The secret to anti-aging

Written by: Sarah Gillmen

Has it ever occurred to you that your aging and so is your skin?  Is there anything that can stop it? How will you stop the affects of aging before they start? What does retinol cream do to protect the skin? Your skin won’t stay youthful forever. Here’s how you can try to get ahead of those wrinkles and blemishes of your skin.

As a young adult women I have taken it upon myself to research and find out information about health and beauty. I developed a skin care routine a few years ago when my skin got out of control with hormonal acne and I wanted to get rid of it. The face is always the first place I look at on someone and when there are blemishes or signs of aging people notice those things. It could an insecurity thing but I felt like I wanted a change and so I did what I could to research and find ways to cure these skin issues I was experiencing.

A lot of people are not aware of how important it is to take care of your skin even in your younger years. The affects of your skin aging are easier to prevent and change when your younger. Products also have the chance to work better when you don’t already have the affects of aging. Retinol is known for its ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots. It promotes collagen production which is what lessens the older we get. Without collagen our skin barrier starts to loose its elasticity which then leads to what we know as wrinkles. After the age of 20 your skin starts to produce 1 percent less collagen in the skin each year. As a result the skin becomes thinner and more fragile with age.

The article What Are The Benefits of Retinol Serum?, by Eva Naturals it talks about the benefits of using retinol for hyperpigmentation. “Have dark spots on your face from previous sun damage? What about a mild case of hyperpigmentation? Retinol is well-known for its ability to even out skin tones, but it can also lighten areas that are unnaturally dark. The more uniform your skin’s appearance is, the healthier and more youthful it will look.” Your skin health is important at all ages but especially as you get older because of years of sun damage can leave your skin looking wrinkly and with a lot of dark spots caused from hyperpigmentation. In addition to using retinol it is also important to be applying sun screen to your face every morning to reduce the risk of sun damage. Retinol is known to treat hyperpigmentation causes such as melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. It aids in the fading of dark spots and the uneven texture of the skin.

As you age there also has been found to be a decrease in the amount of sweat and oil glands, resulting in less elastin and GAG formation. When this production of cells and glands slows this is called intrinsic aging and it is characterized by the thinning of the skin and the results of less production of things that slowly decline with age. Retinol promotes cell turnover by encouraging the shedding of old damaged skin cells and the production of new healthy ones. This can result in refreshed and healthier looking skin.

Retinol can also aid in the prevention of acne an scaring and hormonal acne. Even years after being a teenage people can still experience issues with oily skin and clogged pores. Applying a retinol cream can help with the oiliness of your skin which will lead to fewer break outs. Not only this but it helps give your skin a natural glow. It exfoliates at a cellular level, which results in a brighter and smoother looking appearance of the skin. Giving you the “glow” that is so sought after. So retinol is a great way to improve your confidence and enhance your overall confidence, by loving your glowing and youthful looking skin.

Gillmen/ September 26, 2023

TikTok: A Cycle of Comparison

TikTok: A Cycle of Comparison

Written by: Kayla Mitchell

The saying “comparison is the thief of joy” is more prominent than ever with the increased use of social media apps, one of them being TikTok.

Ever since TikToks release in 2016, young adults have been consumed with the addictive nature of the app. From dances to “get ready with me videos” to people demonstrating what they do in their daily life, TikTok seemingly has something for everyone. For me personally, I cannot remember a day where I didn’t go on TikTok at least twice a day, as well as going on it for longer than I had intended. However, when looking at popular creators on the app, constant comparison is an inevitable issue to be faced by many.

An issue specifically related to comparison that has become prominent is TikTok use and comparison as it relates to negative body image/body dissatisfaction. There have been many times that I have found myself watching videos on TikTok of young women and comparing my body to theirs, feeling inadequate due to the imperfections I see on myself. Even in groups with my friends, there are often comments such as “I wish I looked like that” or “I’m so jealous of her.”

Danielle Bissonette Mink and Dawn M. Szymanski from the Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, conducted a study (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S174014452200167X#preview-section-snippets) in which they sought out to examine the direct and indirect relations between the use of TikTok and overall body dissatisfaction. It is within this study that they measured TikTok use and its effect on body dissatisfaction by utilizing 778 female college students ranging from 18-29 years old.

The study concluded that “TikTok use is likely to be related to body dissatisfaction indirectly through upward appearance comparison and body surveillance operating in serial.” Something important to note is that it was found that women who are on TikTok more, are seeing popular users usually with unrealistic body standards, and by seeing this portrayed so often causes insecurities and feeling malcontent with yourself.

Another factor in looking at body dissatisfaction and TikTok use is in creating the videos themselves. After young women specifically viewing what the study calls “sexualized dance videos” and the amount of popularity those videos receive, there is an increase in intense analysis of one’s body. Many young adults crave validation and popularity and oftentimes recreate popular videos or use popular sounds they see on their “For You” page. If their videos do not gain traction or popularity like another video, this has proven to make body dissatisfaction more prominent in their daily life.

