Archive for the ‘facial skin’ Category
Natural Face Masks – Beautiful Skin
Natural Face masks are more than just goofy tricks that women try to get their “beauty rest.” They are an important part of skin care. It is recommended that you use a facial mask at least once a week. While it is not necessary to go overboard and wear one every night, a weekly facial mask session cannot only help your skin receive moisture, but it can also lessen skin disorders. Facial masks can be soothing or energizing, and the actions and rituals often involved with applying a facial mask can be an effective anxiety reliever.
A facial mask is generally defined as a salve that is applied to the face, much like smearing on cream. It is thick, and normally resembles clay. Many masks make use of clay or gel as a base, as these will stay in place when applied, and they are typically harmless to most skin types (although gel is used most for sensitive skin, as heavy clays irritate it). Masks are meant to cover the entire face and then rest in place for a few minutes before washing off. The materials in most masks are safe to be washed down the drain.
Most facial masks include both deep cleaning and moisturizing ingredients in the mask. This allows the pores in the face to be cleansed totally, getting rid of oily build up and trapped dirt. This can help reduce or even prevent pimples. Additionally, many masks help slough off dead skin. The dead top skin is inert and lusterless. When it is lightly removed, the mask brings the top layer of dead skin cells off with it. This leaves younger, healthier cells exposed as the face’s surface. This means tighter skin and a more radiant complexion. It can also reduce the look of fine lines and small wrinkles to carry out a regular facial mask.
Another reason that natural face masks are so trendy involves the soothing and relaxing motions associated with applying a facial mask. If you decide to have one applied on for relaxation as well as the benefits it provides for the skin on the face, then you can have a very enjoyable experience. In spas, these masks are applied with special therapies and often include a massage. You can give your own face a soft massage just prior to applying the mask, and if you are systematic about it, you can apply the mask in a way that is singularly soothing. All masks should be applied to a freshly bathed face, rinsed with warm water. This opens the pores and allows the mask to do its thing. Warm water is very calming and relaxing, and many people find this part of the application to be one of the more enjoyable stages.
Apply the mask in a circular motion until it coats the face. This is comforting and stimulating at the same time. Let the mask sit on your face for 15 to 20 minutes (although some are meant to be worn all night). Many women like to lie down and relax. The effect can be enhanced by the addition of candles or incense and some calming music. Finally, when it is time to rinse the mask, do so in cold water. This will help close the pores, protecting them against dirt and oil, and also energize your face.
Many people enjoy making their own facial masks from ordinary household products like bananas (for wrinkles), avocados, and honey (antibacterial). Butter can also be used as a remedy for dry skin. Other masks can be created using different compositions of clays, and different essential oils can be used for different skin types. Fruit purees also have different properties (for instance, strawberry can act as an alphahydroxy), and yogurt and milk can soften the skin. Oatmeal is very soothing, and most sensitive skin types can use masks of this sort. Adding rose petal powder can augment your fragrance without the need for perfume, while citrus fruit peel powder acts as an astringent.
When you decide to make use of natural face masks, you are sure to feel the good effects of it later down the road. And if you apply them once a week, you can help keep your face healthy-looking and your complexion brilliant with a healthy luminosity.
Ron King
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/natural-face-masks-beautiful-skin-302950.html
How To Quickly And Easily Get Rid Of Facial Hair
Everyone to some extent has unwanted body hair and it’s perfectly fine if you remove it. The problem however, is that many people are too busy to keep up the hairless façade. No one has three hours once a month to set aside for a body wax or a day at the spa. So many people find themselves using quick and easy methods of removing hair, especially facial hair since it is very difficult to hide.
The most commonly temporary or rather short term methods used to quickly get rid of unwanted facial hair are shaving, tweezing, mechanical epilators, and chemical depilatories, waxing and bleaching and the method you use will depend on the amount of time you have and the ‘tool’ available to you.
Shaving seems to be the fastest and relatively easiest way to remove facial hair in the case of men and body hair in the case of women. However, different types of skin can be very sensitive to a shaver’s blade and being in a hurry does not help with easing skin irritation. Men are particularly at risk for skin irritation or infection from shaving off facial hair because the face is naturally a delicate area of the body and while the skin thereof will get a little tougher as you continue to shave, it is not guaranteed that sensitivity will go away. Mechanical epilators are another option for men however these ‘hair pulling’ machines can also irritate skin because of the harsh plucking. Since the face is possibly the most exposed area of the body, not just to the public but to the elements as well, close attention to removing facial hair is worth a little more time on morning’s than having scarred skin for as long as you live.
