The cleaners

• Soaps: Unlike in the television industry, in skin care, not all daily soaps are same. Normal bath soaps are prepared with 80 per cent animal fat and 20 per cent coconut/palm oil to form a fatty acid salt with detergent properties and have an alkaline pH of 9 to 10.Some soaps have added antibacterial chemicals like triclosan, which inhibits bacterial growth and has deodorant action. Moisturising soap bars with glycerine or paraffin are also available for people with dry skin.

  Tip: Clean your skin at least twice daily. And remember that soaps affect the pH levels in the skin and it generally takes the body around four hours to bring the raised pH back to normal.

• Liquid body wash: These are soap-free and leave behind a thin film, which holds moisture in the skin making it soft and supple. These are useful in old age, when the skin goes dry, and also for babies with atopic dermatitis or dry flaky skin.Tip: Use body wash if you have dry skin and if you travel frequently across different climatic conditions.
• Scrubs: These are mechanical exfoliants, which help control excess sebum [oil] production.Tip: Use scrubs twice a week if you have oily skin to clear the blackheads and dirt in the pores.
• Face washes: The facial skin is more delicate than the skin on the other parts of the body and needs tender cleansing, which the face washes offer. Hence, there are different types of face washes for different skin types. Acne face washes contain antibacterial agents or salicylic acid to cleanse the pores. Glycolic acid-containing face washes offer gentle exfoliation of dead skin and are good for acne-prone individuals. Moisturising face washes with aloe and glycerine are ideal for dry skin.

How to clean

Cleaning your skin throughly from top to bottom every day is the only way to keep infections at bay.

Hand care

As we touch surfaces and objects throughout the day, we accumulate germs on our hands. This puts us at a higher risk of infecting ourselves with these germs by touching our eyes, nose or mouth. Although it’s impossible to keep our hands germ-free, washing them frequently can help limit the transfer of bacteria, viruses and other microbes. So:

• Always wash your hands before preparing food, eating, treating wounds or giving medicine and wearing/removing contact lenses.
• Always wash your hands with an antibacterial and antiseptic soap/liquid after preparing food, especially raw meat or poultry, using the toilet, changing a diaper, touching an animal or animal toys, leashes or waste, blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, handling garbage and of course, whenever they look dirty.
• Use liquid soap to wash hands frequently if you have dry/rough hands. Soaps may dry the skin more, leading to cracks and eczema on fingertips and palms.

Privates

Sweat and collected epithelial debris on the skin [includes normal flora of bacteria] may play truant and give rise to bacterial and fungal infections especially in soft moist areas of the body—underarms, groin, waistline, and webs of toes in the feet. If these areas are unclean, it can lead to boils, acne, ringworm or candidial infection, which produce itching and unsightly marks.

Excess hair on the body also contributes to increased sweating and body odour. Sweat along with dead bacteria emanates the dirty smell from our body folds.

Following rigorous and regular hygiene is imperative.

• Use antifungal powders in body folds after bath, especially in the crevices on the feet—between fingers.
• Keep the private parts—armpits, pubic area—shaved to discourage excessive sweating.
• Use deodarants in the body folds to keep the area smelling fresh.
• Scrub your feet well after coming in from outdoors to wash off all the dirt, grime and sweat.
• Change your socks every day. And clean your footwear regularly from inside-out.
• Change your undergarments if you’ve worn them for long to keep infections away from your privates.
• Clean your privates thoroughly every time you visit the bathroom and remember to wipe them dry.

The post Rinse and shine appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Skin Essentials

Ideally, the skin should have a slightly acidic pH ranging from 5.4 – 5.9. When pH is outside this zone, it can interfere with normal skin functions, such as protection against bacteria and ultra-voilet rays, and repairing itself. Hence, using a good sunscreen becomes very important. Apply an even layer of sunscreen about 20 minutes before going out in the sun over your face, neck, upper back, arms and feet to prevent tanning, pigmentation and freckles. Normally, an SPF [sun protection factor] of 15 is good enough for our Indian [wheatish] skin. While swimming, beach outings, or playing golf, however, use a higher SPF of 30. Higher the SPF, oilier the sunscreen becomes. Hence, the method of application is also important: just spread the lotion on the skin without rubbing or massaging it vigorously. If you tend to sweat profusely and can’t reapply the sunscreen, use a broad-rimmed hat or cap, or an umbrella for extra protection.

