Category: Cosmetic Health

Tanning Bed Safety-No Rules Of Any Kind Of Tanning

No matter how much information we see about the possible dangers of too much time in the sun, there are those people who love the way they look with a tan. Some of them will even use artificial light during the off season to keep that golden glow all year long. At the minimum, follow some simple tanning bed safety guidelines if you are going to go to a tanning parlor.

We have known for many years that too much exposure to the sun can have a long term detrimental effect on our overall health and the health of our skin. While the damage may not show up for decades we can develop skin cancer and premature aging to name just two.

In order to decrease these risks in the future use these tanning bed safety rules (as well as any rules that the individual tanning parlor may have in place):

1. Limit the amount of time you spend in a bed when you are first starting out. A good salon will make it part of their policy to limit how much time you can spend when you first start out.

They will force you to increase your time incrementally over a few weeks. It may be frustrating to be able to go for only two or three minutes at a time when first starting but it is the safest way to go.

While all exposure to UV rays can be damaging to your skin, and could lead to future skin cancer, the more often you burn your skin the more likely you are for long term damage.

Avoiding getting burned is one of the best ways to make the whole process “safer”.

2. Make sure you use the eye protection provided (or bring your own). Also, keep your eyes closed. The eye protection is only your first line of defense, your eye lids are your second line of defense. Use both.

Your skin is not the only thing that is vulnerable to too many UV rays. Your eyes are too. If you don’t protect them you may find that skin cancer is the least of your concerns.

3. Allow a minimum of 24 hours between tanning sessions. Again, a well run tanning parlor will make that part of their rules and won’t let you tan more frequently.

This may seem unnecessary but your skin can actually keep tanning for a long time even after you are out of the sun. Until you know how much exposure you really got and how your skin will react you need to allow yourself plenty of time in between visits.

4. Wear sunscreen even in the tanning booth. I know this may seem counter intuitive, but you can still get a tan even while wearing sunscreen, you are just cutting down the amount of these harmful rays that are making it through to your skin and thus minimizing the damage.

5. Make sure the beds are kept clean and sanitary. You don’t want to get more than a tan when you visit your local tanning parlor.

Tanning bed safety guidelines like these are the best way to keep yourself as safe as possible when doing something that isn’t that safe. Don’t compound your risk, follow these rules.

Spray Tanning On The Rise Not Just Celebrities

Probably thanks in no small part to celebrities, the appeal of spray tanning seems to be on the rise. As with most things, there can be pros and cons to getting this type of tan.

In this article I will give you both the pros and cons to spray tanning as well as a general overview of how it’s done and some things you can do to prepare your skin so the results are more effective and attractive.

Tanning this way means that you are literally being sprayed all over your body, with a compound that is comprised of an element that darkens your skin, DHA. DHA has been declared safe by the FDA for this type of use, which is one of the biggest “pros” to this type of tan.

Even so, you do need to be very careful around the eyes.

Since this is basically just a temporary stain you are adding to your skin, it does not have the same long lasting, harmful effects that UV rays have. Whether you get those rays in a tanning bed or at the beach, UV rays can lead to pre mature aging of the skin and possibly even skin cancer.

Even a little exposure to UV rays can cause problems. There really is no “safe” amount of rays though it is generally accepted that moderate amounts over a lifetime, particularly if you don’t ever get sun burnt, is probably not too big of a cause for alarm for most people.

Of course, there are those people who have a pre disposition to cancers of all types, not just skin cancer, and for those individuals even more caution is needed.

Anyway, back to spray tanning. You can do it at home or at local tanning salon. If you do it at home you will probably want to enlist the help of a friend since it can be tough to target all parts of your body on your own.

To increase the effectiveness here are some tips:

1. First of all pick the proper shade for your skin tone. If you are very fair skinned and you try to go ultra dark you may find it looks weird. Instead, try to take your skin up a few steps in color only.

2. Shaving before you get your tan may be a good idea since it is recommended that you don’t shave for at least 24 hours after the tan is applied.

If you get rashy after you shave, you may want to shave at least 24 hours prior to your tanning session to make sure that the rash settles down first.

2. Use an exfoliating wash prior to your tan. Getting rid of as much dried skin as possible and moisturizing afterward can make your skin smoother and less susceptible to looking “blotchy”.

Pay particular attention to those parts of your body that are rough such as elbows and feet. Making these as smooth as possible will also help ensure that they look good after the the tan is applied.

3. Be prepared to repeat the process every week or so. The tan does wash off and will fade over time. That is one of the biggest “cons”; tanning this way can end up being time consuming and costly to keep your tan looking good all season long.

