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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Home Cellulite Treatments

Home Cellulite Treatments

Home Treatments and Products for Cellulite Reduction
By Wenona Napolitano

Cellulite occurs when the connective tissue pulls down on fat causing the fat to bulge under the skin. The less fat you have the less noticeable cellulite is. Diet and exercise play an important role in reducing the appearance of cellulite.

If you want to reduce cellulite you need to detox your body, especially your liver and colon. Lay off nicotine and caffeine, do not consume excess salt or fat and drink plenty of water. Eat foods rich in nutrients like soy, blueberries and nuts. Make sure you get the nutrients glucosamine, B vitamins and essential fatty acids. Onions are also a wonderful food to combat cellulite. Onions act as a natural diuretic releasing water buildup from skin cells.

Exercise to lose weight and tone your legs and buttocks. Do specific exercises to increase muscle mass in your thighs like walking, biking, stair climbing, yoga and pilates. The less fat and more muscle you have will make cellulite disappear. Muscle will stretch the skin and smooth out the dimpled bumpy appearance.

To increase circulation and break up the fat do daily massages to troubled areas. You can also use a body brush in the shower or bath with a body wash or exfoliating product to help increase circulation. Use aromatherapy oils in your bath to stimulate your system: Sage, cypress, and juniper oils aid with cellulite reduction.

Wearing pantyhose will also help combat and reduce cellulite, especially the body shaping ones that contour your thighs. Pantyhose compress fat and help aid circulation. There are cellulite reduction pantyhose on the market now specifically made to help reduce the appearance of cellulite.

You can make a body wrap at home with coffee grounds and seaweed to help reduce cellulite. Take warm coffee grounds and spread on troubled areas, wrap with moist seaweed (can be purchased at health food stores) then cover with plastic wrap. Keep the wrap on for about a half hour. Un wrap and rinse off in the shower. Massage your thighs as you rinse off.

There are also many commercial products that you can purchase to help combat cellulite. Some of the most popular are: L�Oreal Sublime Slim which consists of a day and a night gel to apply daily, Clarins Total Body Lift, Murad Firm and Tone Serum, Body Creator Aromatic Firming Cream, Algotherm Pulpe Activ Minceur, and Guinot Absolue Minceur home version products.

If you have money to spend on your cellulite treatment, there are many good Spa cellulite reduction methods.

Cellulite may never completely disappear but at least you can minimize it and make your thighs look as good as possible when you want to put on a bikini or a mini skirt.

Herbal Help for Acne

Herbal Help for Acne


By Wenona Napolitano

If you have acne you�ve probably tried all the over the counter products and maybe even the prescription products on the market. Perhaps they don�t work for you or they irritate your skin and dry it out. There are other options. Herbal treatments and nutritional supplements can also help with acne, either applied directly to the skin or taken orally.

Zinc supplements worked wonders for me. I take 50 milligrams a day, twice daily and it helps keep my skin clearer than any prescription I�ve ever tried. You can find Zinc at a grocery store or drug store in the aisle with vitamin and mineral supplements. At Wal-Mart it�s only $2.13 a bottle. You can also order from catalogs and online websites.

Herbs that work wonders at clearing up acne are: Echinacea taken orally and applied externally to the skin, Oregon grape root applied as a cream, tea tree oil applied to the skin, oregano and basil oil applied to the skin or taken orally.

Be careful using any new product because you may be sensitive to it and if you are using any prescriptions or other topical acne treatments you might have to watch out for reactions. Check with your dermatologist to make sure it is alright to use any herbal treatments with the medicine you are already using.

Why Do We Get Wrinkles?

Why Do We Get Wrinkles?

By Anna Lynn C. Sibal

Wrinkles. Some women see them as the bane of their existence, and they actually go through all means they could possibly afford just to get those wrinkles off their faces, the means ranging from expensive creams to Botox to plastic surgery and facelift. Our culture and society is so youth-oriented that wrinkles, especially on women, have become totally undesirable.

Why do we get wrinkles?
Wrinkles are mostly associated with aging. As we age, the cells of our skin become thinner and lose elasticity because of the decreased levels of collagen production in our body. The skin cells also divide more slowly, thus delaying repair and renewal of the skin. Also, as we age, the fat cells just under the outer layer of our skin, which makes the skin look supple, get smaller and lose their ability to fill out whatever gaps created by the damage that occurs in the inner layers of our skin. And so our skin sags, becomes dry and develops wrinkles as we age.

