Tag: Skin Cells

A Permanent Cure for Acne Scars?

Ask anybody who has ever suffered from acne what was the least enjoyable part of the whole experience and probably the most possible answer will be the scars – acne scars that remain long after acne is gone. If having acne is considered bad, then what about having acne scars for several years more?

If your acne has already progressed beyond the initial stage of whiteheads and blackheads and you now have pimples and scars on your face, then you have to do two things at the same time – get rid of pimples and get rid of acne scars.

Before discussing how to eliminate acne scars, you may want to know…

What are acne scars?

Acne scars are caused when pimples either get inflamed or do not heal fully. Acne scars are formed when at least one of the layers of healthy skin is injured. When the skin is damaged and bleeding, the body forms new tissue fibers at the place to heal the wound and stop the bleeding. It is these tissues that may appear as a scar.

So getting rid of scars requires that the scar tissue be replaced by healthy tissue by some process or method.

There are several methods to help acne scars but in practice very few of them may be very effective. And some methods may have side effects that you may want to be aware of before you start such a program.

Laser Resurfacing: A carbon dioxide laser burns away the damaged skin, layer by layer. The depth of penetration is controlled. As the outer layers of damaged skin is removed, new skin cells begin to form as the healing process starts and in a few weeks, a younger looking smoother skin surface begins to appear.

Dermabrasion: This uses a spinning diamond instrument or a rotating wire brush to wear down the outer layers of the skin that have been damaged. And when the skin starts healing, younger and smoother skin will replace the old skin removed by abrasion.

Chemical peels for acne scars: Acidic solutions are applied to the skin to peel away the damaged layers and the new skin that is formed is usually smoother. Chemical peels range from mild to deep penetration. Though chemical peels can be applied at home, it would be advisable to get a dermatologist to apply it.

Punch grafts: More suitable for deep and pitted acne scars, this method involves punching a hole to remove the scar and then removing a small piece of undamaged skin.

But the question you may want to ask is… do they work?

All of the treatments mentioned above seem to have a moderate success rate – while they seem to work well for others, some are less than delighted with their treatments. While results like these may be expected with any medical procedure, your face is a very important part of your life and you will want to be absolutely certain that any treatment will be beneficial to your sense of well-being.

Home Herpes Remedies

There are a few herpes remedies that can be used to minimize this painful and often embarrassing condition. However, understanding what herpes is and how it works is also part of what will make the herpes remedies themselves especially useful and worthwhile.

Herpes comes in two forms: Type 1 which will often cause sores around the mouth and lips and occasionally the genitals. Type 2 which causes sores around the genitals. Basically herpes is a virus that is passed from intimate contact but also from simple non-sexual contact. The symptoms are usually flue like and very painful open sores. Once someone has been infected, they have the virus for life, even though the episodes will often wane and disappear, the virus is still there in the body and can still be passed from person to person without even signs of an attack. Therefore it is important that precautions are always taken.

The use of baking soda as a herpes remedy is particularly useful to combat the pain and inconvenience of the open sores and blisters. The first few episodes of herpes can be very painful and vicious and using baking soda to dab on the painful open sores will help to heal the sores over quickly.

Another particularly good everyday foodstuff for herpes remedies is a tea bag particularly an Earl Grey tea bag. A wet and cold Earl Grey tea bag applied to the sores will help to dry them out and heal the sores over. This is because the bag includes tannins which are the active ingredient in quickly healing and drying the skin cells.

Salt too can be used to heal the sores and foster quicker healing. Pour the salt into a warm bath and bathe the affected area with the salty solution. Dab the area dry with a clean towel and then if at all possible, the sores should not be dressed with anything, underwear included, they should be left open to the air to aid speedier healing.

What can also help to sooth the pain of a herpes attack is applying ice to the sore and painful area. The ice should not be applied directly onto the skin, instead place the ice inside a plastic bag or wrap the ice in a towel and apply to the skin that way.

As herpes remedies go, make sure that if you have an herpes attack that you practice good personal hygiene. Avoid the sharing of towels and other personal affects because the virus can be easily passed in this way. Also keep yourself well hydrated, especially good is the drinking of peppermint tea which may help reduce pain and the fever that can come with an attack.

Why You Should Try All Natural Skin Care Products

Wondering about all natural skin care products? There are a lot of choices on the market today and it can be confusing when you are trying to decide which products are best for you. Here are a few things to consider before shopping for a new skin care program.

Environmental pollution and sun exposure can increase production of free radicals in the body. The body already produces these skin-damaging free radicals on a continual basis during the process of metabolism. Free radicals can cause mutations in the skin cells that may lead to cancer or, at the very least, premature wrinkles. All good skin care programs should include some form of sun protection.

