Posted by Rachel Lozina on Fri, Feb 04, 2011 @ 05:45 PM
The Latest from Blue Water Spa
September 2009’s Featured Article:
Ecofriendly ingredients can spice up your treatments at very little expense
by Maria Comfort
Take a peek in your refrigerator and evaluate its contents. Chances are, you have a variety of healthy foods that can be incorporated into the skin care services that you offer your clients. Now is the perfect time to rediscover the multi-purpose benefits of common everyday foods that have great potential to nourish our bodies and our skin.
You may have noticed that your clients are more ecoconscious than ever before and are expressing interest in incorporating natural options into their beauty routine. Position your spa and the treatments you offer as ecofriendly by adding natural ingredients found in your kitchen, at your local grocery store or the farmer’s market. Fruits, vegetables, dairy products and natural oils and fats have been used in skin care, hygiene and anti-aging for thousands of years, dating back to the Egyptians. Educate your clients about how you are using these familiar ingredients in their treatments and maybe even share a few remedies they can try at home in between appointments.
Before you decide to empty the contents of your kitchen, pack a bag (make sure it is not plastic) and we will take you on a tour through your local market while highlighting all the best skin care recipes for various skin types.
Renowned for its antibacterial properties, honey is considered to be one of the best natural acne fighting ingredients.
Normal/combination
Since normal/combination skin types generally do not have specific problems to address, anti-aging treatments and gentle exfoliation to increase circulation work best.
• Strawberries can be used to condition and tone any skin type. They help lighten pigmentation problems and keep skin smooth and supple.
Tip: Mash strawberries and use as an astringent or face cleansing mask.
• Cocoa. The antioxidant powers of the distinctive bean promote healthy skin. Research shows that when cocoa is applied topically it helps to reduce skin irritation and combat cellular damage.
Tip: For a soothing mask, mix cocoa powder with a little water or buttermilk—an excellent source of lactic acid that stimulates the cocoa’s antioxidant function and softens skin.
Oily/acne prone
Oily and acne prone skin is frequently irritated by harsh cleansers, acids and anti-acne products. Give your client’s skin a break with gentle remedies that treat acne and keep oil at bay.
• Carrots. The carrot is probably best known for containing vitamin A, which has proved to be as effective in dealing with acne as some compounds such as retinoids.
Tip: Carrots make an excellent skin mask for acne and blemishes.
Apply raw, grated carrots to the face. Add lemon juice if you like. To make a cooked carrot mask, boil three large carrots and mash them or blend in a food processor. Add five tablespoons of honey or yogurt (optional). Apply gently, in an upward motion. Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
• Honey. Renowned for its antibacterial properties, honey is considered to be one of the best natural acne fighting ingredients. Why? Because honey actually kills the bacteria that cause acne.
Tip 1: Massage a small amount of slightly heated honey into the skin.
Tip 2: Dab honey on individual pimples to help clear up blemishes.
• Egg whites. Although egg whites alone have no real long-term benefits, they are great for shrinking pores and treating blackheads and whiteheads.
Tip: Egg whites are best applied with a flat brush on clean skin. After the mask has dried, your client will look like a prune—but this lets you know that it is working. The mask can be quickly removed with a wet washcloth.
Dry
Sun damage is usually the culprit behind dry and cracked skin. Other factors include diet, environment and insufficient water intake. (Note that acne is usually the result of dry skin.) Create a facial that not only moisturizes, but helps the skin retain the treatment’s benefits.
• Avocados. Packed with monounsaturated fats and vitamins B and E, avocados are excellent for moisturizing and rejuvenating dry skin. They are also rich in vitamin C, which can stimulate collagen and reduce visible signs of aging.
Tip: Mash one tablespoon of ripe avocado, add half a teaspoon of honey and mix. Stir in a small amount of almond meal until creamy. Apply to clean skin, leave on for 15 to 20 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water. Finish with a rinse of vinegar pH balancer.
