Lotions vs. Skin Care Creams

There is no dearth of skin care creams and lotions in the market. Name an ailment, and you will find hundreds of skin care creams, lotions and other products for it. As a result of ongoing research and due to ever increasing demand, the number of skin care products seems to be on the increase. Skin care lotions and skin care creams are the most popular forms in which these products are available, and there always seems to be a debate on which form is better?

Well, there is no definitive answer to this. It seems more like a matter of personal choice. However, greasy creams are surely less popular as compared to the non-greasy (or less greasy) ones. Since the application of skin care creams is easier, they seem to be preferred (over lotions) in cases where the skin care product is not to be removed immediately after application. So, skin care creams seem more popular as moisturisers than as cleansers or toners. For toners, lotions seem to be preferred over skin care creams. There are some skin care creams that acts as toners too, but generally the toners are available in liquid form only. For cleansing, lotions and skin care creams are equally popular; however, the tilt seems more towards lotions.

Creams are known to be most effective in keeping skin moist; hence, the most popular form of skin care creams is moisturisers. Due to the same reason, a lot of people tend to associate skin care creams with dry and sensitive skin. Though it is true to a certain extent, skin care creams are not used only for dry skin, they are also used for making products for oily skin e.g. vitamin A creams and sulphur creams that help reduce the rate of sebum production.

Skin care creams are also used for products that cater to skin disorders especially for disorders that require the application of product over a small localised area. This is again due to the fact that skin care creams are easier to apply (without wastage) on the affected area. However, in cases where skin needs to be washed using a medicine/product, lotion is a better choice. Mostly, the manufacturers too realize this fact, making it easier for you to choose between a lotion and a skin care cream

Eye-creams and anti-ageing creams are other examples where skin care cream is preferred over its lotion counterpart.

Whatever your choice be (cream or lotion), knowing how to use it effectively, is more important than anything else.

Acne Scarring - What Are My Treatment Options?

Acne Scarring can have serious effects on a person's self-image and emotional state. Fortunately there have been significant advances in the treatment of acne-related scarring in recent years. It is important to note that nothing will completely heal the majority of scars.

Laser Therapy
Using lasers to treat scars is a new technology, but is one of the most promising options for severe scarring. The lasers remove the scarred skin, and encourage growth of new skin in its place. After treatment, the skin will be pink and swollen for a week or so. During this time, bandages need to be kept over the skin to prevent infection. It takes months for the skin to return to normal, but most people will see less noticeable scars and smoother skin. Laser scar treatment can be quite expensive, however.

Surgical Therapy (Dermabrasion)
This form of scar treatment uses a motorized burr, which usually contains diamond particles. Diamonds are very strong abrasives when in a powder-form. A scab will form once the procedure is completed. Once the wound is healed, a smooth pink layer of new skin will appear. Multiple treatments are often necessary, and each one can cost $1500.

Creams and Gels
There are many topical treatments that claim to reduce the appearance of scars. Some contain Vitamin E and other nutrients. Mederma is a popular brand name. Many people report that it can improve scars in as little as 8 weeks for new scars, or 6 months for older scars. Results with topical ointments like this will vary from person to person.

Collagen Injection
This is a temporary fix, where the patient's own body fat or collagen is injected into the scar site. This works well for some people with deep-pitted scars. The material injected serves to raise the skin, and reduce the pitted appearance, and wrinkling from the scar. However, this procedure needs to be repeated every 6 months and can be expensive.

Herbal Skin Care...the best i suggest 4 u guys

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.

Antiseptics are another important part of Herbal skin care. Lavender, marigold, thyme and fennel are good examples of herbs that are known to possess antiseptic properties. Lavender water and rose water also form good toners.

Tea plays an important part in herbal skin care. Tea extracts are used for treatment of skin that has been damaged by UV radiation.

Oils prepared from herbal extracts present another means of herbal skin care. Tea tree oil, Lavender oil, borage oil and primrose oil are some popular oils used in herbal skin care. Some fruit oils (e.g. extracts from fruits like banana, apple and melon) find use in shower gels (as a hydrating mix)

Homeopathic treatments and aromatherapies also come under the umbrella of herbal skin care remedies.

