Cigarette smoking is not just damaging for our lungs, it’s ruinous for our skin as well. If you are a smoker, there are many reasons why you should cut down on your cigarettes intake or give up smoking totally.

Smoking depletes your body of Vitamin C, which is a key ingredient for keeping skin plump and moist, resulting in drying skin.

But the thing is, you don’t have to be a smoker to suffer from ’smoker’s skin’: passive smoking causes dry skin and premature ageing in all of us. (Passive Smoking is a term used to describe the effects of tobacco smoke on people who don’t smoke but spend time with smokers.)

According to the a “Lab Report” by Clinique Laboratories, they concluded that prolonged passive smoking results in a dry, uneven, yellowish, craggy look – generally known as ‘Smoker’s Skin.’

Smoking triggers oxidations. Whenever toxic substances come into contact with the skin’s surface, it penetrates the outer barrier and starts to unleash oxygen-based free radicals, which attack the skin cells.

Tips For Passive Smoker

So what can you do as a passive smoker?

Well, here are four easy tips to create a smoke-free environment for yourself – be free from dangers of cigarette smoking.

Remove ashtrays. Create a smoke-free working environment.

Put “No Smoking” signs. Use stickers or signs in your work area to ask smokers to refrain from their habit around you. Non Smoking Section. Patronize restaurants or areas with designated non smoking areas.

Tell them. If someone near you lights up a cigarette, it isn’t wrong to ask them to put it away. Just be polite and tell them, “Excuse me, your smoke is coming my way. Could I ask you to please not smoke?” is all that’s needed. Most smokers will gladly comply.

Whether you are a smoker or not, start taking action to save your skin don’t let the bad effects or dangers of cigarette smoking destroy your skin.

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Do you want to reduce those brown skin spots found on your dry skin? Also commonly known as age spots, sun spots or liver spots, the medical terms for this skin ailment is lentigos and seborrhoeic keratoses.

Appearance of brown spots are usually due to the sensitivity of the skin to chemical substances such as perfumes and lotions. Heredity can be another cause of it as well. To remove brown spots, there are several options available to you.

Laser Treatment

Fraxel cosmetic treatment has emerged as one of the forefront hi-tech anti aging skin treatment to correct skin flaws like brown skin spots. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved this treatment safe for use on human skin.

Fraxel promises to correct and treat all forms of skin pigmentation, age lines and stretch marks, beside brown spots. In contrast to other traditional laser method, Fraxel laser treatment treats pinpointed areas on the skin.

This technology creates microns in our skin to stimulate collagen rejuvenation, very effective against skin blotchiness, sunspots, and fine lines. Fraxel treatment are safe and there are no scarring or pain.

Cost of Fraxel

Fraxel is not cheap though. Be prepared to fork out at least about $1,500 – $2,000 per session. Visible results can be seen after the first treatment, though full effects are observed after a few months.

Natural Skin Care

Before resorting to costly procedures like Fraxel, one of the best ways to reduce or eliminate brown age spots is to use a quality anti aging skin care product.  You can look for natural ingredients that contains contains Extra-pone nut grass. This natural ingredient can lighten those age spots on your skin by as much as 40%. By reducing the melanin in your body, you will find yourself with clearer and brighter looking skin.

Other ingredients I would recommend you to try includes Cynergy TK and Shea butter. These are proven ingredients that can do a lot of good for your skin. And if you are interested to know which skin care product I uses personally to remove brown skin spots, then visit Xtend-Life website for more information now.

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Ultraviolet Rays

First, here’s a quick science lesson on UV rays. Do you know there are actually three main types of ultraviolet (UV) rays? These UV rays are sub-divided into the following:

a. Ultraviolet A (UVA) – Least dangerous part of the wavelength.

b. Ultraviolet B (UVB) – Less dangerous compared to UVC

c. Ultraviolet C (UVC) – Most dangerous. Filtered out of the sunlight in the ozone layer

Skin Disorders

The most common type of damaged skin from UV rays is dry flaky skin. This mostly occurs when the skin is only slightly overexposed to ultraviolet radiation. The other most common but serious disease that can be caused by ultraviolet radiation is melanoma, a type of skin cancer.

Melanoma

To the naked eye, melanoma tumors have the same appearance as moles, if they have any color. Only a physical test on a suspected melanoma can actually determine if it is melanoma.

Untreated, the melanoma often spreads to the lymph nodes, and as it progresses, works its way to vital organs such as the lungs, liver and even the brain. Early treatment of melanoma involves removing the tumors while they are still relatively shallow in the skin.

Once the melanoma begins to spread, traditional anti-cancer methods are often used to treat the condition. The lighter a person’s skin is, the more susceptible it is to all kinds of ultraviolet damage.

Protect Your Skin

The easiest method to prevent damaged skin from uv rays is simply to stay out of the sun for extended periods of time, especially during the peak hours of sunlight.

While it is recommended that a person put on some form of sun block products when being outdoors for more than hours during the prime sunlight hours of noon to three in the afternoon, very few people really do this.

