Friday, May 1, 2009

Skin Pigmentation

Are you worried and ashamed of your dark or pigmented skin? Many people suffer from the problem of skin pigmentation which in simple terms is excessive darkening or even loss of color in your overall skin or certain sections of it.

There are various causes of it, right from dietary inadequacies to some underlying medical condition. This article will bring to light the various causes of skin pigmentation.

Many of you might be troubled with a darker skin tone than normal. This can be a result of over production of melanin and this condition is medically termed as hyper pigmentation.

Along with excessive melanin production, hyper pigmentation can also be caused by over exposure to sun, during pregnancy and also due to Addison’s disease.

If over production of melanin and darkening of skin is a problem, then you also have skin pigmentation which is caused by lack of melanin production in the body.

This in turn leads to hypo pigmentation or extreme white and pale skin or patches of it. This problem is medically termed as Albinism.

There are also people who suffer from liver spots on skin which are a common result of skin damage by sun. Excessive sun exposure can also lead to various other skin problems like freckles.

Skin pigmentation can also be a result of some hormonal changes in the body and thus it has been found that many pregnant women suffer from different kinds of skin pigmentation.

If your skin is suddenly changing colors like becoming light pale or purplish, then it is an indicator of some underlying medical condition. For instance, people suffering from jaundice often display a pale and yellow skin while those having inadequate oxygen supply in their body tend to have a bluish or purplish color.

As mentioned above, there are various causes for skin pigmentation and you need to understand the cause of it to effectively treat it.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

How to Get Rid of Dark Circles Around Your Eyes

No one likes to be out in public with raccoon eyes. You need to see that these dark circles are more than skin discoloration. They can be bloated capillaries visible through the fragile eye skin. While there are a number of causes for the dark circles, you can prevent them. Here are a number of tips on how to get rid of dark circles: Applying these tips on how to get rid of dark circles will get you back to feeling young and confident again!

1. Avoid rubbing your eyes. However, it can be a challenge especially if your eyes are itchy or irritated. If you can do it, though, keep from rubbing your eyes. Rubbing will irritate your eyes more and bruise or break the small capillary vessels under the skin, and result into those unattractive dark circles.

2. Here’s one useful tip on how to get rid of dark circles: get lots of rest and sleep. If you’re always tired and you’re lacking sleep, your blood circulation slows down and your skin will start to pale. Poor blood flow makes those dark circles even more noticeable, and they are especially more noticeable on pale skin.

3. Start eating a healthy diet complemented with drinking lots of water. The dark circles may be because your body is lacking in nutrients and vitamins, so it’s best that you include plenty of vegetables and fruits in your diet.

4. Do you smoke? Here’s an effective way on how to get rid of dark circles: stop smoking. The habit can lead to vascular problems, making your blood vessels appear darker and bluer underneath the skin. Besides, nicotine can damage your skin and make it age more quickly. If you can kick the habit, we can pretty much promise you’ll struggle with dark circle issues less.

5. If the dark circles are because of allergies, know which allergens are causing them and make an effort to stay away from them. You can treat seasonal allergy problems like hay fever with over-the-counter drugs, or ask your doctor to give you a shot or prescribe some other medicine.

6. Start an eye skin care routine that includes using eye cream that has vitamin K and retinol. Dark circles may be suggestive of a deficiency of Vitamin K. Research studies reported significant improvements in the puffiness and discoloration of many patients that used skin creams with these two ingredients. You may need to use an eye cream every day and for a longer period if you want results. But, nevertheless, using an eye cream specifically designed with ingredients for dark circles under eyes, you’ll be able to see the difference in a few short weeks.

7. If the above tips on how to get rid of dark circles fail, you can disguise the dark circles with cosmetics. Apply a yellow or peach-tone concealer on the dark circles. Pink tones will only underscore the circles more. Make sure to dust your concealer with translucent powder.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

How to Deal with Dark Circles under Eyes

Has it ever happened to you that you live like a sober non-smoking exemplary girl and still have those scary dark circles under your eyes? We are going to tell you why this happens and how you can get rid of them.

What Causes Dark Circles under Eyes?

Medics shrug their shoulders saying that dark circles, as a rule, are not sings of illness, but a kind of physical characteristics like hair color or nose shape. Sometimes they may result from intoxication or chronic conditions like kidney disorders or cardiac insufficiency.

The mechanism behind dark circles is simple: the skin around the eyes is very thin and sensitive, it’s about 4 times thinner than the skin on the other parts of the face. When dark oxygen deprived blood congests in capillaries, it shows through the skin.
Fair-skinned people may have dark circles under the eyes since early childhood.

Dark circles and baggy eyelids can also be caused by thinning of the membrane between eyelids skin and subcutaneous fat. This membrane tends to grow thinner with age. If you have naturally thick membrane, this process is hardly noticeable, but if it is initially thin, you’ll see the change in your skin color there.

Among other causes of dark circles are:

* chronic overfatigue, sleep deprivation, stresses;
* alcohol drinking (alcohol sucks moisture out of tissues);
* long hours in front of the monitor;
* poor diet and sedentary lifestyle;
* lack of moisture in the skin around the eyes;
* allergy to mascara or cosmetics.

Below are several remedies that might help.
Sage Compress

Steep a tablespoonful of sage in a half glass of boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain and divide in half. One half should cool down, the other should be hot. Dip cotton balls alternatively into hot and cold mixtures and apply to your eyes. Finish with the cold compress. After the procedure, apply cream to your eyelids. Repeat the procedure every other day during a month, then take a break.
Icy Mask

Cold compresses are good to stimulate blood circulation in the skin around the eyes. Wrap ice in a plastic bag and cover with gauze. Apply it under the eyes for a few minutes.
Cottage Cheese Compress

Wrap a dessertspoonful of cottage cheese in gauze and put it on the eyelids for 10 minutes. Cottage cheese helps to reduce swellings, bleaches and nourishes the skin.
Cosmetics against Circles under Eyes

When compresses fail, it’s time to learn how to disguise. First apply eyelids cream and then concealer or foundation. Make sure it is two tones lighter than the foundation you use for the makeup. Don’t go over dark circles with your concealers or foundation to even out the overall tone.