Natural Skin Care Guide

While there is no cure for cold sores (fever blisters) there are medications and remedies that can be useful in their treatment and management. There are several medications available to treat cold sores. Some are used topically and others are taken orally. Different types of over-the-counter cold sore medications are also available. Some common cold sore home remedies also provide relief from cold sores. Cold sores are best treated as early as possible. Starting a medication when prodromal symptoms such as burning, tingling, or redness start gives the best chance of keeping the cold sores from developing or shortening their course.

Cold Sore Treatment
The first outbreak of any herpes simplex infection is worse than recurrent infections. A first outbreak of oral herpes should be treated with oral medications, while recurrences can be treated with topical medications.
Prescription drugs for Cold sores.

There are prescription drugs (Rx) for the treatment of cold sores. The currently FDA-approved prescription anti-viral

Cold sore remedies

drugs are known as nucleosides act by offering the herpes virus a defective nucleoside building block (“fake DNA”). The nucleoside drugs (acyclovir and drugs based on acyclovir such as Zovirax, Valtrex, Denavir, Famvir, etc.) act by interfering with viral replication. Many people found these drugs helpful in decreasing the incidence, duration and severity of lesions as well as decrease asymptomatic viral shedding. However, the effectiveness of these drugs in treating the virus is not universal.

The effectiveness of these oral nucleosides drugs in killing the virus is not conclusive. The most widely used medication is Acyclovir which is commonly known as Valtrex (tablet form) and Zovirax, the topical cream, which is applied directly to the lesion. A second generation hybrid drug of Acyclovir is Valacyclovir. Valacyclovir achieves higher blood levels, while Famvir, another anti-viral agent is more rapidly absorbed into the cells and persists longer. The superiority over acyclovir at this time is inconclusive. These are suppressive drugs and are taken prophylactically to prevent viral shedding and outbreaks. Suppression therapy, taking medication every day to prevent outbreaks, is not yet FDA-approved.

Over-the-counter medications for cold sores.
Many over-the-counter (OTC) cold sore medications are primarily palliative in nature intended to relieve the symptoms of cold sores such as pain, itching, and burning. Other OTC products help to develop an environment which restrains the continued development of the cold sore lesion or help to promote its healing. A third category of OTC medications possesses properties that directly hinder the herpes virus’ ability to form a cold sore.
Home remedies for cold sores.

Though none of the remedies listed below have been scientifically proven to cure or shorten the duration of cold sores. Still many people do feel that they find them to be beneficial.

Apply ice to cold sores.
Ice has twofold benefit. Applying ice (for five to ten minutes each hour) during the tingle stage will lower the temperature of the tissue where the cold sore is forming. This temperature reduction will reduce the area’s metabolic rate and will interrupt the cold sore’s development. Secondly, intermittent application of ice to a cold sore can act as a numbing agent and therefore lessen its pain and itching.

Apply a tea bag to the infected area
Tea contains tannic acid which has antiviral properties. Placing a tea bag on a cold sore when it first begins to form can possibly help iing minimize the extent to which the lesion would have developed. The moistened tea bag (regular black tea like that used to brew ice tea) should be placed on the area where the cold sore is forming for a few minutes every hour.

Moisturise the sore area with petroleum balm
Moisturizing agents such as petroleum jelly can be applied to cold sore scabs. This will moisturize, soften and to prevent them from cracking and bleeding.

Nutritional supplements.
It is suggested that taking l-lysine supplements, an amino acid, can reduce the number of outbreaks of cold sores that a person experiences. This fact, however, has not been conclusively proven by medical research. Lysine supplements should only be taken in response to a recommendation by a health care professional.
Herbal remedies.

Herbal antiseptics Sage and Tea Tree Oil and the herbal sedative Violet has been suggested as a treatment for cold sores. Since, herbal treatments must be used appropriately; therefore it should only be used in response to a recommendation by a health care professional.

Preventing cold sores.
Practicing a few common sense things will help you to minimize the number of cold sores you get.
• Exposure to bright sunlight can trigger cold sores so, when outside you should shield your face from the sun with a hat. Additionally, use a lip balm that contains a sun screen having an SPF value of 15 or greater.
• Injury to the lips can trigger cold sores. Minimize the potential for lip damage associated with chapping by applying a moisturizing lip balm.
• The cold sore virus (HSV-1) is very sensitive to soap and warm water. If you have a lesion, the best way to help prevent spread of the virus is frequent hand washing with soap and warm water.
• A soft, bland diet is recommended to avoid irritation and allow the ulcers to heal.
• To prevent infecting others, kissing and intimate contact should be avoided while any symptoms of an active cold sore lesion are present.
• Please remember that all stages of cold sore formation should be considered to be contagious. So to avoid spreading the herpes virus (either to other people or other parts of your own body), after applying any medication or treatment to a cold sore you should always wash your hands.