When it comes to facial hair, women target different areas instead of the entire lower face as men do. For instance, many women are plagued by unwanted facial hair on the upper lip, the chin and of course, bushy eyebrows. And since shaving is not the best method for removing facial hairs for women, tweezing, chemical depilatories and waxing are mostly used. Bleaching is also a good way to ‘disguise’ unwanted hair and since it does not remove the hair but rather lightens it to an almost unnoticeable skin shade, it does not leave the face feeling stubbly in a few days.
While a lot of these methods are great for quickly and easily removing facial hair, it is wise to choose a method that will not harm or damage you skin. Depilatory creams dissolve the protein in hair and causes hair to break from the surface, but these creams can burn skin if the formula is too strong or if it is left on too long. Hot waxing and bleaching, if not used correctly, can also cause burning and scarring. However, if shaving, waxing or tweezing are easiest for you when in a hurry, try to supplement your grooming routine with repair creams, moisturizers, anti-bacterial creams and clean grooming tools to offset the harshness that comes with quick and easy grooming.
Sarah H
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/how-to-quickly-and-easily-get-rid-of-facial-hair-103071.html
Facial Sauna Benefits
Overall the facial sauna is great value for money. The facial sauna is a natural way to beautiful skin. Not only is this type of sauna great for skin care, it can also be a great mucus reliever helping in unclogging stuffed sinuses. The facial sauna is easy to use; it has an electric heating element on the bottom which heats the water in a small reservoir to boiling point causing the steam to rise.
The facial sauna can be used for intensive skin care. Using a facial sauna puts the moisture into your skin and steams the impurities out. Along with the water in the reservoir you can also add essential oils. Essential oils are said to have healing properties which gives your skin an even brighter glow leaving it feeling fresh and supple.
The facial sauna helps by cleaning deep below the surface for clear, beautiful skin, in short leaving your skin soft, supple and glowing. Now you can spoil yourself at home just like in the salon: The steam from the facial sauna is ideal for opening your pores and increasing blood circulation. The gentle steam mist helps rejuvenate your skin giving you a young healthy complexion.
While the best skin toning benefits come from a full-body sauna, a facial sauna can also produce comparable results. One of the biggest benefits of the facial sauna is its cost; it’s an affordable, convenient way to pamper your skin — any time — in the comfort of your own home. The facial sauna is the ultimate home salon treatment and a wonderful gift idea.
Benjamin Wise
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/facial-sauna-benefits-89351.html
Chemical Facial Peel
Chemical facial peel also known as chem-exfoliation or derma-peeling, is a technique to improve the appearance of your skin. In this treatment, a chemical solution is applied to the skin, causing it to “blister” and eventually peel off. The new, regenerated skin is usually smoother and less wrinkled than the old skin.
Facial chemical peels are helpful for you if you have facial blemishes, wrinkles and uneven skin pigmentation on your skin. If you present a skin which is severely damaged due to deep wrinkles, you can be a good candidate for the chemical facial peel.
Treatments with facial chemical peels are the best treatments for wrinkle free skin care, which works well for fine as well as for coarse wrinkles.
If you are suffering with fine and deep rhytids, uncontrollable acne, acne scars, ephelides, lentigines, telangiectasias and actinic keratoses, your skin is suitable for treatment with chemical facial peel.
Skin with dyschromia, premalignant skin tumors and acne scars can also be treated with chemical peeling. Chemical facial peel provides you the best skin care in all these cases.
Chemical Peel Guide
Chemical facial peels may also remove pre-cancerous skin growths, soften acne facial scars and even help control acne. Chemical peels are a good preventative regimen for cancerous skin care and are most often included as a part of skin cancer treatment.
Originally, only women with a fair complexion were the ideal candidates for deep chemical peels. However, there are phenol-based chemical peel techniques which can be safely performed on you, even if you have olive or dark skin.
Thick male skin is usually less responsive to a deep peel so this skin resurfacing procedure is not normally suitable for males.
Consultation with skin care specialists
If you are thinking of going for a chemical peel procedure, you should first fix a meeting with your skin care specialist. In the meeting your should discuss your expectations out of the facial chemical peel, your age, sun exposure history, any genetic predisposition to hypertrophic scars or keloids and also the issues such as chemical peel cost.
