How do you find the right anti-aging skin care system?

The key is to pay attention to the right details. Don’t depend on flashy commercials and a pretty model to figure out what is right for you. Instead, take a look at the ingredients. This way you can figure out not only what ingredients are helpful, but what can actually harm your skin as well.

What are some of the ingredients to avoid? Here are some I’ve found cropping up in some fairly common high profile skin care brands.

Paraphens are excellent preservatives. Believe it or not, this isn’t a good thing. This substance extends the shelf life of lotions and creams, allowing companies to charge you more for them. Studies show, however, that this stuff causes cancer. Avoid it at all costs.

Alcohols are common substances in many skin creams and lotions. While not all of them are harmful, there are some that can irritate and dry out your skin, especially if you’re extra sensitive to harsh substances. These include ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and SD alcohol.

Fragrances are tempting, but have the potential to be harmful. While it may sound nice to be able to smell of flowers or green tea, fragrances are decidedly more trouble than they’re worth. Studies show that “many common fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, and irritability. ” They can number up to 4000 separate ingredients, many of them carcinogenic or poisonous.

What many forget when they apply their skin lotions are that what they put on their skin is absorbed into their bodies. Substances both good and bad make their way into the bloodstream, tissues, and organs. This is why it’s best to avoid chemical fragrances. If you’d like to smell nice, why not use natural ingredients, like rose water?

If you’d like to learn more about harmful substances found in high profile lotions and creams, visit my website. In the meantime, let’s look at some helpful ingredients now.

The best way to begin an effective anti-aging skin care treatment is to look for all natural ingredients that are scientifically proven to increase levels of collagen and elastin, two skin proteins that are crucial to firm, youthful skin.

These proteins also contribute to skin smoothness and overall even texture.

Cynergy TK is an ingredient commonly used in skin creams and lotions specifically made to help keep your skin firmer and smooth. You won’t find this in many high profile brands, as it hasn’t hit that market yet, but this keratin rich substance has been clinically proven among human volunteers to significantly increase levels of collagen and elastin in your body.

Why do big brand products take so long to catch on to the good ingredients?

Mostly, it’s because their current products sell so well, many companies don’t see the need to switch to better substances. It’s only when sales are down that many consider substances like Cynergy TK.

source form: articleslash

Home remedies, surgical methods and medicinal treatments are used to treat warts. The common reasons why people look for the treatment against warts is because they might cause pain, look ugly and in extreme circumstances, be cancerous. Cures can be carried out at home that comprise of use of natural products such as Aloe being applied onto the skin. A beneficial home remedy is usage of ginger whose acid helps remove the wart. This process should be carried with care while applying ginger onto the skin.

Removal of warts can also be done by apple cider vinegar. The usage of aspirin dissolved or baking soda dissolved water on the skin thrice a day might also help to gain ideal results. Banana peel can also be applied on the skin to remove warts. Covering a wart with onion is also beneficial in this regard. Lemon or papaya peel can also be used in this regard. Pineapple and potatoes can be used as a home remedy in this regard. Most common way to remove warts is by salicylic acid. It is contained in most products that are available in the market for this purpose. The area that this product is applied to, whitens for the time being. To remove warts, a natural anti bacterial tea tree oil is also very essential as it helps to kill the bacteria around the affected part.

Many treatments pertaining to removal of warts are present with the physicians apart from the basic home remedies. The treatments include Cryotherapy. In this procedure, liquid nitrogen is used an ingredient to burn off the wart permanently from the skin. It takes about five to fifteen minutes to carry out this procedure. This method should be completely supervised by a physician. It takes about two to three weeks to recover from such a treatment. Face warts and eye lid warts are ideally removed by this process.

Hydrogen peroxide is also used to harden the warts and works fast to remove warts. To get rid of warts a caustic pencil containing silver nitrate may be used.