Herbal skin care is good not only for the routine nourishing of skin but also for treatment of skin disorders like eczema and psorasis. Most herbal skin care products don't have any side effects (the most important reason for preferring them over synthetic products) Moreover, herbal skin care products can be easily made at home, hence making them even more attractive. So, herbal skin care is the way to go. However, this does not mean that you totally discard the synthetic products. Some people go to the extent of debating with their dermatologist, if he/she suggests a synthetic product. You should accept the fact that some skin orders might need usage of clinically proven non-herbal skin care products.

Makeup and Skin Care

'Make up and skin care' is generally regarded as women's forte. Men seldom indulge in 'Make up and skin care'. Many men do care for their skin but make up is really alien to most men. Treating make up and skin care as different topics wouldn't make sense; after all, make up will work only if the skin is healthy. So how do you exercise make up and skin care, together? Here are some tips for make up and skin care:

1. Always have skin care on mind, whether you are buying products for make up or actually applying them onto your skin after you have bought them. So what you are buying is a 'make up and skin care' product, not just a make up product. Check the ingredients to see if it contains things that you might be allergic to. Also check if it contains high concentration chemicals that can harm your skin.

2. 'Make up and skin care' is also about testing the products before using them. So, apply the make up on a small patch of skin e.g. earlobes and check how your skin reacts to it.

3. Keep track of expiry date on your make up products and never use them beyond the expiry date. In fact some products (e.g. vitamin C based products), if not stored properly, get spoilt much earlier than the expiry date.

4. Cleanliness is an important part of make up and skin care procedure. Sharpen your eye-liners regularly and keep all your makeup equipment clean at all times. You might fix a date, each month, for overhauling of your equipment. As part of cleanliness, your make up and skin care procedure should also include keeping your hair clean at all times.

5. Nail care is another important aspect of make up and skin care. Use a good quality nail polish and always keep your nails clean. Once you are done with cleaning and polishing your nails, you should rub in cuticle oil at the edges of the nail.

6. If you have deep-set eyes, you should use a liquid eye liner instead of a pencil one. This will prevent smudging at the deep edges of your eye-lid.

7. If you have a skin disorder e.g. acne, you should not apply heavy or chemical based make up. Consult your dermatologist if you are not sure about the make up products that you can use while you have acne or other skin disorder. Never try to squeeze pimples/ acne. Remember that make up and skin care should not conflict each other.

8. Use a mild make up remover (instead of just washing it away).

9. Another important 'make up and skin care' procedure is the following golden rule: "Never sleep with your make up on"

10. While applying a deodorant, make sure that you maintain the recommended distance between the nozzle and your skin (as mentioned on the deodorant pack).

So, make up and skin care should always go hand in hand. Do not try to treat make up and skin care differently.

Is There A Single Acne Cure That Will Work For Everyone?

How do we go about preventing acne? Well to be honest if you don't have acne then you're probably not too bothered about preventing it. How about looking for a cure first of all and then looking for ways to prevent it coming back in the future?

Although it's common now to believe that it is not diet that brings about acne ("chocolate has nothing to do with it" scream the experts) it's interesting to note that Eastern countries don't have acne epedemics to the extremes that we in the West are used to.

One thing is clear; acne is not caused by dirt. It is caused when the oil in our body is not metabolized efficiently and dead skin cells become sticky and block the pores of the skin. Bacteria then enters into the pores and causes infection and inflammation.

So what can be done to prevent this happening? It seems obvious to stay away from McDonald's and other junk foods, yet our bodies may still produce oil.

Hygiene helps to control it, yet acne is not caused by a lack of hygeine, it comes about because of bacteria already present in the skin. The only true combatant, it seems, is to use a multitude of acne prevention methods at the same time.

Zinc gluconate and some antibiotics administered orally are both effective in treating the inflammation of acne, while insulin is also reported to have worked in the same way. No big studies have been done on the latter though, so proceed cautiously with this one. Some doctors have even recommended birth control pills as having limited acne, then again some say that they can cause acne!

Research is now being done on the use of lasers for the prevention of acne. Lasers have been used to treat the scars left by really bad acne, and it has recently been discovered that the follicle sac from which the hair grows, as well as the sebaceous gland that produces oil, can be burned away by the use of lasers.

