Cleansing From The Inside Part 2
Posted on March 6, 2009
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Good skin care is a lot more involved than just putting on a few creams at each end of the day, what goes on inside is very important as well. Your body has range of systems to cope with all of the pollution and toxins that you are exposed to each day. In the last post we looked at the blood and circulation and the effect that these have on the skin. I thought this time we would look at the liver and the implication that poor liver function can have on your skin.
In cases of toxic overload the liver cannot keep up with detoxification requirements and can end up bearing the brunt of these toxins, which in turn impede the function of the liver even more. Apart from cleansing the body of poisons and toxic waste the liver also builds essential molecules, and a healthy liver helps you to have healthy skin.
The liver is the major cleansing organ of the body and it performs a host of metabolic and regulatory functions in your body that help to keep you healthy. A healthy liver keeps the body clean by detoxifying toxic substances, it metabolizes any drugs that you take including things like paracetamol, any waste products that your body produces are also dealt with by the liver. All in all the liver has more than 500 functions that it performs to keep you healthy.
Don’t despair there is a lot that you can do to help and support the function of your liver and the great thing about that is the improvement you will get to your skin. The first thing to do is to stop smoking, and moderate the amount of alcohol that you drink. Alcohol is a toxic substance as far as the body is concerned and the liver has to detoxify your blood to remove any alcohol before it can do any damage to organs or tissues. Too much alcohol puts a great strain on your liver and if you constantly drink too much you can end up with liver disease, moderation is the key as far as alcohol is concerned.
A lots of fatty food taxes the liver but not all fats are bad it is just a case of eating the right ones, so which are the ones that will help you with your skin care regime, it is the oils you are going to take in internally that are as important as what you put on your skin. The ones that are the best are the Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) mainly Omega 3 and Omega 6. They can be found in lots of different foods good sources are nuts and seeds, different types of seed oils, oily fish, leafy green vegetables, lecithin, spirulina and soybeans.
Some of these can be taken in supplement form especially evening primrose oil, borage oil, cod liver oil, fish oil, spirulina and lecithin. These will help you skin either directly, improve your circulation, reduce inflammation and help the liver cells to cleanse the blood of toxins. If taking any of these EFA’s in supplement form always adhere to the manufacturers’ instructions, never ever take more unless under medical supervision.
There are ways you can ‘purify’ your liver, for centuries people used to cleanse their system every spring, this was done by eating lots of bitter foods usually dandelion leaves and other bitter herbs. It is a pity that over the centuries this practice has stopped as it would do us all good to take up this practice once again. In fact in our polluted world doing this more than once a year would greatly benefit our bodies.
We have a greater variety of foods than in the past so we have no need to go out gather the bitter herbs of the past. Including grapefruit, endive, lemons, and anything else that tastes bitter into your diet will be good for your liver and therefore indirectly your skin.
There are herbs, called hepatics that can tone, strengthen and stimulate functions of the liver, this results in the liver working more efficiently as it is toned and fortified. These herbs are called hepatics and include dandelion root, milk thistle, artichokes, barberry, golden seal, wild yam, blue flag, yellow dock to name but a few. If using herbs it is always best to see a qualified medical herbalist as they will be qualified to assist you to cleanse your liver.
By helping your liver do it’s job properly you will be clearing more toxins out of your body and this will result in healthy glowing skin, more energy and vitality better circulation and a greater feeling of well-being. So you can see that it is well worth the little bit of effort needed to get your liver in tip top condition.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Cleansing From The Inside Part 1
Posted on February 26, 2009
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You are bombarded with chemicals and pollutants which you cannot avoid, they are in the air you breathe and the food you eat. If you are not careful these pollutants can overwhelm your natural defences and accumulate in your body, causing all kinds of illnesses and skin problems. These toxins are like the rubbish that builds up in dustbins, if not cleared out on a regular basis problems can occur, the system gets clogged up and the smooth functioning of your body is no longer possible.
You have several pathways for the removal of these pollutants, and you need to make sure that All of these pathways are working efficiently to remove any bacteria, viruses, chemicals, waste products etc.
So what are these pathways and how do you help them work to their optimum levels. There are four ‘external’ pathways, the skin, breath, urine and faeces. So from this you can see that we need to be looking internally at the liver, kidney’s, large intestine and the blood and lymph. Please do not worry if you think this is all beyond you I will explain it all as we go along you will not need a degree in physiology to understand it.