• Bananas. High in potassium and possessing the same benefits as the avocado, the banana is often a preferred treatment for dry skin. The long lasting moisturizing effects give the skin a healthy glow. The treatment can also be penetrated into the skin with the use of galvanic or ultra-sound machines.
Tip: Mash the banana and add two teaspoons of yogurt. Mix until creamy and apply immediately to the skin. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with a spatula and then rinse.
Olive oil can be used on the face daily. With continued use, olive oil can also reduce hyperpigmentation.
For all skin types
• Olive oil. The Egyptians, Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans all took full advantage of the benefits of topical oil application. Today, when we observe the beautiful skin of MedÂiterranean women, many identify olive oil as the main ingredient behind their complexion. Sofia Loren is an olive oil devotee, having used it as part of her skin care regimen for most of her life.
Olive oil comes in several grades—extra virgin is the least processed. The cell size of olive oil is smaller than the blood cell, and extra-virgin olive oil has all of the antioxidants the body needs in direct proportion to the body’s requirements.
Tip: Olive oil can be used on the face daily. With continued use, olive oil can also reduce hyperÂpigmentation.
• Green tea. The plentiful antioxidants in green tea help fight free radical damage. When applied topically, tea reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles and can even help prevent skin cancer and signs of aging resulting from sun damage.
Tip: Brew strong tea (one or two tea bags for each cup of water), let cool and apply to the client’s face after cleansing.
• Salt and sugar. When used as natural exfoliating particles, sugar and salt help loosen lifeless epidermal cells that need to be physically removed. The glycolic acid in sugar and its rough texture makes it ideal for exfoliation to give skin a healthy glow.
Tip: For a cost effective scrub, mix a teaspoon of sugar or salt with any cleanser and apply in small, circular motions.
For a cost effective scrub mix a teaspoon of sugar or salt with any cleanser and apply in small, circular motions.
Super foods for the skin
It is true that we are what we eat. While the topical application of fruits, veggies and natural oils will help improve the skin’s appearance, ingesting these same foods is important as well. Remind your clients that a great complexion can be achieved from a healthy diet and taking the right supplements and vitamins. It is also important to drink enough water to keep the skin hydrated. Doctors recommend consuming at least 10 to 12 glasses of water each day to avoid dehydration—which affects cellular metabolism—and to help flush out the toxins in the body, which results in clear skin.
Using these kitchen remedies in your treatments helps you stand out as an innovative and eco-friendly professional in your field.
Experts recommend a diet high in fiber and low in fat. Countless scientific studies have shown that antioxidants and foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids help clear skin and slow the aging process. Antioxidants decrease cell destruction by neutralizing free radicals that can cause damage, and omega 3 fatty acids help reduce skin inflammation and improve circulation. Some super foods that are widely touted for their benefits to the skin include salmon, sardines, nuts, seeds (pumpkin and sunflower), flaxseed and olive oils, blueberries, pomegranate, broccoli, oats, spinach, dark chocolate, wheatgrass, red wine, green or black tea and tomatoes.
Using these kitchen remedies in your treatments helps you stand out as an innovative and ecofriendly professional in your field. Consumers are overwhelmed with the saturated skin care industry and therefore welcome a fresh and natural change. Using these ingredients is good for the skin, better for the environment and easy to add to your existing treatments. Not only can you save money by using low-cost ingredients (when bought in season), but your clients can learn at home treatments to enjoy between appointments to save both money and their skin! They will likely be back and may even send a few referrals your way!
Note: Always remember to ask clients about any food allergies that they may have prior to treatment application.
Maria Comfort is a licensed celebrity esthetician and owner of Touch Total Look, Face & Body Spa in Woodland Hills, CA. She is also an educator for Bella Spa & Salon Distributors, the spa division of Ultimate Beauty Companies, whose efforts are focused entirely on servicing, educating and growing the business of spa industry professionals. Visit www.BellaSSD.com.
