by mary schook
For many years now I have been using cold or room temperature water instead of hot water on my clients (despite the minor protests). I explain to my clients that the main reason I do this is to calm inflammation and keep collagen and elastin intact. Cold also increases product penetration!
My theory initially began years ago after watching my mother braise meat. When you braise meat you steam the meat to loosen up the collagen strands, which allows the meat to fall apart! I was also a lifeguard for many years and in the winters I would study the people who religiously went to the steam rooms at the facility where I was working. Their faces looked droopier to me when they came out of the steam room than before they had entered the room. It wasn't a relaxed face to me. Their faces looked like they had dropped ever so slightly over time.
Because of 'droopy face' I was a pain when I got into esthetics school. I fought the system by stating I would not use steam in my applications (or chemical peels for that matter). I was not trying to cause trouble, but I was a firm believer that heat did something to cause the skin to relax in the wrong way. I didn't know until the recent reports emerged stating heat slowly destroys collagen strands and causes premature aging. My theory up until then was strictly observation and a little common sense.
This all probably sounds like a dose of crazy to you, but just recently sweat expert and professor of dermatology at Saint Louis University, Dee Anna Glaser reported on the lack of health benefits of steaming and how it begins to break down collagen. You can read about that more HERE.
Dr. Jessica Wu recently reported for the Daily Glo how heat may be just as damaging as UV radiation from the sun. You can check out her article on the Daily Glo Dr. Wu claims that exposure to heat can cause thinning skin and premature aging. She also explains that if you have capillaries, melasma, or rosacea heat can worsen those conditions in the skin.
While I've focused my expertise to the skin generally on the face, I have found a site that really does a great job discussing heat and the body. Click HERE to read more.
You don't have to be an expert to know what hot water can do in the shower. It causes the skin to be dry because it strips away all of your skin's natural oils causing the body to have to overproduce oil. For the face and even the back this can potentially lead to acne. When you break down the skin's immune system (oils supply protection from invaders) through thermal injury you compromise the body's largest organ.
I don't know if this also pertains to infrared heat. Since there are so many types of infrared heaters that I'll have to save that for another time.
In the facial world the cold trend is SLOWLY catching on. Companies are now coming out with cold masks and facial devices because they are aware of the damage heat can do to collagen. Cold therapy also removes swelling and edema. Most importantly cold maintains moisture and elasticity. The cold bulbs pictured here by Bio Jouvance are just one of the many 'cold therapy' tools you will begin to see enter the market.
I'm not saying avoid the heat and I'm also not encouraging you to join the polar bear club. Room temperature works for me because like anything else moderation is key.