These elimination pathways are closely linked with having a great skin, try to remember that what is going on with your skin is a reflection on what is going on inside your body, if your other elimination pathways are not working efficiently then the skin has to work extra hard to rid your body of toxins. Make no mistake your body has to get rid of these toxins any way it can, it is too harmful for your body to allow them to accumulate to high levels.
Let’s have a look at the blood and lymph first, these are responsible for clearing the toxins from your tissues and delivering them to the liver, the circulatory system needs to be working well or else the whole detoxification of the body falls down.
So what can have a detrimental effect on the circulatory system? one of the big problems that modern man/woman has today is lack of exercise, no longer is food hunted and gathered. It is just a case of popping along to the supermarket and buying what you want, and often the journey to the supermarket is done by car. Walking is often seen as a specific exercise to do and not something that is done as part of everyday life, and few of us have a job that involves a lot of walking.
Secondly any tension in your muscles will impede good circulation around the body, stress is a big problem today, humans were not designed to live the hectic lifestyle that the majority of people live today. Yes I know that people have always had stress in their lives but we were created with a ‘flight or fight’ mechanism to deal with stress and both the fighting and the fleeing involve exercise of some kind. Exercise is the very best way to deal with stress as it gets rid of all of the chemicals that are produced in response to the stress, if you don’t exercise then the body has to use other means to get rid of all of these chemicals.
Sonething else that can be done to improve your circulation is body brushing, you need a good natural bristle brush to get good results. The best technique is to start at the feet and work up, ALWAYS brush towards the heart (chest left side), so starting at the ankle brush up towards the knee, take the brush off your knee and start at the ankle again, be careful as it is so easy to brush down by mistake. Then from the knee go up the thighs, well no doubt you get the idea. Don’t forget the backs of everything, back of legs, arms etc. It doesn’t have to be a very hard brush, but firm enough to feel a little ‘tingly’ when you have finished.
Try to get into a daily routine with your skin brushing and you will be surprised at how good you will feel after a few weeks. If you keep going for four weeks it will become a habit and will be a normal part of your daily hygiene routine, for anything to become a habit it needs to be done on a regular basis for three to four weeks, then it is much easier to keep doing it.
Diet can also help with improving your circulation, include plenty of cabbage, onions and garlic and if you can include a couple of cups of ginger tea so much the better. Cayenne pepper is another spice that is excellent for the circulation and some people do manage to drink it as a tea but if that is one step too far for you then try adding it to your cooking.
Next time we will be looking at the liver and what we can do to help it function as it should.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Your Skin and Weightloss
Posted on February 17, 2009
Filed Under Weight and Good Skin | 11 Comments
Weight loss is generally the first step to fitness. The obsession to lose weight in order to look good is prevalent among all age groups and of course you may be told by your Dr that you have to loose weight to regain good health.
However, as I am always saying excess of anything is bad, the same is the case with weight, but if you want your skin to keep looking good while you loose weight then there are certain things you need to do.
To begin with excessive weight loss, especially if it occurs over a short period of time, can lead to loose skin. The areas that are prone to this is the under arms and you can develop ‘bat wings’ this particular area is a difficult one to tone and it has to be very specific exercises to do any good. The other area is the abdomen, there are four layers of muscle in the abdominal area but by keeping all of these muscles toned and well exercised you are less likely to have a problem here.
The best way to reaching and maintaining a normal healthy weight is to eat a balanced diet, and exercise on a regular basis. There is no magic bullet to weight loss and if you starve yourself then the pounds will come back on as soon as you eat normally. To keep your skin in good condition and looking good try to loose any weight gradually this allows the skin to tighten up as you loose the pounds. If you want to loose your weight slowly then 1-3lbs a week is a good figure to aim for. I know we all want to loose weight very quickly and there is a place for a quick loss if you only want to loose 4-5lbs, but if you have a lot of weight to loose please go slowly.
Exercise is very important as skin that has firm muscle underneath it will be less likely to be wrinkled and loose. It is a good idea to get into an exercise routine, but it needs to be a full body workout not one that just concentrates on one area. The type of exercise is important, although walking is a very good exercise it will not help much for toning the whole body. One of the very best ways to tone the whole body is to use a pilates exercise ball, this type of exercise will tone the core muscles as well as surface muscles so will be great for toning while loosing weight.
Another good routine to get into is to moisturise the whole body, one excellent oil to use is Bio Oil, I know it is expensive but it is well worth the money. In the UK most chemists sell it, and you are able to buy it over the internet as well. By oiling/creaming the body you will help to keep it supple and it is then less likely to sag as you loose weight. There are a huge variety of lotions and creams that claim to help to tone the skin and to help to tighten it and it is just a case of finding the right one for you.
