Five ways to avoid acne

Acne is a bane. These skin imperfections often leave us under-confident and with lower self-esteem. Reasons for their origination may vary from genetic to hormonal to constipation – the pimple-problem is encountered by each of us at some point of our lives. Anyways, every time a pimple pops up, it totally ruins your day – especially if it's right before a big date! Don’t panic,
Tone Down: Toning is a must if you want get rid of acne from roots. This closes open pores of your skin making break-outs less prone. Prepare an effective homemade toner – boil few leaves of pudina (mint leaves) in two glasses of water and drain when half of it evaporates. Cool it, store in refrigerator and use after every face wash.
Bye Blackheads: Yes, saying no to blackheads is very important in order to prevent break-outs; as they occur when former have an encounter with oil and dirt. Therefore, indulging into a thorough blackhead removal session at a good salon through professional hands regularly will make your skin less prone to pimples and acne – making way for a healthy skin.
‘Treat’wise: But if you are someone looking for a fast and forever solution for curing for acne problem, you may opt for Clinical Skin Treatments such as Ozone or Laser therapies available nowadays. These treatments heal the skin from within by acting as antiseptic and therefore preventing their further formation. Laser also helps in regeneration of a problem-free, new skin.
Hygiene First: But, before you go all gaga over the issue; try some self-curing by keeping all that comes/touches to your skin clean and fresh. For this, use clean brushes and sponges; and discard every old cosmetic product before it expires. This will save your skins – by preventing acne from spreading all over your face.
Extra check: Zits are often the outcome of dandruff. Therefore, keep your dandruff in check by using dandruff controlling shampoo or consult a doctor if the problem persists. Also, it is advisable to stay away from oily food and drink at least 10-12 glasses of water a day. Water consumption will keep constipation at bay – and hence, acne too!

Your dermatologist’s guide to body odour!

I am sure nobody wants to smell nasty or wants to have body odour. Although it just happens somehow causing us shame, discomfort and stress because of its unpredictability and recurrence.
Yet few know what causes it. But worry not,
What causes body odour?
Body odour is caused by two primary factors. The first component is sweat! Perspiration is a vital process that your body uses to maintain your body’s equilibrium. It regulates your temperature and helps maintain proper homeostasis. There are two types of sweat glands – the first is eccrine sweat glands, which are found all over the body. They make salt and water when your body is overheated. The other types of sweat glands are the apocrine glands, which are found in hairy areas such as the groin and armpits. They are attached to the follicles and act in reaction to hormones or stress. These glands give off a more waxy and fatty material that is full of cell debris.
The second factor is bacteria! Bacteria thrive on the apocrine glands’ emissions, and multiply in response to their activity. They break down the cell debris and fat and create amino acids, resulting in that characteristic and frustrating odour. Ever notice that babies don’t smell? That is because they have not developed their apocrine glands yet! And, in kids before puberty, hormones have not activated those glands so they also tend not to smell either!
How do you prevent body odour?
The most important prevention method is:
Proper hygiene: Keep the area clean and wash it daily with soap and water. Remember to bathe after exercising as well, or that accumulated sweat will become even more food for those smelly bacteria.
Second, wear cotton clothes: Cotton fibers allow moisture to evaporate from the skin so that sweat is not stuck around. Letting the areas breathe is very important!
Third, avoid those spicy foods: Garlic, curry or other spices can change the smell of your sweat, so avoid them for a better fragrance!
Finally, don’t forget to shave: Hair traps sweat, allowing bacteria to proliferate. If you do not remove the hair regularly, then you will continue to have your frustrating body odour.
How do you treat it?
Now, even after doing all the recommended prevention techniques, many still have that noxious smell. Not to worry, there are many treatment options for body odour!
Wear deodourant or an antiperspirant: Deodourants make the area more acidic, thereby creating an environment where bacteria cannot grow! These deos are perfectly safe to wear on a daily basis, but look for those without fragrance in them. Antiperspirants act by reducing the amount of sweat produced. These also can be used safely and are better used by those who tend to sweat more than normal amounts.
Consider reducing your sweat: Botulinum toxin is a safe method for reducing the amount that you perspire. The patient is given some injections of botulinum toxin in the armpits - the toxin blocks the signals from the brain to the sweat glands, resulting in less sweating in the targeted area. One treatment can last from two to eight months. This is a popular treatment amongst the celebrities for the red carpet!
Radiofrequency: Radiofrequency can also act naturally reduce the amount you sweat. Look for an accredited skin doctor who understands how to use this new technology.
See a dermatologist: You may have an underlying fungal infection or hormonal condition that is not allowing your odour to go away. Make sure you go to a proper skin specialist who can determine if you have any problem that is making your odour occur!

