July 27th, 2009 by admin

Author :Step9

Blemish free, clear and healthy skin is a wish of everyone but only few are part of this wish. However, you can be a part of this wish too with proactive skin care. Proactive skin care means protecting and healing your skin for blemishes and also to stop the growth of new ones. With proactive skin care, one can also stop premature aging of the skin.

Mainly the skin problems depend upon the skin types. If you have oily skin, your skin will be more prone to acnes. Acnes are caused due to comedo, which is a hair follicle that gets combined with oil, dead skin cells and bacteria, and results into acnes. Our skin become more prone to acnes when it gets exposed to pollution and harmful sun rays, thereby leading to dead cells and accumulation of oil dirt. Today we see not only women but also men suffering from the problem of acnes. However, the people who have dry skin are prone to cracks in their skin.

Whatever may be the skin problem whether related to dry skin or oily skin, the solution for a healthy and clear skin comes in the form of proactive skin care tips. These include following methods:

1) To stop the growth of acne, one must everyday clean his or her skin with the application of suitable cleanser and benzoyl peroxide which penetrates into the pores and clean hair follicles.

2) As much as possible, keep your skin protected from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. The best alterative to protect oneself from UV ray is to always apply sunscreen lotion when you are moving out. You can also carry an umbrella along that will protect your skin from harmful sun rays.

3) To make your skin healthy and wrinkle free, avoid habits like smoking that decreases necessary vitamins from our body like Vitamin A and Vitamin C that are essential for healthy and glowing skin. Read the rest of this entry »

July 27th, 2009 by admin

Author: James
Among the more effective anti-aging skin care products, we find Tretinoin, Retinol, and Retinyl Palmitate. These are all forms of vitamin A or derivatives thereof. The most significant of them is Tretinoin (retinoic acid). It is found in vegetables such as carrots and spinach. Tretinoin is used extensively in the treatment of acne and increasingly used in anti-aging regimens. Vitamin A is readily absorbed by the skin and stimulates production of new skin cells and as a result increases collagen production. Collagen being responsible for the fuller, firmer, and younger looking skin.

Being the strongest of the Vitamin A treatments, Trentinoin can treat some of the most stubborn skin conditions, but is also the most irritating of the products. When using any of these vitamin A treatments, if your skin becomes irritated, stop using the product to avoid further damaging the skin. Vitamin A in all its forms increases sensitivity to the sun. Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Retinol, while not as strong as Tretinoin is found mostly in anti-aging or skin rejuvenation products. It is found in the same vegetables as any other Vitamin A treatment, but is not as easily absorbed into the skin. Its popularity among anti-aging products is due to the fact that one can start with a mild form of it and gradually increase the dose, thereby avoiding the irritation encountered with the stronger forms of vitamin A. Read the rest of this entry »

July 27th, 2009 by admin

Author:Juliet Cohen
Natural skin care products are skin care products with ingredients that are sourced naturally and do not contain harmful chemicals. These ingredients might be obtained through plants, or anything that is naturally formed and does not incorporate the use of chemicals. Proper skin care is not just hygienic but can also decrease the likelihood of disease. Skin is made up of three layers, epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous fat. The upper layer, epidermis is rather transparent. It allows light to pass through. The second layer or dermis contains blood vessels, nerves, hair roots and sweat glands. Below the dermis lies a layer of fat cells, called the subcutaneous fat. Wrinkles, cellulite, scars, acne, dermatitis, rashes and other skin related ailments can be diminished and sometimes repaired completely with the proper care and maintenance.

Skin care samples can be an excellent strategy in determining what works the best in addressing your specific aging skin concerns. An ideal natural skin care product is a product that has ingredients that are 100% natural and does not even contain chemical preservatives - although may not always be achievable. Most skin care products are made with synthetically produced chemicals that produces undesired side effects. Aromatherapy, the art of healing with pure essential oils, can have powerful effects on the skin. Popular ingredients for these natural products include sea salts, concentrated plant and flower extracts (essential oils), aloe vera, herbs, and are often times combined to achieve certain effects. Read the rest of this entry »

April 27th, 2009 by admin

Author: Jerzy George
Is there a link between your brain and your skin? Can stress really impact the condition of your skin? Many people have long thought that stress can directly affect skin…is there any merit to this thought?