Posted by Rachel Lozina on Sat, Jul 24, 2010 @ 06:45 AM
The Latest from Blue Water Spa
Our face plays an essential role in everyday communication and our social interactions. It helps us to make friendships, solve problems and it can also be decisive in getting a new job. Basically, our face is our visiting card. It tells a lot about our personality and the attention we pay to ourselves. Women generally try everything from expensive beauty treatments to alternative remedies in order to achieve a glowing skin.
Glowing skin is priceless and it is absolutely essential for every beauty-conscious diva. However, you don’t necessarily have to think about costly methods or artificial products to obtain the desired effect. There are some great homemade masks and packs, which can bring amazing results, giving you a fresh, healthy and radiant complexion.
Every woman dreams about having a radiant, glowing skin. Our face is the first thing people notice about us and first impressions are really important, sometimes they are decisive. A wonderful complexion will make you look healthy and attractive, whereas a dull, tired face gives the impression of an untidy, neglected look. The following tips will help you to get an instant glow to your face so that you can look stunning and feel confident.
Use a mild facial cleanser to clean off your face from the excess oils, dead skin cells and impurities that may clog your pores. Use it in the mornings and in the evening after removing your makeup in order to get rid of all the dirt that has accumulated on your face during the day. This way you can keep your ski clean, fresh and healthy. Opt for a cleaner that contains salicylic acid, since it deep cleans your pores, creating a radiant, flawless complexion.
Another amazing way to achieve an instant, natural glow to your face is preparing great homemade face masks and packs. Let’s see some simple but effective natural recipes you can prepare right at home, in order to provide your skin with an instant glow.
Natural Homemade Facial Masks
Facial masks offer your skin a great protection against harmful environmental
factors, leaving your skin hydrated, supple and glowing.
Cucumber and Yogurt Mask
Use a blender to mix one tablespoon of yogurt and half a cucumber and apply the puree on your skin, distributing it well all over your face. Rinse with lukewarm water after 10-15 minutes and enjoy a fresh, pure skin.
Egg and Almond Mask
Create a great facial mask that will do wonders to your skin. Mix 1 tablespoon of almond oil and 1 egg, and blend them well. Apply the created mixture to your face, distributing it evenly all over and then washing it off after 10-15 minutes.
Banana, Honey and Yoghurt Mask
Mix 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 teaspoons of yoghurt and a fresh banana and apply the paste all over your face. Let it rest on your face until the skin soaks it in, then rinse with water.
Natural Homemade Face Packs
Of you want to rejuvenate your skin and give an instant radiance to your face, apply one of these wonderful natural packs and enjoy a healthy, glowing complexion. A weekly face pack will keep your pores clean, revigorating your skin and giving it a nice, radiant look.
Cucumber
One of the simplest homemade face pack recipes is cucumber pack. Simply mash together cool cucumber slices and leave it on your face for about 10 minutes then wash it off with lukewarm water.
Pumpkin and Egg Pack
Make a puree out of ripe orange pumpkin then mix it well with and egg yolk. If you want, you can even add a few drops of sandalwood essence to the mixture to give it a nice scent. This face pack is really effective, since egg yolk nourishes your skin, while pumpkin provides your skin with vitamin A, making it look fresh and glowing.
Boost your skin with these fabulous natural products to make it soft and radiant. Make sure you pay attention to a healthy diet and regular exercising as well, since these are also vital to maintain a clear, youthful, radiant skin.
Posted by Rachel Lozina on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 @ 07:10 AM
The Latest from Blue Water Spa
Our skin is the first thing people notice about us. It is one of the greatest assets we have. In order to have a beautiful, healthy skin, there are some general bad skin habits to quit. Today we will tell you which are the worst skin habits that you need to break as they can completely damage your skin. Women are usually very concerned about how their skin looks because first impressions do matter. A radiant and youthful skin is many times the key to our success. Beautiful skin means confidence and confidence gives you power. If you want to find out which are the worst habits women usually do to their skin, read on and take our advices in order to have a great skin that is worth of envy.