9 Pretty Simple Pimple Home Remedies

I’m not going to spend a lot of time typing between these, but I do want to note – many of these are remedies for a single, terrifying pimple and shouldn’t be used over your whole face. They should also not be used to excess (more than once or twice a day), or you’ll end up with some dry patches. Everything in moderation, lovelies.
Also, let it be known that these are not ranked by my personal favorites. They’re ranked by the order in which I edited the pictures. It made sense to me.

Now that I’ve told you these aren’t ranked in order of my favorites, I will tell you that #1 is my favorite. But I also like to combine it with #7 (lavender or tea tree essential oil). Without fail, making a tiny clay mask with a bit of water and a drop of one of those essential oils treats my beastly pimple overnight. And if it’s not gone overnight, it’s gone within two or three days.
Kinda magic.
Also? Redmond clay is my new favorite clay. Just in case you’re not sure what kind to buy. Any bentonite or cosmetic clay would work just fine and dandy, though.

While I don’t think you should go using apple cider vinegar undiluted over your entire face, swabbing a bit of it on a raging zit is a different story. Again, don’t go crazy and continuously treat any part of your skin with undiluted ACV. Just once or twice a day on a single blemish is plenty.
Don’t rinse it off, unless you really feel like you need to.

This one comes as no surprise, right?
Fresh lemon juice is best, but if you have to use bottled, that’ll do. Just please remember that lemon juice makes your skin photosensitive (meaning, the sun could do some damage), so don’t go out into the daylight with lemon juice all over your face.
This is a great treatment to do at night. Because there’s no sun. At night. As far as I know.

Now here’s a brand spankin’ new idea. Mustard on a pimple.
See, mustard contains natural salicylic acid, which I’m sure you’ve heard does wonders for pimples and acne. But mustard also has plenty of vitamin C, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, and zinc, all of which are great for your skin.
For an extra treat, instead of using bottled mustard, add about 1/8 of a tsp mustard powder to 1 tsp unfiltered honey and stir well. Use this as a tiny little pimple mask. Wash it off after about 15 minutes.

Ah. Another one of my all-time favorites. You can also use these ice cubes as a cooling, antiinflammatory treatment for days when you have puffy eyes. Sooooo soothing.
I like to freeze the green tea leaves in with the ice cubes, but you don’t have to do that if you prefer not to. It does make for messier thawing.
Also, did you know that hot water freezes faster than cold water? True story. So don’t be afraid to pop your strong green tea into the freezer (in ice cube trays) while it’s still steamy. And keep a few of these ice cubes around at all times – you never know when one might come in handy!

Tomatoes. They’re astringent and superbly high in antioxidants. There are even stories dotting the internet of how tomato facial masks have helped heal acne scars (I don’t know anything about this first hand, though, so grain of salt).
If you have an unsightly eruption and an extra tomato handy, cut it open and rub some of the juice on the offensive area once or twice a day. (Again, a reminder, while it may be okay to use straight tomato juice all OVER your face once a week or so, excessive use could cause some icky dryness, so stick to just treating your single pimples with this idea. Otherwise, dilute, dilute, dilute. And use sparingly.)

Generally, I don’t think you should use undiluted essential oils on your skin. But common thought is that both lavender and tea tree essential oils are okay to use “neat,” if they are used rarely (otherwise, you could end up with an itchy reaction) and only to address a specific problem.
Translated: Don’t go rubbing essential oils, without diluting them, all over your skin. But a drop of lavender or tea tree on an uncomfortably large pimple might be all the pimple remedy you’ll need.
For the record, I do use straight lavender or tea tree on blemishes every so often, and they do work extremely well. (Caveat, of course, is that not everything works for everyone the same way …)

I have to be honest here, this one is not my favorite. Mainly because you don’t want to waste an entire egg just to put a dab or three of the egg white on your face.
So, here’s my official recommendation: If you find yourself making eggs and you happen to have a few pimples, swipe your fingertip inside the egg shell to pick up some of the gooey white (after you’ve poured out your egg for what you’re cooking) and dab that on the affected areas.
You can leave this on for as long as you’d like. Boost the treatment by dabbing on lemon juice first, letting that dry, and then covering it with the egg white.

Now, now. Don’t turn your nose up at this idea.
Just because garlic’s stinky doesn’t mean it’s not fantastalastically packed with antimicrobial and healing properties.
Smush a little bit of garlic juice on your pimple and leave it on as long as you’d like. Just stay over there while you do it. No need to come any closer … really …