You are probably thinking is there any way to stop or slow down this cycle? Well, the answer is kind of. One way that the study has shown you can reduce this cycle of negative comparison is by increasing your media literacy. By having knowledge and understanding that social media is a “highlight reel” and more often than not showcases content that has been photoshopped and edited before posting, you are allowing yourself to build what they call “a protective factor” in the inevitable comparison cycle. With greater knowledge and awareness, you are allowing yourself to be more in tune with reality and not focus so much on the ideals that dominate the media.

On social media it is more common than not to see edited/photoshopped content, an algorithm of popular videos filled with people that fit a certain image of “beauty”, and to be caught in a loop of measuring your inherent worth as a person. By increasing social media literacy, limiting your screen time on TikTok, and being in tune with your personal values, we can reduce the amount of body dissatisfaction we experience as young women.

To increase social media literacy, begin to increase your overall awareness to some “warning signs” of edited content.If you view a video on TikTok, many times if any sort of filter was used it will be in the bottom left corner. Remind yourself that videos can be edited to be in any order or trim any unwanted clips out. Videos take multiple takes; if someone doesn’t like how they naturally look, they can easily wear different clothes or otherwise alter their appearance and record as many times as they desire.

Limit your screen time by putting a time limit on the TikTok app in your settings. Don’t be afraid to put your phone on, do not disturb so you are able to focus on other tasks. When with a group of people, hang up to hang out!!

Remind yourself that you are a collection of your personal values and passions. Spend more time doing things you love with people you care about than you do scrolling through TikTok. These are skills that will help you have a well rounded mindset throughout your life!

TikTok can be an addictive and seemingly negative place when caught in the cycle of comparison. If we as a society work together to increase our social media literacy and begin to post real, unedited content with no shame, we can reduce the overall body dissatisfaction occurring for all young women!

The Effectiveness of Radio Messages and Advertisements During the COVID 19 Pandemic

Image by Silvo Bilinski from Pixabay

By Tyler Rake

In 2020 the COVID 19 pandemic changed the world as we knew it forever which meant many things we were used to had to change over the course of a few weeks. This change made it difficult to advertise things in the usual way businesses do so many businesses took up radio opportunities to still reach clients.

I know that when I am listening to the radio that the advertisements as well as the shows aren’t all up in your face, metaphorically speaking, they are calmer and try to welcome the listener and gain their trust and commitment so that people will want to come back to the show based on trust and the content that’s created rather than coming back just because of the content of the radio station.

In an article called “The sound of responsibility: evolution of the use of radio advertising as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication channel before and after Covid-19. A significant increase” In order for businesses to continue to operate during the pandemic they had to do advertising in a crisis situation which led to a change in how advertising was carried out. Radio advertising is meant to be much more personal as well as trustworthy. Therefore, companies had to all fit the same general genre of advertising which is credible and welcoming advertising. To this day radio is still one of the most trusted platforms for advertising.

People everywhere still listen to the radio which is why it is such a big platform for information and advertising. Even if a radio is playing in the background somewhere people are still listening to the radio and getting whatever information they need from it even if they aren’t actively trying to listen to it. This is why radio reaches more people compared to television or social media because people of all ages listen to radio. If a company is reaching out to older clients, they most likely don’t look into social media as much as a younger generation, but they do still listen to radio. If organizations want to reach a younger audience. The same thing applies in the fact that they may have restrictions, but younger audiences may listen to the radio with their parents.

One of the positives for moving advertising to radio is that radio, even though it isn’t a main source of information or entertainment as much as it used to be, still reaches the most people compared to television or billboards or other forms of advertising which allows companies to still reach a wide variety of listeners. Something that is also worth mentioning is that in times of crisis people tend to turn to traditional forms of media to get accurate information and luckily for organizations radio is one of those traditional forms of media.

Radio has been around since the early 1900’s and has been a source of information since the very beginning. Before televisions existed, radios used to be what families would gather around and listen to for entertainment and information. Even when the television did come out, they were so expensive that radios were still very popular even when television programs gained major popularity.

Something that also helped organizations is that rather than attacking the listener with advertisements that are supposed to be big and bold to get them to buy or use their product or service organizations used radio more as a means of communicating information. This form of advertising not only allowed the organizations to show what their company has to offer but allowed the companies to gain the listeners of the radio stations’ trust.

So. How effective was radio advertising during the COVID 19 pandemic? The answer to that question is extremely effective. Radio is what allowed some businesses to stay afloat during a time of great turmoil and crisis. The reputation of the radio allowed businesses to redirect their advertising efforts and make new campaigns in order to be able to survive during something that was completely new to everyone.

Radio has and will continue to be a reliable and trusted source of information for people even in times when communication can seem impossible.