DELICATE CARE FOR EYES

Smoothing Lines

The fine skin around  your eyes is the first to show signs of ageing, as well as dark circles and puffiness and it's no surprise wrinkles show up here first. The delicate skin around your eyes needs extra special care because it's thinner than the skin on the rest of your face, so it's less able to hold in moisture. There are also fewer oil glands in this area, which adds to the potential dryness, and there's no fatty layer underneath the skin to act as a shock absorber. The result is that this skin quickly loses its elasticity. The thinner skin around your eyes really can't absorb thick-textured creams, so your normal night or day cream will be too heavy (and could cause puffiness). Instead, invest in a separate eye product packed with anti-ageing vitamins, and only use a blob the size of a small pea for both eyes to avoid overload. For best results, use an eye cream or serum at night to prevent dehydration, and an eye cream or gel (preferably with an SPF) in the morning to stimulate circulation and reduce puffiness. Use your ring finger to pat gently onto the skin over crow's feet and around the eye contour, avoiding eyelids.

Remedies for getting rid of fine lines

- Herby almond gel to soften lines around the eyes: 

- 1 teaspoon aloe vera gel

- 1 teaspoon herbal tea (chamomile tea)

- 1 teaspoon ground almonds

Mix all the ingredients together. Use within three days. Smooth into the skin above and below your eyes half an hour before applying make-up, then rinse off with warm water.

- Cucumber cooler

- 7.5cm (3in) length cucumber

- 2 teaspoon aloe vera gel

Put the cucumber and aloe vera in a blender and liquidize. Use at once to moisten two cotton eye pads. Place one ever each closed eye and leave for fifteen to thirty minutes.

- Olive Oil

olive oil is very useful for deep moisturizing your skin. Take olive oil and slightly warm it. Then apply it under the eyes and gently massage with your index finger for a few minutes and leave it on. Light coating of olive oil can also be applied at night to keep the eyes skin smooth and wrinkles free.

- Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is an excellent remedy for wrinkles. Coconut oil has many skin's friendly nutrients as well as anti-oxidants that protect against the free radicals that damage skin and cause wrinkles and fine lines.Simply massage organic coconut oil into wrinkled skin until it absorbs completely and leave it on overnight. Do this remedy at night on daily basis to get effective result.

Dark Circles

Dark circles can happen at any age, but become more noticeable as skin thins and blood entering the vessels under your eyes shows through. The most common reason for dark circles is lack of sleep, although stress, a food intolerance (which can be triggered by stress) and smoking can also cause problems. And don't ignore genetics. If your mother has dark circles, you may well have inherited them too. The first line of defence is to drink plenty of water to flush out toxins, and cut down on alcohol and salty food. You can also try avoiding wheat and cow's milk, which are the most common food-intolerance triggers. Luckily, light-diffusing concealers work wonders at disguising dark circles. And application is foolproof if you bear in mind that less is more. Drop your chin and look up at yourself in a mirror so you can see the darkest area. This is where you need to apply a line of concealer, preferably with a fine brush. Then work quickly to blend over the entire dark area, being careful  not to overlap onto lighter skin- or your camouflage work will have a highlighting effect instead.

Remedies for getting rid of Dark Circles

- Tomato

Tomato is  a great solution for getting rid of dark circle, as it naturally helps to diminish the dark circles and also makes the skin soft and supple. All you need to do is mix one teaspoon of tomato juice with a teaspoon of lemon juice and apply it under your eyes. Let it remain for about 10 minutes and then, wash it off with water. Repeat this remedy at least twice a day. Drinking  tomato juice mixed with some lemon juice and mint leaves on daily basis can also help in getting rid of dark circles.

- Almonds

Almonds are packed with vitamin E and its oil is as an emollient which helps in making the skin supple. Just apply little almond oil on your dark circles and massage gently. Just leave it overnight and wash it next morning.

- Rose Water

Treating dark circles with rose water is also very effective remedy. Rose water not only rejuvenates skin and reduces dark circles but also has a soothing effect on tired eyes. Due to its mild astringent properties, it also works well as a skin toner.

- Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea bags are wonderful for treating dark circles and have proven to lighten the eye area dramatically! Soak two chamomile teabags in cold water for a while and place over your eyes for 10 minutes.

