As we get older our skin produces less of the natural oil that helps it retain its moisture. There are many contributing factors that can dry our skin. For example, excessive bathing in hot water, or very dry air can cause your skin to become dry. Dry skin can be prevented. The key is to seal moisture into the skin.

For women, their skin is one of their most treasured assets. Poor skin can send a woman into a complete frenzy. Women understand that their skin is the very first thing others see and notice, making a first impression of you before you ever speak.

Many women fight to find a good skin care program. Misinformation often leads us down the wrong path. We struggle to combat one problem and often create another.

Most important is the nutrients our skin receives. Like the rest of our body our skin requires vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. To ensure your skin is getting the right nutrients and the rest of your body too, follow the recommended food intake guideline, and take a multi vitamin daily.

The loofah sponges have become very popular in the past few years. And yes they are wonderful at removing dead skin. The problem is it also removes the natural oils from your skin. Without these oils you become dry and flaky because your body is unable to naturally lubricate new skin layers. This is where we get into a vicious circle – we use the loofah more to remove flaking skin then we flake more. My recommendation is to not use your loofah more than twice a week and to then apply moisturizer directly to your damp skin.

Water in itself is drying to the skin. It is best to avoid really hot showers, use a moisturizing cleanser and stay away from harsh soaps. Pat dry and immediately apply a moisturizer to your body. The moister the skin, the better. Water is moisture, so trapping water between the moisturizer and the skin is good for the skin.

You can also use alpha-hydroxy products on your face. These products help remove dead dry skin and hydrate the new skin beneath. A word of caution – Do not over use these products.

If you have cracked skin on your hands you need to limit the amount of water your hands are exposed to. The more water on your hands, the harder it will be for them to heal. Use heavy moisturizing hand creams to help seal the moisture into the skin.

Recent studies by Duke University show that Vitamin C promotes collagen growth. Collagen is responsible for giving skin its elasticity and keeping it smooth and wrinkle free. The more collagen in the skin, the younger it will look.

Oxidation is also a contributing factor to the skin’s aging process. Oxidation is caused by things like overexposure to the sun and heavy detergents, soaps, and chemicals. It’s very important to use an antioxidant to nourish the skin so that it can better combat these contributing factors. Beta-Carotene is a very effective antioxidant.

If you want to control acne breakouts, you need to supplement your diet with fish oils which contain omega-3 and omega-6 oils. These fish oil also contains EPA and DHA fatty acids which are necessary for creating prostaglandins.

Normally, enzymes in your body break down omega-6 into
DGLA, AA, EPA and DHA fatty acids.

Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA)

Arachidonic Acid (AA)

Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

These four fatty acids eventually change into prostaglandins.

What are prostaglandins?

Prostaglandins are chemical hormones that come from
omega-3 and omega-6 oils and that help,

regulate every function in your cells and organs.

Postaglandins also keep androgen hormones in control so
that excess sebum is not produce in the hair follicle, which
results in acne.

This is the reason why Essential Fatty Acids – Omega-3 and
Omega-6 – are critical foods to eat.

However, eating plenty essential fatty acids may not insure
that you produce enough EPA and DHA, which produce the
essential prostaglandins.

It is critical for acne and more importantly for your
health that you get enough EPA and DHA in your cells
and organs so they can produce the required
prostaglandins.

To increase the prostaglandins in your cell walls, it is
necessary for you to take a fish supplement, which contains
both the EPA and DHA.

Of course eating salmon, halibut, and mackerel twice a week
will be a plus in providing your body with more EPA and
DHA.

Here’s what I use daily. Spectrum Essentials puts out an
excellent product called

Omega-3 Norwegian Fish Oil

Two capsules contains

EPA – 360mg

DHA – 240mg

Omega-3 – 892mg

Stearic, Lauric, Palmitic Acids – 508mg

Using the Omega-3 Norwegian Fish Oil is critical in
getting relief from acne, so take two capsules per
meal.

When your body creates prostaglandins, it creates a good prostaglandin and a bad prostaglandin. Here’s how to encourage the production of good prostaglandins.

·Maintain a ratio of two times more omega-6 than omega-3 in your diet.

·Eating too much omega-6 can lead to producing excess bad prostaglandins.

