Skin Care Hub

The first and foremost important thing to remember regarding skin care is to properly wash your face EVERY night to remove all your makeup and dirt that is sitting on your face. Removing the foreign substances off your skin will give it the opportunity to breathe and to try to repair any damages you may have caused to the skin during the day.

When it comes to skin care, I am a firm believer that price of the products do not matter. Consumers are inundated with advertizing campaigns that all tout a product’s superior results and effectiveness and the products range greatly in terms of pricing.

The key to finding the right skincare products is to know what your skin needs. For example, is your skin dry, oily, sensitive, ridden with sun damage? Having an honest self evaluation of the needs of your skin may be the first step in picking the products that may work the best for you. Price is NOT indicative of a product’s effectiveness. So remember that, and find the products that fits both your budget and your skin.

Skin care can be boiled down to 3 important steps, none of which is expensive or time-consuming.

The first step in skin care is cleansing. The product you use to clean your skin will depend on whether your skin is naturally: (1) dry; (2) oily; (3) neither oily nor dry; or (4) sensitive. Dry skin should not be cleansed with harsh products, such as astringents. This will dry the face out even more.

Oily skin, on the other hand, can and should be cleaned with an astringent, which will reduce the oil buildup on the skin. Skin that is neither oily nor dry can be cleansed with whatever product you like best. Sensitive skin should be cleaned with a minimal amount of cleanser, which should be free of dyes, fragrances, harsh chemicals or unnecessary additives.

You should clean your skin in the morning and before bed. Never go to bed wearing makeup; this will clog your pores and can lead to rashes and breakouts.

The second step is moisturizing the skin. If you have sensitive skin, avoid dyes, fragrances and irritants such as alpha hydroxy acids. For oily skin, a very light moisturizer is recommended. For dry skin, daily moisturizer is a must.

The third step could save your life. Always, always wear sunscreen on any part of your body that is not covered by clothing or a hat. If you will be in direct sunlight for a long period of time, be aware that clothing actually lets some sunlight in, and has a very low SPF. To protect your skin from aging and from cancer, which is deadly if not detected early and treated, apply sunscreen to areas that are covered by light clothing such as t-shirts.

Many older people suffer from dry skin, particularly on their lower legs, elbows, and forearms. The skin feels rough and scaly and often is accompanied by a distressing, intense itchiness. Low humidity — caused by overheating during the winter and air conditioning during the summer — contributes to dryness and itching. The loss of sweat and oil glands as you age also may worsen dry skin. Anything that further dries your skin — such as overuse of soaps, antiperspirants, perfumes, or hot baths — will make the problem worse. Dehydration, sun exposure, smoking, and stress also may cause dry skin.

Dry skin itches because it is irritated easily. If your skin is very dry and itchy, see a doctor. Dry skin and itching can affect your sleep, cause irritability, or be a symptom of a disease. For example, diabetes and kidney disease can cause itching. Some medicines make the itchiness worse.

The most common treatment for dry skin is the use of moisturizers to reduce water loss and soothe the skin. Moisturizers come in several forms — ointments, creams, and lotions. Ointments are mixtures of water in oil, usually either lanolin or petrolatum. Creams are preparations of oil in water, which is the main ingredient. Creams must be applied more often than ointments to be most effective. Lotions contain powder crystals dissolved in water, again the main ingredient. Because of their high water content, they feel cool on the skin and don’t leave the skin feeling greasy. Although they are easy to apply and may be more pleasing than ointments and creams, lotions don’t have the same protective qualities. You may need to apply them frequently to relieve the signs and symptoms of dryness. Moisturizers should be used indefinitely to prevent recurrence of dry skin.

A humidifier can add moisture to the air. Bathing less often and using milder soaps also can help relieve dry skin. Warm water is less irritating to dry skin than hot water.

Source: http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/skin.asp

By Casey Gentles

by: Donna Kelly

Skin is living tissue. It needs regular care and attention to remain smooth, tight and vibrant. Some signs of aging are inevitable, however there is a lot you can do to influence how quickly your skin ages. How fast your skin ages is significantly influenced by the health and lifestyle decisions you make every day. Making unhealthy choices can cause premature skin aging.

Here are 10 lifestyle tips to help you avoid premature skin aging.

Don’t smoke: Whether you smoke, or you spend time with a smoker, cigarette smoke is damaging and aging your skin. Exposure to cigarette smoke significantly increases skin wrinkles and dryness. Cigarette smoke depletes your body of Vitamin C which is a key ingredient for keeping skin plump and moist.

Manage sun exposure: The sun’s UV rays penetrate deep into skin tissues contributing to wrinkles, dryness, sun burn and, in the worse case, skin cancer. When spending time in the sun protect yourself with a sun screen. A sun screen with an SPF 15 rating, or higher, is recommended. Remember to continuously reapply your sun screen if you are outside for long periods of time, or have been swimming or exercising. Don’t forget clouds do not protect you from ultraviolet ray exposure. You need to protect yourself from the sun, even on a cloudy day. Don’t forget your eyes, wear sun glasses. Long term sun exposure can lead to serious health issues with your eyes.

