Archive for the ‘Additional Articles’ Category
January 1st, 2009
Invisible pores have been touted as a hallmark of beautiful skin. Yet more than a few of us look in the mirror and confront a complexion whose texture looks more like the surface of the moon than satin-smooth. Maybe we should all stop peering into our magnifying mirrors!
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to actually shrink your pores. But you can take steps to avoid making pores even larger and learn makeup techniques that will make them less noticeable.
Pores are tiny openings in the skin-the points of entry of hair follicles, sweat glands and oil glands, from which oil flows to the surface of your skin.
If you’re bemoaning your large pores, don’t! They serve a purpose: to secrete oil. The size of the oil glands located on your nose, cheeks, and chin, determines the size of your pores in these areas. In fact, if your pores weren’t the size they are, you’d likely end up with a bigger problem: pimples. Too much oil trying to drain from too tiny pores could lead to blemishes.
To prevent pores from enlarging in the first place, don’t squeeze blackheads. It can rupture the hair follicle, causing scarring that permanently enlarges that pore.
Also, stay out of the sun. As you get older, the damaging effects of the sun on your skin will finally catch up with your pores. Sun damage can cause blackheads, which enlarge pores. Then, as your pores try to expand, the material in them gets trapped. So if you haven’t already begun to wear a strong sunscreen, now’s the time to start.
Experts agree that you can’t reduce the size of your pores. Pore size is inherited, and there’s no way you can get around that. But you can make pores look less noticeable. Here’s how.
Keep your skin clean. Blemishes will make your pores more visible, so keep your face clean.
That doesn’t mean you should scrub with harsh cleaners; it may spur your skin to generate more oil, and the more oil your skin pumps out, the larger your pores can get. Cleanse gently with mild soap instead.
By the way, you may have heard that you can close your pores by steaming your face or alternately turning the water in your shower hot and cold. But this is the beauty equivalent of an old wives’ tale: Pores can’t be opened and closed like a window!
Use an astringent-sparingly. Alcohol based skin care products can temporarily close pores by irritating the skin, creating a swelling effect around the pores. But don’t use too much astringent, too often-you may close your pores but end up with dry, flaky skin. Better to save an astringent for special occasions-before a big night out, for example. The pore-tightening effect is temporary, however-an hour or so.
Mask the problem. Face masks-especially those formulated with clay-draw out some oil from your skin, which will temporarily make your pores appear smaller. But they can also dry out your skin if you’re not careful. Choose a brand formulated specifically for your skin type (dry, oily, or normal) and follow directions to the letter. If you have sensitive skin, you probably shouldn’t use masks at all.
Apply any mask thickly-too thin an application can work too well, ausing parched, tight skin.
January 1st, 2009
Unfortunately, teenagers don’t have a lock on breakouts. In fact, half of all women with adult acne escaped blemishes in their teens.
Many women’s late-blooming acne begins after pregnancy or during menopause, when estrogen levels soar or dip. Emotional stress can also be to blame for blemished skin. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait to outgrow your blemishes all over again. Here’s how to zap zits quick and have blemish free skin.
Cleansing Rule #1
Try a Little Tenderness
The last thing blemished skin needs is to be punished. Better to treat your troubled skin gently.
Use soaps that are easy on your skin. True soap can strip your skin and may also contain acne-triggering ingredients like sodium tallowate. So opt for a soap-free liquid soap or bar formulated for oily skin. You might use an antiseptic soap. But stop using an antiseptic product immediately if it irritates your skin.
Wash twice a day-no more. Despite what you may have heard, repeated cleansing won’t prevent breakouts. Too much washing can dry and irritate your skin. Worse, compulsive cleansing can rile your oil glands and trigger a breakout.
Limit the astringent. Like over cleansing, using astringent more than once or twice a day can dry out-rile up-your skin. You might try a product labeled for sensitive skin, which contains less alcohol than regular astringents.
Shun the scrubs. Because they drip up oil and temporarily tighten pores, grainy exfoliants may feel like they’re helping your skin. Bur over using these products can make your skin parched and flaky and can even result in tiny broken capillaries. Trying to scrub away is just wrong. Let a benzoyl peroxide product do the scrubbing for you. It’s chemical exfoliation is enough.
You might also try a product formulated with salicylic acid (a chemical exfoliant thought to encourage faster cell turnover and repair). There are overnight treatments that can help keep pores clear and prevent new blemishes from forming.
Don’t squeeze! No matter how tempted your are, never squeeze a pimple. You may push the infection deeper into your skin. Don’t squeeze blackheads, either. They can be deceptively deep, and trying to extract them may break your skin, causing inflammation.
The no-squeeze rule is especially important if you’re African American: Your skin may retaliate by making more pigment and replacing the pimple with a permanent dark spot.
