1518 August 2006August 2006

By Beatriz H Porras, M.D.Medical Director Skin Diagnostics Inc.

Nowadays everybody wants to turn back thehands of time and achieve healthy, youthfuland beautiful skin. Experts have known formany years that vitamins have an importantrole in skin’s youth, health and beauty. Whichvitamins might you need?

First of all, vitamins should not be takenwithout medical advice since they can alsoproduce serious side effects. Consult yourphysician before starting any regimen.

Let’s begin with Vitamin A. This is anantioxidant that strengthens the protectivetissue of the skin and prevents acne byreducing sebum production. Orally, it can betaken at doses of 8,000 to 10,000 IU/day.Topically, it clears acne and hyperpigmentationcaused by sun exposure. When taken ortopically applied in excess, it makes the skindry. Bottom line, take it and wear it.

Vitamin C is the most abundant antioxidantfound naturally in the skin. Oral Vitamin Ccounteracts the effects of sun exposure byreducing free-radical damage which can lead towrinkles and cancer. It can be taken in doses of500 to 1000 mg per day. Topical Vitamin Ccan decrease sun-damage and enhance collagenproduction. In a topical preparation, look for L-Ascorbic Acid or Magnesium AscorbylPhosphate on the labels. Bottom line, take itand wear it.

Niacin, one component of B Vitamincomplex, improves the ability of the upper-most layers of skin to retain moisture. Patientswith dermatitis who often experience dry and

irritated skin can benefit from topical use ofNiacin. Bottom line, wear it.

Vitamin K plays a role in blood clotting.Dermatologists have recently found that topicalVitamin K reduces dark circles under the eyesand diminishes bruising after surgery or lasertreatments. There are a few medical gradeformulations containing Vitamin K. I havepersonally tried TEAMINE and it really works.It can be purchased only at dermatologistoffices. Bottom line, wear it.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that enhanceshealing and tissue repair. It prevents celldamage by inhibiting the oxidation of lipidsand the formation of free radicals. Oralsupplementation with vitamin E in doses of400 mg/day reduces photo damage andwrinkles and improves skin’s texture. Topicaluse can soothe dry and rough skin. It worksgreat for nursing mothers to relief cracked andbleeding nipples. Bottom line, take it and wearit.

Vitamins can provide many benefits to theskin. The best way to select the right vitaminsto improve your skin is to see yourdermatologist. A dermatologist can offer youexpert guidance.

Skin Diagnostics Laserand Rejuvenation offersMedical Grade productscontaining vitamins foryour skin. For anappointment, call 513-631-0059.

Vitamins and the Skin: Learn the Tricks

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By Jeannette RamirezCincinnati Woman Magazine

About that bachelor’s degree, what are youthinking? Going back to school at your age!

Five passionate educators tell you why youcan do it. There’s daytime or evenings,weekends or summers, accelerated or thenormal pace, online, one-to-one, or the triedand true classroom—whatever! Schools havenever before been so user-friendly.

The WatchwordGinny Hizer of UC’s Raymond Walters says

that flexibility is the watchword in dealing withwomen going back to school. The campus hasan “intimate feel” and is as full in the eveningas it is in the day. It’s well lit and in a safeneighborhood. Parking is extremelyconvenient.

Raymond Walters offers two paths to thecomplete baccalaureate degree or a careerdegree if you don't need the bachelor’s. You’renot stuck in one or the other; credits transfereasily between all UC facilities.

Students are mostly drawn to traditionalbachelor’s programs such as Nursing, AlliedHealth, or Radiology. One year professionalcertificates are another option. These appeal inparticular to women who are already in thatfield. Examples are crisis intervention, desktoppublishing, software applications, or medicaltranscription. These show the employer thattheir already trusted employee is ready forgreater professional responsibility.