Knowing how important our skin is, you should make some small steps to help your skin become healthier from the inside and outside as well. Expensive beauty treatments are futile if you don’t pay a little attention to your skin. Check out your skin’s greatest enemies that can wreak havoc on your looks. Take some action and try to avoid them!
Smoking
Smoking is one of the worst things you can do to your health and to your skin’s look as well. Cigarettes are the major cause of the early aging of your skin. If you don’t break this habit, it will seriously damage your skin and you will develop deep wrinkles and spots on your face.
Overexfoliation
Exfoliation is healthy for your skin. It cleans out your pores and refreshes your face. But using exfoliating scrubs in excess can do more harm than good to your skin. It can actually intensify the oil production thus leading to acne and frequent breakouts. Therefore always follow the instructions on the product packaging.
Not Washing Your Face Before Going to Bed
Neglecting your face and leaving makeup on your face overnight is a horrible habit you should quit. Makeup can clog the pores and lead to frequent breakouts and acne problems. Besides this, makeup can easily get into your eye, leaving you with eye-irritations or serious infections. Skin cell renewal takes place at night, therefore you should clean your face properly to let your skin breathe and aid the renewal process.
Eating Junk Food
A proper diet can do wonders to your skin, providing it with all the minerals and vitamins that are necessary for a healthy skin. Junk food is high in sugars, fats, oils and carbohydrates that are responsible for acne breakouts. Cut your junk food consumption, and in a few weeks you’ll see a significant improvement in your skin.
Popping Pimples
Of course, popping your pimples is tempting. But when you squeeze a pimple you push and spread the bacteria deep into the follicles, which can easily cause inflammations and infections on your skin. Squeezing the zits can result in the apparition of nasty acne scars as well. If you cannot resist popping your blemishes, before you start, always make sure that you wrap your fingers in a clean tissue. If your have more severe acne problems, pay a visit to a cosmetician to help you solving this problem.
Tanning Too Much
Too much sun exposure can cause the premature aging of the skin, and increases the risk of the apparition of skin cancer. When going out in the sun, always make sure that you use a proper broad-spectrum sunscreen product to protect your skin from the damages of the UVA and UVB rays. Never exaggerate with tanning, because it is your skin that will suffer the consequences.
Staying Up Late
Sleep is essential for having a perfect, healthy skin. It is also the time when your body repairs the cell damages caused during the day so it is very important to get enough sleep every day.
Using Dirty Makeup Brushes
Dirty makeup brushes can do a lot of harm to your skin. If you neglect cleaning them, you can end up with clogged pores and infections and even more acne problems. To avoid this, wash your makeup brushes once or twice in a month with shampoo, rinse them well and let them dry.
Posted by Rachel Lozina on Mon, Jun 14, 2010 @ 07:17 AM
The Latest from Blue Water Spa
Eyebrows give a beautiful frame to the face, they highlight your eyes and enhance your features. Today you can read about 5 eyebrow mistakes women usually make when trying to pluck their eyebrows at home.
Eyebrows can have a big impact on your look. Women usually either neglect them totally or on the contrary, they start to over pluck them. However it is better to avoid both of these two extremes.
Many women don’t know how to pluck their eyebrows properly but they are experimenting with it.
The importance of the eyebrows should not be underestimated. They can totally change your facial expressions. Neglected, shaggy eyebrows will give you a cluttered and untidy appearance.
However, the right eyebrows can flatter your face and will make you look fresher, younger and tidier. One or two plucks in plus and your nice eyebrows can really look scary. If you know what are the basic things to avoid when grooming your eyebrows, you can quickly learn how to correct your mistakes and how make them look perfect. Check out the most common ugly eyebrow mistakes!
Over plucking
This is one of the most frequently met problems when it comes to brows. The majority of women and mainly young girls don’t consult a professional before tweezing their eyebrows for the first time and they easily develop a tendency to over pluck their eyebrows. If you make your eyebrows too thin, your eyes will get less accent, they won’t be so defined, and your face can get a dull, unexciting look.