The fact of the matter is that various skin conditions such as acne, eczema, hives, rosacea, psoriasis, alopecia, vitiligo, are, in fact, caused by stress. In fact, this connection between the brain and the skin is so powerful that experts have begun to label the phenomenon as “psychodermatology.”

What can you do if your skin is reacting to your high stress levels? Well, you can start by being aware of those things that cause the most stress within your life. While you might not be able to eliminate all of those stress triggers, you can learn how to cope with them.

Try some form of soothing exercise such as low-impact aerobics or yoga in order to alleviate stress. Or, discover a new outlet for your stress – no matter what you do to eliminate stress, your skin will show the signs of lower stress levels almost immediately.

Now that it has been proved that stress causes various skin conditions, you can start to change the way that you live your life. With change also comes a new skin care routine, which will require new skin care products. You see, taking care of your stress is crucial, but your skin will need a bit of extra help.

If you are suffering from any of the skin conditions mentioned above, keep in mind that using the right skin care products will help clear up those blemishes and red spots. Taking the time to learn how to get rid of your stress (while using top-notch skin care products) will help to fight the signs of aging.

Skin tends to age quickly due to a number of factors. These factors include diet, exercise, stress, water intake, and great skin care products. The more that you learn about these factors, the better off your skin will look as a result.

Lots of people try endlessly to stop the aging process. The simple truth is that understanding how your skin works is the best course of action when it comes to aging. Even though skin appears to be quite simple, it is actually a rather complex matter that takes a lot of time to comprehend.

Just as your body requires many different things, your skin also has specific needs. Take the time to learn as much as you can about skin care, and you will be able to stop aging in its tracks. Stress does impact skin – there’s just no way to ignore this mental and physical connection.

However, now that you know all about stress and skin, you can work towards getting rid of the stress in your life. Remember to use natural skin care products in addition to caring for your skin properly. As soon as you begin to pay attention to your skin, your skin will stop aging and start glowing.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_747737_23.html

April 6th, 2009 by admin

skin care

Author: Tania Jain

March 17th, 2009 by admin

What Kind?

conceler

The right concealer can hide just about every imperfection and give you flawless skin. Gently pat concealer on with fingertips, or brush on with a soft flat brush. Anyone who has less than perfect skin needs a good concealer.

Hint: Concealer should cover entire under-eye, including outside of eye to give it lift. The outside of the eye is also prone to redness and dryness.

Liquid concealer is especially recommended for dry skin and for concealing large areas like under-eye circles.

Solid concealer is necessary to hide stubborn pimples, scars and bruises.

A more natural looking concealer is a cream-to-powder foundation. Match it to the shade of liquid or cream foundation.

Hint: With liquid or solid foundation, best results are obtained by using concealer afterwards. When using a cream-to-powder foundation, concealer should go on first.

Expert Tricks

* Add yellow eye shadow to concealer or foundation to conceal dark circles. It will color-correct dark undertones while concealing.

* Blue or green eye shadow added to concealer or foundation will correct ruddy tones and broken capillaries.

* Use the residue in the cap of your foundation as the perfect concealer. It’s slightly dehydrated, making it just the right thickness to conceal. And of course, it matches your foundation beautifully!

March 17th, 2009 by admin

natural-face-2

Aging - turn back the clock - is a fact of life. It is an inevitable process that we cannot really escape from as the years take their toll on our bodies. But despite this inescapable fact, there are a lot of women who spend a great deal of time, effort and money to keep themselves looking young regardless of their real, chronological age. It is largely due to our youth-oriented culture, where beauty always translates to youth.

Trying to look young is not really bad at all. After all, who does not want to look young for as long as she can? It is just that most of the methods available right now to keep those wrinkles and sags at bay are too expensive and too effort-intensive. Anti-aging creams and lotions are good for keeping the skin looking young, healthy and wrinkle-free, but what about the sags? It seems that the only way to get rid of those sags is to go under the knife and have a face lift.

A surgical face lift is expensive and scary. A lot of times, it also looks unnatural. There are not a few cases where one glance at a woman’s face immediately tells the beholder that the woman has had a face lift. What is the use of undergoing that procedure if it looks so crassly obvious?

Thankfully, there are ways of having a face lift that looks natural and is inexpensive. Most of all, we do not have to have a surgical procedure done on our face to have that youthful-looking visage - get glowing. It only involves a few minutes of our time on a day-to-day basis, and it could be done while we are driving and waiting for the red light to turn green, while watching TV, or while putting on our face creams in the morning or at night. It is called facial fitness.

