Skin Care News

Winter can be tough on skin. Cold temperatures, low humidity and dry indoor heating combine to rob the skin of moisture, leaving it dry and flaky, said Sarah Myers, M.D., dermatologist at Duke University Medical Center, who offers the following tips for winter skin care.

• Shorten baths or showers -- Long, hot baths can eventually strip the skin of lipids, or moisturizing fats. Frequent long showers or baths do not add moisture but take away protection.
• Use moisturizer -- Choose soap or cleanser with oils and emollients. After bathing, pat dry, then replenish with an overall body moisturizer. Oils can also be added to bath water, which can penetrate and nourish the skin. But they can also make the tub slippery, so be especially careful getting out.
• Apply toners and astringents sparingly – These are liquids used after cleaning, just before applying a moisturizer. Because they are typically alcohol-based, they can dry the skin. Look for products with low alcohol content.
• Don't forget the sunscreen – Many products are a combination of sunscreen and moisturizer. Usually the recommended products have an SPF of 15. Most people are in and out during the day, and casual sun exposure adds up. This is one of the best daily products people can use.
• Rejuvenate skin – Many people use topical night creams and other cosmetic products containing retinoids. These can help reduce facial lines, wrinkles and age spots. Look for products containing mineral oil or other moisturizing agents. Products containing higher levels of these ingredients are available only by prescription.
• Control environmental factors – Humidifying the environment can help replenish moisture. Consider a humidifier in your bedroom at night, when you're spending most of your time there. Reduce exposure to cigar and cigarette smoke, which can speed the skin's aging process.
• Stimulate and exfoliate – Rubbing the skin's surface daily with a scrub or washcloth stimulates the skin and removes dead cells, which can clog the pores. However, the process can strip some of the lipids that are integral to keeping your skin moist, especially during the winter, if overdone.

This blog is beauty tip central. And funny. Here's an excerpt.

Yesterday I finally got my hair done. I’ve needed to do something for a while, as I hadt a two-inch black hole growing in the crown of my frosted blond head. So, since today is my birthday, I decided it was time for a new look. I chose some lowlights, which is what you need to do after repeated highlights turn your hair into something resembling Dolly Parton. So, I got some dark brown streaked back in, to blend it all and make me look a bit less freakish.

Speaking of freakish, as I sat under the hair dryer with strips of tinfoil sticking up all over my head, I looked around me (as much as I could without my glasses) at my fellow Martians and thought how crazy it is, the things we do to ourselves in the quest for “beauty.” My technophobe meditation group friend is the owner of the shop, and she also does “permanent makeup.” Yes, she tattoos eyeliner on your lids. If God gave you skimpy eyebrows, she can work a miracle. I’ve got Brooke Shields eyebrows which I constantly have to weed, so that particular service never tempted me. But I did think about the eyeliner thing a while back. But, since I wear glasses, it didn’t seem worth it.

Some perspectives on retail and skin care at the mall.

But who would have thought we'd see a mall-based chain like Nuvo Laser Skin Care, which serves up dermabrasion and Botox over lunch hour? Or Club Libby Lu, where preteen girls can get a makeover, advice and “cool princess paraphernalia,” all in a members-only setting? Or a chain of bowling alleys at which the chocolate martini is more popular than Budweiser?

In the middle of an article reporting on a Japanese study suggesting that coffee reduces the incidence of liver cancer, we find:

But studies have also shown that a skin cream spiked with caffeine lowers the risk of skin cancer in mice.

Apparently, the antioxidents found in coffee have a number of positive affects. Unfortunately, it also is associated with aggravating symptoms of menopause, and increasing side effects of certain antibiotics.

Modern skin care products offer a veritable buffet of delectable ingredients, and for good reason. What good for your insides is good for your skin. Soap Wire gives us the low down...