When you are over plucking your elbows, there is a possibility that on some parts it won’t grow back.
As compared to the extremely thin brows look of the past, nowadays, the natural, fuller eyebrows are trendy. If you are endowed with thicker brows, you can create a wonderful, natural looking brow shape. Our advice is to consult a professional in order to get some tips and have them done properly. Once your cosmetician has determined their basic shape, you will only have to maintain their ideal form.
Drawing Your Eyebrows With a Dark Pencil
If you have sparse eyebrows, don’t try to fix this problem by using dark eye pencils. This mistake is also very common. If you want to fill your brows, you can avoid this unnatural look by opting for a pencil that is one or two shades lighter than the color of your hair.
Another great option is to use an angled brush and fill the sparse areas with brow powder. If your eyebrows are really sparse you can carefully fill these gaps, first with a pencil then by adding a little powder to make them look more natural.
Trimming Too Much Of Your Brows
If you want to give your eyebrows a beautiful, natural contour, you can shape your brows by trimming those hairs that are too long, mainly in the front part. However, cutting down many hairs at once and trimming them too short can totally destroy the shape of your brows.
In order to avoid this nasty problem, brush your eyebrow hair upwards and trim the hairs one by one, cutting only one at a time. Trim only those that are longer than the rest, not to make them too short. In order to achieve a wonderful shape, make sure that the inner part is a little bit thicker than the outer end of your brows.
Taking Too Much off The Ends
Short eyebrows look less elegant than nicely shaped, longer eyebrows. You can easily find the ideal end for your eyebrows by touching your brow bone. The point where this bone ends should also mark the end of your eyebrow.
Tweezing Too Frequently
Grooming your eyebrows every day is too much because it is not necessary to pluck them too often. Your eyebrows will look gorgeous if you tweeze them only once in a week. If you develop the bad habit to groom them each and every day, you can also remove hairs that are essential to maintain their beautiful contour. Start to stay away from the tweezers so that you won’t feel the necessity to pluck your brows.
Having well shaped, perfect eyebrows is as important as makeup or clothing. If you have a great contour to your eyebrows your eyes will get more emphasis and your look will become deeper and more sensual. Beautiful brows give a nice frame to your face and your whole appearance will be more youthful and feminine.
Posted by Rachel Lozina on Mon, Jun 07, 2010 @ 04:48 PM
The Latest from Blue Water Spa
Covering the basics
By Richard Thomas, MD
"How to achieve beautiful, supple and young-looking skin" You almost can't avoid it - splashed on magazine covers, reported in newspapers and marketed on television and radio, the message to improve our skin would appear paramount to how we and others view our looks.
How does our skin age?
Skin aging is influenced by:
- Genetic differences
- Hormonal changes, e.g. estrogen and thyroxin
- Chronic sun exposure
- Wind, pollution
Blame it on hormones
Hormones are mostly to blame for skin changes as we age. Hormones are chemical messengers produced in organs such as the ovaries, adrenal glands, and thyroid glands, and all have an effect on other tissues.
Much of the reason why our skin begins to suffer is primarily due to hormones -- and there is a massive industry manufacturing products to try to alleviate the results of these hormonal changes, notably as women reach menopause in their 40s and 50s.
As menopause occurs, estrogen is reduced and while it has a direct effect on thinning bones, it also creates significant changes in the skin. Women find:
- their skin becomes drier with increased wrinkles
- skin becomes more fragile, loses some of its elasticity, and is looser because the production of collagen is reduced
- older skin appears paler as the lack of estrogen reduces the number of blood vessels in the skin
- menopause also causes a reduction in the level of testosterone but not as significant a drop as in estrogen
Hormones and dry skin
Another hormone we have is thyroxin, produced by the thyroid gland, which influences skin appearance. Too much thyroxin shows a warm, smooth, sweaty, flushed skin. Under-activity of thyroxin produces a dry, coarse thickening of skin with reduced ability to sweat.