·Take a multi-vitamin and minerals with your meals to provide these nutrients for breaking down the

essential fatty acids into prostaglandins

·Reduce the amount of meat, saturated fat, dairy, and eggs you eat to reduce the production of AA, which blocks the activities of the good prostaglandins

·Eat cold water fish at least twice a week to provide EPA and DHA to your diet

Include at least 20% of your diet calories as good fats –
omega oils and fish oil. This is essential for controlling the
excess activity of your hormones and reducing the
inflammation of your acne.

There is no dearth of skin care creams and lotions in the market. Name an ailment, and you will find hundreds of skin care creams, lotions and other products for it. As a result of ongoing research and due to ever increasing demand, the number of skin care products seems to be on the increase. Skin care lotions and skin care creams are the most popular forms in which these products are available, and there always seems to be a debate on which form is better?

Well, there is no definitive answer to this. It seems more like a matter of personal choice. However, greasy creams are surely less popular as compared to the non-greasy (or less greasy) ones. Since the application of skin care creams is easier, they seem to be preferred (over lotions) in cases where the skin care product is not to be removed immediately after application. So, skin care creams seem more popular as moisturisers than as cleansers or toners. For toners, lotions seem to be preferred over skin care creams. There are some skin care creams that acts as toners too, but generally the toners are available in liquid form only. For cleansing, lotions and skin care creams are equally popular; however, the tilt seems more towards lotions.

Creams are known to be most effective in keeping skin moist; hence, the most popular form of skin care creams is moisturisers. Due to the same reason, a lot of people tend to associate skin care creams with dry and sensitive skin. Though it is true to a certain extent, skin care creams are not used only for dry skin, they are also used for making products for oily skin e.g. vitamin A creams and sulphur creams that help reduce the rate of sebum production.

Skin care creams are also used for products that cater to skin disorders especially for disorders that require the application of product over a small localised area. This is again due to the fact that skin care creams are easier to apply (without wastage) on the affected area. However, in cases where skin needs to be washed using a medicine/product, lotion is a better choice. Mostly, the manufacturers too realize this fact, making it easier for you to choose between a lotion and a skin care cream

Eye-creams and anti-ageing creams are other examples where skin care cream is preferred over its lotion counterpart.

Whatever your choice be (cream or lotion), knowing how to use it effectively, is more important than anything else.

Anti aging skin care products remind me of the song ’18 till I die’. Indeed, anti aging skin care products are very popular today; and why not, who doesn’t want to look young for ever?

Talking of anti aging skin care products, the first thing that comes to mind is vitamin C based anti aging skin care products. These products work by enabling the synthesis of collagen (a structural protein that is found in skin). This category of anti aging skin care products is related to anti-oxidants. Anti aging skin care products that are based on vitamin C are, however, posed with the danger of getting oxidised themselves (as they come into contact with air during their usage). So some anti aging skin care products are based on the derivatives of vitamin C, which are more stable and less expensive. However, the effectiveness of such anti aging skin care is not as much as it is for vitamin C based ant aging skin care products.

Besides vitamin C, vitamin E and lipoic acid are anti-oxidants too. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble anti-oxidant that is found in human blood and helps in building resistance against infection. Vitamin E is also known to inhibit cancer. Liponic acid is known to combat the signs of aging very effectively by reversing the skin damage caused by the aging process.

Phytochemicals form the other category of anti aging skin care products. Phytochemical are special chemicals that are extracted from plants. There are a variety of phytochemicals that are in use today. Phytochemicals prevent occurrence of cancer of certain types; these include prostate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer. That is why they find their place in anti aging skin care products.

Some B-vitamins like B5, B6 and B12 are also in use for anti aging skin care products.

The field of anti aging skin care products is vast and needs a lot of research. Though the currently available products are effective, they still have challenges to combat. Hopefully, these challenges will get resolved in due course and help get better and cheaper anti aging skin care products.

However, anti aging skin care products should be used only as a supplement to the natural ways of skin and body care. So, drinking a lot of water, getting a good night sleep, exercising regularly, maintaining healthy eating habits and keeping stress at bay are essential means of delaying the aging process. No anti aging skin care product can replace them really.