What were once traditionally foods and ingredients to swallow are now making their way into topical cosmetics as the internal becomes external. Ingredients that make skin creams almost good enough to eat include lemon oil, soy phospholipids, oat bran, coconut oil, Ester-C, green tea extract, Co-Q10, wheat germ oil, vitamin E, olive oil, avocado, wild yam, lemongrass, aloe vera, grapeseed extract, caffeine, chamomile, jojoba oil, papaya, kiwi, peach, apricot, mango, hazelnut oil, soybean sterols, licorice extract, evening primrose oil, DMAE, rose hips, eucalyptus oil, rosemary, wild mint, coneflower extract, black currant extract, vanilla oil, lecithin, grape leaf extract, guarana, kola, mat�, cucumber, carrot oil and willow bark extract.

A Spiderman fan has some words of advice for Kirsten Dunst: do something about it!

I will give you no spoilers. I will not ruin the plot. I will not describe sequences involving actors and will not tell you about the cameos. I will not spoil the jokes and I will not tell you about the CGI action sequences. And I will definitely not tell you about the end.

But I will tell you this: Kirsten Dunst needs a damn good orthodontist.

Dr. Crabtree (real name) was my orthodontist while I was growing up in the San Francisco area. He was a genial man with a talent for making petty conversation with you while he tightened the metal braces around your teeth, took cement impressions of your teeth, jammed plastic spacers between your teeth to ready them for braces and as all of it was going on -- he came off as the most genuine man around.

Kirsten Dunst would, I'm sure, really like him.

Great tips for dry skin.

• Dry Skin

Go easy if your skin is dry or sensitive. If your skin feels dry, rough and flaky when you touch it , it needs extra tender loving care with the following routine:

1) Cream off make-up and dirt with a super-fatted cleansing cream, morning and night. Apply all creams and lotions with an upward motion. It's stimulating to the skin and helps prevent sagging. Note: Vitamin E oil is also known to slow the aging of skin. Dab it on problem areas that show signs of aging.

2) Moisturize in the morning and before bedtime to keep your skin soft and smooth and to protect it against the additional loss of moisture.

3) Take warm, not hot, showers. Lots of hot water can drain moisture out of your skin, leaving it older-looking, itchy and dry. Be sure to use moisturizing lotion after bathing.

Annatopia is raving about Jason cosmetics skin care products

I try to take good care of my skin. I was not one of those kids who suffered from acne during puberty, and I've stayed out of the sun for about twelve years, so my skin has retained much of it's elasticity. However, I'm thirty now and I'm finally starting to get smile lines. I used to simply wash my face, but since I moved to D/FW my skin has lost a lot of moisture. Jason's dry skin line is fantastic. My face always feels soft and I never break out. It's expensive stuff, but I only have to buy it two or three times per year. Well worth it, IMO.

An entire article on comparisons between advice by the queer guys and advice from the bible. A sample:

Then Moses said..."Do not let your hair become unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community.” Leviticus 10: 6 Hair is the most visible thing we can play with to change our appearance, so start on top. It’s crucial to find a stylist you trust – not only will they help you with a cool new haircut, they can also be a great source of expertise on how to style and care for it. Kyan 92 Wine tasting:

The popular Quixtar cosmetics launch a men's line of skin care.

Artistry brand of skin care and cosmetics is one of the world’s top five best selling prestige brands announced by independent agency. “Artistry products incorporate the latest skin care innovations and technology. It’s a high value brand that has proven very successful for IBOs,” says Orrin Woodward.

“Building upon the great success of Artistry skin care products, Quixtar introduced Tolsom skin care for men last year,” adds Orrin Woodward. The Tolsom brand includes five products, facial cleansing foam, shave gel, after shave splash, skin smoothing gel, and skin protective lotion.

Meanwhile, Quixtar’s clear.now is the only acne skin care system that utilizes a patent-pending ingredient combined with maximum over-the-counter levels of salicylic acid. “Research shows skin looks and feels cleaner and smoother without drying or irritation when using clear.now,” explains Orrin Woodward. “This new product has been well received, especially among those with teens in their families."

Here's a first hand account from a Intralase patient. Fast and easy.

