Women’s Health Blog

Healthy skin is really one of the most important ingredients for beauty-enhancement. This article on skin care tips is an effort to bring the 10 best skin care tips to you. The list of skin care tips has been restricted to 10 because anything more that that would not only be difficult to remember, but also shadow the more important skin care tips. So lets see what these top ten skin care tips are:
* Knowing your skin type is one of the most important skin care tip. This is important because not every skin care product suits everyone. In fact, all the skin care products specify the type of skin they cater too.
* Drink a lot of water. This will not keep your skin moist but will help in overall upkeep of your health (and in turn your skin). It might seem a bit awkward to some, however, this is an important skin care tip.
* Cleanse your skin regularly (1-2 times everyday). A very effective skin care tip that helps in getting rid of the dirt and other harsh elements from your skin. Cleansing is especially important when you have been out of your house (and hence exposed to pollutants, dust etc). This skin care tip also advocates the use of Luke warm water for cleansing (hot and cold water, both, cause damage to your skin)
* Be gentle, after all its your skin. Dont scrub/exfoliate too hard or too often. Similarly, dont apply too much or too many skin care products. A must-to-follow skin care tip.
* Keep your skin moist at all times. This is one of the most important skin care tip. Dont let your skin get dry. Dryness causes the outer layer of your skin to break, leading to a rough and unattractive appearance. Use moisturisers/ emollients. Moisturisers work best when applied while the skin is still damp.
* Avoid the use of soap on your face. Soap should only be used from below the neck. A small but important skin care tip.
* Use sunscreen to protect yourself from suns harmful UV radiations. You can use day-time moisturisers that have sunscreen built into them. Use them even when its cloudy. UV radiations are known to cause skin cancer, so follow this skin care tip without fail.
* A bit of exercise and good sleep are essential too, not just for skin care but for your health as a whole. Lack of sleep can lead to formation of wrinkles below your eyes and lack of exercise can cause your skin to slack. Moreover, exercise and sleep also help in beating stress. So besides being a skin care tip, this is also a health care tip.
* Treat skin dilemmas with care. This skin care tip is about not ignoring any skin dilemmas. Consult your dermatologist before you go on to use a skin care product (lest you do end up harming your skin even more).
* Beat the stress. The harmful effects of stress are known to everyone, however, sometimes stating the obvious is essential too (and hence this skin care tip found its place here). Yes, stress harms skin too. So, take a break or indulge in a warm bubble bath or just get good sleep.

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We all know the importance of personal skin care. The opinion on how-to (for personal skin care) differs from person to person. Some people believe that going to beauty parlours every other day is personal skin care. Others believe that personal skin care is just a matter of applying some cream or lotion on your skin, every now and then. Then there are people who think that personal skin care is an event that happens once a month or once a year. Still others busy themselves with personal skin care all the time. However, personal skin care is not that complicated and neither is it that expensive (considering how beneficial it is). Personal skin care is following a routine or a procedure for attending to the needs of your skin.

Even before you start with a routine, you need to determine your skin-type (oily, dry, sensitive, normal etc) and select the personal skin care products suitable for it (you might have to experiment with a few personal skin care products). Here is a routine that should work for most people with normal skin.

The first thing on personal skin care routine is Cleansing. The three main ingredients of a cleanser are oil, water and surfactants (wetting agents). Oil and surfactants extract dirt and oil from your skin and water then flushes it out, thus making your skin clean. You might have to try a couple of cleansers before you find the one that suits you the best. However, you should always use soap-free cleansers. Also, you should use Luke warm water for cleansing (hot and cold water, both, cause damage to your skin). Take care that you dont over-cleanse your skin and end up damaging your skin in the process.