Always follow the directions for whatever brand of sunscreen you choose to use, and limit your exposure to sun to prevent any damaged skin as a result of UV rays. For more practical sun skin care tips, see sunburn relief.

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There are many factors that can lead to dry hair, and the top few most commons ones are as follows:

a. Allergic to hair products and excessive washing.

b. Over exposure to sun and chlorine water in swimming pools.

c. Lacking of essential hair nutrients such as omega-3 essential fatty acids.

d. Thyroid hormone imbalance in the body.

When your hair lacks the necessary oil and moisture it needs, your hair will over time, grows to become more brittle and dull. To help you deal with your hair despair, here are some very useful dry hair remedy and tips you should take note:

Shampoo

You need to eliminate use of any strong-action shampoo. The strong chemical ingredients contained in these hair-preparations solutions can makes your scalp and hair more brittle and reduce the oil in your scalp, which can cause your more dry hair problems.

Frequency of Wash

Cut down on the number of times you shampoo as well – two or three times a week is usually sufficient. Frequent washing will disrupt your scalp’s natural oils, and that’s not advisable when it comes to quality hair care.

Chemically treated hair

Avoid coloring or perm your hair. The chemical and dyes used by the hair salons may be unsuitable for your scalp.

Hair Masks

a. Hair masks can be an effective way to moisturize your hair. For dry, damaged hair, moisture can be effectively locked in if used regularly.

Homemade dry hair recipe

Try your own homemade dry hair remedy. You can try to rinse your hair in chamomile tea to condition your hair. Calendula and parsley can also be a great home remedy for any dry frizzy hair. Another good remedy is to oil your hair weekly with coconut oil mixed with fresh lime juice.

If after trying out this dry hair remedy and your condition persist, it’s advisable for you to visit your dermatologist as soon as possible.

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Remember, we use our hands for so many things throughout the day. It is therefore important and necessary to upkeep your hands in their best condition.

Dry skin on the hands can result in cracks. This can be very painful for you if you suffered from this type of dry skin problems. If you want bring relief to your hands, then try these self-help advices.

1. Get a hand lotion. Look for lotions that contains alpha hydroxy acids as it’s good for exfoliating excess dead skin cells.

2. Use petroleum jelly. Use lightweight cotton gloves, cover your hands with these jellies, and leave them overnight.

3. Limit the water exposure for your hands. Too much water can make your dry hands difficult to heal.

4. Try to use heavy moisturizing hand creams to help seal the moisture into the skin.

Sometimes, the weather plays a part too. During the winter, you will find your hands getting frostbites and dry scaling skin appearing. It is quite irritating and you could be trying to “peel” the skin off. Try not to do it.

Chances are, with dry hands, there will be some flakes and dropping of dead skin cells. Always avoid the urge to try to scratch the skin off from you hands. Instead, get a proper hand scrub to do the job if you find dead flaky skin cells bothering you a lot.

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In fact, doctors have an unpronounceable name for such itchy skin condition – lichen simplex chronicus.

Try these safe and sensible ways to relief or soothe your skin from those itchiness.

Soothing the Skin

First step in soothing the dry itchy skin is to add moisture to the air so that it doesn’t dry out the skin. Using a humidifier in your bedroom will give your skin a fighting chance against those itching dryness.

The purpose of a moisturizer is not to add oil, but to trap the moisture (water) after it is already there.

The moisturizer can be any lotion or oil that will seal the water into your dry itchy skin so that it can’t dehydrate again as easily. As far as possible, look for moisturizer or ointment that have some natural ingredients as it’s usually less irritating to your skin.

One of these so-called ingredients is zinc. It’s a natural ingredient which has been found highly beneficial for the skin. One useful nature of zinc is that it protects against infection from bacteria, microbes, and fungus.

Stop The Itch!

MSM is a health food supplement that is usually taken by mouth for arthritis. When it is added to an ointment, it adds moisture to the skin and acts to stop the itch.

Sometimes you can find a medicine or moisturizer for the itching skin packaged in a spray bottle. This is a nice way to apply the medicine to parts of the body you can’t easily reach. It’s also soothing because you don’t have to rub the raw irritated skin with anything.

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When our saliva gland does not function properly, symptoms such as bad breath, infections of the mouth, teeth deterioration and other problems can surface. So make sure you take the necessary steps to seek help immediately. Here are some tips on how you can combat against dry mouth.

Gums

Try chewing sugar-free gum. This can help to promote more saliva production by your salivary glands. Suitable for both adults and young children.

Diet

Consume fiber! Try to include more green leafy vegetables and fruits in your diet. The vitamins and minerals from foods can help you to combat dry mouth.

Water

Drink more water. Increase the intake of water can help to stimulate our salivary gland, so try to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.

Medications

Take medications. Pilocarpine and cevimeline are two common medications but they are for very severe cases.

Herbs

Brew Chinese herbs like phiopogois and pinelliae tuber together. Herbal remedies like this can help to improve your salivary glands performance.

Acupuncture

Try traditional acupuncture. This traditional Chinese method can help your blood to circulate and help to improve your salivation.