Contrary to popular belief sun beds are not a safer way to tan. Sun beds also emit UV rays contributing to premature skin aging. For a “skin friendly” tan consider self tanning creams.

Exposure to cold weather: If you live in cooler climes cold winds and low temperatures can also contribute to premature skin aging by drying out your skin. If you venture out in the cold make sure to use a good moisturizer.

Eat healthily: One of the most important influences on our skin health is the quality and quantity of food we eat. A balanced diet is a good barrier against premature aging. By eating fruits and vegetables, especially brightly coloured fruit and leafy greens, we are giving our bodies vitamins and antioxidants that combat the breakdown of collagen and elastin in our skin. Collagen and elastin helps keep our skin tight and youthful. It is also important is to make sure you drink plenty of water every day.

Manage stress: To help reduce premature skin aging due to stress be aware of your stress level. Stress and worry cause frowning and, over time, the muscles in the face actually “remember” the stressed and worried expressions. A good anti aging skin care program should include meditation, yoga, gentle exercise or other relaxation techniques. Keeping stress in check will help you look and feel younger.

Exercise regularly: Exercise has a positive impact on muscle tone and blood circulation contributing to skin health and a more youthful appearance. The benefits of a regular exercise program will show on your face, having a bright smile and lots of energy will help you look younger, at any age.

Think about your beauty products: As you age you should use both lighter coloured cosmetics and hair colours. Lighter colours will be more flattering to your skin lightening skin tone.

It is also worth considering AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) based moisturizers and skin care products. AHAs are natural fruit acids found in fruit, sugarcane, and milk. As skin ages natural exfoliation becomes more difficult and dead skin layers build up. AHAs allow the top layer of dead skin to be exfoliated more easily and help to unblock and cleanse pores. AHAs also loosen inter-cellular fluid smoothing fine lines and surface wrinkles and improving skin texture and tone.

Did you know that your lipstick or lip gloss can help your lips not only look great but can also protect them from the sun at the same time ? When choosing your lip products look for lipsticks or lip glosses that contain Sesame Oil and Vitamin E.

Moderate alcohol use: Alcohol contributes to skin aging by dilating small blood vessels in the skin and increasing blood flow near the skin’s surface. Over time these blood vessels can become permanently damaged and broken.

Moisturize: Think of all the hot showers and baths you have taken; sure, they clean your skin, but they also dry it out. Our skin also gets drier as part of the aging process. The best thing to combat dryness is, of course, to moisturize. Your local drug store or beauty spa sells a great variety of moisturizers, and one of them will be just the right for your skin type. Ask the beauty advisor or pharmacist for assistance if you’re not sure which one to buy.

Get enough sleep: While we sleep our body, including our skin, recharges and prepares for the next day. Take time to get some sleep – at least 7 to 8 hours per night.

About The Author
Donna Kelly is a trained makeup artist with her own beauty business. As both a business woman and a mom with 2 children Donna understands the time pressures on women today and through this, and other articles, has endeavored to take the complexity out of looking great with some “busy women friendly” beauty tips and advice. If you would like to read more of Donna’s articles check out her website: http://www.coloursandscents.co.nz

1. Stay in the shade. Avoid the sun from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This is when sun rays are strongest. Don’t be fooled by cloudy skies. Harmful rays pass through clouds.

2. Use sunscreen products on your skin. Many suntan products have sunscreens to protect your skin from the sun.

Products with sunscreens have an “SPF” number on the label. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. A higher number means it protects longer. Buy products with an SPF number of 15 or more.

Buy products whose label also says: “broad spectrum,” meaning it protects against the two types of harmful sun rays “water resistant,” meaning it stays on your skin longer, even if you get wet or sweat a lot.

Tips For Using Sunscreen Products:

* Put a sunscreen of at least SPF 15 on your skin 15 to 30 minutes before going outside.
* Rub the sunscreen evenly on all uncovered skin. Be sure to put it on your eyelids, lips, nose, ears, neck, hands and feet. If you do not have much hair, put it on the top of your head.
* Do not get a sunscreen in your eyes. It can sting.
* Once in a while, put on more sunscreen while you’re in the sun. Read the label to see how often to put it on.
* Do not use a sunscreen on babies under 6 months old.
* On children older than 6 months, use a sunscreen every time they go out.

3. Wear a hat. A hat with a wide brim helps shade the neck, ears, eyes, and head.

4. Wear sunglasses. Buy only sunglasses with a label saying the glasses block 99 to 100 percent of the sun’s rays. If there is no label, do not buy the glasses.

5. Cover up. Wear loose, lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and long pants or long skirts when in the sun.

6. Avoid artificial tanning methods. This includes sunlamps and tanning beds, as well as tanning pills and tanning makeup.

Tanning pills have a color additive that turns your skin orange after you take them. The FDA has OK’d this color additive for coloring foods but not for tanning the skin. The large amount of color additive in tanning pills may be harmful.