To eliminate warts, many expensive surgical procedures are available in the market. Pulse dye and carbon dioxide are used in laser treatments to remove warts.Duct tapes and infra red coagulators are also beneficial in this regard. There are numerous methods and treatments available for how to remove warts but each has its own benefits. There are consequences of such treatments like blisters, pain and irritation but the long term benefits are numerous.

source form:  articleslash

Skin moles have a negative effect on your level of general confidence and people seek medical treatmentfor them. Since the problem is not a part of general health and upkeep and is rather cosmetic, most of thehealth insurance companies do not cover treatment of skin moles. You are solely going to bear the expenses for mole treatment and have to pay all the fees. Moles can appear anywhere on your body and do not have any special reasons for appearing. Moles, are more common in people, which are exposed to sun longer than usual and thus they have higher number of moles on their skin.

Moles vary in types and sizes in different people. Moles vary in sizes, are small as well as large and can be flatin shape just on the surface or deep inside the skin. Treatment of a mole depends upon the type of mole that it is. Costs depend upon the depth and size of the mole being treated.

Moles can either be by birth or can appear with the passage of time on your skin. There have been instances when people have had the history of having hereditary problem of moles. Family physicians know the reasons behind such moles and can have valuable input in advising for mole treatment.

Very recently traditional methods of medicines have also attempted removing moles from skin. People are found increasingly attracted towards herbal medicines for mole removal. People usually confuse all skin marks with moles.

Moles are not the same in their kind as the other marks like birth marks or black spots etc. Medical care for moles only follows the definition that doctors have developed. Skin problems other than moles can be easily handled without any problem.

Moles can be treated by using different techniques. Types of treatment may be the excision which involves stitches or self healing.

In former case, the doctor removes the small area of skin which has the mole and then grafts the remaining skin together. Such a minor surgery may be followed by little scars on skin.

In order to avoid severe after effects, consult the doctor and ask if the scars could go away soon. Removing skin mole with laser has been a new phenomenon but has not been very popular among people due to the after effects that it causes. Lasers have not been successful in handling deep rooted moles and are generally ineffective against them. A laser mole removingtreatment may cause skin infection in case of highly sensitive skins, while in surgical removal problems may arise due to anesthesia being used. Doctor has to decide on the technique of mole removal considering all the factors.

source form:  articleslash

It’s used in several medicinal and cosmetic products, showing long lasting stability. Cosmetics made with mink oil will stay fresher for a longer period of time than cosmetics made with other oils. Some commercial or homemade skin care products consist of: soaps, lotions, creams, lip balms and shampoos. Some pet shampoos contain this oil, too! This oil is light gold in color with a slight musky fragrance. Its absorption and nurturing properties are superior to any other oil found on the market, today.

Mink oil contains a special ratio of glycerides, not available in any other oils on the market. These glycerides allow superior softness, smoothness, and moisture retaining properties. Its high ratio of unsaturated triglycerides enables superior spreading capabilities. This oil has superior skin absorption and skin nourishingproperties. It penetrates quickly and deeply into skin without a sticky, greasy or oily residue. It lubricates the skin, trapping moisture from the lower cell layers, enabling skin to re-moisture itself!

MINK OIL BENEFITS AND USES:

SKIN CARE: (People)

Helps even skin tone, prevent fine lines, appearance of wrinkles, soften, smooth, moisturize, condition, soothe and protects.

Reduces, Soothes or Relieves: dry skin, dry scaly skin, dry itchy skin, dry flaky skin, pre-mature aged skin,stretch marks, psoriasis, eczema, calluses, acne, liver spots, oily skin, chapped lips, cracked lips, heat rash, mild burns, scars and rashes.

HAIR CARE / SCALP CONDITIONS: (People)

Conditions and moisturizes. Adds soft and silky properties to dry, brittle or frizzy hair. Combats dry scalp, dry flaky scalp, dry itchy scalp, dandruff and other scalp conditions.

FOR PETS:

Combats dry skin, scaly skin and insect bites! Softens and conditions pet’s fur. Provides a healthy vibrant coat. As a natural insect repellent, recommend using in combination of 67% water, 30% mink oil and 3% Citronellaessential oil.

