Say Goodbye to Crusty Elbows

            Do you ever get rough/ dry elbows and become embarrassed by them? I admit I have and it was very much to my dislike. I didn’t even want to show skin when my elbows looked like that. Truth be told sometimes we under-look our elbows because they are not within our vision and there is nothing peculiar about them. Nonetheless when it’s time to wear a short sleeve top or dress we become self-conscious because it is then when we notice how unappealing our elbows look (What will people think… That I don’t bathe properly/ will my boyfriend feel disgusted if he sees or touches my elbows.) Many thoughts come to mind. However let me relieve you by telling you that, that is not the case. In fact many times we lean on rough surfaces with our elbows and as a result a patch of rough skin forms, the reason for its occurrence is to protect the tendons. Thankfully there are a couple of things that can be done to prevent and fix crusty and unappealing elbows.

Prevention:

Avoid rough surfaces: Try your best not to place your elbows on the table (this can be considered rude sometimes too; so just remember your manners.) particularly if you are wearing short sleeves.

Scrub: Although many people just use plain soap to bathe and shower it is always good to use some type of scrub on the elbows or even a pumice rock (pumice rocks work great on the heels too; just don’t scrub too hard if you do decide to use a pumice rock)

Moisturize: It’s always good to moisturize after every shower, especially on sensitive parts like the elbows. 

Getting rid of crusty elbow:

Coffee and lemon: Believe it or not getting rid of crusty elbows is super easy, fast, and economic. All you need to do is mix coffee (ground coffee of course) and a small lemon together (Make sure the mixture is pasty.) The coffee will help exfoliate the skin and the lemon will help lightning it. Do this for a few days and I can guarantee you will be shocked on how quickly it works. 

Moisturize: Once again moisturize, this will enhance results. I recommend using Aloe Vera cream as it contains vitamin E and is healthy for the skin. However Vaseline works as a great moisturizer as well. These two moisturizers will help get you those clean and smooth elbows you crave.

All right ladies I hope these tips were helpful if you are trying to prevent or get rid of those ugly, rough, and dark patches on the elbows.

Flawless Face Without The Makeup

My best friend was telling me about her difficulty with finding makeup that really covers her dark circles and blemishes without caking it on. As someone who prefers natural ways of obtaining a flawless complexion, I urged her to change some of her daily habits to reduce the amount of dark circles and blemishes naturally. If you get rid of what you are trying to cover up, you can save yourself time and money by not having to buy the makeup to conceal it.

Sleep More

            Ever heard that your skin regenerates and heals better at night while you are resting? If you are lacking those 7-9 hours of sleep, you aren’t giving your skin sufficient time to heal and regenerate.

Drink Plenty of Fluids

            By fluids, I don’t mean amp up your coffee or sugary drink intake. Now I’m not saying coffee or a little bit of sugar is bad for you. There are actually studies that show a little bit of coffee and sugar does wonders for your outlook and productivity. However, relying on these drinks for your source to quench your thirst is not good. Drinking at least 60 ounces of water a day is ideal! To begin, try to replace one serving of coffee with a tall glass of water and work your way up from there.

            I used to never drink water. To help remedy that problem, I bought one of those Starbucks 20oz straw water bottles and refill that at least 3-4 times during the day! When I’m sitting at my desk working away, I find that rather than munching on food or drinking soda, I’m constantly reaching for my water bottle and find that I often empty it within an hour or two. I’ve also substituted green tea, which is full of antioxidants, for my morning coffee and find that I drink 2-3 mugs of tea a day. Water water water!

Eating Your Fruits and Veggies

            The nutritional value within fruits and veggies helps keep skin healthy and vibrant. Antioxidant rich foods such as berries help repair skin and strengthen blood vessels.  Vitamin C rich fruit such as oranges and kiwis help keep the skin firm and improves the overall quality of your skin. Vegetables like carrots help in the formation of collagen cells and cell regeneration. Spinach also helps repair cell damage and assists in delivering vital nutrients to your skin.

Skin Regiment Tailored To Your Skin Type

            Make sure to use a skin regiment that is appropriate to your skin type: oily, normal, combination or day. Make sure that you have a non-abrasive daily cleanser that helps remove the daily dirty that clogs our pores. Make sure that you have a moisturizer, again one that is appropriate for your skin type, and apply day and night, preferably something organic so we aren’t having our skin absorb harsh and man made chemicals.

            Special additions to your skin regiment include using an exfoliation type treatment. I absolutely love my Clarisonic Mia 2. I use this every three days to help me get a good deep clean and exfoliation to my skin. There are also other forms of exfoliation that will help gently remove dead skin cells from the surface, revealing the glowing skin underneath. Make sure to not overdo it on the exfoliation as this can lead to irritation, once or twice a week should be the max.

We already know the theme of my beauty articles: loving the skin you’re in. Oh wait was that an Olay reference? Yes, yes it was. We shouldn’t need a full face of makeup to feel pretty. If anything, makeup should only enhance what we have, not create a new face.