Here are some common skin problems faced by men with their solutions:

Burning sensation, red and bumpy skin after shaving

Skin often burns, get red and bumpy after shaving to avoid these, shave using a glycerin or aloevera based gel or shaving cream which has a soothing effect on your facial skin. For best results apply the gel or shaving cream on your beard. First shave with the grains then if required shave against it and finally finish with a good moisturiser or an after shaving lotion.

Dark Circles under eyes

Dark circle treatment

Dark circles under eyes are nothing but broken blood cells. The cause of dark circles may be hereditary, booze, smoking, caffeinated drinks. It can also result from iron deficiency. Some cosmetic creams promise to reduce the dark circles but they might give you puffiness around your eyes.

Trying these methods will definitely help in reducing dark circles.
* Proper sleep keeps dark circles at bay.At least 8 hours sleep is must for an adult to keep the body and mind fit.
* Drink plenty of fluids at least 2 liters of water a day to keep the skin smooth and supple.
* Eat healthy nutritional diet. The diet should include dairy products, green vegetables, fruits and food rich in iron.
* Potato juice has bleaching agents in it, so you can take potato juice out and apply it on your skin. Soak cotton balls in the juice, keep them on your eyes for at least 20 minutes while having rest.
* Grated cucumber juice is very useful for dark circles. You can apply it on the eyes the same way you apply potato juice.
* Tea water reduces the puffiness and dark circles of the eyes and rejuvenates the eyes by refreshing them. Boil tea in water and strain the leaves, refrigerate this water in the freeze to make ice cubes and keep these ice cubes on the eyes in a cotton cloth for 20 minutes.
* Always wear sunglasses while going out in sun and apply sunscreen lotion on the skin around the eyes.
* Mix a teaspoonful of milk powder with honey and apply this paste on the dark circles. It helps in reducing the dark circles.

Black Heads
Black head are caused when natural oil from the skin collects and hardens inside the pores. The oil clogs the pore, and mixes with the toxins trying to escape from the skin and combined create glue inside of your pore. This glue hides underneath a black oxidised tip that is exposed and pops out just above the surface of the skin. This black tip is known as a blackhead.

Cleansers are useful in preventing blackheads by washing away oil, dirt, and dead skin cells that cause black heads before they start. Some cleansers help to wash away blackheads if the pore is open enough and the blackhead is close to the surface. Blackhead strips are adhesive strips that are placed over the nose, moistened, and pulled off after they dry. Blackhead strips remove blackheads that are close to the surface but they cannot remove them all. Black head guns are technologically advanced devise which uses sucken to sucks out the black head from the pores.

Try out some natural solutions to remove these black heads.
* Make a paste out of water and crushed fenu greek leaves. leave them for 10 – 15 minutes on the black heads then rinse with warm water. Repeat this every night for best result.
* Mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda with 3 tablespoons of water. Rub this solution on affected skin for a few minutes, and rinse with warm water for effective blackhead extraction.
* Warm some honey and place it on trouble areas for 10 – 15 minutes. Then rinse off.
Finally, often drinking alchoholic beverages takes away the moisture out of your skin making you look dull and sallow. To maintain the healthy glow of the skin one must follow the daily skincare regime of cleansing, toning and moisturising. Use a facial scrub or exfoliate to keep off the dead skin making your face look radiant.