Alcohol

Watch the alcohol. Alcohol is not only bad for the body, but the mouth as well. Alcohol is very drying and reducing the intake is important.

Mouth Wash

Avoid mouthwash with alcohol ingredients in them. Read the labels.

Caffeine

Steer away from coffee or other caffeine concentrated beverages.

Humidity

Install a humidifier in your living area to improve the low humidity. This can reduce oral dryness that happens during the night.

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Causes of Skin Rashes

Many things can lead to a person to have dry rashly skin. Certain materials or substances can easily cause your skin to flare up. But some of the common causes for your skin to develop rashes include the followings:

1. Plastic products chemicals
2. Inferior clothing dyes
3. Unsuitable skin care products
4. Bad weather environment

As a matter of fact, it is not easy to pinpoint an exact cause as to why you have dry rash skin. For example if you have eczema or psoriasis, it’s almost a certainty that you will show signs of skin rashes appearing in the affected areas too. Other skin diseases like chicken pox, shingles and even insect bites can similarly cause your skin to appear red and scaly.

Recently skin experts have indicated that factors such as diet and nutrition, age, stress level and personal hygiene can play a large part to the way your skin turns out as well. If you are suffering from diseases like Rheumatoid arthritis or Kawasaki disease, chances are, skin rashes will appear.

How To Manage Dry Skin Rashes

There are several methods and ways to treat your dry skin rash specifically. However, you need to know the primary cause for it first. For the majority of us who does not know why skin rashes develop, the following self-help tips will help.

1. Avoid chemical products that can be harsh to your skin.
2. Instead of soaps, try use non-irritating cleansers instead.
3. Use lukewarm water, not hot water for your bath.
4. Test any new cosmetics at a small part of your hand before the full course.
5. Do not bandage any skin rashes. Let it dry in the air.
6. Buy calamine lotions to treat small skin rashes areas. It has a cooling effect that can be helpful to dry up the affected areas.

You can use hydrocortisone cream to help control your dry rash skin. Such over-the-counter creams can help you to relieve your rashes. No prescription is required. Beside cream and lotions, there are also natural plants like aloe vera and shea butter that you can make use of to cure your skin irritations.

Just apply some aloe vera or shea butter to your rashes twice a day. Allow time for the plants extracts to work on your skin and healed up your skin cracks. You should see some results after a week or so.

However, if your skin condition does not improve after a period of time, it’s advisable for you to book an appointment with your dermatologist to seek proper medication assistance.

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Are you troubled your dry skin around eyes areas? Many young people are getting and experiencing dry skin around the eyes more often these days. Want to know why?

If this sounds like you – constant late nights, improper nutrition and having much stress – then you know why the skin around your eyes are starting to protest. Of course, our normal aging is a major factor why this could happen. But a lot of it, like poor nutrition and lesser sleep are the usual reasons why dry and wrinkled looking skin starts to appear.

The skins around our eyes areas are always especially thin. Skin cells at this area contain fewer oil glands. This makes the eye skin especially sensitive and vulnerable.

If you have just discovered that you have dry skin near your eyes, then you need to quickly carry out some remedy to prevent it from worsening. There is quite a lot you can do to help protect your and keep the skin area around your eyes healthy and radiant looking.

Moisturizing products that are meant for other areas of the body, even for the face may not be suitable for the dry skin around eyes. Therefore, pick only an appropriate eye gel or eye moisturizer that is specially designed for the eye area– just to pamper the skin there.

Both petroleum jelly and propolis can be used around the eyes.

Propolis is a dark sticky substance made by bees. It’s very rich with vitamins and contains antibacterial properties. It is effective for both men and women of all ages.

Lanolin is the substance in wool which makes it waterproof and it’s a very rich moisturizer by itself. Lanolin can help treat any dry skin appearing around the eyes zone. With regular use, it can provide more supple to the skin. You find that any fine lines at the area will also start to soften and withdraw.

It’s important to remember that our eyes is one of the first things people sees us, so skin care for dry skin around eyes should never neglected. Hence, always try to keep the eye area clear and beautiful.

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These main causes of dry, itching skin could be due to varying reasons such as medication side effects, improper nutrition or smoking.

Other possible causes could include the following:

Sebaceous Glands

People usually prone to dry, itchy skin have sebaceous glands (the glands that excrete oil) that do not work properly, so the skin runs short on these secretions. These secretions are called sebum. So, if you have a dry skin sebum , that could be your main dry skin causes.

Hypothyroidism

If a doctor diagnoses you with an under active thyroid (a gland located in the neck, which are responsible for regulating the metabolic rate) called hypothyroidism, it could be another possible cause of your itchy skin. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones.

Diabetes

For those with diabetes, the body has to remove extra sugar from the blood. This process uses up the water in your body, causing your skin to dry out. Keeping your sugar level steady is the first step in overcoming any dry and itching skin associated with diabetes.

Skin Ailments

Skin ailments such as dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and seborrhea can also be the leading causes of itchy dry skin as well.Sometimes, the actual dry skin causes may not be so obvious. In such cases, it’s best to speak to your dermatologist to find out more.

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