Another benefit of undergoing a facial fitness regimen is that making the muscles of the face contract increases blood circulation to the face. With improved blood circulation to the face, more oxygen and nutrients are brought to the cells and tissues of the facial muscles and skin. Therefore, it would look healthier and whatever damages that our facial tissues have sustained are more easily repaired.

Having a regular facial fitness routine brings us a natural face lift. With a natural face lift, we do not have to undergo surgery just to keep ourselves looking young. The power to look young has become literally in our hands.

March 17th, 2009 by admin

By Anna Lynn C. Sibal

wrinkles

Wrinkles. Some women see them as the bane of their existence, and they actually go through all means they could possibly afford just to get those wrinkles off their faces, the means ranging from expensive creams to Botox to plastic surgery and facelift. Our culture and society is so youth-oriented that wrinkles, especially on women, have become totally undesirable.

Why do we get wrinkles?
Wrinkles are mostly associated with aging. As we age, the cells of our skin become thinner and lose elasticity because of the decreased levels of collagen production in our body. The skin cells also divide more slowly, thus delaying repair and renewal of the skin. Also, as we age, the fat cells just under the outer layer of our skin, which makes the skin look supple, get smaller and lose their ability to fill out whatever gaps created by the damage that occurs in the inner layers of our skin. And so our skin sags, becomes dry and develops wrinkles as we age.

Wrinkles also develop because of skin damage, the skin damage coming mostly from exposure to sunlight. Spending too much time under the sun with minimal or no protection at all causes the skin to be vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. Sunlight causes the outer layer of the skin, which is the epidermis, to become thinner, and encourages the overproduction of melanin, which eventually leads to skin cancer. Continued sunlight exposure also causes the collagen in our skin to break down more rapidly, faster than natural aging actually does. Loss of collagen results in loss of elasticity for the skin, therefore to skin wrinkling.

The development of free radicals in the skin also causes it to wrinkle. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules in the body that lack an electron; oxygen molecules need two. Free radicals also contribute to the speedy breakdown of collagen in the skin. How do free radicals develop in the skin? This happens through continued exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun, air pollution and cigarette smoking.

We are probably not aware of this, but gravity also plays a role in why we get wrinkles. Gravity pulls at our skin, causing sags and jowls to form.

Getting wrinkles is a natural process. It is something we cannot avoid, and it is something that starts happening in our twenties and thirties. Facelift and other cosmetic surgery cost an arm and a leg, but there are cheaper ways and more effective ways of arresting the formation of wrinkles in the skin and keeping our skin looking younger for longer.

Ways to diminish wrinkles
First is to keep our skin well-protected from UV ray exposure. This means laying on product, such as creams and lotions, that have SPF protection all over the skin. Another is proper nutrition and hydration. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and fish that are rich in vitamins and minerals that fight the development of free radicals in the body. Also, drink plenty of water and fruit juices to keep the body hydrated, and avoid too much black tea and coffee.

Get as much sleep as possible as well, as much as eight hours a day. Sufficient rest keeps the body from being stressed, since chronic stress accelerates the aging process. Lastly, give up smoking because smoking dehydrates the skin and burns away the nutrients of the body.
Source:free-beauty-tips.glam.com

March 17th, 2009 by admin

nataural-skin-care

When meeting someone new, most people take notice of the person�s face first. For this and other reasons, maintaining clean, healthy skin is paramount to self-esteem, confidence and even attitude.

Getting healthier skin is not contingent upon high-cost prescription medications or obsessive skin care routines. Modifying your daily routine a tiny bit and upholding disciplined cleansing habits can help to add flawless skin to the list of your best qualities.

Eat healthier
By avoiding foods that often make your face breakout, your skin will be less oily and more resistant to blemishes. Some problem foods that may cause pimples or breakouts include chocolate and other candy, French fries, fast food, pizza and soft drinks.

To get your skin in better shape, you may not have to give up everything that has negative effects on your skin, but rather, eat those things in moderation. Have greasier foods as a special treat or on rare occasion when eating a healthy, balanced meal is out of the question.

Hydrate and exercise
Drinking the recommended eight glasses of water per day coupled with some regular exercise - walking, running, bicycling, engaging in sports - should have a great impact on one�s complexion. Increased blood flow due to aerobic exercise will positively impact one�s complexion with a glowing look to replace dull skin.

