A usually harmless condition, hyperpigmentation is caused when the body produces an excess of melanin. The dark patches it leaves on the skin are usually referred to as ‘age spots’, ‘sun spots’ or ‘liver spots’.

Wearing sun-cream is vitally important to prevent deposits of the brown pigment that usually forms normal skin colour developing into these dark patches. Hyperpigmentation can occur at any time in life, for example following acne, during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, as part of the ageing process or if you have been a sun worshipper in the past.

Every skin type can be affected by hyperpigmentation, but darker skin is particularly susceptible to it, especially if exposed to the sun for a prolonged amount of time.

What are the causes?

Here are a few things that may cause hyperpigmentation:

• Sun damage
• Inflammation
• Skin injuries
• Acne
• Hormonal changes
• Skin lightening

What are the treatments?

There are some simple, everyday changes you can make in order to prevent hyperpigmentation. An overproduction of colour can be improved just by keeping out of the sun or at least minimising the amount of time spent in it. Always wear a sun-cream if you must go out in it though.

Another lifestyle change you can easily apply is to exfoliate. The simple task of removing dead skin cells on the top layer of your skin has shown some improvement in a number of people.

However, most people even after employing these lifestyle changes still find that they require skin care products to help reduce the appearance of dark spots. These vary from hydroquinone, alpha hydroxyy acids and Retin-A to name but a few.

Lumixyl Topical Brightening Creme contains a synthetic peptide which is non-toxic and therefore won’t irritate the skin but will help fade moderate to mild levels of hyper-pigmentation. This is the type of product which will help to treat sun or age spots, without causing irritation to the skin.

Photodamage or hyperpigmentation as a result of using prescription drugs or relating to a disease can also be treated with this product as it is gentle enough to be applied morning and night yet has extremely effective results. This is because it is based on naturally occurring peptides and therefore doesn’t cause the irritation which can occur with use of hydroquinone or Retin-A.

Lumixyl Topical Brightening Crème must be used with a sunscreen of a minimum of SPF30 however.

Lumixyl products also contain moisturising properties to the skin, which therefore help to improve its overall appearance thanks to a list of ingredients which provide a host of benefits. The moisturising effects can help to hydrate skin and protect against fine lines and wrinkles, brighten dull skin, help dry skin and rejuvenate skin to keep it looking younger.

Advanced Treatments:

In some cases, laser treatment, hydroquinone or Retin-A, among others, will be suitable for treating hyperpigmentation. They reduce melanin in the same way as Lumixyl. The first point of action in treating the condition, however, should be to find out the cause and then try a gentle yet effective treatment such as Lumixyl before deciding on a more advanced treatment if necessary.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It’s increasingly clear that natural skin care – indeed, reducing the number of chemicals we use, both in our food or on our faces – is the most healthy & sustainable lifestyle that any of us can choose. But it can feel tough to make the transition. The natural approach still has a reputation for being messier, less efficient.

It is a lifestyle change, for sure. Natural beauty is about more than switching ingredients & slapping avocado pulp on your face once a week. Drinking more water really does improve my complexion. After I quit smoking, I stopped looking exhausted & grey within a fortnight. If I fall off my healthy eating wagon & spend a few days snarfling cheese, caffeine & sugar, my skin quickly tells me to stop – by getting sore, flakey & oily within 48 hours.

Once you’ve taken care of yourself naturally for a while, though, you begin to recognise that it’s far easier to stay healthy than it is to constantly compensate for self-neglect with endless product experiments & an ever more complicated beauty regime. Don’t roll your eyes – I still go out & party. But your body reacts much more elastically to a night of gin & tonic (or whatever) if you’re filling it with water & veg the rest of the week, & not forcing it to process unnecessary toxins that don’t actually feel much fun at all, if you’re completely honest with yourself.

You also start to notice that the healthier your routine, the fewer blemishes you get. It’s tougher if you’ve any sort of scarring (although even that will benefit from constant rehydration, plenty of vitamins & using products that don’t make it worse by drying your skin or blocking your pores) but for many people, this healthy new complexion brings greater confidence & requires less foundation. This means less frequent scrubbing & cleansing, giving your skin the chance to stay balanced & take care of itself for longer.

Some products will still be necessary, of course, especially if you enjoy dressing up & wearing makeup, but it’s increasingly easy to find decent, affordable skincare cleanser & moisturiser with natural ingredients. When you need a deeper cleanse, it’s actually good fun & really easy to knock a facemask together from kitchen ingredients.

My favourite recipe is:

Oats, banana, yoghurt & honey facemask

which I use once or twice a month. My pores are immediately smaller & my skin feels fresh & healthy straight afterwards. The next day, I usually get a couple of whiteheads where any pimples or infections were brewing.

