Issue No. 7 November 2006

Healthy Skin Newsletter – Information on skin problems and skin care.
If you like this newsletter and know someone that may benefit from this information, please feel free to pass it along. If this newsletter was passed to you and you find the information useful, please subscribe by clicking here. Issue No. 7, November 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What’s New at www.healthy-skincare.com
• Feature Article – Simple All Natural Facials
• In the News
• Skin Care Tip of the Month
• Question of the Month
• Product of the Month

Healthy Skin Newsletter – Information on skin problems and skin care.
WHAT'S NEW AT www.healthy-skincare.com

Some new pages have been added under the insect bites or stings tab. Please visit www.healthy-skincare.com/insect-bite-treatment.html to access these pages.

Looking for a skin doctor or dermatologist? Visit the newly created how to find a skin doctor or dermatologist page at www.healthy-skincare.com/skin-doctor.html.

A lip skin care page has been added at www.healthy-skincare.com/lip-treatments.html. This page contains various links that provide information and treatments for common lip problems such as canker sores, cold sores, chapped lips, etc.

Looking for the best skin care product. You can find it at www.healthy-skincare.com/best-skin-care-product.html. The recommendations are from readers and visitors to the healthy-skincare.com website.

Missed an issue of the Healthy Skin Newsletter? Visit the back issues page. To access this page you can visit the following URL: www.healthy-skincare.com/healthy-skin-newsletter.html and click on the back issues link.

FEATURE ARTICLE - Simple All Natural Facials

Facials are a great skin care treatment for your face. Facials can be used to help skin look younger, treat dry or oily skin, or provide a deep skin cleansing. For overall good health, facials can be quite relaxing. Less daily stress is important because it will help the skin look and be very healthy.

Nature provides many all-natural ingredients that can be used to design your own facials. It is not necessary to purchase expensive products that are often made from chemicals and may in some cases harm the skin rather than improve it. It all depends on if a product contains the right ingredients and the quality of those ingredients. There are some good facial products available commercially or through a spa, but many people do not know what to look for in terms of ingredients. In order to avoid the confusion, all natural products can be a viable alternative. There are many products right in the home that are used everyday to help enhance the quality of the skin naturally.

Creating facial masks from commonly available products is not something new. It has in fact been practiced for many years. Below are four types of all natural facial masks. For best results, it is recommended that you apply a facial mask once a week, rinsing your face first with warm water to remove the mask and then rinsing with cold (to close the pores) after you finish removing the mask. Always test the skin in a small area to see if the skin is sensitive to the product being used. Of course, individuals that are allergic to any of the products mentioned below should avoid these types of facials. While waiting for the facials to take effect, lie down and relax. This will help to relieve stress.

The Honey Facial Mask

This is a very simple type of facial treatment. The purpose of this type of mask is mainly for cleansing. Warm up the honey by running the container of honey under warm to hot water or use the microwave to warm and soften it. When the honey is warm and runny, smear it over the entire facial area. This is a very mild treatment that is often very suitable for individuals with sensitive skin. After about two minutes, it will start to feel as though it is pulling. This is when you rinse the mask off with warm water and follow with cold as soon as all of the honey has been removed from the face.

A Mask for Facial Acne

Natural products can be used to make a facial mask that can help treat, control, and fight acne. For example, when experiencing a major breakout, make a smooth paste using one half cup or 125 ml of strained tomato pulp and powdered milk. The vitamin C and mineral potassium found in tomatoes are elements that help the skin heal from acne related problems.

Apply the prepared paste to the face and leave it on for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. After the recommended time, wash off the mask with warm water and follow up with a cold-water rinse.

You can create a variety of other masks by using mashed steamed carrots, bananas, or cucumbers instead of tomatoes in the above recipe.

The Egg Facial Mask

Eggs have been used in facial masks for many years. The egg helps tighten the skin, resulting in a firmer face that is less wrinkled and less prone to sagging. So how do you make an egg facial? Take a fresh egg. Separate the yolk from the egg white. Beat the egg white until it is stiff. Smooth the stiffened egg white over the entire face. Let it sit for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off the mask with warm water, followed by cool water. If you have oily skin then add a drop or two of lemon juice to the egg white or add in a bit of honey for dry skin.

Strawberry AHA Mask

For this strawberry alpha hydroxy acid mask, take four or five large strawberries and mash them up into a thick pulp. Cover the face with a thick layer of the pulp and leave it on the face for about 20 minutes. Wash with warm water followed by a cold-water rinse. It is important to note that this treatment is not a good idea for extra sensitive skin. Spot testing is a must.

IN THE NEWS

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a ban on over-the-counter sales of skin lightening creams that contain the ingredient hydroquinone. Hydroquinone is a chemical that has been under suspicion of being a carcinogen or cancer-causing chemical for several years now. However, because of few concrete scientific studies, the chemical remains in use in a number of products including skin-lightening creams. The FDA however would still like to ban the use of hydroquinone containing creams just to be safe.

Many dermatologists argue that the short-term topical use of such products does not pose a significant health hazard and that such a ban is unnecessary. Prescription products would likely not be affected by this ban.

There are alternative skin lightening products such as: licorice extract, azelaic acid, mulberry extract and bearberry extract, which all tend to inhibit skin melanin pigment synthesis.

SKIN CARE TIP OF THE MONTH

For those with sensitive skin, eliminating allergens can go a long way to reducing skin irritations such as rashes and hives. One common substance that can cause sensitivity is a dryer sheet. Dryer sheets contain chemicals to help eliminate static as clothes tumble in a hot dryer. These sheets contain chemicals to help soften clothes, make them wrinkle resistant, and they usually also contain artificial fragrances to make clothes smell fresh and pleasant. Many believe that these added chemicals pose a threat to overall health because some of the chemicals may be carcinogenic. In addition, these chemicals can irritate the skin and create a number of skin care problems.

It is best to avoid the use of dryer sheets if you are experiencing skin problems such as dermatographism or any other hive or rash causing condition. Start with products that do not use fragrances. There are also all natural dryer sheet products that can help to eliminate static. Avoiding the use of chemical containing dryer sheets is a good way to reduce a number of skin problems.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

What is the difference between a canker sore and a cold sore?

Canker sores are not contagious and exist on the skin inside of the mouth, either on the inside of the lips or cheeks, under the tongue, or even on the tongue. They are best described as small red shallow ulcers or crater type formations. Cankers usually appear as single sores, but occasionally as small clusters. Sometimes the sores have a white or yellow coating over them with a surrounding red ring or halo. These sores are often quite painful and very sensitive to anything that comes in contact with them for the first three to four days.

On the other hand, a cold sore or fever blister is very contagious and can be passed from person to person through skin contact. The herpes simplex type 1 virus usually causes it. This is different than the herpes simplex type 2 virus, which causes genital herpes and is spread by sexual contact. When a cold sore develops a skin irritation occurs on the lips or on the skin around the lips. Cold sores may also be found on or around the nose, chin, or cheeks. Red blisters subsequently follow and will break and leave open sores that ooze fluid or pus.

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil comes from the leaves of a plant found in Australia. When the leaves are crushed and distilled a natural oil results. Tea tree oil benefits the skin in a number of ways. It is an antiseptic and fungicide and can help prevent infections due to skin wounds. Many believe it to be the ideal skin disinfectant. It also can help with mouth ulcers, cold sores, varicose veins, athlete’s foot, impetigo, psoriasis, and can play a role in helping to clear up an acne problem.

Comments? Feedback? Ideas for future Feature Articles or Questions of the Month? Healthy-skincare.com would love to hear from you. Simply reply to this e-zine and tell us what you think!