Puffy Eyes

Puffiness is caused by trapped fluid is the tissues under your eyes, and is usually worse in the morning as fluid collects overnight. Eyebags after a boozy night, out or a good cry are common, but if you suffer regularly you may have a food intolerance. Again, common triggers are wheat and cow's milk products (don't forget cheese and cottage cheese), plus citrus fruits, eggs and nuts. You should also cut down on salt, which increases water retention in all parts of the body. And beware hidden salt. You may be aware that pre-packaged foods are high in salt, but did you know that mass-produced breakfast cereals often contain more salt than a bag of crisps? puffy eyes can also be a sign of sensitivity, so it's worth switching brands you use daily to see if that makes a difference. And make sure you're not overloading your eyes with a too-rich cream.

NO-cost remedies for reducing puffiness

This is one of the most common beauty problems. These ideas can help:

- wrap an ice cube in clingfilm and hold it over the area for a few minutes, as this will stimulate blood vessels and help the flow of toxins. Stainless steel teaspoons kept in the fridge all night will also do the trick.

- Place slices of raw potato on closed eyes for five minutes. Strawberries and cucumber can also help.

- The tannic acid in black tea is great for reducing swelling. Soak two teabags in cold water and place over your eyes for 10 minutes.

- Tap the under-eye area lightly and quickly with your middle finger, moving from the inner corner outwards and back again.

HOW SMOKING IMPACTS ON YOUR SKIN

SMOKING

Smoking is a bad and unhealthy habit in which a person “inhales and exhales the smoke of the tobacco. People should not smoke because, obviously, it affects the smoker and also, it affects all the people that are around them. 

Do you know what happens to your skin when you smoke? 

We all know that the face of a 20-a-day smoker ages 14 years for every 10 years of smoking, which means a smoker in their 40s will often have as many wrinkles as a non-smoker in their 60s! 

Here's why:

- Smoking reduces the production of collagen by up to 40%. Ageing already reduces the amount of collagen we produce, and smoking just speeds up this process.

- The accumulated nicotine in your body deprives skin cells of vital oxygen, and smoking also reduces blood flow to the skin, robbing it of even more nutrients.

- When an organ is under attack (i.e. your lungs) your body diverts essential vitamins away from your skin to help.

- Smoking adversely affects the nerve endings in the skin, causing sensitivity.

- Smoking delays wound healing, including skin injuries and surgical wounds. It increases the risk of wound infection, graft or flap failure, death of tissue and blood clot formation.

- Smoking cigarettes doubles the risk of developing a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma, compared to non-smokers. There is also an increased risk of oral leukoplakia (pre-cancer) and oral cancer; 75% of cases of oral cancer and lip cancer occur in smokers. 

- Smoke has a drying effect on the skin, causing dehydration and eventually wrinkles. Add to this the squinting and puckering that goes on during smoking and you're creating even more lines, which will eventually become permanent.

- Smoking reduces the body's store of vitamin A (which protects against skin damage) and vitamin C (which protects against ageing free radicals). Giving up may be hard to do, but the benefits are almost instant. within eight hours, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your body are halved, and in just two weeks you'll see an obvious improvement in your skin's colour (no more dull, grey days) and texture. You know it makes sense.

STAY YOUNGER LONGER DIET

It's a great fact that eating a nutrient-packed diet is the easiest way to live a long, healthy life. The average woman in the UK lives to 79.9 years, but experts believe you can extend this by an impressive 10-15 years with the right nutrition. Luckily this doesn't mean avoiding jammy doughnuts forever. Food is one of life's pleasures, and not giving yourself treats would be a real shame. So if you have had a 'bad' day, don't worry. It's not the takeaway meal you had last night that determines your health, but the nutrient-rich meals you eat day in, day out.

Age-friendly Foods

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables:

The most anti-ageing foods you can eat are the ones that help mop up free radicals in your body. It's no surprise that they're mostly fresh fruit and vegetables. Try fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, oranges, red grapes, cherries, kiwi fruit, pink grapefruit, apples, tomatoes, and cantaloupe melons. Vegetable choices include steamed spinach, broccoli, beetroot, onion, corn, aubergine, green leafy vegetables, red bell peppers, sweet potato, Brussels sprouts and carrots.

Locally Grown Organic Foods:

Experts advise eating these as much as possible, as they provide more vitamins and minerals than non-organic foods.

Good-quality Protein:

Eat at least once a day. Best choices are organic chicken or fresh fish, and vegetarians can get their protein from soya-based foods plus kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, and eggs. Nuts (try almonds, cashews, Brazils and hazelnuts) and seeds (such as pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, hemp, and linseeds) are also a good source of protein and provide important essential fatty acids.

Raw Foods:

Eat more of these, which are high in nutrients and fibre. And experiment. A large proportion of our diet comes from just 19 foods, but the greater the variety of food you eat, the more nutrients you'll consume.