For one average-sized face, use:

2 teaspoons of porridge oats

Quarter of a ripe banana

2 teaspoons of natural yoghurt

1 teaspoon of runny honey

Stir them together gently to form a smooth paste with ingredients evenly distributed throughout.

Tie your hair back! You don’t have to wash your face first, but it works best if you do. Don’t moisturise, & you definitely shouldn’t be wearing makeup for this.

Smooth the mixture over your face & relax until it’s nearly dry, but not tight or crispy.

NB: the oaty bits can sometimes fall off while the mask is drying. They wash out of fabric, but getting them off soft furnishings can be tedious.

When it’s time to remove the mask, soak a face cloth in warm water & just hold it against your face to soften the mixture, which can then be wiped gently away without over-scrubbing your skin.

Oats reduce inflammation, soothe dry itchy skin & are completely hypoallergenic.

Bananas are packed with minerals & antioxidants, & also reduces inflammation.

Yoghurt contains lactic acids & enzymes that smooth & soothe the skin.

Honey is anti-bacterial, moisturising & great at absorbing impurities from the skin.

You can use any combination of these ingredients as a facemask.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

They are at times between 2 and 10 centimeters in diameter. The color of the lesions are at first a uniform red then the center will begin to clear often leaving  what people mistake for ring worm which is a fungal infection.

Eczema is a general name for rashes and lesions on the skin. Nummular eczema is close in relation to atopic dermatitis, stasis dermatitis and asteatotic eczema. If these types of lesions become irritated to a further extent, they will open then crust over making it that much more agonizing.

Nummular eczema is most commonly found on the legs, torso, hands and arms and much more common with men than women. Men ages 55 to 65 see it most often while in women it is most common between 15 and 25. It is equal for all races and affects one in 500.

There is no cure for nummular eczema therefore there are limitations to what can be done and that is limited to just treating the discomfort. If there has been a weakened immune system that parents have passed down nummular eczema or any other eczema could lie dormant until a simple scrap, insect bite or poison ivy bring it out.

The best thing is to keep the areas that are most affected moist with ointments, creams, bath oils or lotions. If you bath more than once a day that could make things worse and it is best to pat or air dry. Lanoline and wool should be avoided and if symptoms worsen because of weepy or infection there are topical antibiotics that can help.

Severe outbreaks can require oral corticosteroids to be prescribed to help. There are a number of alternative medicines that have done much more than drug companies and doctors have done for the sufferer. Fatty 3 acids and herbal tonics are known to have cleared up eczema.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

How do you know if you have varicose veins? Fortunately, it’s one of the easier medical conditions to diagnose. Many of us will even share memories of seeing and hearing a grandparent complaining about their symptoms while massaging the bluish ‘ropes’ on the sides or backs of their legs. Varicose veins symptoms can include such things as swollen legs, cramps and a feeling of heaviness or tiredness in the affected limbs. Visually, the affected veins often stand out as bulging or distorted, and almost always have the distinctive slightly bluish coloration that distinguishes arteries from veins as the blood heads back to the lungs for infusion with fresh oxygen.

Are they dangerous? Is surgical varicose veins treatment always called for? In most cases varicose veins are more of a cosmetic concern, particularly among women, than a serious medical problem. You should not simply assume their innocence, though. In particular, if you experience bleeding or sores, or if the veins suddenly become more swollen and painful than normal, you should see your doctor. If the doctor recommends treatment that includes surgery, rest assured that new medical techniques, including such things as using radio waves to eliminate the unsightly veins with a minimum of destruction to other tissue, will ensure that the experience will not be traumatic.

No-one enjoys being in a hospital. No matter how small the procedure, having to stay in an unfamiliar bed and have one’s sleep disturbed by strange sounds and nurses making their rounds is an experience we all prefer to avoid. As a result you might tend to delay treatments that could improve the quality of your life or even safeguard your health.

In the past a patient under care for varicose veins might well have needed at least a single overnight stay and been somewhat disabled for several days at home. The new technologies ensure that many post-surgical patients can now walk home the very day of treatment and sleep well that night in their own warm and comfortable beds.

Varicose veins treatment has never been simpler or safer. If you have been concerned about the condition but have been hesitant to seek treatment, discuss the new approaches with your doctor. With the proper care, you’ll be able to put worries about the appearance and the health effects of this condition safely in your past, and do so without worry that you’ll be incapacitated after treatment.

Having smooth, pain-free legs has never been simpler or safer.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Conceived by patient for patients, World Psoriasis Day is a global event to raise awareness about psoriasis and gives an international voice to more than 125 million people around the world who suffers from psoriasis.  Since 2003 the primary purpose of World Psoriasis Day is to act as a focus for people – patients, doctors, nurses and the general public – to raise awareness of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and to give people with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis the attention and consideration they deserve. World Psoriasis Day is also a channel to encourage health authorities to offer better access to the most appropriate treatments.