Skin type and color, ethnic background and age are important factors in determining which of the different chemical facial peel procedures is most appropriate for your skin. If you have problems such as allergies, previous burns, a history of poor scars, or radiation exposure, you may need special evaluation to determine if you are a good candidate for chemical facial peels or not. If you have had cold sores and blisters around the mouth, inform your surgeon of this condition as this could be a problem with some chemical peel techniques.
Do not hide anything from your skin care specialist and inform him or her about your scar formation history. While this is less of an issue with superficial chemical peels like glycolic acid peels, it is required with a more potent professional skin care regimen such as phenol peels. A thorough medical history, including surgeries such as facelifts, radiation treatments, dermabrasion and laser treatments, is definitely required by your skin care specialist.
Your facial skin care specialist may recommend a skin care regimen prior to the procedure for preparing your skin for more aggressive procedures or chemical peel. If you have extensive damage from aging or injury, he may recommend you more than one procedure – mixed peels, microdermabrasion or laser resurfacing to offer you the best results.
Facial chemical peel procedure can be performed on you even if you have hypertension, diabetes mellitus, thrombocytopenia, thyroid malfunction, as long as your disease is stable and in controlled state.
Catherine Halls
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/chemical-facial-peel-116244.html
Effects of Glycolic Acid Facial Peel
Glycolic acid, along with some other vitamin C peels are the most commonly used rejuvenation treatments for facial skin care. Glycolic facial peels and other members of the Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) group like lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and citric acid peels are all chemically composed of carbon backbones. As naturally occurring chemicals, the AHA based treatments are one of the best categories of natural skin care products available in the market today.
Obtained from sugar cane, glycolic acid facial peels is the most popular and commonly used facial skin procedure among the AHA treatments.
Effects of glycolic acid peel
With time and exposure to sunlight, there is a gradual slowing down of the rate at which old cells are replaced by newer cells. The surface of the skin with old cells sticking to it provides an aged appearance to the skin.
A treatment with glycolic acid peels loosens the inter-cellular substances that hold the surface skin cells to each other. When the intracellular cement is loosened, it allows the dead skin to peel off readily. Shedding of the old, sun-damaged surface of the skin helps to encourage new growth of the cells in the skin underneath. The new growth of cells results in a fresher, healthier looking skin with more even color and texture.
Glycolic acid facial peels are generally known as superficial peels, because these peels penetrate only through the epidermis and papillary dermis to an average depth of 0.06mm. However, the repetitive use of glycolic acid facial peels has a profound effect on improving the texture of the skin.
The effect of glycolic acid facial peels on the deeper layers of the skin has also been observed with high concentration and long-term use. The deeper penetration of glycolic acid peels has been shown to help in collagen and elastin regeneration helping the fine lines of aging to disappear.
On the whole, the effects of glycolic acid facial peels on the skin can be listed as follows:
• Smoothening of rough, dry skin
• Exfoliation of the dead cells
• Slowing down of the ageing process
• Improving the texture of sun-damaged skin
• Normalizing of oily, acne troubled skin
• Control of acne
• Glycolic acid peels can also be mixed with bleaching agents to correct pigment problems
• Glycolic acid peels can be used as pre-treatment before a TCA peel
Histological effects of glycolic acid treatment are manifested by reduction of stratum corneum thickness, increased epidermal thickness, more orderly differentiation of skin cells and dispersal of melanin within the basal layer.
Candidates for the glycolic acid peel
The biggest advantage of glycolic acid facial peels is that they can be safely used for all skin types. The treatment with glycolic acid peels is useful for the people with:
• Superficial wrinkles of the face, neck, upper chest and arms
• Uneven pigmentation
• Enlarged facial pores
• Superficial acne scars on the face
• Oily skin
• Age spots
• Newly formed acne
Procedure for Treatment with Glycolic Acid Peel
Performing a glycolic acid peel just takes 15-20 minutes. Repeated peeling offers good anti-aging benefits to the skin.
The strength of glycolic acid has been found to affect the results. Generally the strength of each peel ranges from 20-70%, depending on skin sensitivity and the state of the skin at the start of the procedure.
After the face is cleansed thoroughly, the peel solution is applied for a few minutes or longer. The exact duration depends on the particular type of solution and its strength. The peel may sting mildly during the treatment.
The skin may be a little pink immediately after treatment. A little peeling may occur over the next few days. It can be disguised with moisturizer or normal make-up. Remember, protecting your skin from the sun is also important following these mild acid peels. Ask your doctor to recommend a sunblock with adequate UVA and UVB protection and use it every day.
Catherine Halls
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/effects-of-glycolic-acid-facial-peel-125791.html















