Purely Personal Skin Care

A lot of people with dry skin have tried various facial cleansers only to find that they dry out their skin even more. This can lead to flaking skin and increased skin problems, as our skin needs a healthy amount of moisture and oils to look its best. But it can certainly be frustrating searching for a cleaner that works for your skin type, because the market seems to be dominated by products for people battling oily skin.

Therefore, if you’re in the dry skin camp, the best thing to do is find a facial cleanser cream. These thicker formulas are usually designed to replenish and return natural moisture to your skin. You don’t want to swing too far to the other side, however, as excessive oil is one of the main contributing factors to acne and other skin problems. But everyone’s skin reacts differently to different products, so the best thing to do is buy small samples of several products until you find the prefect solution for your particular skin.

Women will most often see signs of aging in their hands in their early 30’s . . . .when their skin begins to thin and moisture and sun spots come to the surface.  In their 40’s  and 50’s they will also notice loss of fat (unfortunately in the hands only) which makes tendons and veins visible beneath the skin.  Why does this not happen with men?

When we look for the reasons for our aging skin, we need to look no further than the sun. The sun causes 90 percent to 95 percent of the wrinkles; lines; brown, red and white discolorations; and more on our bodies. That’s why the sun-exposed areas, including the backs of the hands, are most prone to the imperfections.

• Exfoliate

  

  . Use a grainy scrub on the backs of your hands twice a week to reveal glowing skin. You can either use the same exfoliate that you use on your face or make your own by making a solution of sea salt mixed with lemon juice. Brush it into hands with bristled brush to help remove any dead skin cells.

• Moisturize, Moisturize! After washing your hands, pat dry and while moist, use a moisturizer on the hands. Keeping the thin skin of our hands moisturized is very important. You can put some cream in small containers. Carry one in your purse, your car and put the others in strategic places around the house.
  

• Always wear protective gloves when gardening or using household chemicals.  Also, wear gloves when washing dishes – dish washing soap is alkaline and hard on your skin.  

• Wear gloves to protect your hands from cold weather.

Well, how about during puberty, when acne and pimples need your attention?  That’s the time to get accustomed to using dermatologist-formulated skin care products.  Start with a product made solely for the treatment of acne or one for oily skin, dry skin – whatever your facial skin needs.

What inspired the above question was another question we had. Does how we care for our skin as a teen-ager have anything to do with the condition of our skin years later when we are concerned about wrinkles and dry skin?  I’m no longer young and I can vouch for the usefulness of addressing your skin at an early age.  I didn’t follow my own advice and know those who did – there is definitely a difference.

Seems to me, if a young lady really stayed with a good skin-care routine, learned about the value of choosing the proper  facial cleansers, exfoliates, moisturizers and sun screens, and the condition of her skin many years later reflected that care, then we could very well say “Anti-aging care started when this young lady personally first took charge of treating her teenage skin.”

We won’t get carried away with this historical search for skin-care glory, and we certainly don’t expect this news-worthy blog is going to suddenly make teen-agers a target market for Anti-Aging products.  But we hope to emphasize the need for careful attention to your skin at a very early age in order to have a lovely complexion as you get older.  Life-long care of your skin will obviously improve your chances for having healthier, less wrinkled skin during your whole life.

Yes. Smoking can speed up the normal aging process of your skin, contributing to wrinkles. These skin changes may occur after only 10 years of smoking and are irreversible.

How does smoking lead to wrinkles? Smoking causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of your skin. This impairs blood flow to your skin, depleting it of oxygen and important nutrients, such as vitamin A. Vitamin A is found in retinol drops but can’t totally fix the damage caused by smoking. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin — fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. As a result, skin begins to sag and wrinkle prematurely. If you do smoke cleanse with a gentle cleanser at least twice a day and moisturize with a moisturizer designed to encourage production of collagen and elastin.

Smoking doesn’t only cause wrinkles on your face. A 2007 study found that smoking is associated with increased wrinkling and skin damage on other parts of the body, including the inner arms.

In addition, repeated exposure to the heat from burning cigarettes and the facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — may contribute to wrinkles. There are several forms of facial exercises you can do to firm your facial muscles and reduce sagging.  Try forming the vowels with your mouth and face in the most exaggerated manner possible.  Repeat as long as you can stand it, relax and do it again.  Try this method as often as you can throughout the day.  This is not a cure for wrinkles caused by years of smoking.  It can, however, add to your anti-aging process and help if you can quit smoking before it’s a lifelong habit.

                        He’s a Hunk, Good Sense of Humor, Has a Job . . . .but his feet. . .?

Is that possible? Have a gentleman’s feet risen to the point where

she now has them on her check list?  His toenails glossed, his feet scrubbed, his heels glazed and his feet and toes treated to a Stawberry Splash moisturizer, he’s giving himself a chance.

Many generations ago he might have shown up for his first date in bare feet. Why not,

she may never have seen his feet in shoes.  But, until our current generation of

young men,  feet just weren’t often on display, and a young bride might never see them      revealed until their honeymoon. This may be stretching the point a bit , but it

does help us regard the role of his feet in an entirely different light these days.   Before the popularity of  sandals and thongs, feet just weren’t often “feetured”.  Not only do we have open-aired foot wear we have no stockings and no socks .

This has opened a new market for the world’s pedicurists, and the makers of

skin care products are busy slanting their foot care products to a welcome, unlikely, growing trend.

I want to talk to you about your skin. When you consider it’s the largest and most visible organ you own, how you are caring for it is fairly easy to see.  How you’re fighting for your skin against the demon sun and your constant concern to maintain the proper moisture level in all areas of your body is sort of a game, isn’t it?

Certainly it’s a challenge and there’s a great reward when you’re a winner.

If you’ve gotten this far, I’ll assume you’re a veteran at this game, but always looking for a few tips to give you an advantage.

Listen when your skin whispers: “Drink water, lots of water, it will increase my body’s natural moisture level.”  If you feel your body wants to take long, hot baths, don’t listen. You know short luke-warm baths or showers followed by a gentle toweling and an immediate application of moisturizer will leave your skin whispering sweet thank you’s.

Combating dry skin and bathing every day? Try doing it every other day to help your skin maintain important oils.

Ever noticed a dry skin condition following a flight?  The humidity in a plane can reach as low as 1% on long flights, and it can take just a 3 hour flight to sap all the moisture from your skin and hair.  Fly prepared! Carry a moisturizer in your hand luggage, and slather it on in mid-flight.

You are heading for an afternoon at the beach. You have your  sunscreen SPF 30 or 50.  You plan to apply the sunscreen about 15 or 20 minutes before you hit the sand, and you will be careful to protect all exposed areas, including your ears, hands and feet. That will require about one ounce of your sunscreen product, just about enough to fill a shot glass.

If your sunscreen tells you it offers “all day protection”, don’t believe it. You will want to reapply your cream every two hours, and if you’re really active. . .sweating or swimming, you will want to do it more frequently.

And its important to know what your product is promising when it claims being “water resistant” or ”waterproof”. The water resistant product will retain the power of its SPF for 40 minutes after your swim. Waterproof means you will be protected for 80 minutes.  For most outdoor sports the waterproof product will be right for you.