Female Care

When it comes to beauty, sometimes nature knows best. Olive oil is one of the history’s most-used moisturizers, but just because it’s an ancient solution doesn’t mean it’s out-of-date. Olive oil has so many uses—and according to its fans, it works just as well as (or even better than) expensive products.

For skin, it’s possible to apply olive oil whenever needed for a smooth, dewy complexion. Adding a few drops of lavender essential oil is both aroma-therapeutic and soothing to skin. Also, as a preservative and to improve olive oil’s healthy effects, add Vitamin E: squeeze it from a vitamin capsule to get pure, undiluted Vitamin E benefits (Vitamin E from a bottle is usually not pure, as another oil is used as a carrier for the vitamin).

For a multipurpose overnight solution: Combine 1/2 cup olive oil, ¼ cup vinegar, and ¼ cup water. Wet face and apply solution. The vinegar lightens skin, acts as a disinfectant, and loosens dead cells; the olive oil moisturizes. Continue reading »

Eczema, also known as atonic dermatitis, is characterized by an inflammation of the skin, and it is accompanied by redness, swelling, crusting, oozing, scaling and itchiness.

A person’s susceptibility to eczema is thought to be genetic, and it is often associated with a family history of allergies, particularly allergies such as hay fever, and asthma. However, environmental issues and certain food can also trigger eczema. Eliminating those substances, however, does not always cause a remission of eczema.

Symptoms of eczema often appear in the first couple months of life, and they often present as moist red crusted lesions on the scalp, face, arms, legs and diaper area. Older children, teens and adults often have more localized and chronic forms of eczema, most often manifesting as redness around the elbow joint, under the knees, and also on the neck, wrists and eyelids.

Normally, eczema improves by the time the child is three or four, but often worsens again later in life, either during childhood, puberty or adulthood. Eczema causes a constant itching, rubbing and scratching of the skin, and bacterial infections often take hold in the exposed skin. Continue reading »

Facelifts are major surgery—especially the traditional kind, which give the face a pulled, unnatural look and produce un-concealable scarring. The cost can be prohibitive, the possible infections devastating, and the results can be spotted a mile away. However, there is an alternative, called the short scar facelift, which is less expensive, requires less downtime, results in a more natural look, and is safer.

Also known as s-lifts and minimal-incision facelifts, short scar facelifts are meant to minimize the scarring that occurs with other facelifts. What they do is reposition the soft tissue and the skin that has been affected by the aging process, rather than simply tightening the skin over the muscles. Relocating the layers of the face that have also been affected by gravity, facial expressions, and nature produces a more natural look that fits more closely with today’s ideas about beauty. Continue reading »

Okay Mom-to-Be, who said you couldn’t still enjoy a luxurious spa like treatment at home? If you are experiencing any kind of discomfort, this would be the ideal time to relieve some stress. Do you have aching muscles or just feel like you need a little lift? The doctor needs to order a spoil-yourself- treatment. There’s no room for guilt. Who said being a mom meant no more spoiling just for you? Besides the feel good hormones that will run through your body from pampering are perfect to ensure a healthy happy baby. In order to have the benefit of happy hormones, you need to spoil yourself more than just once.

Your body now more than ever needs the perfect skin treatment. Your skin is stretching and it is important to moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize some more. A yummy selection of body butters, scrubs, and foot and hand creams that smell so good you’ll want to eat them, are at your fingertips. But remember this is only for your skin, not your tummy. Hey, have fun with it and have berries, bananas, or other fruits to match the indulgent fragrances. Continue reading »

Thanks to what may be perceived as very high demand, Botox® has made its way out of the high-profile plastic surgeon offices of Beverly Hills and New York, ultimately reaching most all Americans in search of a more youthful appearance and the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons 2004 study, Botox® was the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedure performed in 2004, a 240% increase just fours years prior in 2000. Following Botox®, the most common facial skin-related procedures include chemical peels, microdermabrasion and laser hair removal.