Getting an acne free clear skin is no longer a mystery.  Acne can be prevented using self-care and nutrition. Here we will go over some ways of curing acne naturally.
The first step in achieving an acne free skin is to cleanse your skin gently. Now this seems obvious but frequent and abrasive washing can increase dryness in skin and aggravate existing acne. So unless you exercise do not wash your face more than twice a day. Always wash using a mild cleanser and then pat dry with a towel.
Don’t pop your pimple because whenever you do squeezing,  your skin can pushes bacteria further deep into your skin causing even more breakouts so, resists the urge and do not touch your skin.
Always use non-comedogenic products for your skin. This type of products is specially formulated for acne prone skin they will not clog your pores and will not lead to more acne. They are also well labelled so you won’t have any problem in finding them
Avoid too much of acne medication. More is not better when it comes to topical medication. Most over the counter medicines contains active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Over the years of use of these medicines can make your skin too dry and irritated which can worsen acne.
Eating a healthy diet is essential to achieve an acne free skin. It’s a fact that eating a high glycemic diet is not only bad for your waist line but also bad for your skin. Diet rich in complex carbohydrate and grain nutrients can restore the natural balance in your body and can control the amount of acne outbreaks you have. If it is hard to stick to a strict diet then take in a supplement that has the right amount of herbs and nutrients can be effective solutions in treating skin problems including acne.
Finally, we can prevent acme outbreaks by limiting the exposure to sun, reducing stress etc.
Some effective home remedies for treating acne.
* Place the ice cube on the acne scar for a couple of minutes. The acne scar will fade away for some time. This trick works best when you need to go out for a party.
* Green tea is a great skin care remedy which works both internally and externally. Drink green tea. Any product with green tea is helpful for skin.
* Apply lemon juice on your acne scar with cotton ball. Leave on 10-15 minutes and rinse off with water.
* A great natural face mask that you can make at home to get rid of scars. Mix 1 table spoon sour cream, 1 table spoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon oat meal and a couple of drops of lemon juice together and place the mask on your acne scars or entire face and then leave it for 10-15 minutes then wash off.
* Applying ground nutmeg blend with milk helps in opening up the pores thereby cleaning up the dirt.
* Honey and cinnamon paste also helps to get rid of acnes as honey traps the dirt and the pastes washes it
* Ground radish seeds with water to eliminate the stubborn black heads
* Applying the garlic juice on the pimples leave no blemish on the face
* Lime juice and mint juice eliminates pimples, skin infections and eczema.
* Fenugreek leaves paste improve skin health and helps to remove wrinkles, blackheads and pimples
* Paste of fruits and vegetables like papaya and cucumber improves the health of the skin and blocks breakout.
* Make a paste of baking soda and water. Then smear the paste on your face or where the acne has occurred. Leave the solution for an hour or so then rinse it off.
These simple tips will be helpful in reducing the skin problems resulting from acne.

Winter is a wonderful time of the year – holidays, warm fires, crisp air and fresh fallen snow. But the colder temperature and lower humidity affect the condition of your skin. Winter often brings with it drier skin with itchiness, chapped lips and cracked heels. Dry skin is a very common skin problem and is often worse during the winter when environmental humidity is low. It can occur at all ages and in people with or without other skin problems. Here we will discuss the causes of dry skin and how to treat and prevent this problem. We hope the readers will find it useful.

What causes dryness in skin?
The skin is made up of several layers of cells and thousands of oil glands. The oil that the glands produce prevents skin from losing moisture and makes it supple and soft. These natural skin oils keep the water inside our body from escaping into the air and also keep irritating substances and germs from entering the body. But our skin constantly loses moisture into the air. Every time we wash our skin, much of the oil is striped away, letting evaporation of moisture and resultant drying of the skin. However, in humid conditions, the skin can replenish itself by absorbing moisture from the air. So, when the humidity drops, as it does in many places in the winter, our skin loses another opportunity to moisturise itself. The condition of the skin becomes worse with the low humidity of indoor heating, hotter showers and baths. Again too much soapy water, exposure to harsh chemicals, the normal aging process and certain types of skin diseases are some of the causes of decreased amounts of protective skin oils. As the stratum corneum (outer layer of the skin) dries out it shrinks and, as it shrinks, small cracks can occur. This exposes the underlying living cells to irritating substances and germs in the environment.

But we can combat these winter woes by following these simple tips.
Its cold outside. Low temperature, low humidity and harsh wind can work havoc on your skin. Then what to do? It is very important to follow good daily skin care routine to continue looking great throughout the winter. Here they are.

Sunscreen a must
Contrary to popular belief the sun is most brutal during winter. So it is advisable to use sunscreen lotion with better SPF, generally SPF 15 works good brfore heading out. A better and convenient suggestion is to use foundation or moisturizer with an in-built sunscreen everyday.

No harsh soap
Use luke warm water for shower and for washing hands, hard water depletes the skin off moistures and stick with soap free hydrating cleansers.

Lather lotions
The skin on our hands is thinner than in other areas of our body, so it needs extra protection and care. Make sure that after washing your hands you dry them thoroughly and use a good hand cream. Wearing gloves outdoors will also protect them and keep your skin soft. Apply some hand lotions before wearing gloves or some other protective covering. For foot protection apply thick foot cream on your heels and soles.

Lip balm for lips
Do not forget your lip has very few oil glands so they need extra protection. Here is a simple trick, apply a little petroleum jelly and brush them in a circular motion with a toothbrush to exfoliate and leave them soft and supple. Always use a lip balm.