The second thing on the personal skin care routine is exfoliation. Skin follows a natural maintenance process wherein it removes the dead cells and replaces them with new skin cells. Exfoliation is just a way to facilitate the skin in this process. Dead skin cells are not capable of responding to personal skin care products but still consume these products, hence preventing them from reaching the new skin cells. Thus removing dead skin cells is important in order to increase the effectiveness of all personal skin care products. Generally, exfoliation takes it place just after cleansing. As with any personal skin care procedure, its important that you understand how much exfoliation you need. Exfoliate 4-5 times per week for oily/normal skin and 1-2 times per week for dry/sensitive skin. Exfoliate a couple of times more in hot and humid weather.

Next thing on personal skin care routine is moisturizers. This is one of the most important things in personal skin care. Even people with oily skin need moisturisers. Moisturisers not only seal the moisture in your skin cells, but also attract moisture (from air) whenever needed. Use of too much moisturiser can however clog skin pores and end up harming your skin. The amount of moisturiser needed by your skin will become apparent to you within one week of you using the moisturiser. Also, applying the moisturiser is best when your skin is still damp.

The last thing on personal skin care routine is sunscreen. A lot of moisturizers (day-time creams/moisturisers) come with UV protection so you can get double benefits from them. Such moisturisers are recommended for all days (irrespective of whether it is sunny or cloudy).

Again, experiment with various personal skin care products and also with the amount you need to apply. What gives you best results is the best personal skin care recipe for you. However, if you have some kind of skin dilemma, it is best to consult your dermatologist before you actually start using any personal skin care products.

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Sore nipples
A lot of mothers complain about tender nipples that
make breast feeding painful and frustrating. There
is good news though, as most mothers don’t suffer
that long. The nipples will toughen up quickly
and render breast feeding virtually painless.

Improperly positioned babies or babies that suck
really hard can make the breasts extremely sore.
Below, are some ways to ease your discomfort:
1. Make sure your baby is in the correct
position, since a baby that isn’t positioned correctly
is the number one cause of sore nipples.
2. Once you have finished feeding, expose
your breasts to the air and try to protect them from
clothing and other irritations.
3. After breast feeding, apply some ultra
purified, medical grade lanolin, making sure to avoid
petroleum jelly and other products with oil.
4. Make sure to wash your nipples with water
and not with soap.
5. Many women find teabags ran under cold
water to provide some relief when placed on the
nipples.
6. Make sure you vary your position each time
with feeding to ensure that a different area of the
nipple is being compressed each time.

Clogged milk ducts
Clogged milk ducts can be identified as small, red tender
lumps on the tissue of the breast. Clogged ducts can
cause the milk to back up and lead to infection. The
best way to unclog these ducts is to ensure that you’ve
emptied as completely as possible. You should offer
the clogged breast first at feeding time, then let
your baby empty it as much as possible.

If milk remains after the feeding, the remaining amount
should be removed by hand or with a pump. You should
also keep pressure off the duct by making sure your
bra is not too tight.

Breast infection
Also known as mastititis, breast infection is normally
due to empty breasts completely out of milk, germs
gaining entrance to the milk ducts through cracks or
fissures in the nipple, and decreased immunity in the
mother due to stress or inadequate nutrition.

The symptoms of breast infection include severe pain
or soreness, hardness of the breast, redness of the
breast, heat coming from the area, swelling, or even
chills.

The treatment of breast infection includes bed rest,
antibiotics, pain relievers, increased fluid intake,
and applying heat. Many women will stop breast feeding
during an infection, although it’s actually the wrong
thing to do. By emptying the breasts, you’ll
actually help to prevent clogged milk ducts.

If the pain is so bad you can’t feed, try using a
pump while laying in a tub of warm water with your
breasts floating comfortably in the water. You should
also make sure that the pump isn’t electric if you
plan to use it in the bath tub.

You should always make sure that breast infections
are treated promptly and completely or you may
risk the chance of abscess. An abscess is very
painful, involving throbbing and swelling. You’ll
also experience swelling, tenderness, and heat in
the area of the abscess. If the infection progresses
this far, your doctor may prescribe medicine and
even surgery.

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