December 1st, 2008
Honey is not just for making things sweeter naturally, it has very good medicinal properties that even the medical community agree with. It’s been used to treat several different ailments and is found in many skin care products and for treating skin disorders. Using honey for a homemade acne treatment can be very effective. Try honey for the treatment of acne along with other remedies you may be using.
You may be wondering, why honey? It is actually quite simply. Honey is a powerful antioxidant that can aid in the removal of free radicals from your body. When your body has a build up of free radicals, which are toxic, this is one cause of excess sebum and inflammation of hair follicles. Applying honey to the affected area can reduce this.
Honey contains very strong anti inflammation and antiseptic properties which is why it is a great homemade acne treatment. Because acne comes from infection of bacteria, honey will work to fight the bacteria.
Honey provides minerals, vitamins and many other important nutrients for your overall health. Some say that when combined with milk you will get a complete balance of nutrition. So not only can you use honey topically as a homemade acne treatment, but orally as well. It is safe, effective and healthy.
November 21st, 2008
Usually when I post new articles to my blog, I do a lot of research for the information that I bring to you. I decided to do it a little different this time and let you in on a conversation I had with my brother about skin care. Yes, my brother, can you believe that! Who knew?
Although I’m close to my brother, in all these years we have never talked about skin care. Now, if it was a sister, I’m sure it would have been different. Anyway getting back to this conversation we had, I was very surprised in finding out that he is very much into the whole skin care thing. He spends a lot of money on products that he uses daily and ones he applies a few times a week.
It got me thinking, what is he buying and what are the ingredients of these products. He read all the ingredients of all the products he uses. I have to admit that I was impressed by his choices. All the ingredients were excellent. They contained all the right things you need for your skin, such as aloe Vera, jojoba oil, all kinds of extracts, natural ingredients,etc.
All these products are great for topical skin care use. They will definitely be nourishing to the skin. However, I did tell him that in order for skin products to really be effective you have to get them to the dermis of the skin. The only way to do this is by some kind of current. This is where my favorite product comes in. The Galvanic Spa System can do just that. By using adjustable current it drives the gels deep into the inner layers of the skin to really help with fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and so much more.
He was surprised that I had such a product and never mentioned it to him. I was equally surprised that he would have even been interested in it. He was very excited to give it a try, but before he made his purchase, I encouraged him to read my page about the Galvanic Spa. After doing so, he was even more excited about it.
Needless to say, he is hooked! He continues to use his skin care products along with the spa (not that you have to) just because I think it makes him feel better. My suggestion to you is to check out what this little hand held gem can do for you and make your own purchase and look and feel 10 plus years younger instantly!
Right now I’m offering a $60.00 savings for a limited time only. So head on over and see for yourself. Find out about some amazing results others have achieved in using the Galvanic Spa System!
November 19th, 2008
Top Acne Treatment
Are you suffering from adult acne? It’s more common than you might think. When we think of acne, we tend to view it as an adolescent problem that is usually outgrown. Acne skin care products seem to be more targeted towards the young.
As adults, we seem somewhat surprised when we notice blemishes on our face or perhaps even our body. Even if as an adolescent you experienced acne or not, we tend to believe it will eventually just go away, or if it wasn’t ever an issue at all as a young adult, we would never think that as an adult it would at this point propose a problem.
You may be wondering why now as an adult you are noticing blemishes, when you’ve never had them before. So what are the causes of adult acne?
Acne has many causes. Adult acne can have its own triggers, such as:
Adults go through many hormonal changes. When hormones start to change, it can produce more sebum, which causes acne. Hormonal changes can be because of pregnancy, birth control or just normal hormonal changes we can experience because of age.
Adult acne can also develop acne from taking certain medications.
If you feel that your adult acne is more severe, you may want to consult a dermatologist, as there could be underlying issues you need to address.
Suffering from adult acne can be very stressful. And we all know what stress can do to our bodies and skin. Learning to cope and de-stress should be part of your acne treatment regimen. Studies show that just about 40% of acne skin care products are purchased by adults in the US alone. So, remember, you are not alone in this!
There are many ways to treat adult acne available to you. I have discovered two that really do work. You just have to decide which one best suits your needs. Listen to what other people have successfully used, it could work for you as well.
Just click below for your free problem skin analysis, to find out how to better take care of YOUR skin.
November 18th, 2008
Top Acne Treatment
If you’re reading this article, I’m sure by now you have come to realize that the market is flooded with fast acne treatment strategies. Or, maybe not. There are most definitely some lifestyle changes you can make to help you fight acne. Following an acne skin care regimen which would include some acne fighting products is not the only thing you can do. Following some of these simple techniques can help to prevent acne, and stop future breakouts.
