Anti-aging (how to Slow the Aging Skin Process)-1

5 Dos and 5 Don’ts to Help Slow the Aging Skin Process

Maybe you're in your 20s or early 30s and you think you can't possibly have (gulp) aging skin yet. Well, you're wrong. Your skin's 'youthfulness' has less to do with age than how it's been treated, so if exposed to sun, smoke and stress, your skin will start ‘acting old,’ losing collagen, glow and elasticity. Lines will develop and pores can seem more pronounced.  

It's easier to prevent damage than to repair it 

but the good news is you CAN reverse skin damage.

Here are 5 dos and 5 don’ts to help slow down and reverse the aging process and leave your skin glowing at any age.

A- 5 dos

1- stop smoking. 

                                Ever notice the skin of a lifelong smoker? It can appear wrinkly like a squashed paper bag. The fact is, smoking is the 2nd biggest cause of skin damage after sun exposure. Why? Nicotine constricts blood vessels and decreases the flow of oxygen to the skin. Not good things.

2-use an AHA or BHA (also known as retinols) every day.

              A daily application of a one percent prescription retinoid lotion (such as Retin-A or even better, Tazorac) can erase years from your face. AHAs used properly not only take off lots of dead skin, but can seem to take 10 years off as well by reducing fine lines. (Keep in mind these products do NOT shrink pores. Your pore size is completely hereditary, so don't believe promises of permanent reduction). Over-the-counter options such as RoC Deep Wrinkle Night Cream are good, but prescription creams work the best. Extra tip: You must stay out of the sun if you use retinoids. You are extra-susceptible to sunburns.

3-exfoliate once a week.

                                                Choose a formulation that's best for your skin type. Chemical exfoliators (glycolic or salicylic acid) are best for oily or combo skin, while scrubs found in microdermabrasives work best for sensitive skin.

4-use an eye cream daily.

                                                    Eyes are one of the first places to show aging. The skin around the eyes is extra thin so you'll want to protect it from the sun with eye cream with SPF.

5-invest and ingest antioxidants. 

                                                                    'Antioxidants' is a huge word in aging prevention. A huge proponent of antioxidants (found in green teas and beta carotene) is dermatologist Leslie Baumann, MD. To get the best possible protection against free-radical damage, Baumann suggests in Elle magazine that you take both oral and topical antioxidants. Get antioxidants in pill form by taking Heliocare vitamins.

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Nail Polish (Give Yourself a Pedicure )

  Giving yourself a professional pedicure is an 8-step process. 

1-Remove polish from nails 
                                                         The first step is to remove the old polish from your nails. Instead of cotton balls (which will leave fuzzies), we suggest using a lint-free cotton pad, Saturate the cotton pad with acetone remover & rub off the old polish.

 If the color isn't coming off easily, press the saturated cotton on the nail & let it soak in first. A tip for removing stains from nails: try rubbing whitening toothpaste on your nails. You can also rub a drop of lemon or lavender oil on each toe & rub a buffer back & forth over the nail. This will remove the yellowed outer layer. 
Tip for picking the perfect polish remover: Alcohol- and acetone-free removers are less drying, but don't work as well, especially on dark shades. Use the 'free' stuff on lighter shades.

 2-Cut & File Nails 
                                              It's best to use high quality clippers made for clipping toenails such. To avoid ingrown nails, cut nail straight across to just above the skin. Make sure your nail doesn't extend over the tip of your toe. To get a soft square shape, file nails in one direction until they are even & slightly rounded at the corners. (Hint: Don't use metal files, they'll rip your nails). Don't clip the sides of nails, that can cause ingrowns.

 3-Soak Your Feet 
                                          Fill a large flat-bottom bowl with warm water. Throw in bath salts, your favorite aromatherapy oils & let your feet soak 10 minutes. The more cracked & calloused your feet, the longer they need to stay in. Trick only the pros know: Add a quarter cup of milk to your bath along with the essential oils & salts. The lactic acid in the milk loosens dead skin. 