The Stretch Mark Down Low

What Are Stretch Marks

         The dermis is the inner layer of skin below the epidermis, which is the actual portion of the skin we can see and touch. It’s the splitting and lack of internal support to the dermis layer that causes stretch marks and influences how the epidermis physically looks. Stretch marks can be pink, red, purple, or brown fading into white or silver lines and often appear in the areas where fat accumulates such as the stomach, buttocks, thighs and breasts. 

What Causes Stretch Marks

         Stretch marks are commonly associated with rapid weight gain, hormones, and specific conditions and diseases. Rapid weight gain, such as in the case of pregnancy, causes the skin to stretch to accommodate the larger amount of fat formed. Changes in hormones or hormone fluctuations cause stretch marks by preventing the formation of collagen and elastin fibers that helps keep the skin firm. Collagen and elastic fibers are what help give the dermis layer the necessary support to prevent it from tearing and stretching; therefore when sufficient collagen and elastic fibers are formed or produced, this prevents the superficial manifestation of stretch marks on the epidermis layer. Some diseases such as Cushing syndrome can cause stretch marks. Cushing syndrome is due to abnormal levels of cortisol, a hormone within our blood. The high level of cortisol causes an imbalance the hormonal system therefore influencing the likelihood of gaining weight and forming stretch marks.

        

If You Don’t Have Stretch Marks-Preventative Ideas

         For pregnant women, applying creams that contain Vitamin E, applying a skin firming lotion, or plainly keeping the skin moisturized will help reduce the chances of stretch marks. Other preventative ideas include maintaining a healthy weight, drinking lots of water, exercising regularly, and eating a well balanced diet. Avoid drinking too many caffeinated drinks, alcohol and smoking.

If You Have Stretch Marks-Improvement Treatments To Save

         For those who don’t have the funds to spend on expensive treatments, think moisturizers and creams that contain Vitamin E or cocoa butter. For Vitamin E, think capsules or oils that you can massage directly onto your stretch marks. Cocoa butter is also thought to help keep the skin moisturized. Whatever your treatment, make sure you are applying your treatment at least 3-4 times a day.

If you Have Stretch Marks-Improvement Treatments To Splurge

         Besides applying creams to prohibit the formation of further stretch marks, there are alternative treatments to improving the look of current and pre-existing stretch marks. New age technology such as laser treatments, glycolic acid and dermabrasian help enrich the look of the skin. Laser treatments such as pulsed dye laser therapy modifies the dermis layer by influencing the increased development of collagen and elastin fibers. The alpha hydroxy acid, glycolic acid, exfoliates the skin to remove the topmost layer of skin. Microdermabrasian, similar to glycolic acid, is a form of improvement treatment that gently scrapes the skin with crystals to remove the uppermost layer of skin.

In addition to the improvement treatments, it is also smart to integrate the "preventative ideas" previously mentioned, not just to improve and prevent the formation of stretch makrs but also to improve your way of life and healthy living.

Skin Smarts Worthy of Noting

There are different forms of what is considered “beautiful” on this planet. Did you know that in Eastern Asia, countries like Japan, China, and the Philippines, the cultures there promote the pursuance of a lighter skin color, encouraging the purchase of bleaching products and discouraging sun exposure as much as possible? Lighter skin color is associated with clean, beautiful skin on the eastern region of our planet. This notion is foreign to us on the western region. Here, the ideal image includes tan, glowing skin and it is this hue that radiates the idea of health and beauty. If your ideal image does include tan, glowing skin, achieve your ideal look through smart means.

What is skin cancer? This is the uninhibited growth of cells due to unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells causing mutations that reproduce quickly and form malignant tumors. Skin cancer does not halt at mutations within skin cells but can spread to nearby tissue or organs. Make sure to keep an eye out for the following formations:

Actinic Keratosis: elevated, rough in texture, and resemble warts. These often appear on areas most often exposed to the sun.

Basal Cell Carcinoma: a persistent, non-healing sore that bleeds, oozes, crusts, heals and then bleeds again. May also come in the form of a shiny bump or nodule that is pearly or translucent in the hue of pink, red white or tan, black or brown.

Melanoma: figures that are asymmetrical, uneven bordered, variation in hues, larger in diameter (e.g. larger than a pencil eraser), and continue to change in size, shape, color, and elevation.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma: scaly red patches, open sores, elevated growths with a central depression that crust or bleed.

Protection is key and options have been integrated into the very products we use daily. Apply sunscreen daily (at least SPF 15), especially on areas that are frequently exposed to sun (e.g. face, hands, neck, shoulders). Many makeup brands have integrated SPF into their formula but nothing beats using actual sunscreen underneath primer or foundation. On days you are running or are enjoying an activity or occasion in the sun, consider accessorizing your outfit with a hat and shades. Even on cloudy days, do not skimp on the SPF.

Now this is not to scare you and make you go into total hiding from the vampire death rays and some of you will barely give this a passing glance and forget this information as soon as you see it. But some of you, and I hope most of you, take this to heart and consider adding an additional 3-5 minutes to your daily skin care regiment and applying some SPF and considering accessories that can add both fashion and protection to your style.

Remember, your other skin care regiment, the cleansers, toners, moisturizers, acne prevention, dark spot remover, wrinkle eraser, makeup, etc, is no use to you without cell healthy skin. Be smart, be aware, be healthy through and through.

Information images courtesy of skincancer.org
Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net