What can we do for ourselves to achieve beauty from the inside out? RéVive CEO, Elana Drell-Szyfer, breaks down the lessons she has learned throughout the years on what we can do for ourselves to look and feel beautiful. Here’s a hint: Skincare is just a small part of it.
Beauty From the Inside Out
One of the benefits of working with a founder like Dr. Brown is the opportunity to hear and learn from his many wise sayings. One of these is: “You can’t look beautiful, if you aren’t happy”. For a reconstructive and plastic surgeon – someone who trained for years to learn how to alter, augment and improve external appearance, I find the statement both profound and humble. It’s basically saying, “Hey, I can do my best, but if you don’t find your ‘inner happiness’, nothing I can do will help you.”
What makes me proud about the RéVive ethos and philosophy is that we believe good skincare is only one element of a person’s self-care routine, and that there are others. We believe in a holistic approach; skincare, nutrition, lifestyle choices (like staying out of the sun, not smoking, not drinking to excess), exercise, rest, and human engagement work together to influence the whole person, both inside out and out.
Dr. Brown’s favorite reference is former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. He often said that her skin radiated, despite her advanced age, and that her complexion reflected her inner passion for her work and her life, so much so that it could be visibly seen “on the outside”. A few years ago, RéVive hosted a panel discussion on the subject of “Ageless Beauty; The New Standard”. One of our panelists was Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist who is trained in positive psychology and uses both approaches in her practice. On her blog, “Positive Prescription”, Dr. Boardman and Dr. Brown had an extensive discussion about how having a positive outlook, a social network with meaningful connections to others, and personal passions, can contribute to a mindset and confidence which are then exuded externally. In fact, Dr. Boardman has a current blog post called “Does Appearance Matter”, which outlines the psychological connection between appearance and confidence. Her site offers several articles on this subject.
I never used to give much credence to the mind-body connection. I also didn’t used to think lack of sleep, overwork, coffee, alcohol, unhealthy food choices, and stress affected how you look – after all, that is what makeup is for. But it does matter – especially as I get older. I used to pride myself on how little I could sleep and how much I could work. Now I realize that sleep can do wonders for how you look, as can a vacation, a one-day getaway, a 15-minute meditation session, hot yoga, a week without too much sugar and fried food, and most of all, spending time doing things I love and being with people I enjoy. Is skincare happiness in a jar? No. It works, but you can’t put ALL your hope or your effort only into a jar. Focus also on creating a beautiful environment on the inside – both physically and mentally – and the outside will follow, with a little help from the jar too.