 4-Trim Cuticles
                                Apply cuticle remover to the base of each nail & rub it in. Leave on for a minute, then use an orangewood stick to gently push with a circular motion everywhere where skin meets the nail (including the sides). Be careful to remove skin only on top of the nail, don't touch the toe flesh. Use cuticle nippers to trim any loose skin. Be careful not to nip your toe flesh. 

 5-Scrub Your Feet 
                                        Apply an exfoliating body or foot scrub to a foot file or wet pumice stone to slough away the dead skin on the balls & heels of your feet. You'll want to scrub the balls, bottoms & sides of your heels & around the toes. To get the most leverage, sit on the side of a bathtub, facing inward. Remember the pedicure motto we read about once, "smooth, don't remove." You'll want to stop if your foot turns bright red (this means you've scrubbed too hard). Remember, that tough skin is there for a reason. Any basic foot file or pumice stone from your drugstore will do the trick.  

6-Moisturize 
                          Dry feet thoroughly including between the toes & rub in a thick foot cream . Rub the feet & the calves. Rehydrate cuticles by rubbing in a dab of cuticle oil. 

 7-Polish Your Toes 
                                         Use acetone remover to get rid of any excess oils on the nails (including the cuticle oil you just applied). Apply a thin base coat using 3 strokes, one down the middle, then one on each side. Don't paint the cuticle. Wait a minute before adding two coats of your favorite polish, then finish with a thin top coat . Clean up any errors with an orangewood stick wrapped in cotton & dipped in acetone remover. Let nails dry for at least 40 minutes. Tip: It's good to paint any polish remaining on the brush over the front nail edge. This prevents chipping.

 8-Finish 
                  After nails have dried, spritz with a moisturizing oil like SolarSpeed spray. This sets your polish & moisturizes your cuticles. Then voila! You're done! 

Nail Polish ( Extend the life of your manicure )

Ever spend an hour doing your nails only to smudge a nail within minutes of finishing up the last coat? Here's six tips to avoid those smudges on your next manicure...

1: Make sure nails are super clean
                                                         Natural oils on your nails aid in chipping. Even if your nails are polish-free, apply polish remover to get rid of oils on the surface of nails.

2: Prep nails with a base coat Polish will adhere best to nails prepped with a base coat

3: Don't lay on the polish too thick 
                                                                Three to four thin coats of polish rather than 2 thick coats will last longer, cut down on drying time and cause fewer changes of bubbles brewing on your nails.

4: Don't forget the tip  
                                      When polishing, polish the tip of the nail as well. This helps cut down on nail polish chipping.

5: Consider a shimmery color. 
                                              The little particles of sparkle will help polish cling to your nails.

6: Apply a clear topcoat 
                                             Topcoat helps extend the life of your manicure. You can use the base coat as a topcoat. Do brush topcoat on and around the edges of nails as well, it's an extra seal against chipping.

7: Allow proper drying time 
                                                                              Make sure you give your nails a good 45 minutes drying time before handling objects. Once dry time is over, submerge nails in cold water then apply lotion. This allows for a slippery surface until nails are completely dry. For pedicures, wrap toes in plastic wrap if you're wearing shoes other than flip-flops or sandals.

8: Keep topcoat handy  
                                           To prolong the life of your manicure, apply a topcoat every other day.

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Nail Polish (make a French Manicure yourself)

1-Prepare the Nails 
                         Remove old nail polish and file your nails into shape. 

2-Soak Nails 
                     Soak your nails in warm water to soften the cuticles.

 3-Prepare the Cuticle 
                                        Gently push the cuticles back using an orange stick. The first time you do this, you may have a lot of cuticle. You can remove them by applying cuticle remover. 

  4-Apply Cream 
                             Apply hand cream to the nails and rub them in. Leave on for 2-3 minutes. Wipes nails with facial tissue to remove excess.

 5-Apply Basecoat
                           Apply a clear basecoat & leave to dry.

