Great Skin; Not Far Away From You

Hey guys, I am back with some more tips on good skin care.
Great skin is the first step toward an excellent makeup. Skin plays a vital role in our life, how one looks and feels directly correlates to ones skin.

Making the best choices for our bodies, and ultimately our skin, is achieved through food, exercise, regular professional treatments, personalized homecare, and a healthy mental attitude.

The type of skin you have depends on your genes, sex, age, environment, structure and regeneration. The treatment you provide to your skin will always be evident in your face, hands and body. It is never too early nor too late to begin looking after your skin.

Skin cleansing is essential as I told you in my previous write up: pollution, grease and grime cling to the skin, clogging pores; while the body eliminates toxins through perspiration. If the cleansing process is not thoroughly undertaken, the skin will look and feel sluggish, tired and minor skin problems and irritations will transpire.

Cleansing should be part of the daily routine: after waking, and before returning to bed; before using special treatments; before and after makeup; and after sport (to wash away perspiration and grime that builds up), all without disturbing the skins natural acidity.

The acid mantle (or pH) valiantly guards the skin against bacterial invasion and other disturbances; warding off moisture loss, leaving the skin smooth, fine and blemish free.

Now let me make you familiar with the Clear Skin Diet

There are three rules to observe in the diet.

Avoid eating chocolate and foods or drinks make with cocoa. They could be link between chocolate and skin conditions such as pimples; Avoid fried and fatty foods in general ; Avoid starchy foods. No cakes, biscuits, sweets, bread or Jams.

Protein is a major pimple-fighter. Eat it in fish, poultry and egg-white.

If you have ever shopped for skin treatment you will know there are dozens of ways to fight off blemishes.

Antibiotics fight infection and therefore pimples a healthy diet puts your metabolism in tip-top shape and emotional tranquility will ward off skin eruptions.

The trouble begins during teenage years with the development of adult sexual characteristics. The glands often become over productive and churn out a needless amount of oil. Soon whiteheads appear later they become blackheads and sometimes cysts. They can leave noticeable scares if not effectively treated.

The most effective and widely used antibiotic is called tetracycline.
It is taken as a capsule before every meal and acts by slowing down production in the oil producing sebaceous glands. This stops the eruption of pimples.

As the condition improves the dose is reduced to two or one capsule a day. Tetracycline is available through your doctor on prescription.

Combined with tetracycline is a cream (benzoy peroxide). Applied each morning to the affected areas, it can produce excellent results. Care must be taken to keep it ways from eyes and lips.

Go lightly on cosmetics and you will not clog the facial pores and aggravate the skin condition.

Drink plenty of fluids (at least eight glasses of water a day) but don’t eat a lot of spicy foods such as curries.

Coming to another enemy of great skin; sun, let us talk about it now. Sun is the greatest benefactor to mankind however it is the skin's greatest enemy. Fairer skins are more prone to damage than their darker counterparts as they contain more melanin, which protects the skin against sunrays. However dark skins are also not immune to the damage. Sunlight not only effects the surface but it has the capacity to penetrate the skin and the living tissues of the lower layers.

A few days of intense exposure to the sun can produce symptoms of aging and can even predispose it to cancer. The most damaging effect of the sun is that it dehydrates the skin causing it to become dry and rough and wrinkled, freckles, pigmentation and patches may also occur. An immediate reaction is expansion of blood vessels that is why skin looks flushed, red and gets tanned if stayed out in the sun for long. However sun is very good for children, as they require Vitamin D, which is abundant in sunlight for their growth and metabolism.

Protection against the sun is the only way to delay premature aging.

• Stay out of the sun: Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. This is when the sun’s UV rays are strongest. Don’t be fooled by cloudy skies. Harmful rays pass through clouds. UV radiation also can pass through water, so don’t assume you’re safe if you’re in the water and feeling cool.

• Use sunscreen: Sunscreens are rated in strength according to a sun protection factor (SPF), which ranges from 2 to 30 or higher. A higher number means longer protection. Buy products with an SPF number of 15 or higher. Also look for products whose label says: broad spectrum (meaning they protect against both types of harmful sun rays — UVA and UVB) and water resistant (meaning they stay on your skin longer, even if you get wet or sweat a lot). Remember to reapply the lotion as needed.

• Wear protective clothing. A hat with a wide brim shades your neck, ears, eyes, and head. Look for sunglasses with a label saying the glasses block 99 to 100 percent of the sun’s rays. Wear loose, lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and long pants or long skirts when in the sun.

• Avoid artificial tanning. Don’t use 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. Tanning make-up products are not suntan lotions and will not protect your skin from the sun.

• Check your skin often. Look for changes in the size, shape, color, or feel of birthmarks, moles, and spots. If you find any changes that worry you, see a doctor.

Now, do take care of all the things mentioned above. I’ll see you next time. Till then keep sending your queries at health@livepunjab.com