Spray tanning is not without it’s issues, but for anyone who likes that “sun kissed” look it may be a better way to get that look then spending countless hours damaging your skin in the sun.

Solutions For Health Problems-Keep Illness Away

People all across the planet suffer from a wide variety of health problems. These health problems can be anything, from something as minor as a simple allergy to something as serious as full blown cancer. So what are you suppose to do about these sicknesses? The best Solutions for Health Problems you can find are simply to avoid getting these problems all together.

Now obviously, a lot of problems are out of your control, some things just happen. But for a lot of them you can take preventive measures. As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense. Instead of waiting for something to happen and trying to cure it, take the steps needed to avoid getting it all together.

1: Maintain a proper diet. One of the main reasons people suffer so many problems is because they do not keep their body in top form. The human body is a remarkable thing and is quite the power house when it comes to it’s own well being. Your body is capable of fending off almost every type of illness or health problem, as long as you give it plenty of fuel.

Your body, like anything else, requires fuel to run. That fuel comes in the form of food. If you are not eating the right kinds of foods, your body has to not only fight off potential illnesses, but it has to do so while underpowered.

2: Stay active. Another great Solutions for Health Problems is to simply stay active. The human body does not do so well when forced into a sedentary life style. It was made to run and be active, that is why your metabolism and other bodily functions increase whenever you are active. You burn off excess fat, produce beneficial chemicals, and generally just give your body what it needs.

3: Avoid stress. It has been clinically proven that stress can cause all sorts of problems for people. When stressed, your body works in odd ways and will produce certain chemicals. Some of these chemicals are just downright harmful, while others are harmful because there’s too many of them. So try to avoid stress whenever possible.

4: Avoid smoking or drinking. If you really want to avoid health problems, then avoid taking harmful things into your body. We all know by now that smoking is not good for you, but even so millions of people still do it. The same can be said for drinking as well. While not as dangerous, drinking too much will still cause you problems. If you keep it in moderation it will not be a big issue.

5: Get routine checkups. Even if you try your best, things can still go wrong. Visit your doctor routinely for a checkup. Many diseases can be cured if caught early enough, so you want to catch these problems before they get out of hand.

There are many, many more Solutions for Health Problems out there than just these. But these tips offer a place to start, from there you can go further and make sure you live a long, healthy life.

Skin And Thyroid-Hormones Released Make You Healthier

When people think about getting healthier skin they do not often think of their thyroid gland. Most people do not realize the connection their thyroid has with their skin and as such will often neglect it. Your thyroid is in charge of a lot of things, most people know it for controlling your metabolism. What most people do not know is that your Skin and Thyroid are linked.

The hormones released by the thyroid gland does more than just regulate your metabolism, they also work to make your skin healthier. A lot of people suffering from hypothyroidism will notice that their skin suffers as well. They will feel dry and coarse and in colder temperatures they will seem itchy and may even notice cracks in their hands and fingers.

These problems are caused because your thyroid gland is not getting enough iodine. Iodine is a chemical that can be found in a variety of sources, such as the soil (and thus plants) and seawater (thus seafood). However in today’s society a lot of natural iodine is stripped from our food, which causes people to get less than they need and leads to hypothyroidism.

If you are concerned about your Skin and Thyroid then you should look into figuring out if hypothyroidism is the cause. There are many symptoms associated with hypothyroidism ranging from fatigue, constipation, weight gain, depression, and anxiety. Your skin looking worse is also a symptom.

If you notice that not only your skin is suffering but you also possess some of the other symptoms, than you may have found the cause. It is important you go and see your doctor to confirm whether or not hypothyroidism is to blame. A simple blood test is all it takes to determine that.

If hypothyroidism is the cause all you will have to worry about is making sure yo get enough iodine. Your doctor will likely prescribe some medication for you to take and may even advise you adjust your diet. That should be all it takes to get your thyroid in working order again.

Once you get your thyroid back under control you can expect to see stark improvement in the way your skin looks and feels. It should become smoother and more natural looking as it starts to receive the hormones it was sorely lacking.

While your thyroid may be to blame for your skin problems, it is not the only thing out there that can rob you of your beauty. There is a variety of other conditions and reasons for why your skin has the problems it does, and so if getting your thyroid back in top shape does not improve your skin, there may be other factors involved.

If that is the case you should look into other ways to get your skin looking it’s best and try to find the cause behind it. Your Skin and Thyroid are both important and critically linked, so even if your skin does not clear up at least you found out your thyroid was out of whack and fixed it.