‘Antiaging skin care’ is a very poplar concept in today’s world. Today everyone wants to hide their age using antiaging skin care procedures (and a number of people are successful too). However antiaging skin care is not achieved by any magic potion. ‘Antiaging skin care’ is about discipline. It is about being proactive. Antiaging skin care is retarding the ageing process. Here are a few tips for proactive antiaging skin care:

1. Maintain healthy eating habits: A well balanced diet is the key to maintaining a proper body metabolism. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (raw), they are the best source of fibre and have a very refreshing effect on your body. Avoid oily and fatty food; not only do they lack in essential nutrients but also cause obesity and other diseases which aid the aging process

2. Beat stress: This is probably the most important antiaging skin care measure. Stress disturbs the body metabolism and accelerates the aging process. Sleep, exercise and a relaxing bath, are all good ways of beating stress. Aroma-therapy is also known to bust stress.

3. Drink a lot of water: Antiaging skin care can’t be any simpler than this. Water helps in flushing out the toxins from the body, hence keeping it clean and making it less prone to disease. Around 8 glasses of water (per day) is recommended by all doctors.

4. Regular exercise is a wonderful antiaging skin care procedure. Besides toning your muscles, it also helps in cleaning the skin by flushing out the toxins in the form of sweat. Exercise should be followed by a warm shower in order to completely remove the toxins.

5. Avoid the use of strong, chemical based products on your skin. Natural skin care products are a good option. Use of organic skin care products (home made or commercial) can be a very effective antiaging skin care measure.

6. Do not overuse skin care products. Excessive and harsh application, both are harmful.

7. Do not ignore skin disorders; it can lead to permanent skin damage. Try over the counter medication and if that doesn’t help, immediately visit your dermatologist and seek his/her advice.

8. Vitamin C based skin care products are very popular means of antiaging skin care. However, these seem to oxidise very quickly (which makes them harmful for the skin). So store them properly. If the product turns Yellowish brown, it means that vitamin c has oxidised and the prodct is no longer suitable for use.

9. Protect your skin against UV radiation ; UV rays are known to speed up the aging process. So, a good sunscreen lotion should be a part of your antiaging skin care routine.

Acne is a menace. However, it’s not something that cannot be tackled. There are loads of acne skin care products around. We can classify acne skin care products into 3 broad categories –
* Preventive or general acne skin care products
* Over-the-counter, specialised acne skin care products
* On-prescription acne skin care products.

The general acne skin care products are the ones that are used as acne-prevention measure. These include cleansers, make-up removers and similar products that help prevent acne. In the real sense, these acne skin care products are just those that should anyway be part of your daily routine. However, some of these are more oriented to act like an acne skin care product. These acne skin care products act against the causes of acne e.g. limiting the production of sebum/oil and preventing clogging of skin pores. Basically, these acne skin care products prevent the oil from getting trapped in pores and hence hamper the growth of bacteria that lead to acne. The general acne skin care products also include exfoliation products like skin peels. These work towards removing dead skin cells, hence reducing the possibility of pore-clogging and bacteria development.

Then there are specialised acne skin care products that are available over-the-counter i.e. without the need of a prescription. These include products like vanishing creams which extract the extra oil from the skin. Most of these acne skin care products are based on benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, both of which are the enemies of bacteria (and hence acne). You should start with a product that has lower concentration of benzoyl peroxide (e.g. 5%) and see how your skin responds to it. Alpha-hydroxy-acid based moisturizers are also popular as acne skin care products. You might have to try a few, before you zero-in on the acne skin care product that is effective for you. If nothing seems to work, you should contact a dermatologist.

On-prescription acne skin care products are the ones that are prescribed by a dermatologist. This can include ointments that can be applied on the affected area or oral antibiotics or just any topical treatment. Dermatologist could also suggest a minor surgical procedure to remove the contents of pustules. However, never try to squeeze or do this by yourself, it can lead to permanent damage of your skin. Your doctor could also prescribe a hormone-based treatment (since hormonal changes are also known to cause acne). Such acne skin care products are known to be very effective in some cases.

So, with all those acne skin care products, tackling acne is not that difficult.

Zits, or pimples, affect almost everyone at some stage of their life. Zits are yukky, unsightly, and usually a part of growing up.

