Taking Care of Problem Skin

Acne is caused by factors including hormonal changes, certain medications, and the use of certain products.

Here are skin-care suggestions to help reduce acne, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

Wash your face once or twice a day with a gentle, mild soap or cleanser that won't dry the skin. Always wash your face after sweating or exercising, but don't wash excessively or more than a few times a day.
Wash your hair with shampoo each day, particularly if you have oily hair.
Keep oily hair pulled back and away from your face.
Don't touch your face with your hands or fingers.
Don't pick at, scratch or pop any blemishes, as this can cause infection and scarring.
Avoid any makeup or face creams that are greasy or oily.

Soothing a Sunburn

A bad burn from too much fun in the sun can be very uncomfortable and painful.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions on how to soothe sunburned skin:
Take a cool shower or bath, or apply cool compresses on burned areas. Putting baking soda in the bathwater also can help soothe sunburn.
Keep your skin moist with lotion.
Apply aloe vera gel, as it can help cool the skin and relieve pain.
Adults can take an over-the-counter pain reliever, like aspirin or ibuprofen. Aspirin should never be given to children.

All about Birthmarks

Birthmarks are darkened patches of skin that appear at birth or shortly after. While most birthmarks are harmless, some may be associated with serious complications.

Massachusetts General Hospital lists these common types of birthmarks, and any associated risks:

Cafe-au-lait spots are a light tan color. More than three of these on the body could indicate a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis, which causes skin tumors.
Strawberry hemangiomas are common, reddish in color and are rarely related to health problems.

Cavernous hemangiomas are puffy, bluish in color and occur beneath the skin. Because they can indicate vascular problems, consult your physician.

Macular stains are very light, pink or tan-colored birthmarks that are very common and harmless.

Moles are small dark brown or black spots that are very common. While these patches of pigmented skin cells rarely cause problems, they should be watched for changes in size or shape.

Port-wine stains are pink, red or purple colored patches of skin that are permanent. While they pose little health risk, they are often treated to minimize their appearance.

How to treat psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic condition that causes red, scaly, itchy patches on the skin.

While there is no cure, psoriasis can be controlled with these common treatments, listed by the National Psoriasis Foundation:

Topical ointments and creams, including salicylic acid and topical steroids.
Lotions, bath solutions and other nonprescription topical preparations to help soothe symptoms and reduce scaliness.
Light therapy, including UVB and lasers.
Prescription systemic medications, a term used to describe drugs that affect the entire body. These drugs are usually reserved for people with moderate-to-severe cases.

Benefits of antioxidants on your health

There are so many benefits to antioxidants. Not only do most antioxidant rich foods taste great, they are also fantastic for your insides and outside. Just a few of the benefit of antioxidants are their anti-aging properties, their skin clearing abilities and of course, the possibility they can help prevent and repair cancer damaged cells.

Antioxidants keep you looking younger for longer
Nobody wants to look old. I am adamant about staying young looking for as long as I can, and I believe that by soaking up the benefits of antioxidants, I won't be getting any wrinkles when I hit 40, or even 50! It is scientific fact that antioxidants will preserve your youth, and that in itself is reason enough to ensure you are eating the foods required to maintain the antioxidant levels required to keep you looking young.

Antioxidants clear your skin
This is one benefit of antioxidants I can personally vouch for - since I began consuming antioxidant rich foods on a regular basis, my horrible blotchy, acne prone skin has transformed into a glowing, clear complexion. And I put it down to just several foods which I have been consciously eating on a daily basis - berries, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes and wholemeal breads.

Since antioxidants fight free radicals (cell damaging agents), it is only natural that their benefits will show through on your skin. Try it; I will be amazed if after a few months of eating an antioxidant rich det that your skin appearance hasn't improved ten fold!

Antioxidants and cancer
There are continual tests and studies going on in the scientific world to see just what effect, if any, antioxidants have on preventing and fighting cancer.

There is no doubt that antioxidants have some effect on the cells in the body - and it is these cells which can become cancerous. So is there a link between antioxidants and cancer prevention?

Well, if you eat antioxidant rich foods regularly, these antioxidants will reduce the free radicals in your body. Free radicals damage cells and cell walls as well as the genetic material inside your cells! For this reason, nutritionists recommend an antioxidant rich diet - looking after your cells has to go some way in fighting cancer formation.

As you can see, there are so many benefits of antioxidants that every person on earth should be consuming at least ONE food per day that is antioxidant rich. Your body will thank you for it in years to come!