If you have a lot of weight to loose, say 10 stone or more, then often the only thing to do after your weight loss is to have an operation to cut away all of the loose skin. If you have been very overweight for a long time then it is less likely that your skin will shrink back as your weight is lost, but remember slowly slowly is best for your skin.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Also for excercise DVD’s go to www.ultimate-abs-workout.info. here you will find a DVD on abs and free full body workout plus much more.
Alcohol
Posted on February 10, 2009
Filed Under Aging, Nourishment | Leave a Comment
You might not have realized it yet, but your skin is one of the most sensitive organs you have. Any negative input in your body, whether physical or psychological has a direct impact on your skin and starts showing immediately. An individual facing a lot of stress in life will have an expression that simply says it all.
Which is why alcohol should only be taken in moderation for those who would like a glowing and healthy skin.If we look at it scientifically, alcohol depletes the supply of vitamin A and vitamin C to the body, especially vitamin C which has a very important role in mopping up the free radicals that the body produces. A depletion of these two vitamins leads to a decrease in the role of the skin as a defense against bacteria and infections.
Besides, this vitamin A is also used by the body to help in generation of new cells required to replace the dead ones. This lack of essential nutrients further leads to formation of even more harmful free radicals, slowly damaging the elastic fibers and collagen, which keep the skin strong and flexible.
Alcohol also dilates blood vessels, and if too much alcohol is consumed then the vessels will continually dilate and constrict, stretching them until eventually the vessels loose their elasticity and stay in a state of perpetual dilation. This can cause spider veins and broken capillaries which then have to be treated for the skin to look youthful once again.
Alcohol also causes the skin to loose water, which leads to skin dehydration, the loss of water in the skin is one of the major cause of fine lines and wrinkles. If you think of a nice plump plum and then think of that same plum once the liquid has been removed, you end up with a prune. The same thing happens to your skin when it looses its moisture and becomes dehydrated, you end up with skin that is all lines and wrinkles.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Kitchen Cupboard Skin Care
Posted on February 2, 2009
Filed Under Kitchen Cupboard Recipes | 3 Comments
There are a whole host of things that you can use from your kitchen cupboard to make great skin care products. Every so often I will be posting some recipes that you can make and use in your skin care routine. There are several advantages to making your own products but I have to say there are also a couple of negatives as well.
Let’s get the negatives out of the way first, the main disadvantage is home made products do not keep, they usually have to be used straight away although toners and some creams will keep for a while. The other disavantage is the time factor, it does take time to make your own products but the end results are worth it.
If you enjoy cooking then you will most certainly enjoy making different products. The main advantage is the knowledge of knowing exactly what the product contains. A lot of skin care products contain a chemical called Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and this is the most common cause of skin irritation. SLS can damage the protective outer layer of the skin (dermis) and research has shown that SLS can penetrate the skin to a depth of a quarter inch. One common problem is the addition of SLS’s to toothpaste, if you are prone to mouth ulcers try finding a toothpaste that doesn’t contain SLS and you may find that the problem goes away.
Your gums, which is skin, is very delicate and can easily be damaged by hard brushing or using the wrong teeth cleanser. But we all want our teeth to be clean and if possible nice and white. There are alternatives that you can use from the kitchen cupboard. Bicarbonate of soda is a very useful ingredient to have in your store cupboard, and is a very cheap item to buy.
A powerful gum massage that is slightly astringent is equal parts of bicarbonate of soda and salt. Rub very gently onto gums with a clean finger. Alternatively, sprinkle half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda onto your toothbrush and brush as normal. By using bicarbonate of soda on your toothbrush to clean your teeth will help to whiten them as well as helping your gums.
There are many other uses of bicarbonate of soda and I will cover some of these at a later date.
If there is any skin problem that you would like me to cover in this blog please do leave a comment, I do read all of the comments and I want this blog to cover any skin care problems that you have. Just let me know and I will do my best to help you.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Pigmentation Problems
Posted on January 26, 2009
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Fairness has almost been an obsession with women who have a darker skin. So much so, that an entire industry flourishes in the developing and manufacturing a series of fairness enhancing products, from creams, lotions and even bars of soap.
Then of course we have the fair skinned women trying their hardest to get a sun tan and risking skin cancer just so they can get the bronzed look of a darker skin. Again a whole industry flourishes with creams , lotions and even supplements to be taken just so that those with fair skin can be darker.