You may have heard of the N-Lite laser treatment. It was recently shown in a popular daytime TV show in the UK with a guest who claimed it was the only thing that had completely cured her. This led to widespread acclaim for N-Lite and hundreds of new clients for the company.

Naturally, since this TV appearance, many people have used their services with varying results.

The fact is that there is no one cure that will handle everybody's skin type. The only way to beat acne is to mix and match different treatments, internally, as well as on the skin's surface, until you find the one cure that works for you and you alone.

Get Rid of Warts Today!

Embarrassed about the bumpy, rough protrusion on your skin? Well, that is called a wart. Viruses cause these non-cancerous skin growths on the top layer of the skin. These viruses are called human papillomavirus (HPV). Warts are usually skin-colored and are rough to touch, but in some people they can be dark, flat and smooth.

These warts grow on different parts of the body; more common on the fingers, hands, and feet, but most of them are harmless. Children tend to get infected easily. They spread by direct contact, simply by touching the wart. Most warts heal within weeks or months, but sometimes they may even take years. It all depends on the person’s immune system. Those having immune-related diseases such as AIDS and lymphoma, or who are under chemotherapy, take longer time to heal.

Types of warts:

There are several different kinds of warts:

• Common warts – These warts usually grow on the fingers, around the nails, hands, elbows, knees, and on the backs of the hands. They usually appear where skin has been broken - like where fingernails are bitten. They are hard and small. These are also called "seed" warts, because the blood vessels to the wart produce black dots that look like seeds.

• Foot warts – These warts appear on the soles of the feet. They are also called plantar warts. They can be very uncomfortable and painful while walking, because the pressure of walking causes them to get flattened and pushed back into the skin.

• Flat warts – These warts are smaller and smoother than other warts and so they are called juvenile warts. They grow in large numbers - 20 to 100. They most commonly grow on children’s faces. In adults, they are often found in the beard area in men, and on the legs in women.

• Filiform warts - These warts are finger shaped and are usually flesh-colored. They are common in areas around the mouth, eyes, or nose.

Treatment:

You need to go to a Dermatologist to get rid of warts. Depending on the type of warts and the age of the patient, various treatments are used. Laser treatment is the most common. This treatment is expensive. An injection of a local anesthesia is used to numb the area treated. An anti-cancer drug called bleomycin is also used to treat warts; however, this treatment is painful and may cause side effects.

Immunotherapy is another treatment where the body's own rejection system is used. In one of the methods, the patient is made allergic to a certain chemical which is then applied. After some time, an allergic reaction occurs around the area and the wart may disappear. Dermatologists also inject interferon to boost the immune reaction which may cause rejection of the wart. Luckily for children, warts may disappear over time, without taking any treatment. However, they can be bothersome and painful - if they rapidly multiply then they should be treated.

So, next time you see warts appearing on your skin, do not panic or get disturbed. They are just a viral skin infection which with proper care can be treated.

The Best Skin Care For Oily Skin

Oily skin can be really tricky to take care of because one wrong move can spell disaster for the skin. One must remember that among the basic skin types, oily skin is perhaps the most sensitive and easily triggered.

Although having oily skin will lessen the possibility of developing wrinkles and lines early in life, one will compensate by being prone to acne, pimples and all sorts of blemishes. This is because over-activity of the sebaceous glands make it more likely for the pores in the skin to get clogged. Clogging of pores with grime, dead skin cells and bacteria trapped inside, can result to swelling and red bumps.

Below are some of the tips that will help you take care of your oily skin.

1. Choose what you put in your face

Oily skin can be very sensitive to irritation. This makes choosing the products that will not irritate the skin all the more difficult. For despite having products that are made especially for oily skin, there are skin types that are very allergic to some ingredients.

It is also recommended that people with oily skin refrain from using cosmetics and skin care products that are oil-based or those that are oily. Using oily products will only add to the oil already on the skin. They should instead use water-based products that are easily removed.

2. Wash your face

Another solution to a problem is the frequent washing of the face. This is done to prevent the build-up of oil on the skin which in turn will prevent the occurrence of acne. Basic hygiene is the single best solution to acne problems in oily skin.

3. Remove Make-up

Another reason why pores are clogged is the interaction of chemicals and oil on the skin. To prevent this, avoid sleeping while there is still make-up on your skin. This is actually a no-no for all skin types but all the more important for people with oily skin.