Most all natural skin care products do contain sunscreen, so check the label for the level of SPF protection. Be careful if you are using sunblock every time you are in the sun because this may cause a vitamin D deficiency. To be safe, supplement your nutritional intake with a daily multivitamin. Lack of vitamin D has been connected to osteoporosis, so older women should be extra careful to replace their vitamin intake.

There has been a recent trend toward more nutrition-related skin care products. Poor diet and bad physical health does affect the skin cells, as well as the rest of the body. Vitamin C is especially good for skin health and may even prevent some damage caused by sun exposure. Antioxidant vitamins remove free radicals, which can damage skin cells and lead to premature aging. Our body is always producing free radicals as a byproduct of metabolism, so a daily antioxidant vitamin supplement can be very helpful.

Honey is an excellent material for all natural skin care products because it can lock in moisture that is already present in the skin. Many spas used paraffin wax in the past for this purpose, but now it is recognized that honey is a much more useful natural alternative. Vegetable oil and natural waxes will also have this effect if you would rather not use honey or do not have any available.

Honey is not a very effective natural moisturizer because it does not contain any water. However, it does not dry out the skin the way alcohol and other common cosmetic ingredients might. Honey can also inhibit bacterial growth and other acne-causing organisms. There are specialized honeys available for use as all natural skin care products, which are significantly different than the honey you would find at the store.

Another kitchen item that can be found in the best all natural skin care products is olive oil. Olive oil has a variety of uses in natural cosmetics, including moisturizing the skin or hair. It can be used on the dry, parched skin found on the heels, elbows, or knees. Throw a little bit of olive oil into your next bath for added softness and luxury. Olive oil can even moisturize the hair and scalp if rubbed directly on the head.

Olive oil also makes a nice natural exfoliant for the skin. Simply mixing some oil with a quantity of brown sugar will create a thick exfoliant paste. The paste can then be used before a shower or bath as an exfoliating treatment. Olive oil is just one example of the great all natural skin care products that can be used to moisturize and protect your skin.

What You Need to Know About Organic Skin Care

Because today’s consumers are more conscious of their health and the environment, there are more organic skin care products available than ever before. Other people may have developed allergies to all of the toxins and chemicals used in commercial skin care produts and are looking for a healthier alternative. Some commonly used ingredients in commercial products include fragrances, dyes, and various types of acids.

By contrast, organic skin care products contain natural ingredients such as vitamins A, C, or E, essential oils, antioxidants, or proteins. These are necessary to replace the skin cells lost as we age. As the body gets older, it produces less collagen and elastin, which leads to dry, wrinkled skin. Re-hydrating the cells from the outside is the only way to repair this age-related damage.

You can now find organic skin care products in almost any pharmacy, drug store, or health food and nutrition store. If you do not have access to any of these places, there are many retailers online to choose your natural cosmetics from. Some spas and salons have also added organic products to their inventory, so you may want to look there as well. Most of these products are free of fragrances and dyes and will not cause or aggravate existing allergies.

There are organic products available both men and women. Men can find organic shaving lotion and after-shave, while women usually have more options of cleansers, creams, toners, and gels. Unfortunately, organic products generally cost more than the synthetic version of the same item. It is worth the extra cost to protect your skin and your health from toxic chemicals and preservatives.

An alarming number of mainstream skin care products may contain the wetting agents diethanolamine and triethanolamine, sometimes listed on ingredient labels as DEA and TEA, respectively. These substances by themselves are not considered to be a cancer risk. If the product contains nitrites as contaminants, this may cause a chemical reaction that creates cancer-causing nitrosamines.

Most commercial cosmetic products include some type of bactericides or preservatives. These are necessary to protect the cosmetics from contamination, but may also be dangerous or even carcinogenic. For instance, trace amounts of formaldehyde are found in some products. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and is neurotoxic in higher doses.

How can you be sure that your skin care products are really organic? Unfortunately, there is still plenty of room for vagueness in labeling of cosmetic products. Generally, a cosmetic product must follow the same USDA rules as would a food product. The product must contain no less than 95% organic and natural ingredients in order to qualify for the label.

After the 95% threshhold is met, there is a serious lack of additional guidance and regulations. There are no restrictions on the words cosmetic manufacturers can use on their labels, so you many see plenty of products called “organic” or “botanical” even though they may still contain a small amount of synthetic chemicals. Read the ingredient labels carefully to be sure that your organic skin care products are really made of only organic materials.