Fluids
Drink lot of water as it hydrates your skin and keeps skin cells plump and healthy

Exfoliate
It’s a great idea to exfoliate your skin weekly on weekly or biweekly basis to remove dead cells and prevent the skin from looking dull.

Use humidifier
Other tips are sleep with a humidifier in the room with doors closed to lock in moisture.

Now you are ready to face the winter.

What is Acne?

Acne is an inflammatory eruption that appears usually on the face and neck. It’s a common skin condition occurs when pores become clogged with dead skin cells and oil causing pimples.

What causes acne?

Acne is not caused by any type of food not even chocolates or french-fries and avoiding these will not clear your acne. It is not caused because of not washing your face. Those things can only aggravate acne but it is not the cause of acne. It is actually genetic and governed by hormones. So, there are certain times in life where we see sort of an adolescent blip of acne. That adolescent blip of acne is something very common in males. Women generally start getting acne from couple of years before their period starts until couple of years their period ends. So it’s not an age specific disease in women.

Types of Ace

If you know the type of acne you are developing in your body it will be easier to treat. Acne a common skin condition comes in several varieties. The type your body depends on where the acne forms and how your body reacts to it. Here is a rundown that will help you to understand and treat the unwelcome blemish.ComedonsThe least severe and most common forms of acne are called comedons. Comedons include both black heads and white heads and usually crop up on the face targeting the nose in particular. Black heads occurs when pores become clogged with oil, dead skin cells, minute hair and bacteria. Black head has an engorged opening that hides below the surface. White heads are similar to black heads except the pores opening is much narrower.  White heads stays the whitish tint of the oil and skin cells inside the blemish.Pustules When we talk about red, inflamed pimples with white heads most of us refer to the pustules. These collections have dead skins, bacteria and oil pushed their way through the skin creating a dome shaped whitish blemish. Nodules and cystsMost severe forms of acne are nodule and cists. They are most significantly more painful than other types. Since they are often found together dermatologists call them nodulocystic acme. Nodule is the inflammation of the hair follicles that penetrates deep inside the skin. Nodules are firm to touch. Cysts like postules are formed of oil, bacteria and dead skins but they are much larger than common pimples they go deeper into the skin and are generally more inflamed. Because they penetrate so deeply inside the skin nodulocystic are more likely to leave scars and are also harder to treat. They usually require a dermatologists and their aid and prescriptions. No matter what type of blemish you have you enquire more than patience to get rid of it. There is a wide range of over- the-counter medication to treat the four gamut of acme classification. Since acme comes in so many different forms so it is good to know what your skin is to treat acme effectively. Remember to see a dermatologist if your acne is particularly painful leaves its scar or resists treatment.

Why do they leave scars?

Acne results from clogging of the hair follicles and which when infected by bacteria, become pus-filled lesion. Acne blemishes usually disappear with time but occasionally one would leave a scar in its place. Let’s look at the ways in which scars can form. When blemish appears body’s white blood cells rush to the side to repair tissues and fight infection. The scar can form as a part of the healing process. Scarring can also follow a bout of severe acne. More intense form of blemishes penetrate deep into the skin therefore are more likely to leave behind scars. A common type of acne scar is actually caused by the loss of tissue these scars are characterized by depressions in the skin tissues. Access collagen can also cause scarring when the body needs to heal a blemish it forms new layers of collagen, a protein found in connective tissues .When access collagen is produced to compensate, the skin transform into a hypertrophic scar a smooth mark raised above the skin surface.

Treatment for ace scar

Your cosmetic treatment options depend upon the type and severity of scarring as well as your current skin condition.

Injections

One way to improve the condition of the scar is injection. A dermatologist can inject collagen into a depressed scar filling up the hollow areas. In this cases the cosmetic benefits are temporary and won’t more than 6 months. A dermatologist can also inject corticosteroid into a hypertrophic scar to flatten and  soften the raised area.

Laser 

Another technique is laser treatment reduces redness and evens out scar tissues. The results are permanent but can be tough to achieve. Laser treatments are expensive and can require prolonged visits.

Skin surgery

In severe cases skin surgery can be useful to remove scar tissues or to elevate it. Another effective treatment for removing acne scars is dermabrasion. This procedure uses a high speed brush to remove surface skin eradicating the superficial scar and reducing the appearance of the deeper ones. If Acne has left you with embarrassing marks there are plenty of options available for you to remove acne marks. However it is always easier to prevent scar than to treat them so try not to touch the blemishes and talk to your doctor if the acne is severe.