AS A PRESERVATIVE:

Adds flexibility to leather and vinyl. Helps to waterproof. Usef on shoes, boots, baseball mitts, soccer balls, etc…

SOAP MAKING INFORMATION:

When you’re making homemade soap with milk oil, the bars are silky smooth; the skin is left soft and moisturized. The luxurious feeling left on your skin is very obvious!

In your soap making recipes, consider using it only up to, approximately, 1.5% of your total oils. You can use more but it will decrease the lather in your bar. Use this soap making oil up to a 5% ratio in your homemade soap recipes and no more. You may want to add castor oil to counteract the effects. It can be used in combination with fragrance or essential oils.

Avante mink oil is 100% pure and quite potent. This is the top of the line product. It can be quite expensive! You may want to purchase it in bulk to keep down costs.

Shelf Life: Approximately 5 years or more. Approximately 2 years after opening the bottle. Store mink oil in a cool and dry location, keeping it away from heat.

Saponification: .140 or .135 for a mild bar of soap with a 5% superfat ratio.

There are many healthful benefits and uses of mink oil. It’s beneficial for skin, hair and scalp conditions! It’s found in commercial and homemade products, for people and pets!

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‘Serious skin care’ is about maintaining a healthy and glowing skin all through your life. As you grow older, your body’s natural skin care mechanisms become weaker. So, ‘serious skin care’ is about responding to the changing needs of your skin. Thus, ‘serious skin care’ is about constantly evaluating, analysing and changing your skin care routines. Your skin care routine should change based on the environmental conditions, your age and changes in your skin type. ‘Serious skin care’ is also about awareness. With the technological advancements and research, more and more facts are being brought to light everyday. Also, the composition and nature of skin care products seems to be changing with time. So trying out the new products is also a part of serious skin care.  However, ‘serious skin care’ advises using a new product over a small patch of skin (not facial skin) first, just to see how your skin reacts to it.‘Serious skin care’ also means knowing how to use your skin care products. Good practices include things like applying the moisturizers while the skin is damp, using upward strokes for better penetration of skin care products, removing the make up before going to bed, cleansing before moisturising or applying make up, using the correct amount of skin care products, etc. Thus, increasing the effectiveness of your skin care products is another focus area of serious skin care.Some precautions, like avoiding contact with detergents, are also part of serious skin care. ‘Serious skin care’ means being gentle with your skin. Things like over-exfoliation, use of low quality products, and application of strong-chemical based products, are all harmful to your skin. Some people have a wrong notion about serious skin care. For them serious skin care is – using large quantities of products as often as possible. However, this really isn’t serious skin care (and that’s why awareness is so important). ‘Serious skin care’ is also about visiting your dermatologist for treatment of skin disorders. Ignoring the skin disorders can be fatal for your skin and might lead to permanent damage. So, if the things don’t improve with over the counter medication, you should immediately visit a dermatologist. Self-surgery e.g. squeezing of acne/pimples is a big no (it can lead to permanent damage of your skin).So, seriously serious skin care is more about precautions and preventive measures (than treatment). Serious skin care is about being proactive as well as reactive. In fact, we can say that ‘serious skin care’ is about being proactive about the needs of your skin so that the need for being reactive is reduced to a minimum.