Tanning makeup is put on the skin to make it look tan. Sometimes the color can be washed off with soap and water. Other times, it wears off after a few days. These products are not sunscreen lotions and will not protect your skin from the sun.

7. Check your skin regularly for signs of skin cancer. Look for changes in the size, shape, color or feel of birthmarks, moles and spots. If you find any changes or find sores that are not healing, see your doctor.

* Look at the back of your neck and scalp with the help of a hand mirror.
* Look at your body–front, back and sides–in the mirror.
* Bend your elbows and look at the undersides of your arms.
* Look at the backs of your legs and feet.
* Check parts that are hard to see–like your back–with a hand mirror.

Source: Department of Health and Human Services

Summer is a great time to have fun outdoors. It’s also a time to take precautions to avoid sunburns, which can increase your risk of skin cancer.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays appears to be the most important environmental factor involved with developing skin cancer. During the summer months, UV radiation tends to be greater.

To help prevent skin cancer while still having fun outdoors, regularly use sun protective practices such as

* Seek shade, especially during midday hours (10 a.m.–4 p.m.), when UV rays are strongest and do the most damage.
* Cover up with clothing to protect exposed skin. A long-sleeved shirt and long pants with a tight weave are best.
* Get a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
* Grab shades that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.
* Rub on sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection.

It’s always wise to choose more than one way to cover up when you’re in the sun. Use sunscreen and put on a shirt… Seek shade and grab your sunglasses… Wear a hat, but rub on sunscreen too. Combining these sun protective actions helps protect your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays.

UV rays reach you on cloudy and hazy days, as well as bright and sunny days. UV rays will also reflect off any surface like water, cement, sand, and snow. Additionally, UV rays from artificial sources of light, like tanning beds, cause skin cancer and should be avoided.

Most forms of skin cancer can be cured. However, the best way to avoid skin cancer is to protect your skin from the sun.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Gardening can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors, get physical activity, beautify the community, and grow nutritious fruits and vegetables. Whether you are a beginner or expert gardener, health and safety are important. Emergency room visits due to injuries related to lawn and garden equipment occur each year.

Below are some tips to help keep you safe and healthy so that you can enjoy the beauty and bounty gardening can bring.

Dress to protect.

Gear up to protect yourself from lawn and garden chemicals, equipment, insects, and the sun.

• Wear safety goggles, sturdy shoes, and long pants when using lawn mowers and other machinery.
• Protect your hearing when using machinery. If you have to raise your voice to talk to someone who is an arm’s length away, the noise can be potentially harmful to your hearing.
• Wear gloves to lower the risk for skin irritations, cuts, and certain contaminants.
• Protect yourself from diseases caused by mosquitoes and ticks. Use insect repellent containing DEET. Wear clothing treated with permethrin, long-sleeved shirts, and pants tucked in your socks. You may also want to wear high rubber boots since ticks are usually located close to the ground.
• Lower your risk for sunburn and skin cancer. Wear long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats, sun shades, and sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

You should follow these safety tips when dyeing your hair:

• Don’t leave the dye on your head any longer than needed.
• Rinse your scalp thoroughly with water after use.
• Wear gloves when applying hair dye.
• Carefully follow the directions in the hair dye package.
• Never mix different hair dye products.
• Be sure to do a patch test for allergic reactions before applying the dye to your hair. Almost all hair dye products include instructions for doing a patch test. It’s important to do this each time you dye your hair. Your hairdresser should also do the patch test before dyeing your hair. To test, put a dab of hair dye behind your ear, and don’t wash it off for two days. If you don’t have any signs of allergic reaction, such as itching, burning, or redness at the test spot, you can be somewhat sure that you won’t have a reaction to the dye applied to your hair. If you do react to the patch test, do the same test with different brands or colors until you find one to which you’re not allergic.
• Never dye your eyebrows or eyelashes. An allergic reaction to dye could cause swelling or increase risk of infection in the eye area. This can harm the eye and even cause blindness. Spilling dye into the eye by accident could also cause permanent damage. FDA bans the use of hair dyes for eyelash and eyebrow tinting or dyeing even in beauty salons.

Source: Office on Women’s Health
in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The best way to keep your skin healthy is to be careful in the sun.

Limit time in the sun. Try to stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is when the sun’s rays are strongest. Don’t be fooled by cloudy skies. The sun’s rays can pass through clouds. You can also get sunburned if you are in water, so be careful when you are in a pool, lake, or the ocean.

Use sunscreen. Look for a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) number of 15 or higher. It’s best to choose sunscreens with “broad spectrum” on the label. “Water resistant” sunscreen stays on your skin even if you get wet or sweat a lot, but it isn’t waterproof and needs to be put on about every 2 hours.

Wear protective clothing. A hat with a wide brim can shade your neck, ears, eyes, and head. Look for sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of the sun’s rays. If you have to be in the sun, wear loose, lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and long pants or long skirts.

Avoid tanning. Don’t use sunlamps or tanning beds. Tanning pills are not approved by the FDA and might not be safe.

Your skin may change with age. But remember, there are things you can do to help. Check your skin often. If you find any changes that worry you, see your doctor.