Sadly, wrinkles are a simple part of the aging process. Wrinkles are the result of the elastic fibers in our skin that loosen over time, but not always representative of the old wives’ tale stating wrinkles were a “sign of wisdom”. Simple wrinkles such as “laugh lines” and “crow’s feet” appear due to muscle movements, like squinting and laughing that typically occur day after day. Other facial lines causing an aged appearance can be a mixture of factors, but the common is the sun. Ultraviolet light may harm skin through a breakdown of collagen. Continue reading »

Before you slap on a plastic smile, do some deep thinking on the whole picture when it comes to cosmetic surgery and its risks.

It’s in the news, on television, movies and just about everywhere you look. A pretty face, a slender frame, and sizeable, perky breasts are society’s general prerequisites for a “beautiful woman,” and people are increasingly more willing to succumb to these diluted perceptions each year.

But the purses and bank accounts of women are not the only ones being spilled out for a fresh new look…. More and more men are considering and even going through with cosmetic surgery to fit the trim and youthful appearance desired by so many. Male pectoral implants, calf implants, Rhinoplasty, facelifts, eyelifts and tummy tucks are just a few of the popular procedures in which males are recently partaking. If it’s good enough for celebrities such as Burt Reynolds, Elton John and Michael Jackson, who have undergone cosmetic surgery, all the more reason for other males to consider it. Continue reading »

Blackheads are a type of Acne Vulgaris, and are caused by small plugs that develop in the pores of the skin. Blackheads are caused a build up of excess oil in the sebaceous gland mixing with Propionibacterium Acnes Bacteria. This darkens on contact with the air to the color that gives them their name.

Blackheads are also known as comedomes, and can be made worse by wearing excessive makeup, although thankfully they are quite easy to treat effectively in order to really improve the look of the skin.

A person can get blackheads at any time in their life, from early childhood through to old age. Although they are generally less obvious than pimples, sufferers should avoid squeezing them. Although this is immediately satisfying, in the long term, this can leave scars and damage the skin. Squeezing blackheads can also cause them to get infected and swell up. Continue reading »

Even though many women think they have left the problem of acne behind them, it is not at all uncommon for those troublesome zits, pimples and blemishes to return during pregnancy. The complex dance of hormones that take place during pregnancy can often cause acne to return, and it is of course important for pregnant women to avoid any acne medications that could potentially harm the unborn child. Fortunately, there are some tried and true natural remedies that can help to banish acne without risking harm to the baby.

One of the most common, and most effective, natural treatments for acne is tea tree oil, and many women have used this product to treat pregnancy-related acne blemishes. Tea tree oil can be safely used as a spot treatment for blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and other acne blemishes.
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I remember a commercial that used to get snide remarks from the men in the crowd and knowing nods from the women. The commercial gave a glimpse of a woman in a bathtub overflowing with bubbles.

The phrase that caught everyone’s attention had to do with the bath bubbles taking the woman away. Exactly where was it taking her and why did she have to go?

Well, to hear the men talk, she was a bit insane and heading off to the funny farm. To hear the women speak, she needed a few moments to escape the insanity of daily living that kept swirling around her in a maddening frenzy.
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What are stretch marks?

Stretch marks are lines on the skin caused when the tissue beneath the skin is stretched by rapid growth, disrupting the skin’s production of collagen. Skin is made up of here layers of skin; the outer layer (epidermis), middle (dermis) and the inner layer. Stretch marks occur in the dermis when it is over-stretched and becomes increasingly elastic, eventually refusing to go back into its original shape and causing the lines we know as stretch marks. This may happen during puberty, pregnancy or simply as the result of gaining a lot of weight in a short time. Stretch marks may often start of as red or purple lines but generally grow paler and less noticeable with time.

Why do you get them and how can you prevent them?

Some people are more likely to get stretch marks than others. There are many factors to consider. One of them is genetics; if your parents have stretch marks you’re more likely to have them too. Darker skinned people are also less likely to get stretch marks than those with pale skin.

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