4. Be consistent with your treatment

In taking care of oily skin, it is important that you are consistent with your treatment. Most people with oily skin will probably be asked to use cleansers and then toners. Astringents are also popular as it helps exfoliates the skin and remove dead skin cells on the surface. Moisturizers are sometimes forgone because the skin is oily and moisturized as it is.

Dry Skin Care – How to Prevent Uncomfortable Irritation

Dry skin care is important because it prevents the uncomfortable
irritation that comes from a lack of moisture from all areas of
the body.

The lower legs, elbows, and forearms are a few parts of the body
that could greatly benefit from dry skin care.

When skin becomes dry, it can feel coarse, as well as scaly,
coupled with a bothersome itchiness.

Causes of Dry Skin

Some of the causes that create a need for dry skin care include
an overheating of the body during the winter season accompanied
with low humidity.

During the summer, the effects of air conditioning create a need
for dry skin care.

Factors that can affect dry skin can be the overuse of soaps or
antiperspirants, as well as luxuriating in a hot bath at the end
of the day.

Dry skin care is needed for individuals who experience daily
stress, have been exposed to smoke, or are exposed to great
amounts of sun.

Dry skin also worsens as the body ages due to the loss of sweat
and oil glands throughout the body.

Itching

What makes the condition of dry skin a real inconvenience is that
it itches like crazy and can be easily irritated into a flare-up
of redness and itching.

Without dry skin care, a person could suffer from a loss of
sleep, as well as cause mood swings.

A physician should look at very dry and itchy skin because
certain conditions like kidney disease and diabetes exhibit
itching as a symptom.

Moisturizers, Ointment and Lotions

The most popular forms of dry skin care treatment are
moisturizers that help replace some of the water that is loss
through the skin. Moisturizers also work as a soothing agent to
ease discomfort. This form of dry skin care comes in an
assortment of satisfying products, such as lotions, creams and
ointments.

When using an ointment for dry skin care, you will encounter a
combination of water and an oil-based ingredient, such as
petrolatum or lanolin.

Lotions are created when powder crystals are dissolved within
water. The amount of water in lotions keeps the skin from having
a too greasy feeling, as well as providing that cooling effect
that you notice.

Lotions are good for a quick application, but you should know
that they do not possess the same level of protection.

Adding oil to water creates creams. The disadvantage of using
this type of skin care is that it has to be used more often.
Moisturizers should be used as a dry skin care regimen to prevent
further outbreaks.

Dry Skin Care Tips

Dry skin care tips include:

· Using a humidifier in your room in order to increase the amount
of moisture in the air.

· When you bath less often or minimize the amount of time you
spend in the bathtub or shower - this can alleviate dry skin.

· When you have dry skin, you should avoid using hot water,
opting for a warmer shower or bath.

Home Remedies For Oily Skin:

To care for oily skin you should start with a gentle, foaming facial wash. This will remove dirt and oil without stripping away moisture.

1. Make a puree of fresh tomatoes, apply to the skin

2. Mix half teaspoon honey with egg white and one teaspoon lemon juice. Add fuller's earth or brewer's yeast powder. Mix into a paste and apply. Remove after 20 minutes with water.

3. To prevent the problem of your makeup becoming patchy either on the forehead, chin or nose due to excessive oiliness in these areas, apply a little cucumber juice on the excessively oily parts of your face, dry thoroughly and then apply your makeup.

4. Mix one tablespoon youghurt with fuller's earth and apply. Youghurt itself can be applied o the face. It helps to soften the skin and restores the natural acid mantle.

5. If your skin is excessively oily, mix in a few drops of eau de cologne. This not only helps keep oiliness away but also helps in refining the pores of the skin by acting as astringent, thereby preventing acne.

6. Make a pulp of raw papaya and apply. Papaya has a cleansing action, softening dead skin cells and aiding their removal.

Recommendations for Oily Skin:

1. Keep a bowl of water in the fridge and splash this cold water on your face 3-4 times a day.Cold water will not only leave you feeling refreshed but will also tighten the pores.

2. Follow up the cleanser with an astringent as this will remove all excess oil

3. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water each day.Water helps flush out toxins from the body.

4. Use an exfoliant twice a week. These skin scrub products contains little granules that, when used with a small brush, provide deep cleansing.