Water:

Don't wait until you're dehydrated to down a glass of water. The mechanism that makes you thirsty becomes less effective with age, so you may have to start drinking to feel like drinking more. Make an effort to drink at least four to six large glasses of water a day (about two litres), and your skin will feel softer by the end of it. And choose room temperature water as ice-cold chills your stomach, making it more difficult for you to absorb nutrients.

Age-Enemy Foods:

Sugar: This is not only very addictive, but also very ageing. It wreaks havoc with your digestive system and also destroys collagen production, causing premature ageing. Sugar is in most processed foods, not to mention fizzy drinks, crisps, cakes, biscuits and chocolates, which all contain large amounts. If you feel sleepy after a meal, chances are you're suffering a sugar overload. Cut down on processed TV dinners, canned foods and your intake of 'white' foods ( think bread, rice, pasta), as these are all highly processed and lacking in the goodness of their brown alternatives.

Alcohol: Alcohol extracts water from every cell in your body, causing dehydration and accelerated ageing. It also generates large amounts of ageing free radicals and strains your liver, causing a build-up of toxins that shows in your skin as wrinkles and broken blood vessels. Excessive alcohol can result in many health problems, from depression to fatigue. So avoid drinking it and make sure you eat foods that cleanse and support the liver, including broccoli, globe artichokes, cauliflower, beetroot, radishes and fennel. And drink dandelion-root tea, a great liver cleanser.  

MAKE-UP THAT SUITS YOUR AGE

                               

Daniel Sandler, make-up artist to Kristin Scott Thomas and  Joanna Lumley, says, 'Make-up should always be sheer, regardless of your age. Always be subtle with application and look for formulations that suit your skin. If you have not changed your base in 20 years, have a look at today's new formulation, which make a massive difference to your skin'.

HOW TO APPLY RIGHT MAKE-UP  ACCORDING TO THE AGE?  

20s

Foundation: There's no need to wear base unless you have an uneven skintone, and look for an oil-free liquid or stick formula with added SPF, as you've probably got slightly greasy skin. Use loose powder to set it in place.

Blusher: Powders and stains are longer-lasting than most creams, which can move around during the day.

Eyes: You can wear anything from glitters to shimmers to bold colour, so make the most of it while you can!

Lips and Nails: Wearing high-fashion colours means buying inexpensive brands. You'll be into something different in a few months, so splashing out really is a waste of money.

30s and 40s

Foundation: Skin is starting to look a little drier from sun and stress, so look for a liquid base that contains moisturizers and an SPF, but is still light in texture and invisible on the skin. Avoid using loose powder unless it's non-dehydrating, and steer clear of shimmery powders as they can settle in lines. You'll probably need a liquid concealer under your eyes (a light-reflecting one in a slightly yellowy tone is most flattering).

Blusher: You can still use powders, but beware going too brown in shade. Much more flattering is a pink or peach over the apples of your cheeks to give a healthy glow. You can also highlight cheekbones with with just a touch of shimmer.


Eyes: Apply a little foundation on lids to hide veins and help eyeshadows last and blend well. Avoid using glitter all over the lids- a dot at the centre is enough.

Lips: colour is a personal choice, but avoid shimmery shades as they are often dry in texture.

50s onwards

Foundation: Avoid oil-free formulations, as you need extra help with moisturizer now. Liquid or creamy formulations will flatter; they should also be light-reflecting, but not too shimmery. Steer clear of stick foundation, which tend to dry out your skin, and too much powder, which can look floury.

Blusher: Use long-lasting creams that won't budge, as powders will be too dry, making your skin look dull.

Eyes: Avoid dark, matte shades all over the lids and go for sheer delicates. If you want extra definition, use a soft liner pencil close to your lash line and smudge with a finger. You may have a few grey hairs in your brows, but don't over darken, as this just looks scary. Update your look with a flattering colour like lilac, which brightens the whites and makes the iris colour stand out. And definitely avoid glitter- you aren't your daughter!

Lips: Avoid too much gloss as it will run into creases, and don't use very dark shades as they will make your face look hard. If your lips aren't as plump as they used to be, line with a soft, neutral shade pencil, fill in with colour and use a dot of gloss just in the centre of your lower lips.

BLEACHING

  

 Bleaching body and facial hair doesn't take the hair away, but can make it appear less noticeable because it lightens the color of hair to a light shade of blonde. Result last anywhere from 2-6 weeks.It is the use of chemical substances to aim to lighten skin tone or complexion by decreasing the amount of melanin in the skin. Melanin is the pigment that gives the skin its colour. It helps to protect the skin from the damaging and harmful effects of sunlight, like sunburn, skin ageing and skin cancer.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The bleach is applied over hair and left on about 10 minutes, and takes out the pigment (color) of the hair- and then it's removed with cool water. While similar ingredients (like hydrogen peroxide) are used for bleaching hair on the head, the specific formulation used on the face and body is gentler.