source from: articlesfactory

source from: articlesfactory

There is really nothing like a best skin care product. There really can’t be anything like ‘The best skin care product’, because skin care products work differently for different people (based on the skin type to some extent). A product that is the ‘best skin care product’ for one person might end up being the worst for another person. So, a more logical question to ask would be ‘What is the best skin care product for my type of skin?’. However, this still is not completely logical. We tend to segregate people into 4 groups based on their skin types – i.e. dry skin, oily skin, normal skin and sensitive skin. However, this classification is just too broad to be used definitively in determining the best skin care product. We can say ‘best skin care product for a dry skin’ or ‘best skin care product for an oily skin’ are better statements than just ‘best skin care product’. But really, that is what it is – ‘better’; still not accurate. So, it really comes to rephrasing the question to – ‘What is the best skin care product for me’. Yes, this is exactly the question that you should be asking, and unfortunately there is no easy answer for this. Arriving at the best skin care product for self will need some effort on your part. First of all, you need to understand how the skin care products work. This is simple. You can consider all skin care products to be composed of 2 types of ingredients – Active and inactive. The active ingredients are the ones that actually work on your skin. The inactive ones just help in delivering these active ingredients to your skin. Both the ingredients need to work for your skin, in order for the product to be effective (and move on to become the best skin care product for you). Besides the ingredients, the way you apply your skin care products is equally important. In fact, this is even more important. If you do not know how to apply skin care products, you might forever be hunting for the best skin care product for yourself, when that has already passed you. Moreover, it’s also important to decide on the frequency of application (of the skin care product). The environmental factors – temperature, humidity and pollution level, also affect the selection of best skin care product. Here are a few rules that you could use to ensure that your best skin care product is really the best for you:* Cleanse your skin before applying that best skin care product. * Use a makeup remover instead of plain water and remove your makeup before going to bed. * The effectiveness of active ingredients is reduced when applied over another product e.g. over moisturiser. So apply that best skin care product first and then apply a bit of moisturizer if needed.* Apply the products on moist and warm skin. * You will have to experiment with a few products before you arrive at the one that is the best skin care product for you.* Do not exfoliate too much or too hard.* Vary your skin care routine as per the seasons (winter/summer etc), changes in environmental factors and changes in your skin typeNote that the best skin care product cannot be determined overnight. It’s only through experiment (and awareness) that you can find the ‘Best skin care product’ (for you).

source from: articlesfactory

The following article provides some insight into why good skin care is important and suggests a simple skin care regime anyone can follow to help your skin perform at its best.

Our skin’s functions are too many to go through here in detail, however it protects our ‘insides’ from the external environment, acting both as a barrier and a filter between ‘outside’ and ‘inside’ our bodies.

The skin helps in regulating our body’s temperature, like when we have a fever or we’re physically working hard, we tend to sweat, which is the body’s way to attempt to lower the temperature.

The skin also protects us from harmful substances entering our body, and it eliminates many toxins. This takes workload off our Liver and Kidneys to filter out by-products from our body’s metabolism. The skin also breathes!

These are just some of the important functions of our skin and as you can see, looking after your skin is vital, not just for your outer beauty, but for maintaining your inner health.

Now there is skin care and there is skin care… well, we all (hopefully) wash our body (skin) every day and we may even rub some body cream on and that is pretty much that. Women (most) go one step further when they make-up their face. Often using a cleanser and then a moisturiser before applying make-up. But is that really skin care?

I think not. I would consider it an attack on the skin rather than caring for it. You see, most of the products marketed to women are full of artificial colours, stabilisers, emulsifiers and other chemical, which are supposed to help in achieving a ‘beautiful complexion’.

Some products are advertising hormones, which are supposed to make your skin re-gain that youthful (no wrinkles) look – but more often than not these ‘hormones’ are artificial or synthetic and may well cause problems with the hormonal balance of the body. This is NOT Skin care – this is plain old manipulation and marketing.

Real skin care is much more than that and is more than just skin deep. Your skin is a living, breathing organ of your body. As such, just like every other organ in our body, it needs to be fed from the inside – it requires nutrients.

There are 4 basic ingredients to feeding the inside:

Good nutrition: keep it simple, fresh and unprocessed. That is the best nutritional advice I can give. The simpler the food, the less processing and the fresher your food is, the better it is for you. Fresh fruit and vegetables contain so many of the nutrients we need to maintain our health. Sure have the odd processed, high in fat meal when you’re enjoying a meal out or have to attend a Luncheon or what ever. But make sure you have more natural foods than not. Keep the diet varied – don’t eat the same old, same old… risk a new veggie – one you haven’t tried before – you might like it …

Adequate rest and relaxation: don’t work yourself to an early grave – it’s not worth it. Make sure you get the sleep you need. Did you know that a study in England showed that your IQ (intelligence) drops if you do not have 8 hours sleep per night?