Some programs can be done exclusivelythrough evening study, and there are a varietyof distance learning opportunities. Choose oneof the Telecourses, where you might watch aDVD on the loaner system and for which youwill probably be asked to do a paper. Now isn’tthat more fun than Law and Order reruns? Theactual class meeting may be only once ortwice. Or try the College of Arts & Sciences’Adult Scholar’s Accelerated Program (ASAP)for a one-weekend accelerated class on theRaymond Walters College campus (requires agrade point average of 3.0 and 30undergraduate credit hours already earned.)

Money and Other ConsiderationsAre you thinking your GED won’t get you

in? Think again. UC Raymond Walters is an“open access school” which is great for thosewith a GED. Another good piece of news?“Rolling Admissions” means you don't have towait until the fall to start your program. Every

quarter is a new opportunity. No tests arerequired for entrance.

Students can “test out” of basic subjects(math, English, or foreign languages) by takingthe College Level Exam Program—CLEP, forshort. Do you think this could be fun? Why notfind out how many credits you can acquirebefore even stepping inside your firstclassroom with these national and standardexaminations? There are more than thirtyavailable.

Hizer notes that most students come tochange their life in some way. “Perhaps, now istheir time, or they find they don’t want to bestuck in a dead end job for another twentyyears.” She encourages students to take thetime to research what they want to do. Find aplace that has the flexibility to work for them.Look at all the financial aid that is available.There are work/study programs, grants, andscholarships. Lots of monies go unasked forevery year. Such a waste! MSNBC writes that8% of a person’s post-graduation income is acomfortable amount for student debt. Checkthis out with money magicians Doran Brock orChris Powers. There are FAFSA grants. Youcan get a biweekly paycheck from campuswork, as much as $3000! You might work inone of the offices, or perhaps the bookstore.Hizer has two interns in her office who are inthe visual arts communications degree program

Costs for attending Raymond Walters arelower than most universities in the area. Fulltime is only $1744 per quarter. Tuitionreciprocity exists with nearby Kentuckycounties. Residents of Boone, Bracken, orKenton, for example, are eligible for Ohiorates.

There is a child care center operated by theYMCA on campus which takes children fromeighteen months to age five. Care is availablefive days a week, days and evenings. Anystudent can use it, and it has a sliding scale forcosts. There are some day care scholarships.

Unlike the main campus, there is a morepersonal touch at Raymond Walters. Studentsdevelop attachments here. Bob Stolzenberger’swife Nancy was in the nursing program as anon-traditional student. When she passed awaylast year, he wanted to honor her memory inthe school she loved so he established a collegescholarship in her name. Check it out; Nancywould want you to have it.

Without WallsThe Union Institute’s Sara Litwiller

emphasizes their non-traditional model ofeducation. There is extreme flexibility at theUnion. They are a university without walls.Litwiller says, “We are more about people andprograms than buildings and location.” Theirsis a “mentor system” just as Socrates taughtPlato.

The Union is part of a far flung nationalsystem: two in California, one in Florida, twoin Vermont. Locally, the Gantz Centerheadquarters in Cincinnati. There are graduateshere whose names you may recognize.Graduate Portia Miller Simpson madeJamaican history on February 25, 2006, whenshe was elected to serve as prime minister andpresident of the majority ruling People’sNational Party. Another graduate is CatherineBarrett, who is in her fourth consecutive two-year term as State Representative for District32 (Forest Park/Cincinnati) in the Ohio Houseof Representatives.

If you must go on campus, you’re going tolike the small classes, but most are done at adistance—often one-on-one. Everything isgeared to when and where the learner can findtime. After or before work, or even at lunchtime, is easily arranged with your advisor. AtUnion, staff recognizes that “people have jobsand families.”

Adult learners fall into some programsnaturally: the Maternal, Child Health, andLactation Complication Program is offered as adegree. This is unique in the Cincinnati area.Other great programs exist for businessadministration, human services and socialwork. Paths are not rigid, Litwiller says.“Courses are not canned.”

The majority of women returnees areundergraduates in their mid-thirties to forties.Often, this represents a complete change in life

Returning to LearningThe Cincinnati Woman Goes Back to School