Not only will exercise and drinking water help skin tone and texture, but it will also make you feel more energized and great about yourself. By keeping your body in shape, you will feel less stressed and more capable of achieving those things you set out to do.

Monitor sun exposure
By using a moderate strength sunscreen, you will be protecting your skin from sun damage, skin cancer, aging and premature wrinkles. Too much sun can blister one�s lips, leaving them red, sore and charred. Sunburned skin will eventually peel most times, leaving skin areas blotchy and sensitive. The best approach to preventing sunburn and other sun-caused skin problems is to monitor how much time one spends in the sun and to avoid sun exposure by using sunscreen with SPF 15 or greater.

Practice a regular cleansing routine
Cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturize�this daily routine should carry you on your way toward healthier skin. Select a gentle skin cleansing solution that works for your specific type of skin - dry, oily, normal. Using your selected product, cleanse face in a circular motion and rinse with lukewarm water, as hot water zaps skin�s moisture.

Follow the cleansing stage with an exfoliant. A granular product is often especially effective in smoothing rough areas and releasing dead skin cells, allowing the face to be better moisturized. Perfect moisturizer

After the exfoliation process concludes, use a toner or an astringent to tighten skin and remove any makeup or cleanser residue. A nice alternative to a toner or astringent would be doing a facial masque at least once a week, which tackles clogged pores while also firming skin and leaving it soft and silky.

Finally, pat skin dry with a soft towel but do not dry up all the water. Apply a moisturizer (with or without sunscreen) to help protect skin from dryness. Those who have oily skin do not have to moisturize as often as those who have dry, normal or combination skin.

By following the daily skin care routine along with drinking lots of water, exercising and protecting your skin from sun damage, you should soon notice positive results. Maintaining discipline and adhering to your goal to achieve healthier skin make the actual task at hand so much easier to accomplish.

March 17th, 2009 by admin

Acne

acne-1

A pimple starts when the pores in the skin become clogged with a type of oil called sebum, which normally lubricates the skin and hair. Acne is common during puberty when hormones go into overdrive, causing the skin to overproduce sebum. Because many oil-producing glands are on the forehead, nose, and chin, this area - the T-zone - is where a person is most prone to pimples.

Here are some tips to help prevent breakouts and clear them up as fast as possible:

* Wash your face twice a day (no more) with warm water and a mild soap made for people with acne. Gently massage your face with circular motions. Don’t scrub. Overwashing and scrubbing can cause skin to become irritated. After cleansing, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends applying an over-the-counter (no prescription needed) lotion containing benzoyl peroxide. This will decrease oil and bacteria.
* Don’t pop pimples. It’s tempting, but here’s why you shouldn’t: Popping pimples can push infected material further into the skin, leading to more swelling and redness, and even scarring. If you notice a pimple coming before a big event, like the prom, a dermatologist can often treat it for you with less risk of scarring or infection.
* Avoid touching your face with your fingers or leaning your face on objects that collect sebum and skin residue like the telephone receiver. Touching your face can spread the bacteria that cause pores to become inflamed and irritated. To keep bacteria at bay, wash your hands before applying anything to your face, such as treatment creams or makeup.
* If you wear glasses or sunglasses, make sure you clean them frequently to keep oil from clogging the pores around your eyes and nose.
* If you get acne on your body, try not to wear tight clothes, which don’t allow skin to breathe and may cause irritation. You also might want to stay away from scarves, headbands, and caps, which can collect dirt and oil, too.
* Remove your makeup before you go to sleep. When buying makeup, make sure you choose brands that say “noncomedogenic” or “nonacnegenic” on the label. Throw away old makeup that smells or looks different from when you first bought it.
* Keep hair clean and out of your face to prevent additional dirt and oil from clogging your pores.
* Protect your skin from the sun. It may seem like a tan masks acne, but it’s only temporary. A tan can cause the body to produce extra sebum, which may worsen your acne, not improve it. Tanning also causes damage to skin that will eventually lead to wrinkles and increase your risk of skin cancer.

If you’re concerned about acne, talk to a dermatologist. Dermatologists offer a range of treatments that help to prevent and clear up acne and acne scars. A dermatologist can help you find the treatment method that’s best for you and can also give you lots of useful tips for dealing with acne and caring for your skin type. Some salons and spas have trained skin specialists, called estheticians, who can offer advice and skin care treatments.