Think about it, do you get more work done if you feel well rested? Can you concentrate better if you’re not tired? – I bet you can.

Well, why not invest some additional time into rest and relaxation so that you gain an increase in energy and concentration? I’m sure you will find you will get more work done in less time if you’ve had sufficient rest.

Sufficient water intake: that’s a biggie. Most people (irrespective of were they live) will utilise around 3 litres of water per day – hey, don’t believe me, all the medical texts say so. Our body simply needs water to function.

If you do not drink at least this amount, your body will either not function well (on some level) or it will take it from where ever it can. That is called dehydration. You know, dry lips, dry flaky skin, parched mouth, cracks on you tongue, premature wrinkles… the list goes on. So, drink up (water, mind you) or shrivel up – it’s up to you.

Fresh air and sunshine: well, what can I say. Taking a deep breath of air and tell me it doesn’t feel great… Well? Oxygen is the stuff of life. Fill your lungs with it. Here I could go into how most of us do not know how to breath properly, but I’ll save this for another article.

So what does all this have to do with skin care?

Well, that is the point of putting expensive, beauty products on your skin, when you do not give it the stuff of life from the inside? The cells that make up your skin need the right nutrients for proper development, growth and all that… You can help your skin by using good quality natural skin care products, but you have to support this from the inside as well. Only in that way can you expect to get good results from proper skin care.

So what’s proper skin care?

Well, for starters there are 3 basic steps.

1. Cleanse and Condition

2. Hydrate and Tone

3. Moisturise and Revive.

OK. Cleansing the skin seems obvious and I know, you do know how to use soap – wrong, this is one sure way to make your skin dry-out quicker. Most soaps remove the natural oils of the skin, change the natural pH levels and do nothing to remove the dead layers of skin, which can block your pores and lead to blackheads. And, oh no, not pimples! The skin produces oils and acids to help it function, to protect it from loss of excessive moisture, to form a barrier… etc. So please do not use soap or detergents unless it is necessary.

Using a loofah or a gentle ‘scrub’ will remove the dead skin cells and this in turn will promote better blood circulation and help your skin to breath.

The next step is to hydrate and tone the skin. Say what?

Well, you’ve just removed the dead skin layers, rubbing the skin with a loofah and or a specially formulated cleanser, now it’s time to remove the residue, sooth the skin and prepare the skin for getting a good feed of nutrients from the moisturiser.

Preparation of the skin prior to putting on the moisturiser is not dissimilar to preparing a surface about to receive a new coat of paint. You wouldn’t just paint over a wall that hasn’t been cleaned and prepared for the new paint, would you? It would be a waist of time and money… well, good skin care is the same. You first get rid of the old layer of paint, than you give it a primer and finally the top-coat.

Ah, I already use a moisturiser…

Great, at least that’s a step in the right direction. But, have you looked at the ingredients? Are they natural, or are there numbers and words you don’t recognise on the label? If so, then consider that your body absorbs these substances and if they are not useful, (preferably of a natural kind) then the body has to eliminate them – and that’s more work and not necessary.

In some cases, the body actually can’t eliminate these substances and has to store them. This is a potential problem and could cause health issues down the track. Pure essential oils, or herbal extracts are usually good ingredients to have in your skin care products.