THE PROS

It's fast, easy and without a lot of risks. Bleaching cream can be found at any drugstore fairly cheap, and you can bleach right in your own home. Large areas of hair can be bleached at the same time, with the entire process only taking minutes from start to finish. You don't risk a lot pain or getting ingrown hairs, since you aren't removing the hair follicle.

THE CONS

1. Bleaching facial and body hair doesn't give smooth and hairless surface. These are the main reasons people want to rid hair. Even though hair is lighter, it still may be noticeable, especially if you are standing in the sun or a bright room.

2. Not all hair or skin types can benefit. Don't count on bleaching disguising long or thick hair- only finer ones, like on the face or arms. Bleached hair on dark or tan skin can still stand out because of the color contrast (light hair against dark skin).

3. The result aren't very long-lived. The hair above the surface is the only part of the hair follicle that has been lightened. As the hair grows, you will see the darker, natural color.

4. It can temporarily lighten dark skin tones. The lighter skin tone can last for up to 3 days.

BLEACHING PRECAUTIONS

Only use bleach for facial or body hair. Don't use bleach for the hair on your head, it's much stronger than the formula that's used for the face and body.

-Test product first. Do patch test product first on arm and wait 24 hours before using on large are, because you could be allergic or very sensitive to the product. Even if you don't see any redness on your arm, you still need to precaution when using on facial skin- it's generally more delicate.

-Don't bleach where you shouldn't. Only use bleach on the outside of your body. Don't use near eyes, inside nose, ears, scar tissue, wart, and moles or near genitals. Bleach shouldn't be used over sunburned, irritated, inflamed or chapped skin, or an area that is freshly tweezed or shaved. It's simply not safe.

-Don't use on extremely exfoliated skin. Bleaching isn't safe to use on areas where you are using Retinal A, Alpha Hydroxy, or Glycolic Acid.

-Keep packaged product away from heat and sun. Store bleaching product in a cool, dry place.

-Metal and bleach don't mix. Don't use a metal dish to mix bleach or apply bleach using anything metal.

-Stay out of the sun. Keep bleached area out of direct sunlight for at least 24 hours.

HOW TO BLEACH

Bleaching should be okay if done carefully. There are no age restrictions on any hair removal methods. It may cause a little irritation, but not more than it would to adult skin.

- Clean area. Lightly wash skin with cool water and gentle soap. Don't exfoliate skin or use hot water, as this can open pores and make skin more sensitive to the bleach.

-Mix product as directed. Avoid changing the ratio of the cream and powder thinking the stronger, the better. Only mix it when you are ready to begin, so the product is potent.

-Apply product. Make sure the hair is completely covered and saturated, but do not rub into the skin.

-Check it. Remove bleach from a small portion of hair with cool water and see if it's lightened enough. If not, cover back small area of hair and keep bleach on another 5 minutes.

-Take bleach off. Using cool water remove all bleach and pat dry using a towel.

-Throw away any leftover bleach. Product that has been mixed cannot be saved.

-Allow it to work. Leave product on about 10 minutes or amount of time suggested by the manufacturer. If it starts to sting or burn, take it off immediately.

SIDE EFFECTS OF FACE BLEACH

All skin bleaching products contain one of the two active ingredients---hydroquinone and mercury.

Hydroquinone lightens the color of the skin areas to which is applied by killing off the melanin-making cells-the melanocyte. It is also the active ingredient in fade-off creams for freckles, age spots, etc.

Quinone

Mercury-based bleaching creams contain ammoniated mercury or mercrous chloride as a bleaching agent.

Some of these creams may contain up to more than 25% mercury that will be harmful to health. Thus resulting in mercury poisoning, especially chronic mercury poisoning, may result. Siblings of mercury-based cream users are also found to have mercury in their urine. These goes to show that second hand poisoning is possible.

Insights About Other Harmful Effects Of Skin Bleaching

Skin bleaching destroys black pigment found in epidermis (top layer of the skin). Exposure of the dermis layer, underneath the epidermis layer, to the harsh weather will increase the incidence of skin cancer. The dermis cannot compensate for the absence of the epidermis and coupled with the hot sun...one will get a higher risk of cancer. Thus we can see that despite having fairer skin as desired, skin bleaching is also damaging to our skin.