GOOD CLEANSERS MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

While on holidays recently I ran out of cleanser about 3 days before coming home. Oh well that's OK I'll use the body lotion provided at our 5 star hotel, it's good quality. What a mistake.

You'd think a very mature skin like mine could take anything but by the first night the lumps had started coming up on my forehead. The next morning a few developing pimples were near my nose. It took a week after our return to restore my face to a clear status again.

For most ladies this probably won't happen but if you suffer from Rosacea like me, it doesn't take much to start a breakout.

Rosacea skins tend to have more layers of dead skin cells so must be routinely cleansed with a suitable face cleanser. Pores just have to be kept clear.

The hotel body lotion was too drying, full of chemicals and immediately blocked the pores. Bingo inflammation began.

The best cleansing solution for Rosacea and acne prone skins is a lactic acid and glycolic acid face wash. This combination is gentle but effective in removing dead skin cells thus working as a preventative of lumps, bumps, pimples and cyst type eruptions.

When we developed Daily Face Wash last year it was very exciting for myself and the hundreds of girls who started using it straight away. Feedback has been excellent and sales tell the story.

 Going on holidays - take plenty of your own skin care. You should come back glowing not with zits!

Overnight Pimple Remedy

Found this while searching the net and it works well. It will also shorten the life of a zit.

Gather a few items - Cotton balls; small bowl; salt;

Directions:

•  Fill a small bowl with hot water and add 1 teaspoon salt
•  Place a cotton ball in the salty water
•  Wait for 30 - 60 seconds
•  Squeeze out excess water out until it is damp, but not dripping
•  Place the damp cotton ball over your pimple or a couple if you have more than one spot
•  Wait exactly three minutes. This is important
•  Remove the cotton ball after the time is up
•  Put the cotton ball back in the salty water and rinse it well, squeeze, apply for another minute

If your pimple has a head after the salty soaking:

•  Take  two more cotton balls, moisten in the salty water and squeeze . Place them on either side of the pimple and wiggle them around the pimple. It should release the contents. DO NOT FORCE. This post is about flattening a pimple not making it worse so NO squeezing.
• Rinse well.

The posting I read suggested you dob on a bit of honey. This can be a bit sticky so if you have Blemish Gel or Cell Soother it is much more comfortable to use.

 LED LIGHT AND MICRODERMABRASION FOR HOME USE

The advances in technology for the beauty industry are mind boggling. Many of the developments started in either space research by NASA or medical research. Years later the ordinary person at home can enjoy many of the tools that have evolved based on solid scientific evidence.

A variety of hand held devices are available for at home skin rejuvenating and treating acne. In most cases what we are trying to achieve is an increased production of collagen and elastin in the skin. For acne skin types elimination of bacteria, accelerated healing and reduction of inflammation are the goals.

We feature 2 devices in this article LED lights and Microdermabrasion.

LED lights (light- emitting diodes) are a very safe and easy method for increasing the production of collagen and elastin in the skin. While professional machines are much stronger and treat the whole face at one time, home devices are handy and price effective.

When acne or pimples are the issue you can often nip it in the bud at an early stage and prevent a full on pimple developing.

The colour of the LED light determines the purpose of the treatment.

• Red is used for skin rejuvenation
• Blue is for acne or pimples to kill bacteria
• Yellow is to firm the skin
• Green reduces redness in cuperose skin

Before buying, it is important to check the powder of these LED devices to give an indication of effectiveness. Home units usually only come in red or blue , sometimes a combination of the two. Yellow and green are more for larger salon units.

Red lights 620 – 670 nm

Blue Lights 420 -460 nm

Bear in mind home devices will not be as strong as salon or medical machines and you will need to use them regularly to see benefits. However, there are some very good small appliances available.

How Red LED light will help your skin:

• Increase in elasticity.
• Fine lines eliminated and deeper lines reduced.
• Skin tone improvement.
• Less sagging
• Reduces redness from Rosacea

How Blue LED light will help your skin:

• Kills bacteria present in pimples
• Reduces inflammation
• Blemishes clear much faster
• Helps Control future outbreaks

Features to watch for:

1. Battery operated or plug in - ease of use
2. Size of head and number of LED lights - Bigger heads cover more of the face but harder to get between the eyes
3. Guarantee
4. Power capability in nm's covered above
5. One or more colours in light if you need blue for acne or pimples. Some have seperate coloured heads.

Prices vary from around $70 on e-bay to $300 -$500 in department or specialty stores. I bought a $69 tool on ebay and am very happy with it.

Whatever you buy have realistic expectations. Transformation is not going to happen overnight or ever, if the tool is left in a drawer.

Microdermabrasion: Hand held battery operated microdermabrasion kits for home users are freely available. Results vary as with any appliance. DermaNew is a reliable brand which gives a result which is visible and feels good.

The treatment takes only 2 minutes and can be done at the bathroom sink or in the shower. Dead skin cells are removed using a tool which has a sponge head that vibrates lightly. An exfoliating or resurfacing cream with medical grade corundum crystals is moved over the face with sponge head.

Microdermabrasion works well in a few ways.

• Skin rejuvenating (anti aging)
• skins prone to blackheads and whiteheads
• acne skin types.

For pimples and acne problems a different type of exfoliating cream is used. There is only half the amount of crystals and the formulation of the base cream contains special acne active ingredients. This cream is a more drying formulation than the Rejuvenation cream used for clear skin or those who suffer from blackheads.

You will need to use this microdermabrasion kit regularly to see results but if you do your skin will show the results.

Price range around $100.

ROSACEA - SOMETHING TO GO RED IN THE FACE ABOUT

Rosacea is a frustrating and difficult condition to deal with. No one chooses to have a face that looks flushed and red. Flushes start occasionally, then last for longer times and then most of the time the face looks red and flushed.

Remember Aunt Mary and her red face!! Rosacea tends to be genetic.

This is the cycle when Rosacea develops. Likewise when you are over 40 or 50 you don't expect to check the mirror every morning to see if your face is clear or if a pimple, lump or bump has come up overnight - especially when a big outing or event is looming. That is when you can guarantee they will be there. A bit of stress or excitement will do it every time.

The other affliction that tends to arise with Rosacea is visible capillaries or thread veins on the face.

We have a much longer description of Rosacea on a separate page so this is a shorter summary.

You can help the symptoms of Rosacea and the areas that need to be targeted are:

• Inflammation
• Hydration and Nourishment of skin
• Calming the skin
• Avoiding triggers like sun, wind, cold and some food and beverages
• Take nutritional supplements
• WATER - LOTS OF IT

Not everyone suffers from blemishes or visible capillaries, there are degrees and stages of Rosacea. The earlier you are aware of the problem, the better the chance of controlling symptoms so have a read of our Rosacea Treatment and Information article. There are many suggestions and a treatment plan for dealing with Rosacea.

I have this daily battle, although have more wins than losses through following the plan religiously.