It's done and I can see again! The procedure was very interesting. There was no pain associated with it. The worst sensation was a bit of pressure on my eyeball when the intralase cone was pushed on to it to hold the eye still. The whole thing took about 10 minutes, and even then I could read the clock across the room. I'm going back for my next day checkup in about 2 hours and will post a progress report after that. But my starting point was 20/1000, so anything close to 20/20 is going to have me doing happy dances for quite a while!

Well, not dental insurance, exactly. But switch from regular to sugar free gum and save a fortune at the dentist's office.

Chewing on Sugar free gums helps in the stimulation of saliva which protects the teeth from dental decay and against plaque acid. This is known to reduce tooth decay by upto 40 percent in people who chew sugar free gum than people who don't.

Well what better dental insurance can you get than sugar free gum?

You always think of Hollywood stars with perfect skin and the best skin care. Sometimes, though, it's all about skin scare. Here's a fun dermatology site devoted to Hollywood's skin. Hollywood has put the "plastic" back in "plastic surgery".

While exhibiting a highly developed flair for the well-place pun, Vail Reese MD takes us on a dermatological Hollywood epic that includes skin conditions used to convey evil, actors with skin conditions and realistic depiction of skin findings. The site seems to be kept very up to date and includes images from recently released films as well as those still in production.

“As a dermatologist and a film buff, I’ve found a series of skin conditions featured in movies. All of the films listed are readily available on home video. Peruse at your leisure and let me know what you think. You may look at movies in a new way.“

Nose hair, ear hair, ewe!

I realise I may seem a little obsessive on the theme of hair in strange places but it's only because I have to pluck my nose and shave my ears... and I bet George Clooney does too! Actually, he probably has someone to do it for him. Anyway, the truth is out... Q. Why do the elderly often suffer from excess nose and ear hair? A. "Nose and ear hair is a typically male-hormone-dependent type of hair," said Dr. Vera Price, a professor in the department of dermatology at the University of California at San Francisco, "and certainly there is less opposition by female hormones like estrogen as we age, which is probably why the hair is longer." Each sex has both male and female hormones, Dr. Price explained, but the balance changes with age. The increase in nose and ear hair may be noticed more by women than by men, she suggested, because "many men have had noticeable nasal and ear hair all their adult lives," owing to a plentiful supply of androgens. In a related change in many aging women as estrogen levels drop, "nature gives us two hairs on the chin as we lose one on the top," Dr. Price said. The increase in ear and nose hair is a "totally benign and very common change," she said, so it is not well studied. She suggested cutting the unwanted hair with manicure scissors, preferably with rounded ends, or using a battery-operated hair trimmer made for the purpose.

Many folks are writing about their experience with LASIK eye correction.

Read this very entertaining story told by a person who got his vision corrected using LASIK.

Elke has a number of beauty tips, both here and in Health and Fitness magazine. She says,

Check out the January Issue of Women's Health & Fitness! In their beauty tips section, you'll see my favorite beauty tips along with Bobbi Brown and Frederic Fekkai and Sue Devitt! Wow!

Herpes outbreaks are tough to deal with and make an unsightly sore on your skin. Care for that might be available with this supplement.

You've taken acidophilus no doubt, or read of it's benefits for healthy intestinal balance. Did you know that one species, called Lactobacillus Plantarum is stronger than any other? Or that it is more stable and multiplies faster than the more commonly used L. Salvarus and other bacterium?

Plantadophilus indications:

Diarrhea, food allergies, fungus, chronic fatique syndrome, constipation Epstein Barr Syndrome, colds and flu.

In addition, it is specifically indicated for those who suffer with oral or genital herpes. While herpes is not generally a life-threatening problem, it is damaging to self-image and can be quite painful. If you or someone you know suffers with herpes, this information will be of interest:

It has been know for some time now that supplementation with the amino acid lysine can help to reduce outbreaks of herpes and to shorten duration. Less known is the fact that lysine, present in L. Plantarum, is essential for good intestinal balance, in general. In addition, research performed at the University of Nebraska shows that L. Plantarum synthesizes a large amount of lysine. The balance between lysine and arginine, another amino acid, is critical for healthy immune system function. If the arginine balance is far higher than the lysine, then fungal forms, allergies and viruses like the herpes simplex viruses, are not kept under control by the immune system. On the other hand, keeping lysine levels high helps the immune system control allergies, viruses and fungals.