Wrinkles also develop because of skin damage, the skin damage coming mostly from exposure to sunlight. Spending too much time under the sun with minimal or no protection at all causes the skin to be vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. Sunlight causes the outer layer of the skin, which is the epidermis, to become thinner, and encourages the overproduction of melanin, which eventually leads to skin cancer. Continued sunlight exposure also causes the collagen in our skin to break down more rapidly, faster than natural aging actually does. Loss of collagen results in loss of elasticity for the skin, therefore to skin wrinkling.

The development of free radicals in the skin also causes it to wrinkle. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules in the body that lack an electron; oxygen molecules need two. Free radicals also contribute to the speedy breakdown of collagen in the skin. How do free radicals develop in the skin? This happens through continued exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun, air pollution and cigarette smoking.

We are probably not aware of this, but gravity also plays a role in why we get wrinkles. Gravity pulls at our skin, causing sags and jowls to form.

Getting wrinkles is a natural process. It is something we cannot avoid, and it is something that starts happening in our twenties and thirties. Facelift and other cosmetic surgery cost an arm and a leg, but there are cheaper ways and more effective ways of arresting the formation of wrinkles in the skin and keeping our skin looking younger for longer.

Ways to diminish wrinkles
First is to keep our skin well-protected from UV ray exposure. This means laying on product, such as creams and lotions, that have SPF protection all over the skin. Another is proper nutrition and hydration. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and fish that are rich in vitamins and minerals that fight the development of free radicals in the body. Also, drink plenty of water and fruit juices to keep the body hydrated, and avoid too much black tea and coffee.

Get as much sleep as possible as well, as much as eight hours a day. Sufficient rest keeps the body from being stressed, since chronic stress accelerates the aging process. Lastly, give up smoking because smoking dehydrates the skin and burns away the nutrients of the body.

Laser Hair Removal

Laser Hair Removal

Laser Hair Removal, Remove Unwanted Hair
By Beverly Smith

Excess, unwanted hair is often a problem for a woman, or a man. Women frequently experience this condition on the face, especially the upper lip or eyebrow area, in the bikini area, under the arms or on the legs. Men often want to get rif of hair on their back or chest.

Laser hair removal systems use laser light � an intense, pulsating beam of light � to remove unwanted hair. Your doctor may use multiple treatments to target areas such as the face, upper lip, neck, breasts, chest, underarms, back, abdomen, bikini line and legs.
A single treatment costs an average of $390, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Advantages of Laser Hair Removal

  • Many people have experienced long-lasting hair removal or permanent hair reduction.
  • It is considered safe if performed properly.
  • It's particularly useful for large areas such as backs or legs.
  • If regrowth occurs, it will be lighter in color or finer in texture.
  • Light-skinned consumers with dark hair have the best results.

Are you a candidate for laser hair removal?

Laser hair removal is not for everyone. The most important requirement is that your hair must be darker than the surrounding skin. Tanned people with dark hair should wait until their tan fades before they are treated.
Darkly pigmented people absorb too much laser energy in their skin and are not good candidates.

What areas can be treated?

Any area can be treated, except near the eyes. The most common areas requested are the face, upper lip, neck, chest, periareolar, underarms, back, abdomen, bikini line, and legs.

Will laser hair removal hurt?

The level of pain from laser hair removal depends on the patient and the person's skin and hair type. Generally, the treatment tends to hurt less for people with lighter skin tones and finer hair. Most people tolerate laser hair removal very well.

If it is becoming uncomfortable, the laser technician can offer you topical anesthetic that numbs the skin. Depending on the type of laser being used, a cool laser tip, gel, or spray is always used to increase comfort of the laser hair removal treatment.

The sensation from laser hair removal has been described as discomfort rather than pain - similar to the feeling of a rubber band being snapped against your skin with a sensation of heat.

Permanent Hair Removal

The FDA does not allow for the marketing of technologies and services that state permanent hair removal. This is because most technologies provide for permanent reduction in hair growth 90% of the time. It is not perfect.