Hormones affect acne
The oil glands of the skin are in part controlled by the level and activity of the hormone testosterone in the skin. Testosterone is required to produce acne. This outcome can be seen in conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, which produce some elevation in testosterone, which in turn causes increased facial hair, irregular periods and acne. It has also been found that some birth control pills can block testosterone skin reactors to improve some of the consequences of increasing hormone levels. (See Acne Guide for more acne information)
Thinning hair
Hair will thin after menopause. In some women, genetic factors produce significant thinning. Abnormalities in the level of a thyroid hormone, in addition to the amount of iron stored in the body, can influence the volume of hair.
Estrogen encourages hair to stay in its growing phase (Anagen hair). This is seen in the significant thickening of hair towards the end of pregnancy. After menopause, however, the lower estrogen amount allows the scalp hair to grow towards the falling out stage (Telogen hair).
HRT and skin
Post menopausal women will notice that unlike their scalp, facial hairs increase. This is thought to be because estrogen -- which opposes the effect of testosterone -- drops relatively more after menopause than testosterone.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been used over the last 20 years to combat the signs of aging. HRT can promote a fuller-looking skin because the skin then becomes thicker with less loss of subcutaneous fat. Thinning and drying of vaginal surfaces is also minimized. This can also be achieved by using topical estrogen. The use of estrogen creams has been shown to maintain the elasticity and fullness of skin after menopause, although at this time it is not used extensively because of concerns about side effects and the variability of absorption into the body.
See your doctor or dermatologist to determine which solutions best suits your experience with aging skin.
About the author:
Richard Thomas, MD, FRCPC is Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Department of Dermatology and Skin Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Posted by Rachel Lozina on Wed, Jun 02, 2010 @ 08:56 AM
The Latest from Blue Water Spa
Homemade fruit facial masks are the best choices if you want to pamper your skin with pure, natural products. Mother nature has endowed us with so many wonderful fruits, which are costless and instant ways to hydrate and rejuvenate your skin. Read on and learn how to prepare some great fruit facial masks in order to provide your skin with a healthy glow and achieve a radiant, fresh face.
The major benefit of homemade fruit masks is the fact that these are completely free of artificial supplements, perfumes, chemicals and added preservatives that can be harmful to your skin. Another great thing is that you don’t have to spend fortunes on expensive skin care treatments that leave you with empty pockets but little or no visible result. The ingredients of these delicious, fresh fruit masks are available right in your own kitchen.
Fruit facials offer maximum relaxation and hydration to your skin, maintaining its health, elasticity and wonderful look. However, always make sure that you apply your fruit facial mask on a perfectly clean skin, free of all makeup residues, oil and other impurities. Check out the following fruit masks and try a super delicious, re-energizing fruit facial and make a step for achieving a healthy, radiant skin.
Lemon
This sour and juicy yellow fruit contains a great amount of vitamin C, citric acid and many other healthy ingredients that guarantee a beautiful skin.
Due to the acid present in the lemon, it tightens up the dilated and clogged pores, brightening up your skin and making it look clearer and softer. Besides all these wonderful benefits, lemon can also be used successfully for fading age spots, acne scars and freckles.
In order to treat oily skin and wrinkles as well as to minimize large pores, you can prepare a simple lemon mask out of 2 tablespoons of flour, lemon juice and egg whites. Mix the ingredients well and then distribute it evenly all over your face and neck. Leave the mask on your face for about 20 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water. After your face is clean, make sure that you apply a moisturizer to nourish your skin and make it clean and soft.
Kiwi
Kiwi is one of the best natural choices if you want to deeply moisturize and nourish your dry skin. It is the richest fruit in vitamin C and it is also high in citric acid, vitamins A and E, which are essential for the optimal health of our body.
