Monday, July 28, 2008

And here's what you should eat to delay aging!!

What foods to avoid to prevent aging and wrinkles

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Simple tips for aging,allergies and general skin care


Someone rightly said,"skin is the reflection of your inner self".Skin is like a mirror of your health and habits. Many health problems are reflected by telltale signs on the skin. just a small example,If you have spoon shaped nails there is a high chance you are anemic(low haemoglobin in blood).There are many many others.My focus for this article is not to teach you medical terminology but to focus on easily preventable skin problems by using simple tips that you can use safely without medical supervision.

WRINKLES & LAUGH LINES
Starting with wrinkles and laugh lines.If you have wrinkles on forehead there can be multiple reasons for it.I will try to focus on aspects that you can take care of easily.
Sunlight-Excessive skin exposure can cause skin aging prematurely.Wear a suitable sunscreen when u are outdoors. If you have too many lines around your eyes called 'crow-feet' one reason could be looking directly in sunlight.As you try to close eyes due to bright light wrinkling occurs around the eyes.With time they form permanent lines.This can be easily avoided by wearing dark glasses in the sun.

Post Menopausal - Menopause is a time of hormonal changes of the body.wrinkling is just one aspect of it. medically prescribed hormone replacement therapy is also not prescribed beyond 5 years after menopause.Soyabean is a natural source of female hormone estrogen which can be included in diet if you are post menopause.Many skin creams are also being manufactured that include Soya as its ingredient.

Wrong method of applying cream there is a video on this blog about home facial techniques.It you use it even for applying cream daily on your face it will be very beneficial.Do not use random strokes while applying cream. It will only promote new lines on your face.

Dehydration-I keep mentioning this point repeatedly because this is the most preventable aspect of wrinkilng phenomenon.

ALLERGIC REACTIONS
skin can be allergic to anything and everything.Medicine being a common cause.Others can be metal jewellery, hair dyes, bleaches , cosmetics (including nail polish!) ,creams etc
Here are some tips to avoid allergic reaction on your skin.
1.If you have a history of allergies (allergic rhinitis,asthma,allergic dermatitis) then be careful while trying a new cosmetic.
2.Always tell your doctor about your allergies while taking a new prescription.Many reactions can be really dangerous!
3.Many products like bleaches advice you to do a patch test on small area of skin before using.Never skip this step.
4.Never apply a product on a sensitive area of skin like lips,undereyes,forearm,thighs unless it mentions that it is safe to use it there.

SKIN CANCERS
if you notice a change in
color
size
shape
suface
bleeding
of any mole on your body do not ignore it.It could be a melanma(a type of skin cancer).

VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES
Skin vitamins are Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C and Vitamin B.Out of there only vitamin B and C should be taken without prescription.Vitamin E is being included in many skin creams and is safe to use it that way.Vitamin A should be taken only on a doctor's prescription.
Problems like drying scaly skin,cracking of mouth angles are taken care of by Vitamin B.
Vitamin C is particularly useful if you have a healing scar/scars such as acne scars.But once the scars have already healed it will not help.Vitamin A & E take care of skin maintainance.