So there you have it – the importance of good skin care. These steps, if you follow them, will help you to achieve the results you want and your body will thank you too.

source from: articlesfactory

To start the discussion on oily skin care, it’s imperative to first understand the cause behind oily skin. Put simply, oily skin is a result of excessive production of sebum (an oily substance that is naturally produced by skin). As is known to everyone, excess of everything is bad; so excessive sebum is bad too. It leads to clogging of skin pores, resulting in accumulation of dead cells and hence formation of pimples/acne. Moreover, oily skin spoils your looks too. So, ‘oily skin care’ is as important as the ‘skin care’ for other types of skin.The basic aim of ‘oily skin care’ is the removal of excessive sebum or oil from the skin. However, oily skin care procedures should not lead to complete removal of oil. ‘Oily skin care’ starts with the use of a cleanser.  However, not all cleansers will work. You need a cleanser which contains salicylic acid i.e. a beta-hydroxy acid that retards the rate of sebum production. Cleansing should be done twice a day (and even more in hot and humid conditions).Most of the oily skin care products are oil-free; however, it is always good to check the ingredients of the product, before you actually buy it. This is especially important if a product is marked as ‘suitable for all skin types’, instead of ‘oily skin care product’. ‘Oily skin care’ is also dependent on the degree of oiliness, if you aren’t too oily, so some of these ‘suitable for all’- type of products might be work for you too. For extremely oily skin, only oily skin care products are suitable. Your oily skin care routine can include an alcohol based toner (for an extremely oily skin). This can be the second step in your oily skin care routine i.e. just after cleansing. However, excessive toning can harm your skin.The next step in your oily skin care routine can be a mild moisturiser. Again, the degree of oiliness of your skin will determine whether you need to include this in your oily skin care routine. If you do decide to include a moisturiser, be sure to use one that is oil-free, wax-free and lipid-free. You could also use a clay mask (say once a week) as an oily skin care measure. As far as the oily skin care products go, you might need to try out a few before you arrive at the one that is really suitable for your skin. In case these measures don’t give you the desired result, consult a good dermatologist for advice. He could prescribe stronger oily skin care products like vitamin A creams, retinoids, sulphur creams etc , which can help counter the problems of oily skin.

source from: articlesfactory

A beautiful and healthy skin is a big confidence booster. Some people are naturally beautiful and hence don’t use any ‘skin care cosmetic’. Then there are others, who don’t use skin care cosmetic due to their laziness. Still some feel that skin care cosmetic can harm their skin, and hence abandon the use of any kind of skin care cosmetic. However, there are a large number of people who do use skin care cosmetic (that’s why the business of skin care cosmetic is prospering).  So, is skin care cosmetic useful, or is it harmful? Well, the opinions seem divided. However, one thing is for sure – Looking beautiful is surely nice and very desirable. Also, too much skin care cosmetic can surely be harmful (as such, excess of anything is harmful). So, what does one do? The first thing is to formulate (and follow) a skin care routine that will help keep your skin healthy and disease-free. The general recommendation is to cleanse and moisturise everyday, and tone and exfoliate occasionally (as and when needed).  Next thing is the skin care cosmetics that you would be using additionally (as beauty enhancers). These skin care cosmetics could either be part of your skin care routine or be applied only on special occasions (e.g. when attending a party etc). The most important thing with skin care cosmetic is its selection. Here is a set of rules that you should use when selecting any skin care cosmetic:

• The general rule is to use products that suit your skin type. This is true both for the routine products and for the skin care cosmetic. So check the label to see what it says e.g. ‘for dry skin only’ or ‘for all skin types’ etc.
• Test the skin care cosmetic before using it. This can be done by applying the skin care cosmetic on a small patch of skin e.g. ear lobes and checking the reaction of your skin to the product
• Check the ingredients of the skin care cosmetic for chemicals that you are allergic to. Do not use products that are very harsh on skin e.g. products with high alcohol concentrations; such cosmetics might work for once but cause a long-lasting damage to your skin.
• ‘More isn’t better’. Ensure that you apply the products in right quantity (neither less not more). Also, be gentle with your skin and follow the right procedures for application of skin care products. Rubbing too hard or trying to squeeze a pimple can lead to permanent damage to your skin.
• Finally, if you have a skin disorder e.g. acne etc, you should consult your dermatologist before using any skin care cosmetic.

source from: articlesfactory