To remove the tan, you can even opt for a tan remover. The ingredients to look out for in a good tan remover are hydroquinone, arbutin, lactic acid, glycolic acid and kojic acid. Apply a thin layer of the remover on your face, neck, arms, back or feet to bring back the original skin colour. If it doesn’t yield results, consult a dermatologist who will analyse your skin condition and its response to medication. Frequent travel increases the chances of acne with blackheads and pustules, which are common in adults as well as teenagers with oily skin. The dull look is a common complaint along with chapped dry lips due to dehydration of the skin. A good cleanser, toner and sunscreen will keep skin clean and healthy. Benzoyl peroxide or clindamycin gels are a quick fix for active acne, while a good lip balm can soothe those chapped lips.

Hair Concerns

Most of us opt for a short hair cut during summer for easy manageability. Whether your mane is short or long, it needs extra care or else it gets dehydrated and frizzy. Washing your hair frequently will make it look limp due to increased humidity. Curly hair becomes unmanageable and results in hair fall. Using a mild protein shampoo with conditioner can prevent a bad hair day. Using hats or scarves is also a good option.

Dense hair growth in body folds causes increased sweating leading to rashes and body odour. Body odour, which occurs due to breakdown of dead bacteria in the sweat also lowers our confidence. Dark patches due to friction of skin could be lightened by using skin fading creams at night. Using anti-fungal powder during the day will reduce friction and, fungal and bacterial colonisation thus preventing infections and body odour. The best prevention would be to reduce or eliminate body hair. You can either do it at home, or opt for professional procedures.

A Few Home Remedies

If your skin gets tanned, an easy home cure for oily skin would be to rub a mixture of curds and gram flour [besan] with a dash of lime. For dry skin, mix some papaya pulp with milk or cream [malai] and leave the paste on the dark areas for 10 minutes before bath, twice or thrice a week.

For treating pimples, apply a paste of fuller’s earth [multani mitti] or masoor dal powder mixed with a tablespoons of curds and few drops of lemon juice, on your body before bath. Keep it on for 10 minutes. This helps control the oiliness and acts like an antiseptic, thus reducing the occurrence of pimples.

Grated cucumber mixed with gram flour makes for an excellent refreshing mask for tired and strained eyes. Leave it on closed eyes for 10 minutes and wash off.

Dermatologist to the Rescue

If natural remedies are not serving your cause, visit a dermatologist for further treatment. He could recommend glycolic peels, which involve usage of sugarcane extract and are safe and effective for all skin types.

Also called as fruit peel or lunch-time peel, glycolic peels take hardly 15 – 20 minutes to be done. They help in removing tan, acne and post-acne pigmentation, fine lines, open pores and give the skin an even tone. Freckles get lighter with this peel, but do not go completely. The skin gets a natural glow and clarity in just 6 – 8 sessions. This treatment can be performed on the face, neck, arms and the back. Each session is done at an interval of 15 days.

To remove dead skin cells, smoothen out rough skin, reduce acne scars and open pores, a microdermabrasion procedure commonly called as skin polishing is very effective. This would take about half an hour and can be done every 10 – 15 days. For the DPNs, a procedure called radiofrequency is recommended, where the brown wart-like growths on face and neck are cauterised with heat energy.

Tips for Working People

• Use anti-fungal powder with anti-perspirant deodorants, if you sweat a lot and have skin infections.
• Wear light-coloured cotton clothes to keep your body cool.
• Keep wet tissues or a hand towel handy if you have to travel frequently.
• Keep your feet clean; use antifungal powder in between toes if you have to wear closed shoes and socks. A good suggestion is to keep a pair of formal shoes just for office use while you wear open shoes during travel.

The post Protect Your Skin From the Sun appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.