance”, which apparently “protects the skin’s DNA, and replenishes moisture continuously for a look of soft splendour”. Generally, it’s used in such tiny (nano) amounts in beauty products, it’s unlikely to have any visible effects.

Copper peptides, while less luxurious sounding, have more positive research results to support their collagen promoting and antioxidant properties –thus Kiehl’s Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Cream may not actually be overstating its point.

Back on earth, albeit in higher echelons, some lauded skincare lines are using diamonds to achieve visible results; most notably The Natura Bisse Diamond Collection, available in Harrods and Liberty, with treatments at Agua Spas inLondon, Stanley House and Sequoia Spa at The Grove. diamond infused products might also work as exfoliants. The idea that diamonds have anti-ageing properties or can actually penetrate the skin barriers, however, does not go down so well in most dermatological circles.

Dr Adam Friedman, consultant dermatologist at the Harley Street Dermatology Clinic says, “It sounds like a good way of spending money for nothing. The reality is that gold and diamonds are completely unreactive.”

Many cosmetic chemists point out that diamonds, gold and platinum have been used as a delivery system for certain cancer drugs as a way of shielding the drug from the body’s defence system. However, it seems a rather big leap from that to the idea that anti-ageing ingredients will penetrate deeper if sprinkled with crushed engagement rings. Yet it is one that Yannis Alexandrides, plastic surgeon and founder of 111Skin, is happy to take. “We use black diamond microspheres to transport active ingredients including vit+min C, hyaluronic acid, collagen, and arbutin to the deepest layers of the skin, where they target cells for regeneration,” he says.

Melissa Vitalis, the Beverly Wilshire spa director has a more realistic view of the kind of client their Natura Bisse diamond infused facials attract. “They’ve had a busy year and want a little well deserved pampering and so book the best facial that we have on our menu.”

Ultimately it seems, until the evidence is in, that precious elements (re the rather glamorous icing on the more active, nuts-and-bolts ingredients of products and treatments: something to add a little expensive sparkle to the festive party season, and hopefully to our skin too.

The Physical Activity Market Is Currently Engaging Only 1/3 of the World’s Population

By Katherine Johnston and Ophelia Yeung, GWI Senior Research Fellows

The $828 billion global physical activity sector, while enormous, is currently only engaging about one-third of the world’s population. According to The Lancet, one-quarter to one-third of adults around the world are not getting sufficient physical activity by any method (via natural movement or recreational activities). The large and growing share of the world’s population with insufficient physical activity represents a major ongoing public health challenge, especially alongside rising rates of obesity and chronic disease. The solution lies in addressing the major barriers to physical activity across all spheres of life—from leisure options to increasing the natural movement embedded in daily life (i.e., transportation, domestic, and occupational physical activity).

To explore how to engage more people in physical activity, GWI reviewed dozens of national and cross-country surveys and studies that collect information on the motivations for and barriers against participation in physical activities. These studies cover more than 60 countries across all regions of the world. While these studies employed different methodologies, were conducted in different languages, and varied in the way they framed questions and responses, in aggregate, they reveal important findings about physical activity motivations and barriers.

• Motivations: When adults were asked why they engage in regular physical activity, by far the most cited reason is for maintaining good health (also“physical wellbeing,” “to feel good,” “to be fit,” and other similar responses). The next most cited reasons are stress reduction or relaxation and for fun or pleasure. Other motivations include being with friends and family, building muscle strength, to look good, weight loss, to be out in nature, and to feel challenged/fulfilled or for self-improvement.

When children and teens were asked why they participate in sports, exercise, or physical activities, they most often say they do so for fun and to be with friends and not for health reasons.

• Barriers: For those who do not engage in regular physical activity, the most significant barrier for adults is lack of time, followed by lack of interest (“not a priority,” “too much trouble,” “prefer to do something else,”etc.) and physical condition or health-related reasons (illness, injury, disability, age, pregnancy, etc.). Lack of motivation or habit is also a significant barrier for adults; many report that they are too lazy to exercise or they have no habit of doing so. For children and teens, the most frequently mentioned barriers are lack of time (due to schoolwork) and lack of a convenient facility or activity near home. Other reasons cited by youth include not having fun and preferring to do something else (such as spending time with friends).

It is not a surprise that those who are physically active cite health as their main motivation. It is also not surprising that time constraints are the most significant barrier for those who are inactive, especially in higher-income countries. While most people are aware of the benefits of physical activity, their busy lives—work, school, family obligations preclude them from being active when it competes with other priorities. More surprising is that physical conditions (e.g., health-related reasons, illness, age, or the perceived inability to engage in physical activity) are frequently mentioned as a barrier, more so than cost/money constraints or access to facilities.

A lack of interest/motivation and lack of access to facilities are cited as barriers more often in low-income countries than in wealthier regions. Personal safety and being uncomfortable at a gym are also mentioned as a concern by women and girls in some countries where gender and social norms discourage female participation in sports and outdoor recreation, prevent activities in coed settings, or prohibit physical activity for females in general. For example, in one study in Central America, girls reported multiple barriers, such as lack of access to fields and facilities, lack of equipment, lack of money, lack of parental permission, lack of clothing, and safety. In the same study, boys rarely mentioned these as constraints, and they regarded the lack of time as their most important barrier. GWI’s full report, Move to be Well: The Global Economy of Physical Activity, provides numerous examples of innovations, new business models, and public policy initiatives that can help overcome barriers to physical activity, increase participation, and extend the many benefits of movement to more people around the world.