But that aside there are some who have a real problem with the colour of their skin, and that is those who have vitiligo, those who are affected can be either dark or fair skinned.
In most cases the cause of the vitiligo is unknown, and it consists of irregular patches of various sizes totally lacking in pigment. This lack of pigmentation causes the person to have white or pale patches on their skin, sometimes with a darker border. These patches can be very small or they can cover huge areas of the body and are often on the more exposed areas of the body.
If pale or white patches appear on your skin you should go and see your Dr as vitiligo can be associated with several very serious diseases, including Graves’, Addison’s and Hashimoto’s to name but a few.
Sun-screens must be used as these areas are damaged by the sun very easily, our normal colour in our skin does give us some natural protection from the sun. The sun can also make the areas of the skin affected very itchy, so keep these areas covered to protect them.
So what can be done to treat vitiligo? not a lot I’m afraid.
Some Dr’s will try steroid creams, not a good idea as you may then have the problem of the skin thinning.
Although not a treatment as such, camouflage cosmetics is often the best way forward.If your vitiligo affects your face your Dr may be able to put you in contact with a cosmetic specialist, this specialist would be able to teach you how to apply the special cosmetics required to cover up the patches.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Tips On Preventing Skin Cancer
Posted on January 15, 2009
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Skin cancer is one of the most dreaded and serious forms of skin diseases. It is basically a malignant growth found in the outer layers of the skin. Change in the appearance of the skin is the most prominent and immediate sign of the presence of skin cancer.
It is very important that you check moles on a regular basis, any changes at all, go straight to your Dr to get them checked out. If a mole becomes blue-black or grey, gets larger quickly, has an irregular shape or indistinct border, is bleeding, persistant itching or has little moles growing around it, are All warning signs. Get it checked out immediately.
Smooth, regular moles with a clear border are unlikely to be melanomas, but if in doubt get it checked.
I cannot stress it enough, if you have any doubt at all please do go to your Dr. Melanoma can spread and yes it is sometimes a killer so do not take a chance with your health, it just isn’t worth it.
Sometimes as we get older we do get new moles and quite large ones at times. I had a few come up on my lower back, I couldn’t see them, but I could feel them, so I trotted off to the DR and everything was fine. The advice given was to make sure the moles were NEVER exposed to the sun as they were very new moles. As you ight guess this is advice I have heeded and I make sure all swimwear covers the moles.
Though in some cases skin cancer is caused by hereditary factors there is a lot that you can do to ensure that you have the best chance of avoiding this condition. Foremost, it is important to ensure that you abstain from prolonged sun exposure from the very early years of your life, and to make sure that any children you have follow this advice.
When you are in the sun, wear adequate protective clothing, a good sunscreen and a pair of sunglasses. Try not to go out into the sun when it is at its strongest, which is the 2hours over the mid-day peroid.
One important point to remember is that we do need some sun, we get a lot of our vitamin D through the sun and not from our food, so a short time in the sun each day is good for us. The sun also lifts our mood and can help when we are feeling low or depressed, but that doesn’t mean we have to lay out in it all day getting the sun tan a lot of us desire.
As with most things moderation is the way to go, just short peroids each day if you are lucky enough to live in a country where the sun shines.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Skin Nourishment With Herbs
Posted on January 6, 2009
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Mother Nature has been kind enough to present us with an endless bounty of wonderful herbs, plants and other natural products to help us with our skin care regimen and also to counteract the side effects of the harmful chemical products, those that we use in our beauty regimen, those in the air and ofcourse those that we ingest.
To get the most out of the herbal heritage, you should know how exactly to use these products and also which products will suit your skin type the most. For instance, you should know that if you use turmeric in your face packs, it is always advisable to use it in the finely ground and powdered form, and to use minute amounts.
Similarly, you can also use honey to moisturize your skin on a regular basis. In addition, a preparation of jasmine, lavender, oil of black rose and Fuller’s earth has long been used as a natural pack for skin tightening. A combination of gram flour and wheat husk is also used for the purpose of cleansing, especially for oily skin.
You must be very careful if you use essential oils in your skin care regimen as they are very powerful and should Always be well Diluted. Also always do a skin test to make sure you are not allergic to a particular oil. To do this dilute the essential oil in some almond oil and put a drop on the skin on the inside of your wrist, the skin here is very sensitive and will show up any problems.