However it can be useful to know a little bit about them when you are approaching the age when zits may become a part of your life.

Firstly, zits aren’t restricted to teenagers as most think. Zits can affect people at any age. It is estimated that anything up to 50% of adult women have a case of zits at some stage in their life after their teen years. Even adult men get zits, although not as frequently as women. And babies.

However the most common time to encounter zits is in your teens. This, of course, is exactly when you don’t want them. You are most aware of the opposite sex, and most interested in making sure that you look as appealing as possible. An outbreak of zits on your face is not at all welcome.

It is not entirely understood what causes zits. It is known what they are, but not exactly what causes them. However the experts think that it is most likely that zits are caused by hormonal changes that take place in your body at certain stages in your life. This explains why zits can be encountered at times when the body is experiencing hormonal changes such as in the teen years.

Zits are a normal part of life. Almost everyone has them, especially as teens, and they are not sent to make your life a misery at the exact time that you don’t want them. They are a part of growing up and if you are a teen with zits you can be sure that most of your friends will get them soon if they haven’t already.

You can get zits on other parts of your body as well as your face. For example on your back, although there are others.

Although it may be fun to pop your zits, or certainly satisfying, it may not be the best thing to do. Experts disagree on whether popping your zits causes scars, but when in doubt, try to avoid it. And if you must then refrain from attempting to get those deep ones that are hard to pop, just stick to the obvious simple ones. But preferably don’t.

Contrary to popular belief you don’t get zits by eating too much chocolate, although you may get fat. Fatty foods do not cause zits.

You don’t get zits because you aren’t washing your face well enough.

As zits are a normal part of life it is extremely difficult to cure them. However there are good strategies available to manage them. It’s just that you control, rather than cure them until your body decides that enough is enough.

Zits will go away with time, although it probably doesn’t seem so now. People don’t generally go through life with permanent zits. A serious case though can cause scars, so it is always worth having them checked out by your doctor.

Overall remember, although zits may seem like a huge problem now, they will go away, and they will be a distant memory soon. Everyone has to deal with them, it’s just your turn at the moment.

‘Facial skin care’ is more a matter of discipline than anything else. A facial skin care routine is what you need (and you need to follow the facial skin care routine with complete seriousness). So let’s check what comprises an effective facial skin care routine. Well, very simply, a facial skin care routine can follow the following 4 steps:
* Cleansing
* Toning
* Exfoliating
* Moisturising

Cleansing is the first thing in facial skin care routine. Cleansing helps in removing dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil from your skin, thereby preventing damage to your skin. Just spot your face and neck with a good cleansing lotion or cream and gently massage it into your skin using upward strokes. Use a soft face tissue or cotton wool to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub). Cleansing should be done at least twice a day i.e. morning (as part of complete facial skin care routine) and evening (on a standalone basis). Water soluble cleansers are the best for inclusion in your facial skin care routine.

Toning is the next in a facial skin care routine. However, this is the optional part of the facial skin care routine. Mostly, proper cleansing can compensate for toning. Toning helps remove all traces of dirt, grease and excess cleanser. Instead of making it part of your daily facial skin care routine, you can using toning occasionally i.e. when you have been exposed to particularly harsh environment/pollution.

Exfoliation is again, kind of, optional step in everyday routine for facial skin care. However, exfoliation is necessary at least once a week (or twice, depending on the skin type and the environmental conditions). Exfoliation finds its place in facial skin care routine because of the natural tendency of skin to replenish the skin cells every 3 or 4 weeks. As a facial skin care technique, exfoliation helps in removing the dead skin cells that block the pores, thus assisting the skin in the natural process. However, excessive or harsh exfoliation can cause damage to your skin; so you need to balance it out.

The next thing in facial skin care is moisturising. In fact, moisturising is the most important part of facial skin care routine. Moisturisers prevent your skin from getting dry. Dry skin is really undesirable since it cause the upper layer skin to break, leading to dead skin cells. Again, use light upward strokes to make the moisturiser more effective. Moisturisers work the best when applied on warm and damp skin. So do not try to remove all the moisture in the previous steps of facial skin care routine.

