In 2004, more than 3 million Americans had their wrinkles smoothed with Botox. More than 1 million had their sagging areas plumped with collagen fillers. Today, more than ever, anti-aging procedures have never been so accessible and convenient.

So what’s the buzz on Botox? How safe are collagen fillers? Who should inject these to you?

Among common adverse reactions of Botox are bruising, pain and swelling around injection sites, and weakness of adjacent muscles, but all these are transient. When an unqualified person, however, administers the injections, you’re at greater risk for adverse reactions due to improper use. And these can last for several months.

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Melasma, like freckles, may be treated by applying creams that contain depigmenting agents such as hydroquinone. These creams do not bleach the skin, rather, it controls the levels of melanin by pigment-producing cells. Facial peels and laser treatments are also available, but have higher risk of irritation. If the melasma is dermal, most treatments will not work since it involves the inner layer of the skin. It lightens with products that have mandelic acid.

Sun exposure should be avoided and use of sunscreen with a high protection factor is a must to avoid melasma.

Pregnant women should consult with a doctor before using over-the-counter creams, cosmetics and other treatments as it may affect the baby’s development.

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Acne is classified into three for treatment purposes: comedonal, inflammatory and nodulocystic.

Comedonal acne is also commonly known as whitehead or blackhead. Whiteheads are closed comedones, or trapped sebum. Blackheads are open comedones, giving it a dark color.

Inflammatory acne occurs when the bacteria present in trapped sebum (Propionibacterium acnes) produces enzymes that stimulate the inflammatory process. The skin ruptures and yellow substance appears as pus, but are actually excess sebum. Topical creams and antibiotics may treat inflammations.

Nodulocystic acne consist of comedones and inflammatory lesions and deeper nodules and cysts. This needs oral antibiotics, since it will no longer be treated by topical creams.

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Prevention is the key. Although acne seems “natural” during puberty, there are ways to avoid its spread, saving you money on treatment, and giving you more confidence to face the world.

Always wash your face with the appropriate cleansing product, especially before going to bed. Also take regular baths and totally rinse your body, as soap residue may block your pores. Acne not only occur in the face, but in other parts of the body as well, like the back and chest.

Detoxify. Drink lots of water, exercise to stimulate sweating, eat nutritious and high-fiber foods. This will minimize the presence of acne-causing bacteria.

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Once a person gets a wound, it will leave a mark, a scar. Some people hate them or make them feel imperfect, so what do they do? Scars can not be removed, they will always be there leaving a mark, but with today’s technology, scars can be less visible. Here are the procedures to make it almost present: apply creams that have Vitamin E in it or by taking supplements rich in Vitamin E. Food rich in Vitamin E are also recommended such as wheat germ, nuts, vegetable oils, eggs and green vegetables.

This is extra helpful for people who have oily skin, especially on the face. Who would want a shiny face, right? Nobody wants that, so here comes one of the greatest invention for people who has oily face, oil blotters! Oil blotters are these piece of paper made with special materials that absorbs the excess oil on your face and stays there. What makes these little papers or tissues so cool is that they are so handy, you can bring them anywhere, anytime you just want the excess oil out. All you have to do is get one from its special packaging, press it gently onto the oily part of your face and the oil blotter will absorb the oil.

Yep, the same sonic waves that was so successful with your oral care is now benefiting many people’s faces. The sonic system works using pulses of sound or sonic waves that effectively yet gently cleans your face by dislodging dirt and oils from the face and then gently brushing it away with soft brushes to relieve those pores of acne causing bacteria. Makeup today has been designed to stay on longer thus last the whole day through with little need for re-application but this also creates a problem for those who simply cannot go through the day without it, it tends to stay even when you need to take it out. At the end of the day, we resort to facial cleansers and the occasional scrub to exfoliate and remove them but sometimes, event he most stringent cleaning regimen fails to completely remove all traces of make up from the face adding to the excess oil, dirt and grime, and add to that the millions of skin cells we shed each day and it all has the making of an unhealthy concoction responsible for acne, and many other skin problems. The sonic cleansing system is powerful yet genlt enough not to irritate even the most sensitive skin leaving it soft and refreshed, like having a facial each and every night after a long day’s work.

The benefits of oxygen on your body cannot be understated, used by athletes to hasten healing of injuries through hyperbaric chambers that forces oxygen gas to diffuse into the body promoting healing. It is also necessary to have proper circulation to get healthy skin that is done through some salon oxygen facials that uses a combination of anti-oxidants and cleansers to get rid of dead skin cells and dirt then exfoliating the face to which oxygen is applied at pressure using a mask that fits snugly on the face to breathe pure oxygen to make the skin cells healthy and to promote regeneration of new cells. The human body gets a new coat of skin every few weeks as part of the skin’s life cycle. Dead cells that have been ravaged by pollution, injury and free radicals readily shed, falling off and ending up as part of the dust we se on the bed and in the house. Oxygenating products are now making a comeback but for the facial, professional salon work is needed for a very important reason, pure oxygen canm be lethal to our body so do take heed of the warning.

Berries and nuts are loaded with some of the best anti-oxidants for the body according to researchers who have found that the foods contain some vital minerals and compounds. Hyaluronic acid which is produced naturally by the skin is produced more efficiently with large amounts of intake of root vegetables that stimulates the production of ample amounts of the anti-oxidant and lubricating co-polymer hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is the effective lubricant that keeps the bones and cartilage from wearing each other out, keeping them soft and pliable. (Continue reading…)

Stress has long been known to ruin even the best of days and people manifest it in different ways as well as handle it just the same. There are surprising facts about stress and the physical manifestation of such as a recent finding that being stressed and manifesting it makes it worse. This may explain why people who are stressed suddenly experience a rash of skin maladies or other health issues such as indigestion or the more common butterfly in the stomach feeling. All the hair pulling, scratching and emotional reactions tends to force the body to react as if it were under attack, sending surplus oil out of the skin’s pores and more. Stress has also been found to cause excessive hair fall which might give credence to the often label of bald people being the wisest. (Continue reading…)