Archive for skin care
Skin Care For Aging and Wrinkles
Posted by: | Comments
Image via Wikipedia
Skin aging and wrinkles are a person's two worst enemies. Although there is little one can do to prevent these tell-tale signs of aging, there are ways to delay their appearance. Skin begins the aging process almost from the moment you're born, so if you want to control skin aging and wrinkles, start early!
Causes of skin aging and wrinkles
Over time, the important skin components elastin and collagen start to break apart and skin begins to lose its elasticity, its underlying structure and its ability to spring back into shape. Cell reproduction slows with age causing fat cells and oil glands to atrophy. As this happens, production of emulsions designed to keep skin moist slows and skin starts to become dry. Add in the effects of gravity and soon the jowls, arms and eyelids begin to sag.
Several other environmental factors contribute to the onset of skin aging and wrinkles. Cigarette smoking, air pollution, laughing and frowning, and unprotected exposure to the sun all play a role. What's different about these environmental factors is that most are within a person's ability to control. So while there is no way (as of yet) to stop the aging process, the factors that contribute to its acceleration can be stopped.
Skin aging and wrinkling can be slowed by always protecting the skin from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. These rays can penetrate unprotected layers of skin. They produce radiation which can seriously and permanently damage the cells that form skin tissue. UVA rays are believed capable of releasing oxidants, unstable particles that cause extensive cell damage. Read More→
Skin Types: Oily Skin
Posted by: | Comments
Image via Wikipedia
Of all the skin types, oily skin is often the most challenging. Oil production is completely natural and is the result of the sebaceous glands located in the dermis or middle layer of skin. These natural oils help keep skin moist and supple. But for some, the sebaceous glands produce too much oil, leading to the most dreaded of the skin types: oily skin.
How do I know I have oily skin?
Most teenagers have oily skin because this is the time when hormone production is in full swing. But if you've passed your teen years, there are other ways of determining whether or not you have oily skin. It's fairly easy to detect, so start by looking in the mirror. Do you notice a sheen on your skin, especially in your 'T-Zone?' The T-Zone starts at the point between your eyes and extends vertically down along your nose all the way to your chin. The zone also runs horizontally across the bridge of your nose, starting and ending at the center point below each eye.
You may or may not notice the sheen during the day, so check again first thing after waking. If there's a sheen, chances are good you have oily skin. While you're standing at the mirror, take a look at your hair. If it's oily, it's another indication you likely have oily skin. If you wear make-up, specifically foundation, and you find it fades or wears off after a couple of hours, that's yet another indication of oily skin. If you're constantly patting your face with powder or even a handkerchief it's probably because of oily skin. Read More→
Sensitive Skin Care: a medical condition?
Posted by: | Comments
Image via Wikipedia
Contrary to what you might have heard, sensitive skin isn't considered a medical condition. When someone says he or she has sensitive skin, it typically means the skin has become irritated, red, swollen and/or itchy as a result of either an environmental condition or use of a certain product. The term is also used to describe changes to a person's skin in response to allergic reactions.
Why can skin be sensitive?
Although there are several reasons why skin can be sensitive, the most common is that skin is reacting negatively to a certain product or possibly some combination of products. Think about your daily skin care regime, specifically the number of products you use. Soaps, cleansers, toners, blemish reducers, blemish concealers, foundation, blush, facial masks, after shave lotion ñ the list never ends! You probably use products that are made by a number of different manufacturers, too. While your intentions are good, some skin cannot tolerate such an assault. Read More→
Protecting yourself from the Sun: Tanning and Burning
Posted by: | Comments
Image via Wikipedia
Tanning and burning are two intentional or unintentional consequences of being out in the sun. Most people willingly seek out the healthy glow that sun can produce. Yet two people, spending the same amount of time exposed to the same sun intensity often will come home with far different results. Why is it that one might come home in agony while other comes home looking sleek and glamorous?
The answer has a lot to do with a person's skin type. Other factors can influence the end result such as taking certain prescription medications and using certain types of skin care products, so let's take a closer look.
When skin is exposed to the sun without adequate sun protection, the exposure causes melanin, the pigment in the body that gives skin its color, to rise to the surface of the skin. One of the roles melanin plays is protecting skin from the sun. People with light or fair skin have less melanin whereas people with dark complexions obviously have more melanin. Since melanin protects the skin from the sun, it makes sense then that those with less melanin have less protection and vice versa. Darker-skinned individuals tan more often than they burn, but not always. Read More→
The big question: What is Skin?
Posted by: | CommentsSkin is the body's biggest organ. When people think of organs, most often the heart, lungs and brain come to mind but typically not the skin. Like these and other organs inside the body, skin is made up of different types of tissues and these tissues are made up of cells.
Much like the roof on a house, the skin plays an important role in protecting our bodies. It keeps bodily fluids inside while at the same time carefully controlling the release of waste product. It also helps keep our internal body parts safe from the potentially harmful effects of the environment including the sun, light and bacteria and also from injury.
Several different layers make up the skin, but perhaps because the underlying layers are not visible, they're not thought of very often. We spend much of our lives worrying about acne and wrinkles but don't realize that these types of skin issues have a lot to do with the workings of the layers below. Read More→
Different Types of Skin – Combination Skin
Posted by: | CommentsCombination skin is a separate category of skin type. It's neither 100% dry or normal or oily. It's instead a combination that's characterized as normal and oily skin, or skin that's oily and dry. In other words, like the song, combination skin is 'a little bit of this, and a little bit of that'.
The common denominator in either type of combination skin is the presence of oily areas so care must be taken not to further aggravate these areas. Usually, it's the areas with the highest concentration of oil-producing glands & the face, chest, shoulders and the back ñ that are oily. Other body parts have fewer oil glands which is why they're either normal or have characteristics of dryness.
Read More→