Get Rid of Acne Scars

Get Rid of Acne Scars


By Wenona Napolitano

At some point you had acne, now you are left with embarrassing, ugly scars. There are ways to diminish and reduce the appearance of the acne scars. The severity of the scars will determine what you will need to do to diminish them. I would recommend seeking advice from a dermatologist or a cosmetic surgeon to determine the best course of action.

For very mild scarring you can try a few at home procedures and products to help reduce the appearance of the scars. At home dermabrasion and chemical peels can help diminish some scarring especially if you also use retinol or alpha hydroxyl acid lotions or creams. For sensitive skin you may not want to apply retinol or alpha hydroxyl products right after dermabrasion or peels because it can cause redness and irritation. Other products you can try are scar reducing creams like Mederma or Rosehip seed oil which is said to be great at reducing scar tissue. Aloe Vera juice and gels and lavender oils are also said to work well on reducing scars.

Professional treatments for scarring include Laser Resurfacing which involves the use of a laser to remove skin so new skin can form in its place. Laser resurfacing can cause uneven skin tones in people with darker skin. It is still being studied but shows a lot of promise. After treatment you may experience redness and swelling which may last for several weeks.

Dermabrasion has been around for decades. Originally sandpaper was used to remove damaged skin. Now a machine rotates to remove the damaged skin, the skin is numbed or frozen first. After the procedure your skin is raw and scabs will form. After the scabs heal your skin will be reddish for several weeks.

Augmentation is a procedure where material like collagen or your own fat will be injected under the scar to bring it to the surface. The treatments last for about six months but they are working on more permanent solutions.

Subcision is a technique that detaches the scar from deeper tissue and allows a pool of blood to form under the scar. The blood clots and helps form connective tissue under the scar to level it with the rest of the skin surface. Subcision is usually combined with either dermabrasion or laser resurfacing.

The depth and shape of your scars will determine what treatment your doctor will recommend.

Pamper Your Skin at the Spa

Pamper Your Skin at the Spa


By Anna Lynn C. Sibal

Smooth, clear and flawless skin is an indication of good health, not just of beauty. Whatever lifestyle choices we make, or whatever forms of abuse we make our bodies go through, such as drinking, bingeing and smoking, getting stressed out lots of times, or lack of exercise and sleep, show easily enough on our skin. It is easy to tell if a person is not of good health: she always looks wan and sallow, her skin dry and flaking, and most likely sporting dark circles under the eyes. A person who is at the peak of health has smooth and soft skin that is alit with a rosy glow.

Many women go to day spas to pamper their skin and make them look nice and healthy. Spas have special treatments that can rejuvenate the skin, take the toxins out of the body, and make the skin look younger and looking fresh.

If you go to a spa to get your skin pampered, what treatments should you go for and what should you expect? Listed below are basic treatments you can find in a spa:

    Facials. A facial is a way of deep cleansing the skin, removing the dirt, the impurities and the blackheads from the face. After a facial the skin of your face should feel clean, soft and hydrated.

    Facial mask. The idea of the facial mask is to make your skin feel tighter, smoother and hydrated. It is also supposed to exfoliate your skin and remove the dirt and dead skin cells from it, as well as to treat acne. Facial masks are done by putting some substance evenly on your skin and letting it dry on the skin before washing it off. Facial masks are typically made of algae, seaweed and mud, but it can also be made of other materials.

    Body scrub. A body scrub exfoliates and removes the dead skin cells from the body using different types of oils and salts. This hydrates and makes the skin of the body soft and smooth.

    Body mask. Body masks are also used for exfoliating and for removing dead skin cells from the body. It works exactly the same way as the facial mask.

    Body wrap. In a body wrap treatment, certain creams, liquids or a special mud is applied to the body. The body is then wrapped tightly and allowed to stay so for a period of time. A body wrap treatment is supposed to detoxicate the body, or maybe help the body shed off a few pounds.

Day spas also offer different kinds of massages to relax the body, to relieve it from stress and detoxicate it. Having healthy, glowing skin, after all, is an inside job. If you are feeling pain or stressed out, it is best to relieve these aches and pains through massage so the skin would look healthy and beautiful.

Visit a day spa and pamper your skin every once in a while. It will do your skin and your health a world of good.

Natural Skin Care

Natural Skin Care

More Vibrant Skin�Try Juicing!