If you're concerned about regulation of vitamins and supplements, click on the link above for more information on what to do.

Imagine you are driving to your doctor's office.

The funny part is, you feel great. No aches, no pains, no sickness. In fact, you're not going to see your doctor for any illness whatsoever.

Rather, you're going to see him for a prescription... for vitamin C.

A prescription for vitamin C? It sounds ridiculous, but this frightening scenario could come to pass as early as August of this year.

When I heard this news, I was incensed. In fact, I'm still incensed. It's a classic case of government destroying personal freedoms in orderd to "protect" us from ourselves.

5 steps to better health. Skin care is all about your overall health.

The 5 Steps to Healing and Feeling K.A.E.R.R. ::

1. Know what you Feel.

2. Accept your Feelings.

3. Express your Feelings in positive ways.

4. Release the negative feelings that have been inside your body for so long.

5. Replace the negatives with positives.

Turn your sadness to Joy, your anger to Love and your depression into Personal Power!!

You'll have better skin if you do!

A new food pyramid may help you with your skin care program.

As I sit here at 2:30 eating my (second) chocolate cookie and (third) coffee of the day, I am reading a post about the Food Pyramids: Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health. Harvard has improved on the USDA pyramid. Maybe tomorrow....

Crisco? Why not Ariva skin care or other fine skin care products? I mean, rilly!

Yeah, I know it's gross, but give me a chance here. When you do a lot of walking in the cold weather your legs get mighty dry. And your skin gets itchy. So itchy, in fact, that you can't stop scratching it. Regular moisturizer doesn't work. You begin to think you have a strange skin disease. You scratch until you bleed in places. And your housemate, a nurse practitioner, recommends Crisco. Gross. But it works. After a shower, regular moisturizer. Then lock it in with Crisco or Vaseline. The itching stops. And pretty soon your skin is so smooth and soft and supple that you feel like you've been let in on some kind of sorority sister secret. I'm sticking with it (in moderation).

Here's a blog that promises cheap prices for skin care products. It doesn't mention Ariva skin care, though.

Get HUGE discounts on your skin care, make up and cosmetics from top brands like

• M.A.C.
• Bobbi Brown
• Chanel
• Clarins

and much more at cosmetics-online.net

A nice fantasy about skin care making you look so young you get carded at the bar. Anyway, I wonder if this is a jar of Ariva skin care product???

You care about skin care, right? You wash your face at least once a week every three days daily, right? If you live in Alberta, you know the importance of moisturizer. Moisturizer prevents those ugly scars when the three-eighth inch welts you scratched into your face finally heal over. Moisturizer is our friend. Today I made friends with the most expensive moisturizer of my life. Today, I spent over $10.00 for a jar of white goo. The jar is small enough to fit into my only purse and have room left over for my cell phone, two sets of keys, wallet and spare change. The white goo is supposed to reverse the signs of aging. With any luck at all, I shall be refused service at the bar within two weeks, thereby increasing my spare time.

Ariva skin care products are offered through their web site. Or you can visit their spa.

Ariva... Healthy Skin. Healthy Soul.

Ariva Skin Care and Day Spa is located in the heart of the Illinois Valley. Ariva offers high-quality, natural skin care and beauty products as well as services to help improve your overall health of skin and body. Our therapeutic treatments are tailored to meet your individual needs, targeting specific concerns and helping to restore optimum skin health. Our experienced estheticians will give a detailed skin consultation to ensure maximum benefits during your treatments. Offering a variety world-class, natural skin care and beauty products as well as services ranging from facials to massages and waxing to tanning, Ariva is the place to go when you need pampering.