Avoiding greasy foods is questionable by some dermatologist in causing acne. However, avoiding these greasy foods is just better for your overall health. Then there is the possibility that you could accidentally transfer that grease to areas that are already acne infected.
If you’re a workout person, which I hope you are, you will no doubt be sweating. Get the sweaty clothes off as soon as possible, and jump into the shower.
Exercising regularly is not only good for your body, but also important to your skin.
Excess oil is a common factor for people with acne, so it just makes sense to reduce the chances that you will put that oil and dead skin cells back into your skin. So wash your sheets and pillow case often.
If you have body or back acne, avoid things that will rub and irritate your skin, such as carrying a backpack on your shoulders and across your back.
Oil in your hair can get onto your skin and cause havoc for your acne. So gals, put that hair up in a pony, and guys make sure it’s off your forehead.
Something very simple, drink lots of water. It’s not only good for your body, but your skin needs it as well. It also helps to get rid of toxins in your body.
Don’t allow yourself to become constipated. Do whatever you can to get back on track. Something natural would be best, like eating Activia, it really does work!
Listen to people and what they have used for their acne, it could be helpful to you as well.
When choosing an acne product, make sure it will be suitable for your skin type. Best to find one that works for all skin types to be safe, and avoid irritation to your skin.
These fast acne treatment strategies will put you on track, and help you in your battle against acne.
November 16th, 2008
Top Acne Treatment
Is your acne mild, moderate or severe? Before deciding on the many different treatments of acne, first you should determine what kind of acne you have. Each type of acne comes with different levels of severity.
Over the counter products will pretty much take care of mild acne. If you have moderate acne you may need a little more added to the over the counter product, such as a supplement of some kind. A severe acne treatment would most likely involve a prescription medication. If after trying other ways to get rid of severe acne has not worked, then your doctor may prescribe Accutane. This requires supervision from your doctor because of the severe side effects.
The side effects of Accutane can be mild to severe. The more severe effects would include, birth defects to an unborn child, suicidal thoughts and behavior, to the less severe such as dry lips. If you are taking Accutane and have any of the more severe side effects your doctor will probably have you discontinue use. However, the side effects can continue even after you stop taking it.
It is quite apparent that if you are pregnant or think you might be, talk to your doctor about it before taking Accutane. The most reported severe side effect up till now is deformities to an unborn fetus.
Another severe side effect of Accutane is depression. Because Accutane effects chemicals in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin, patients have observed the following behaviors while on this prescription medication. Irritability, mood swings, anger, loss of interest to pleasurable things, aggression, acting on dangerous impulses and even psychosis. That is why it is so important to let your doctor know immediately if you are having any of these symptoms from taking Accutane.
Some of the less severe side effects of Accutane are dry mouth and lips, lips or eyelids swelling, nosebleeds, thinning hair or indigestion. If you are affected by these side effects, consult with your doctor and he/she may stop treatment until the side effects go away, then continue it once again.Is Accutane Safe For A Severe
It is highly recommended to try a more natural approach for a severe acne treatment before taking something as harmful and dangerous as Accutane. Many times natural medications can be just as effective and you will not have to worry about the dangerous side effects.
November 14th, 2008
Are you still looking for that quick acne treatment? Haven’t yet found something that truly works for you. Believe me, you are not alone and it is not your fault. It is truly hard to read through all the articles and different solutions to your acne problem. It can be mind boggling, to say the least. I know you just want your skin to clear up once and for all, finally be acne free and fast! Well, the good news is with little effort you may be able to do just that.
When you especially want your acne to clear up before a special event, and you need to do that quickly, there are some things you can do to see results fast. But first you must take several things you need to take into consideration.
Our hands can be the biggest dirt and germ carriers. Think about how often you touch your face in the course of just one day. Often we do this mindlessly, without even realizing we are doing it. In doing this you are spreading these germs to an already infected area and making the situation worse.
Think of your acne as an opened wound. Would you consistently touch an open sore? My guess would be no. How about the germy things that touch your face such as the phone. By reducing the germy, dirty things that can touch your face daily, you have just found a quick acne treatment that is easy to put to use. Simply by keeping those areas clean and avoid the germy things that touch your face.
Acne will make you face feel oily and dirty, therefore you feel like you want to wash it often. Be mindful of how often you wash your face, as this can be irritating, causing friction, leading to more acne.
However, it is vitally important to keep your face clean. using a gentle, mild cleanser that is soothing and non-irritating to the skin is best. Avoid using strong levels of astringents, that can cause inflammation to the skin.
When using a quick acne treatment and want to conceal your acne while you are waiting for it to clear up, use a concealer that is oil free. Products that contain oil can be clogging to your pores and can make your acne worse. Look for mineral based makeup, as that is actually good for your skin and only used natural ingredients.
