Eczema and other skin problems

Eczema can cause dry patches of skin that can drive you nuts. There are skin care products that can take care of the problem almost immediately. I should know, I had an unsightly dark raised patch on my face. I was scared to death that it might be cancer. At the time I was experiencing very dry skin behind my ears and had bought a skin product for eczema. Out of a whim I dabbed a bit of the lotion on the dark raised patch just before going to bed. By morning I noticed a marked change in the skin.

I continued to put lotion on the darkened skin long after my dry skin behind my ears cleared up. It took about 2 months of applying daily lotion to the area and the spot was almost gone. I figured that it could not be skin cancer because skin cancer does not go away without a doctors care. I don't know what it was but the lotion I bought apparently worked.

Acne is now affecting more adults than ever

When I was a teen, acne was the dreaded illness to be treated at all costs. That was long before teen pregnancy and drug abuse became much more of a problem. Nowadays acne has creeped from the teen years to affecting adults too. Men and women well into their 40's are now battling acne as if they were teens again.

One thing I had always thought was a major contributor to acne was air pollution. This is from my own experience when I was a teen growing up in a large urban city. When ever our family went on vacation to a rural or wilderness area, my acne would clear up entirely only to return when I was in a heavily air polluted area.

To find out more about acne treatments just click here.

Acne, the sign of a changing human

Acne is not restricted to adolescents going through their teen years. Nope, acne shows up during times of  major hormonal changes. There is "baby acne" when a baby is just adjusting to its new world and growth hormones are just kicking in. Of course puberty is the next stage of life when acne shows its ugly blackhead. Then as if we have not had enough of acne already, adult acne shows up in our 20's and 30's. That late stage acne could be due to other hormonal influences induced by stress or premature aging.

Do beauty creams really work?

It is true that beauty is only skin deep but people sure do pay big bucks to keep that beauty. So do anti-wrinkle creams and beauty moisturizers really work? Some actually do. If they contain sunblock and help seal in moisture then yes they will slow done the aging process of the skin and might even reverse some skin damage but don't count on miracles. Most creams that claim to remove wrinkles merely puff up the skin through irritation to make the wrinkles disappear.

What you have to do is take care of your skin while you are still young and then you won't have to worry about it when you get older.

Seeing old friends

Have you ever met someone you knew from years ago only to ask yourself how come they look so old? I remember one guy that I knew from a former job, who was only in his late twenties, looked decades older. He smoked, drank heavily and used illegal drugs. All of those factors contributed to his aged facial looks.

So the  best anti aging products are to simply not use tobacco, alcohol, and recreational drugs. Take care of your body and you will save money on not buying beauty products to repair damaged skin from premature aging.

Your skin as it ages

Your skin changes dramatically as it ages. It goes from being highly elastic and thick when we are young to thin and loose when were are elderly. Because our skin slowly gets thinner as we age, it makes it harder and harder for wrinkle removal, treating lacerations, and treating skin cancer. Learn to be good to your skin when you are young will help keep your skin keep its elasticity longer as you age.

A balanced diet is extremely important

While dieting, everyone should take a physical inventory or their current health. Before the diet how was their skin condition? What was the condition of their hair and nails? Nail and hair growth along with skin condition are great indicators of health problems. Lack of certain vitamins in the diet can cause red flaky skin rashes and excessive hair loss for women. While hair loss in men also occurs, it is often put down as male pattern baldness and the dietary factor is often overlooked. Nail growth patterns to look for include nails that are progressively getting thinner and or break easily than they did before the diet. The rate of hair and nail growth should also be noted. Has it slowed down or sped up?

Eating not enough fiber on a diet that is rich in natural vitamins can cause a host of problems ranging from dandruff to digestive problems.

Eating a balanced diet that is low in carbs and calories can still be achieved with ease if you eat more vegetables and fruit with very lean non-processed meats.

One draw back of losing weight

If you are over 45 and you decide to lose a lot of weight over a short period of time you will experience one big drawback to rapid weight loss - loose skin. I am not taking just about that turkey neck or needing wrinkle eye cream, nope, I am talking about large flaps of skin that use to be your belly, boobs or thighs.

To stop that from happening you MUST exercise to tighten the muscles under the skin to help the skin shrink. You will also find out that you need to lose weight at a slower pace in order for your body to better adjust.....skin wise that is.

Your skin after a crash diet

The one reason I tell people not to go on crash diets (losing more than 5 pounds a week) is the fact that your skin will look like loose flab after you lose the weight. Your skin needs time to adjust to not being stretched over your fat. Unless you want to pay for cosmetic surgery to remove all that extra skin, do yourself a favor and don't go on any crash diets. You will find that even a wrinkle cream that works will not remove that turkey neck if you lose weight too fast.

By losing weight slowly you skin will have a chance to bounce back to a slimmer you.

Wrinkles in the neck

Older women often wonder why they have loose skin in the neck area. It should be no surprise to the since it was often the remnants of being overweight when they were in their 40's and 50's. Cosmetic companies have made a killing selling skin tightening creams and often spend millions of dollars in advertising that they have the best wrinkle cream on the market.

Of course women don't realize that wrinkles and loose flabby skin are two different things. Men on the other hand seem not worry about the double chin effect. Many leading men on TV have double shins but if a women has one she had better been made to look that way for the part.

Exercise is very important when dieting

If you don't exercise when you are dieting you will end up with loose flabs of skin hanging off your body. Women will lose weight where men like to see it - in the boobs. If women don't exercise to tighten the muscles to pull in the skin they will end up at the plastic surgeons office. Men will have a flap of skin over hanging their belt. Both will need a nip and tuck.

Exercise is cheaper than plastic surgery. Exercise is also a great way to unwind from the day's events. Mental worries and stress are gone when you exercise. You could care less about the state of the economy, Outer Banks foreclosures and looking for a job while you exercise.

Another bonus is the fact that if you are looking for a new job, you will look physically better during the interview if you are on a good exercise routine.

Side effects of a balanced diet

Some of the wonderful things that happen to your body when you find a balanced and healthy diet is nice and shiny hair, a glowing skin and more energy. One of the most spoken about side effects of eating healthy is clear skin. Who would have thought that just eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruit would act as an acne treatment.

Along with a healthy diet make sure you get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Pick a workout routine that gets you outside as much as possible.

Try to lose weight slowly

Rapid weight loss will result in excess folds of skin. Your skin needs time to shrink back to it's smaller size. Skin is very elastic and will tighten slowly as you lose weight - SLOWLY. To help skin tighten as you lose weight you will have to exercise to tighten the muscles underlying the skin.

If you choose to diet without exercise then plan on visiting the plastic surgeon after your weight loss for some expensive nipping and tucking.

Skin cancer and dieting

A lower calorie intake might be helpful in lowering your risk to skin cancer. Interesting study - article below

Creams and lotions for sagging skin

Since I am middle aged and slightly overweight I worry about my skin not being elastic enough to bounce back after some weight loss. I am wondering if I should resort to skin tightening creams? That is something I will have to think about.