By Kathryn M. D�Imperio

Did you know that your diet contributes greatly to the clarity and condition of your skin? It�s true. Pay attention next time you eat an entire candy bar by yourself, or take notice of your skin�s tone and texture if you opt for a better diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, healthier foods, and lots of water. Natural skin care at its best...

Nutritional consultant and author Elaine Wilkes, N.C., M.A. offers a delicious tip to getting radiant, glowing skin. In her book

Food Choices Made Easy! Finally A Summary of What All The Health Experts Say!
, Wilkes provides helpful tips compiled from hundreds of health advisors on how to get skin that looks and feels healthy and young. Tips she delves into include advice on weight loss, great foods to eat and those to avoid, and money saving tips, to name a few.

So what is the secret to smooth, healthy, youthful skin?

Wilkes points to a fabulous beverage recipe as the answer.

�Believe me, I have tried everything,� Elaine Wilkes says. �But, doing this tip, I have had strangers come up to me and ask me why my skin looked so healthy. Say goodbye to weary skin with juicing.�

Elaine Wilkes is also a Certified Practitioner of Metabolic Typing, which means she matches people�s nutrition to their metabolism, taking into account their genetics, personality, blood type, etc. She recommends creating a juicy cocktail for a vivacious skin tone and healthier complexion, and to help anyone achieve glowing skin.

�Combine fresh green vegetable juices such as cucumber, celery, kale, parsley, spinach, and a little bit of apple for a delicious taste, into a juicer,� she instructs.

Wilkes also suggests also adding lemon and ginger for a yummy zing.

�Soon, you will notice a glow to your new, plumped-up, radiant skin,� she details. �For more added benefits, drink half your weight in ounces of water each day. Beautiful skin is about what is going on inside your body. Nourish your inside with these tasty, healthy juices and your skin cannot help but look terrific. Oh, and you'll feel great, too.�

For healthy skin that looks and feels great, make a conscious effort to improve your diet. Also take the time to practice a regular cleansing routine, and engage in a realistic exercise program. These commitments to yourself will give your body and skin the boost they�ve needed to get on and stay on the right track.

Foundation Tips and Tricks

Foundation Tips and Tricks


By Anna Lynn Sibal

When you are putting your makeup on, you are like creating a painting on the canvass that is your face. Your makeup is supposed to add color and enhance the best features of your face.

Your makeup will not work, however, if the base upon which you are putting your makeup looks all wrong and is not applied properly. The base I am referring to is your foundation. The purpose of the foundation - turn back the clock - is to cover the skin of the face and to lend upon it the appearance of smoothness. Thus, it is important that the foundation you choose to use is the best for your skin.

Here are a few tips and tricks on choosing and applying the right kind of foundation for your skin.

    You should always go for the natural look whenever you are applying your makeup, so your foundation should match the tone of your skin. How do you know if the color of your foundation matches your skin tone? You do this by putting some along your jawline. A foundation has the perfect color for you if it blends well with your skin, so much that it practically seems that you are not wearing any foundation at all. If the color of your skin changes, go ahead and change the color of your foundation. Also, to know for certain if you are picking the right color of foundation for your skin, always test the foundation under natural light.

    When applying foundation, just pat the stuff down on your face and then spread it out smoothly with a sponge. Cover your face entirely with foundation, including your eyelids and your lips. Take care not to pull at the skin, especially at the thin skin around the eyes.

    If the skin is dry, it will only absorb the foundation soon after it was applied. Therefore, make the foundation last longer by applying moisturizer first beforehand. If your face is oily, make sure that your moisturizer is oil-free; also opt for a powder foundation if you have oily skin. Another thing you can do to make the foundation last longer is to set it with loose powder whose color matches the color of the foundation.

    If you have blemishes that you wish to hide, like pimples or dark spots, smooth a concealer on the blemishes first before putting the foundation on - five-minute makeover. Avoid putting too much powder or color on these areas where the blemishes are in order not to attract the eyes upon them.

    Makeup in the evening is always brighter and more special - perfect party makeup. For added glamour, blend shimmer powder along with your foundation and apply it to areas on your face that you want the light to shine on to emphasize the best features of your face.

    Always use products with sunscreen protection. That is a must in order to provide protection for your skin and to keep it from getting damage from ultraviolet exposure.