Herbal Skin Care
Skin care is not a topic of recent times; it has been in practice since ancient times, when herbal skin care was probably the only way to take care of skin. However, skin care has transformed in a big way. Herbal skin care routines have been replaced by synthetic/chemical-based skin care routines. The herbal skin care recipes which once used to be common place are not so popular today (and even unknown to a large population). This transformation from herbal skin care to synthetic, can probably be attributed to two things – our laziness (or just the fast pace of lives) and the commercialisation of skin care. Even herbal skin care products have been commercialised. These commercial herbal skin care products have to be mixed with preservatives in order to increase their shelf-life, hence making them less effective than the fresh ones made at home. However, it seems that things are changing fast and more people are now opting for natural and herbal skin care routines. But still, none want to make them at home and hence the commercial market of herbal skin care products is on the rise.
So what are these herbs or herbal skin care mechanisms?
Aloe vera, which is an extract from Aloe plant, is one of the best examples of herbal skin care product. Freshly extracted aloe vera is a natural hydrant that helps in soothing skin. It also helps in healing cuts and treating sun burns.
A number of herbs are known to possess cleansing properties. Dandelion, chamomile, lime flowers and rosemary herbs, are a few examples of such cleansers. Their herbal skin care properties get invoked when they are combined with other herbs like tea.
All About Facial Skin Care
Facial skin care is more a matter of discipline than anything else. A facial skin care routine is what you need (and you need to follow the facial skin care routine with complete seriousness). So let’s check what comprises an effective facial skin care routine. Well, very simply, a facial skin care routine can follow the following 4 steps:
-Cleansing
-Toning
-Exfoliating
-Moisturising
Cleansing is the first thing in facial skin care routine. Cleansing helps in removing dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil from your skin, thereby preventing damage to your skin. Just spot your face and neck with a good cleansing lotion or cream and gently massage it into your skin using upward strokes. Use a soft face tissue or cotton wool to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub). Cleansing should be done at least twice a day i.e. morning (as part of complete facial skin care routine) and evening (on a standalone basis). Water soluble cleansers are the best for inclusion in your facial skin care routine.
Toning is the next in a facial skin care routine. However, this is the optional part of the facial skin care routine. Mostly, proper cleansing can compensate for toning. Toning helps remove all traces of dirt, grease and excess cleanser. Instead of making it part of your daily facial skin care routine, you can using toning occasionally i.e. when you have been exposed to particularly harsh environment/pollution.
Exfoliation is again, kind of, optional step in everyday routine for facial skin care. However, exfoliation is necessary at least once a week (or twice, depending on the skin type and the environmental conditions). Exfoliation finds its place in facial skin care routine because of the natural tendency of skin to replenish the skin cells every 3 or 4 weeks. As a facial skin care technique, exfoliation helps in removing the dead skin cells that block the pores, thus assisting the skin in the natural process. However, excessive or harsh exfoliation can cause damage to your skin; so you need to balance it out.
Hormonal and Estrogen Therapy for Skin
It is a commonly known fact, that skin aging happens dramatically after the age of 50. This is mainly due to changes in our hormones, especially in women. Post menopause, a woman’s body produces lesser hormones. Estrogen has been found to show drastic effect on the skin. It is known that estrogen affects the skin thickness, skin wrinkling and skin moisture.
The human skin is a unique organ which protects the body, helps control temperature and also helps in sexual attraction. Aged skin mainly affects the function of skin, and hence, people attempt to reduce it. Estrogen and hormonal treatments are one of the many methods of preventing, if not reversing, skin aging. Although it must be kept in mind that hormonal medication do carry with it a risk of cancer.
Estrogen and other hormonal therapies involve:
- Hormone Replacement Therapy: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is generally prescribed after the age of 50 and uses natural hormones such as 17-beta-estradiol. In USA for e.g. conjugated equine estrogen is prescribed. Hormone replacement therapy carries with it a risk of serious complications such as endometrial cancer. The risk often reduced by the addition of lower amounts of progestogens in the regimen.
- Topical Estrogen Treatment: There have been quite a few studies which have demonstrated that use of topical hormones have shown significant amelioration in skin quality. Overall, they observed that there was improvement in the elastic properties of the skin, decrease in wrinkle depth, and increased skin moisture. The safety of this treatment is still a arguable topic and further research is being carried out to weigh the long-term risks of such treatment. However, for short term (less than 5 years) this treatment could provide sufficient relief to skin aging.
The Key to Glowing Skin
If you have a skin ailment of sorts… whether it is a pimple, a wart, a blemish, a scar, eczema, a cyst or a skin growth… one of the most important elements in the body is silicon.
Now resist the temptation to rush out to the natural store and look for silicon supplements!
Instead look to nature… because obviously the body needs a balance of these elements…. besides silicon, the skin also needs zinc, and selenium and vitamin C and E and so forth. And it needs it in all the right combinations and ratios…Silicon is also needed for vitamin B to be absorbed into our system.
Melanie, a friend of mine, just had a problem with ringworm. Ringworm is not dangerous, but it is a problem that irritates and keeps you scratching and that further destroys the skin. Ringworm is also an ailment that can spread to different parts of your body if you are not careful about washing your hands after scratching the ringworm. It can really be a problem that exacerbates. So she applied some topical ointment over the skin and then she included oats, barley, dried apricots, figs, millet, wheat germ (these are foods highest in levels of silicon) in her breakfast every day and that resolved the problem.
Many of us are blindly taking Vitamin B supplements every day not realizing that without silicon in the diet, it will not be absorbed and it will be wasted away in your elimination process. Imagine all that (sometimes expensive) supplements of Vitamin B going down your toilet bowl! And for some of you who are not good at swallowing these pills/capsules, or who hate swallowing them in the first place…imagine all your effort wasted!
Recovery Time For a Chemical Peel
Chemical peels are typically performed when a patient is interested in reversing damaged skin due to factors such as sun exposure, aging and most generally acne. Chemical peels are a process of using an exfoliating solution to enhance and smooth the texture of the skin by removing the damaged outer layers and reveal the revitalized underlying layers of skin.
The process has been proven extremely effective for those patients that suffer from facial blemishes, wrinkles and uneven skin pigmentation. The recovery time can depend upon several factors.
- What type of chemical peel was performed
- How deep or how many layers of skin the peel was performed on
- How well the patient follows the skin care instructions after the process
With any type of chemical peel it’s vital that you take proper care of your skin to speed the healing process. Avoid any type of infection, help the results last longer, avoid any type of damage to the delicate skin and avoid any color changes to the affected area by the sun. The different types of chemical peels are;
- Mild-alpha hydroxy acid (AHA)
- Medium-tricholoacetic acid (TCA)
- Deep-phenol
In general, the deeper the peel the more dramatic a result is seen and the more danger in developing complications as a result of the procedure. Common side effects are redness, flaking, scaling and increased skin sensitivity. The healing time being shorter of course for the milder form of chemical peel and relatively longer for the more intense or deeper the chemical peel.
Following the medium (TCA) treatment your skin may experience some swelling as well as short-term changes in the pigmentation. The deep (phenol) chemical peels are the most severe and generally need a local anesthetic and a mild sedation for the patient during the process.