I just had to share the following article with you.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/09/for-a-better-fi.html

What do you think? I believe the study, but I really cannot believe that we continually put so much into ones looks. Oh yeah, I write an aging beauty blog - so I guess it makes sense! ;)

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Our immune systems slowly become ineffective with age, a consequence of their evolved design and exposure to persistent viruses like CMV across a lifetime.

Your immune system is capped in its use of resources; it can only have a set number of T cells in operation at one time. A reserve of naive T cells is needed to effectively respond to new threats. These are untrained cells that will be educated and drafted to combat new intrusions. A small reserve of memory cells is needed to respond effectively to previously encountered threats - one reserve per threat. The more threats you have encountered, the more cells become devoted to memory; eventually you don't have enough naive T cells left to mount any sort of effective defense.

This contributes to a range of problems, starting with a lack of resistance to disease, one of the roots of age-related frailty, and most likely including buildup of damage-inducing senescent cells and increased risk of cancer with age. The immune system is responsible for destroying errant cells of all sorts, and so it is reasonable to speculate on the degree to which cancer risks can be blamed on immune system dysfunction:

Compromised immunity contributes to the decreased ability of the elderly to control infectious disease and to their generally poor response to vaccination. It is controversial as to how far this phenomenon contributes to the well-known age-associated increase in the occurrence of many cancers in the elderly. However, should the immune system be important in controlling cancer, for which there is a great deal of evidence, it is logical to propose that dysfunctional immunity in the elderly would contribute to compromised immunosurveillance and increased cancer occurrence.

The chronological age at which immunosenescence becomes clinically important is known to be influenced by many factors, including the pathogen load to which individuals are exposed throughout life. It is proposed here that the cancer antigen load may have a similar effect on "immune exhaustion" and that pathogen load and tumor load may act additively to accelerate immunosenescence. Understanding how and why immune responsiveness changes in humans as they age is essential for developing strategies to prevent or restore dysregulated immunity and assure healthy longevity, clearly possible only if cancer is avoided.

Here, we provide an overview of the impact of age on human immune competence, emphasizing T-cell-dependent adaptive immunity, which is the most sensitive to ageing. This knowledge will pave the way for rational interventions to maintain or restore appropriate immune function not only in the elderly but also in the cancer patient.

That's an open access paper, so don't miss the PDF link underneath the abstract. It is pleasing to see researchers outside the normal pro-longevity groups thinking in terms of restoring youthful function - that's very necessary to the future of medicine I'd like to see.

Have you heard of Spa Week?

All across North America, twice a year, we are treated to Spa Week.  The Spa Week Spring and Fall Events, with their signature $50 treatments, allow people with a minimal amount of expendable income to enjoy a well needed massage or other spa treatment.  This simple premise of a discounted treatment has opened up the once elitist spa industry to the masses—morphing the once cost-conscious consumer into a regular spa goer.

The Fall Spa Week Event will bring $50 spa treatments to over 750 spas across the United States and Canada. As always, the goal is to introduce a new generation of consumers to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and to open up the spa industry to the masses. Spa Week’s goal is to make “wellness” more than just a word– they intend to make it a reality.

Spa Week is slated for October 13th-19th for the East Coast of the country including New York, New Jersey, Denver, Detroit, Minnesota, Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Atlanta, Florida and Toronto, Canada.  

A list of participating spas and treatments offered are posted on spaweek.org.

image credit: Stock Exchange

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Heidi Klum is revealing her skin secrets with In An Instant, her anti-aging skin care line with Guthy Renker. Tune in to Heidi’s first infomercial debuting this weekend and get her step by step routine.

Sat 9/27
Bravo 730am EST
Lifetime 8am EST

Sun 9/28
WE 930am EST
CNBC 1030am PST

Every In an Instant product addresses the skin’s varying needs in a different and dynamic way. 

The system targets exfoliation, hydration, wrinkle reduction, lifting, firming, and pore minimizing – The products work together, synergistically, in a few effortless yet enormously effective steps to give users a complete skincare routine in a minimal amount of time. The 30 day program consists of the following products:

• Gentle Foaming Cleanser: With its rich-foamy texture and hydrating ingredients it removes makeup instantly and maintains skin’s protective moisture barrier without stripping skin of its natural oils.

• Intensive Firming Serum: Its peptide technology reduces deep wrinkles, softens the appearance of fine lines and evens skin tone.

• Instant Wrinkle Smoother: It instantly plumps fine lines and dramatically diminishes the look of deep vertical lines.

• Instant Daily Tinted Moisturizer, SPF 15: It hydrates and protects skin from UVA and UVB rays. Its Smart Indicator shows how much coverage it’s giving.

• Instant Warming Scrub: With its skin warming action, it reduces pore size and dramatically resurfaces skin.

At only $29.95 the 30-Day In An Instant Intro Kit is a tremendous value. I’ll be watching!

image credit: In An Instant

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From the Splendicity community, comes this weeks best in beauty, fashion and shopping.

SHOPPING

NY Spender suggests that if you buy only a pair of shoes this fall, buy one with stacked heels.

Her Accessories is celebrating the cooler weather with a roundup of her favorite fall jackets.

Gleaming Things loves Givenchy’s look of layered chains, but they just aren’t in the budget right now - these picks are though!

Shopalicious finds a very stylish quilted handbag — with an eco-friendly twist! (Plus a coupon for 10% off!)

Chic by Nature has a great wrap top that you can wear out and then to bed.

There’s some serious inspiration afloat over at All That & a with more inspiration-themed jewelry.

FASHION

Sasha of Style Manila creates a boho-look on an 11-year old named Sylvie.

Tops 2 Bottoms shares an style idea, Layered, Belted, and Plaid for her weekly Work Wear Monday series.

Viva Woman shows you how corsages can make your attire more feminine and romantic.

Style…a work in progress finds inspiration in a little bear called Paddington

Petite Fashionista shows you how to update your Fall wardrobe with pieces that will keep you; comfy, cozy and chic!

The Space Between My Peers categorizes the looks at the bottom of the formality scale into Three Levels of Leisure.

BEAUTY

Beauty Bento Box features the elegantly packaged, eyeliner-slash-eyeshadow Kohl cosmetic, Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner.

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog shows you how to get an easy, elegant smoky eye with the Smoky Eye Quad from Chanel.

My Women Stuff discusses whetherSilicone is good or bad for the skin.

Krizia from Beauty Match declares: We tried Pro-V Restoratives and said bye-bye FRIZZ!.

Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at three bright handbags that look more expensive than they are”.

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