Besides the normal facial skin care routine, you should also exercise the following for facial skin care:

* Use proper make-up remover instead of just washing it away
* Pay heed to your skin type and the environment, when choosing facial skin care products.
* Before you start using a new facial skin care product, test it by applying it on a short patch of skin e.g. ear lobes.
* Never rub your skin too hard.
* Use sunscreen lotions for protection against sun.

Thanks to advances in medicine and understanding, acne treatment is easy to find today. Almost every type of acne can be treated with relative ease. There are a few facts to remember when looking for acne treatment.

Acne Treatment Takes Time

The treatments for acne that are over hyped on television offer little change of overnight changes. Acne does not suddenly clear itself up overnight. With a little patience acne treatments will work but it generally takes about 4 to 7 weeks to start to show improvement. Once the acne begins to improve, you need to continue the acne treatment to stop the acne from appearing again. If you do not see any changes in 4 to 7 weeks then you should talk to your doctor and/or look for another product to try. All good things come to those who wait, and before you know it, you will feel and look better.

Acne Treatment is Different for Everyone

Everyone has different types of skin, eats differently, and lives with different levels of stress. Treatment that works fine for one person may have the opposite effects for another. Acne treatment can involve many complex factors and involve things such as skin type, the initial cause of the acne, and the type of the skin lesions may appear. Other factors such as age may play a role in the length or types of treatment.

Doctor Assisted Acne Treatment

The help of a dermatologist (a doctor trained in skin conditions and acne treatment) may be helpful for some acne sufferers. Your dermatologist may examine you for other medical conditions, diet, lifestyle, age, stress level, environmental factors, fluid intake, and more. The doctor will also be able to access powerful treatments that are not available over the counter.

The main goal of acne treatment is to stop scarring, or at lease to minimize it. Other important goals are reduction in the number of lesions, and to reduce the stress that accompanies an imperfect face. Many dermatologists will choose an acne treatment that involves prescription drugs. These drugs may involve either topical (applied to the skin) or taken orally. The doctor may recommend the use of more than one medication simultaneously.

Acne will respond to drugs or other treatments the best when started early. The earlier the acne treatment begins the less chance for scarring or other related problems. Progress may be slowed by takes other medications that interfere with the acne medication so always check with you doctor when in doubt.

Acne Treatment Summary

The path to the best form of treatment may involve testing different medications to find the one that works best for you. Over the counter, or doctor assisted acne treatment is up to you. Do not forget that proper treatment of acne takes time, there is no overnight cure. Always follow the directions on the label of your acne product as closely as possible, as well as any information you receive from a doctor, or health care worker.

Acne is something that most people will encounter at some point in their lives in some form or another, and the prevalence of the condition has resulted in the creation of a multitude of myths regarding possible acne solutions. As anyone who has suffered with the condition will know, acne can be an embarrassing and uncomfortable condition, making sufferers all too eager to embrace any potential acne solutions in an attempt to rid themselves of the problem. Let’s take a quick look at some commonly suggested treatments for acne, and see what works and what doesn’t.

Your foundation treatment for acne should always be a good cleansing routine. It is often thought that those heavily medicated facial washes and cleansers are the best acne solutions, and while they are effective in some cases, they can be overly drying, which simply causes the skin to produce more oil. Acne can be an uncomfortable condition and using these products can lead to skin that feels tight and even more irritating. Try some of the milder products available – not all of these will be advertised as acne solutions, but a good gentle cleanser is often one of the best acne treatments.

And remember that while acne is not contagious, pimples do contain material that can lead to further spots if spread. Unfortunately your Mom was right on this – one of the best treatments for acne is to avoid touching your pimples.

While acne is a condition of the skin, there are non-topical acne solutions that can help in your acne treatment. While it is simply not true that eating chocolate and fried food directly cause acne, eating a sensible diet helps your health in general, which can in turn affect the appearance of your skin.

Unfortunately, there are very few quick fixes for acne, and treatments for acne invariably take some time to work. Try to be patient, and avoid stress, as this can aggravate the situation. The basis of your acne solutions should be a good cleanser and a topical solution that you can apply directly to each pimple. Slathering your face with a multitude of treatments can simply overwhelm your skin, so stick to the basics that work for you.

Keep it simple, and try to be patient. You will find the right acne solution for you.

There are acne solutions, but it takes some time to find them sometimes.