This fabulous exotic fruit indulges your skin with a rejuvenating treatment. Kiwi tightens the dilated pores, cleans off the impurities and reduces the shiny aspect of your skin caused by excess oil on its surface. The juice of this precious fruit is highly beneficial since it improves blood circulation as well.
Giving your skin the proper moisture has never been easier and more fun. You only need 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of fresh kiwi juice, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Blend the ingredients well and apply the mixture all over your face. Leave it to sit for 10-15 minutes and then clean your face with a tissue.
Tangerine
Tangerines are excellent sources of vitamin C, magnesium, folate, B vitamins, beta-carotene and potassium. These ingredients are all essential for rejuvenating the skin and for providing it with the proper moisture. In order to prepare a delicious natural fruit facial to get rid of dry, flaky skin, blend fresh tangerine juice and egg yolk.
Distribute the mixture evenly on your face and let it sit for about 25-30 minutes then wash it off with cold water. This fresh fruit mask will cleanse your skin, leaving it smooth and pure.
Banana
Bananas are extremely nourishing fruits, being rich in vitamins A, B and E, zinc, iron, magnesium and potassium. If you would like to prepare a great anti-aging fruit facial, you can mash a banana, adding 2 tablespoons of oat flour and 1 tablespoon of rose water. Blend them well and apply the paste on your face and neck as well. Let it on for about 15-20 minutes until it dries and then cleanse your face with cotton pads and wash off the fruit residues from your face with lukewarm water.
A fresh banana mask will guarantee a smooth, clean and fresh complexion.
Prepare a delicious fruit mask regularly and provide your skin with fabulous natural vitamins and nutrients in order to maintain a young looking, soft and radiant skin.
Posted by Rachel Lozina on Wed, May 19, 2010 @ 10:26 AM
The Latest from Blue Water Spa
Posted by skinbeauty on 5/19/10 • Categorized as Acne Products
The teenage years are a time of discovery and self-identity. It is also a time when acne treatment is most necessary. Considering that 85% of teenagers in the United States are affected by some form of acne, it is both a medical and cosmetic problem, one that requires attention. However, not all treatments will work for everyone. The myths about the causes of acne confuse teenagers even more.
Myths debunked
Indeed, there are a lot of beliefs about this condition. Many of these beliefs are not scientifically sound. It has been thought for many years that chocolate or oily foods contributed to acne. This is not true. It may be the belief of many people, but scientific studies find no relation between the condition and diet. You can eat all the chocolate in the world, but you will not get acne because of those chocolate bars.
Another prevalent belief is that vigorous face washing is the most effective acne treatment. Actually, this may cause facial skin to be more irritated, even as its pores are clogged. When this happens, the situation becomes worse. In fact, skin affected by this condition should be treated gently. Scrubbing and other vigorous forms of treatment are definitely not recommended.
Acne care
Aside from facial scrubs, there are quite a few acne remedies
available on the market. Dermatologists will usually recommend some form of cream to help clear the skin. These creams are not by any means a cure, but they do help the patient to deal with the symptoms. Depending on the kind of infection, complete therapy may also include oral medication.
For the teenager who needs natural acne treatment, there are options such as tea tree oil. This substance kills the bacteria that cause the condition. Zinc may help in fighting the scars and wounds brought on by an outbreak. Numerous vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A and chromium, may help prevent acne.
Consultation is still best
It must be noted, however, that no supplement, cream, or medication will work alone. In other words, they are not a cure-all for the condition. People suffering from it need to consult a dermatologist to find the best acne solution for their situation. They are medical professionals especially trained to deal with skin problems, and it would be wise to listen to their recommendations.
No acne treatment is a miracle-worker. The condition will not disappear in a matter of a few hours or days. Rather, it will take several weeks for any medication to take effect. Patience is the key to the effective management and eventual cure of acne. No teenager wants to be a walking spectacle, and it is understandable when they run low on patience. However, this is a very treatable condition, and the cure is dependent on how well they follow their prescribed acne remedies. If they do this, they are well on their way to regaining their pre-acne look and the self-esteem that goes along with it.