Be aware of want you feel triggers your acne and either avoid those things or simply change them. Maybe it’s avoiding certain foods or adding healthier foods to your diet. Drinking more water, not drinking too much caffeine; those are just examples of thinking about what triggers your acne.
Having the right information and knowing what ingredients to look for in your acne products is very important. Listen to what other people have tried and was successful for them. Chances are, it will work for you as well.
Remember, for a quick acne treatment, that is effective, it’s best to use a system rather than just one thing. A combination of different ways to fight acne and an acne fighting system put together is the best way to get rid of your acne fast.
November 13th, 2008
Top Acne Treatment
So what makes benzoyl peroxide so special?
The secret is in the way it attacks acne. Benzoyl peroxide is the best OTC or prescription medication for killing the bacterium that is fundamental to the growth of a pimple. The benzoyl peroxide is applied to the surface of the skin, but it gets down into the pore, where it creates oxygen. Now, here’s the clincher-the bacterium won’t survive in the presence of oxygen, so when the oxygen created by the benzoyl peroxide gets into the pore, the acne is killed right where it lives. Benzoyl peroxide also has some mild drying and peeling effects, which may further help clear up your skin.
Benzoyl peroxide treatments some in strengths up to 10 percent. The percentage refers to the amount of active ingredient in the product. Naturally, you’d think that if benzoyl peroxide works so well, you’d want the highest percentage you can get. Wrong. The higher the percentage, the more irritating it is to your skin. Your goal is to get the benefit of the benzoyl peroxide without the skin irritation. It’s usually recommended to use the lowest presentage-2.5 percent-for use with a good skin regimen. Studies show that the 2.5 percent works just as well as the higher percentages, but you won’t suffer from the severe over drying and redness that can occur when a more potent benzoyl peroxide product is used.
Choose a cleanser that does not over dry. You want a mild formula made specifically for sensitive and dry skin.
When using benzoyl peroxide, you should use a moisturizer. It is important that you use a moisturizer every day, even if your skin doesn’t appear to be thirsting for it. There are many quality moisturizers available that do not aggravate acne-prone skin, and applying them will help keep your skin in balance and prevent some of the initial drying effects of benzoyl peroxide. Look for an oil-free formula made especially for the face. Also, use a moisturizer that is SPF 15 or greater because you always want to be protecting your skin from the damaging effects of the sun.
It may take your skin a couple of weeks to get used to benzoyl peroxide, especially if you’ve never used it before. Start out using small amounts and slowly increase the dosage as you continue your skin care regimen. While some redness and itchiness are normal at first, starting a regimen with a large amount practically guarantees overly dry skin. If you start out by using too much, you may have to stop the regimen completely for a few days due to severe redness and dryness. So start slowly!
Also keep in mind that about 3 percent of people are allergic to benzoyl peroxide and may experience severe swelling and crusting. It’s a good idea to test a spot on your face before you begin a skin care regimen. If you experience swelling or crusting on your test area, stop using the benzoyl peroxide immediately and consult a doctor.
There is another solution to your acne. If you’re interested in taking a more natural approach and clear up your acne in just three days! , you need to take a close look at some amazing results.
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November 11th, 2008
As I’ve said before, blemishes or pimples seem to show up at the most inopportune times. You may be anticipating a big event, or having your picture taken, or going on a first date, whatever the occasion, the last thing we want to come along with us are pimples. Fortunately there are some things we can do to help us through till those dreaded uninvited guests go away.
Before applying your makeup, use a concealer. Make sure when choosing a concealer it is going to match your skin tone. If it doesn’t it will be very noticeable that you are trying to hide something. Blend into the skin well by dabbing lightly on the area you are trying to cover up.
If you find yourself with no matching concealer, you can opt for a facial powder as long as it matches your skin. Some people prefer powder because it tends to feel less heavy and won’t feel oily. However, it probably will not last as long as a concealer, but you can always bring your facial powder along with you to do a little touching up.
Bring more attention to your eyes or lips, as this will make people focus on other areas of your face. Keep in mind that certain shades of eye color and lipsticks can bring out the blemish even more. Avoid lip shades of red and eye colors of pink.
If you are experiencing breakouts, or in fact have acne issues, using a mineral based makeup is much healthier for the skin. Even with no skin issues, a natural mineral makeup can actually be good for the skin. I personally use Sheer Cover Mineral Powder or Bare Minerals, as I found that they are very similar; it’s a personal choice. Either one is good for the skin, feels very light, and will give you great coverage.
Having acne or acne scarring can be very frustrating and embarrassing. There are affordable treatments for both of these concerns. However, you need to know what to look for when buying over the counter acne treatments.
Remember to use a good skin care regimen and be consistent in following it.