 6-Paint Nail 
                         Using a neutral, pale shade that matches the natural color of the nail bed, paint the nails. Leave to dry. Wait 2 minutes, then re-apply. 

7-Paint Tips 
                         Paint the naturally white tip of the nail with an opaque white or beige polish. In traditional French manicures, this white strip is straight across the nail, however, if you let the polish curve with your natural nail, your nails will appear longer. 

8-Finish Off With Clear Polish 
                                                  You'll want to finish off the nail with a coat of clear polish. This will protect the layers underneath.

  9-Clean Up Errors
                                          Using an orangewood stick wrapped in a wisp of cotton moistened with remover, clean up any errors around the nail.  

10-Let 'Em Dry It will take a good 20 minutes before your nails are safe enough to do small things (meaning: use the pads of your fingers only). Wait a full hour before really using your hands. 

Nail Polish ( Ingrown Nails )

An ingrown toenail is caused by pressure of the nail against the skin on the side of the nail. Prolonged periods of pressure can cause irritation of the skin, swelling, infection, and pain. Ingrown nails are seen mainly in the big toes of people in industrialized nations. People in cultures that don't wear shoes rarely get ingrown nails. 

Causes of Ingrown Toenails
There are several factors that can lead to an ingrown toenail. The first is an abnormality of the soft tissue on the side of the nail. Certain rare diseases can cause a laxity of the skin, but the most common soft tissue abnormality is that seen with tight-fitting shoes. The shoes cause overcrowding of the toes pushing the soft tissue against the edge of the nail. Another common factor that can lead to ingrown toenails is nail abnormalities. Improperly cutting the toenail, cutting it short and curved, can cause the nail edges to turn in. Certain conditions such as lung disease, advancing age, and poor circulation in the extremities from blocked blood vessels can cause the nail to curve. Other less common factors that can lead to ingrown nails are bone spurs under the nail, trauma to the nail, multiple infections, and drugs such as indinavir. 

Appearance of Ingrown Toenails
There are three stages of ingrown toenails. 
1-In the first stage the skin on either side of the nail is red and painful to the touch. This is due to inflammation or irritation only - not infection.

2- In the second stage the skin is infected and may bulge over the side of the nail. The affected area may ooze clear fluid or pus.

3- In the third stage the skin has been infected for a prolonged time and is trying to heal itself. The skin does this by forming granulation tissue. This is heaped up extra red tissue that bleeds easily and migrates over the nail edge. 

Diagnosis of Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails are diagnosed clinically by their appearance. If pus is present, it may be cultured to determine the bacteria involved, but this is not always necessary. Infections that involve the bone or joint space may need to be ruled out with an X-ray, but this extent of infection is rare. 

 

Treatment of Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails are treated based on the stage involved. Toenails in stage 1 can be treated with warm soaks, a cutout shoe, and by elevating the nail with a cotton swab. Symptoms improve after a couple of days, but may not resolve for 2 to 3 weeks. Toenails in stage 2 can be treated with warm soaks and oral antibiotics. Closed-toed shoes and hosiery should not be worn for at least 1 week. If the toenail is especially painful, a portion of the toenail may need to be removed. This is done in the office under local anesthesia. Toenails in stage 3 need to be treated with partial or full toenail removal. For recurrent instances of ingrown nails, the nail bed can be ablated. This is done by placing phenol on a cotton swab and inserting it under the cuticle remaining after the nail has been removed. The phenol kills the matrix cells that make the nail plate.
Diabetics and Ingrown Toenails
People with diabetes must pay close attention to their feet. Diabetics can develop peripheral neuropathies and loose the sensation in their feet. They are also predisposed to getting unusual infections because of the changes in their immune systems. Finally, diabetes can cause the toenails to thicken and curve under leading to ingrown toenails. For all of these reasons, people with diabetes should report any redness around the toenails to their health care provider even if they don't have pain. Diabetics with thickened toenails should see a podiatrist to have their nails trimmed under antiseptic conditions.

Hope you you enjoyed reading my post & found it useful

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