I cannot stress enough that you must test first, a friend of mine used dilured ti-tree oil on her leg as she had a bite that would not clear up. Unfortunately she used it on an open wound and two days later she was in hospital with a severe reaction. Her skin broke out in severe weeping eczema and she had to spend five days in isolation until it all calmed down.
I am not saying that oils cannot be used on an open wound but something like that is best left to the experts, either a herbalist or an aromatherapist.
Herbs like Chamomile, Calendula, and Yarrow can all be used in skin care. One way to use them in the bath is to get a large handkerchief (mens) add a handful of dried herbs, bring the corners together and tie up with string. Hang over the hot tap while you are filling your bath and you will have a lovely herbal infused bath.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Diet To Help Acne Part 2
Posted on December 18, 2008
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One important piece of information that you need to remember is that your skin is a reflection of what is going on inside your body. So if you have a bad skin problem the very best way to tackle it is to look at your insides. Now we can’t physically look at our insides but there are ways of getting indications of where the problem is. For most skin conditions the problem is in the digistive system, in fact a lot of health problems start in the gut.
The most obvious place to start is your diet, and the best way to do that is to keep a food diary. It is amazing how many people do not know what food they put into their mouths each day. To be successful at keeping a diary you must keep a small note book with you at all times and then whenever you eat or drink something note it down IMMEDIATELY if you leave it for later you will have forgotten. Try a little experiment, what exactly did you eat two days ago, it will take you a while to remember everything eaten or drunk.
It is also handy to write down the time a note at the bottom of the page with any symptoms you may have such as headache, heartburn, etc. remember to write the time down for this as well. By keeping a diary over several weeks as well as noting all symptoms food intolerences can often be picked up. If you notice that every time you have eaten a certain food three days later you have a bad breakout of acne, then try leaving that food out of your diet for a few months, as it may be an intolerence to that particular food.
If after keeping your diary for a few months you suspect food intolerences then find a local practitioner who can test you. Sometimes that is all that is need to clear up your acne, by getting rid of your intolerences your are getting rid of your trigger for your acne.
One word of warning NEVER have a too restrictive diet, one you will not be getting all of the nutrients you require to be healthy and secondly if you end up only eating a few foods you will soon become intolerent to them as well.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
Diet To Help Acne; Part 1
Posted on December 8, 2008
Filed Under Skin Conditions | 1 Comment
What we consume in our everyday diet usually determines what kind of a life we live and how healthy we remain. With today’s diet of junk food with few vegetables and fruit it is no wonder that we have problems with our skin. People who have a lot of green vegetables, salads and good quality protein almost always have a bright, healthy and glowing complexion. On the contrary, people who include a lot of chemicals, sugar or saturated fats in their daily diet are far more prone to skin problems, which can include anything from a dull grey complexion to more serious problems like acne.
In fact, acne is one of the most significant skin conditions that is influenced by your diet.
Firstly, try to drink a lot of water if you suffer from acne, the skin loves water and you actually excrete quite a lot of water per day through your skin. Remember that your skin is one of the excretory organs of the body, so you need to be getting the toxins out through the layers of the skin as quickly as possible.
So what should be excluded in your diet, well as you might expect the first thing is no junk food, most junk food is full of chemicals, sugar or saturated fat, all of these are bad for the skin. Try eating essential fatty acids instead of saturated fat, as this can influence the quality of your sebum (the oil produced by the skin) and that in turn can influence your acne.
Certain nutrients are often low in people with acne, the three most common ones are zinc, vitamin A and Vitamin E.
Zinc aids the healing process of the body so can also help in the healing of your acne. It can be found in liver, nuts, cheese, meats, seeds, eggs, seafood (esp. oysters), lentils and bakers yeast.
Vitamin A was first used to treat skin conditions in the 1940’s but the doses were very high and high doses are very toxic to the body. But if you get your vitamin A from your diet you are unlikely to overdose on it, and the very best way is in the form of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A when required. Beta-carotene is found in orange, yellow, red and dark green vegetables, apricots and cantolope melons. Vitamin A is found in butter, offal such as liver, oily fish and egg yolks. Take care when taking vitamin A supplements, if you take three or four different supplements each containing vitamin you may overdose. Pregnant women must not take vitamin A supplements as high doses of vitamin A when pregnant can cause birth defects.
Vitamin E is only found in a few foods and the very best is wheat germ, 2 tablespoons of wheat germ contains roughly the equivalent of 40mg of vitamin E. Other sourses are vegetable oils, whole grains, nuts (hazelnuts, almonds) and seeds.
For a FREE skin care report please visit our main site at www.ultimateskincareinfo.com
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