How To Prepare Your Skin For Winter

By Maria Cole

Christmas is the time when we celebrate, see relatives, go
to parties, and knock ourselves out shopping for the ideal
gift! Sadly, it's also the time when we overlook our skin.
This is bad because the climate change can greatly affect
our skin, leading to dryness, cracking and bleeding. To keep
your skin looking great in this cold season and prevent
winter dryness, here's what you should do:

Always carry a hydrating lip balm and hand moisturizer in
your bag or purse. Use them as often as possible even if you
think the weather isn't too cold. This will prevent skin
cracking and bleeding and prevent overall damage to your
skin. Baby oil is another alternative that can be used on
the hands and other problem areas; however, this can be
messy and isn't quickly absorbed by the skin. Avoid hand
sanitizers with alcohol as they can rob the skin of moisture
and make things worse for you in winter. If you can't wash
your hands, use an alcohol-free sanitizer instead.

The icy weather can likewise be rough on your hair and scalp
so take care of it during winter. The dry weather removes
the scalp's natural oils so get regular deep conditioning
treatments at the nearest hair salon. The extra conditioning
keeps your hair shiny and nourished even in harsh weather.

Avoid long hot baths at this time because hot water will
strip oil from your skin and cause dryness. A warm bath or
shower is recommended. When bathing, don't scrub your skin
with a loofah or scrub too often since this will lead to
bruises, especially during winter. Don't use exfoliating
bath scrubs either. Instead, use moisturizing bath gels and
scrubs to add extra moisture to your skin.

To nourish the skin from within, drink plenty of water in
winter to keep your skin well hydrated. Water increases skin
elasticity and prevents premature aging. Fruit juices are
good too since they nourish the skin and supply your body
with vitamins and minerals that are good for your skin. The
weather may be cold but that shouldn't prevent your skin
from looking great, and a lot of damage and discomfort can
be avoided by taking a few simple steps.

Skin Care Myths Explained

By Lee Peterson

There are so many myths about proper skin care, that it's
scary. From old wife's tales about preventing stretch marks
during pregnancy to what's mandatory for proper cleansing,
the falsehoods that are taken for granted have most
dermatologists shaking their heads in discord. According to
many skin care specialists, some of these myths can actually
lead to skin damage. Here we dispel five of the common fishy
tales regarding skin care.

1. Prepare your skin for summer sun on a tanning bed.
Tanning beds are dangerous because of the concentrated UVA
rays they emit. These are the same rays you get from the sun
that cause premature aging and skin cancer. Getting a light
tan on the sun bed does not protect your skin from further
damage, it just means you have already exposed it to harmful
rays. Tanning does not produce more melanin in the skin, it
just brings it to the surface.

2. Application of olive oil can prevent pregnancy stretch
marks. Stretch marks are caused when the sub-surfaces of the
dermis split, usually due to expansion of the skin beyond
its elasticity ability. This can occur during pregnancy or
because of excessive weight gain. There are no topical
preparations that will prevent this scarring from occurring.
A healthy diet, hydration and regular exercise are the best
ways to ensure your dermis remains healthy and retains its
elasticity.

3. Increasing the SPF means you can stay out in the sunshine
much longer. This is truly an unsafe belief. A sunscreen
with an SPF of 15 will block approximately 94% of UV rays.
Increasing to an SPF of 40 will only block 97% of UV rays.
Increasing the SPF does not significantly increase the
protection. What's more important is to ensure the sun block
you purchase protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Another
must is to apply the protection before you venture out in
the sun and then reapply sun screen every couple of hours,
regardless of whether you got wet or not.

4. You don't need sunscreen if you have dark skin. A darker
skin tone, whether a Mediterranean olive-toned complexion or
the skin tone of a person of color, does not give the person
extra protection from the sun. It only means that they have
an increased level of melanin. Although this does decrease
the risk of skin cancer from the harmful UVA and UVB rays of
the sun, it is only a slight decrease, and people with
darker skin tones must use sunscreen and take the same
precautions as those with a fairer complexion.

5. Eating chocolate will give you acne. Acne is not caused
by anything you eat. Acne occurs when the dead cells that
your skin sheds stick together and block gland openings.
This causes a back up of the oils that naturally occur in
your skin. Bacteria on the skin react to this and make the
condition worse. One type of food is not going to cause
acne, but a healthy diet will promote a healthier skin and
body.