Read more at  www.worldpsoriasisday.com

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The herpes cold sore virus can be picked up from one simple kiss with an infected person, which is why over 30 million people in the UK carry the virus.

For many, once they get the virus, they experience regular outbreaks of cold sores, sometimes as often as once a month and especially during the summer as the sun itself is a major trigger. Some people feel so self-conscious about their cold sores that during an outbreak they feel unable to socialise or be intimate with partners.

Liquorice Balm helps reduce such regular outbreaks. Unlike conventional treatments, due to its naturally derived ingredients, suffers can wear the lip balm at all times, meaning that the intensity of the cold sore outbreaks could be diminished before they really have a chance to take hold.

The key cold sore fighting ingredient in liquorice is glycyrrhizic acid (GA). GA specifically targets the genes that are required to maintain the virus in its latent state by interfering with the production of special proteins that feed the infected cells. Recent research published in the US Journal of Clinical Investigation has shown that liquorice actually has the ability, in some cases, to eradicate the cold sore virus which lies dormant in between outbreaks.

Liquorice Balm can be rubbed into lips as often as necessary and not only does it help reduce cold sore outbreaks and their intentsity, it is also a nourishing balm that helps keep lips well-conditioned and smelling candy-shop sweet.

Liquorice Balm costs £10.99 for 30g call: 0844 7009975 or visit www.skinshop.co.uk

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

That’s good news for the UK’s 1 in 5 children (aged 2-15yrs) and 1 in 12 adults who suffer from this irritating skin condition. Available from UK distributor www.anhealth.co.uk, DermaTherapy is the first specialist bed linen to receive clearance from the American Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as a Class I Medical Device for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

During the eight week trial, patients slept on DermaTherapy bedding instead of their usual cotton bedding. The only medication used by the patients was an emollient applied as needed during the day and evening. Both the doctors conducting the trial and the patients recorded changes in the severity of the eczema and overall quality of life. Using EASI scores (Eczema Area and Severity Index) the doctors found that DermaTherapy users experienced a significant reduction in the severity of eczema and the associated itching during the course of the trial The patients also recorded significant reduction in itch and irritation plus an improvement in sleep , leading to an improved quality of life.

Dr Rupert Mason, GP and dermatology clinician at the Bedford District General Hospital says: “Symptoms of atopic dermatitis can range from just one small patch of dry itchy skin to widespread involvement with acutely infected weeping and cracked areas. For chronic sufferers this can lead to low self-esteem, behavioural problems in the young and a generally impaired quality of life.  The treatment invariably requires a range of therapeutic modalities that may include the liberal use of emollients, minimizing contact with irritants, taking antihistamines to reduce itch, using corticosteroid creams to reduce inflammation and antibiotics to counteract infection.”

“Sleep can often prove difficult and eczema can worsen overnight particularly if the skin becomes too warm and moist, or is irritated by fibres in the night clothes and bedding that are in contact with the skin over the prolonged time spent in bed. The subject of appropriate bed linen for eczema sufferers is one that has been neglected in the past. We just used to presume that cotton was best. So a seriously researched therapeutic innovation such as DermaTherapy supported by evidence of efficacy is particularly welcome. ”

How does DermaTherapy Work?

DermaTherapy is made from uniquely structured, long filament fibres that dissipate heat and moisture away from the skin, resulting in a cleaner, drier and smoother sleeping surface that minimizes friction to the skin.

The linen also has a durable antimicrobial permanently bonded into the fabric to eliminate odours and maintain fabric freshness. In addition, when washed in a normal wash cycle a soil release finish helps remove oils, creams, blood and other stains from the bedding making it especially suitable for those people undergoing medication for dermatological conditions.

Considerably smoother , lighter and thinner than cotton, these special sheets are as soft as the highest percentile Egyptian cotton sheets and feel equally luxurious to touch. Dermatherapy also has an average pore size of just 8.5 microns to help protect against dust mites faeces which is known to be an aggravating factor of eczema. In contrast to cotton, the antimicrobial shield bonded into DermaTherapy protects the fabric from the proliferation of micro-organisms that could adversely affect skin integrity.

DermaTherapy can withstand washing temperatures of up to 90oC but can be laundered just as efficiently at 30oC, helping you to do your bit for the environment and reduce CO2 emissions.

DermaTherapy bedding is available in a wide range of sizes priced from £28.95 for a pair of pillow cases to fitted and flat sheets costing from: single £49.95, double £64.95, king £69.95 and cot £39.95. Buy from www.anhealth.co.uk or call 0844 567 9374.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.