Fun Facts : Skin Care Regimens : Encyclopedia

Introduction

Imagine, if you dare, this nightmarish scenario:

You frantically bolt out of bed and hurl your buzzing alarm clock at the door--just in time to hit your father in the head as he enters the room to make sure you’re up. Late again!!! What’s that you say? This is only the first time this has happened all week? Yeah, nevermind the fact that it’s Monday ("Just another Manic Monday...whoa...whoa"). Wait--isn’t this Class Pictures Day?! You abandon your father in a broken heap on the floor with a bump the size of a golf ball throbbing in the middle of his forehead and streak to the bathroom in your fuzzy bunny slippers. You take one blasted look in the mirror and are overcome by a mixture of terror and rage. No, that’s not a giant red light bulb at the end of your nose (You should be so lucky! A light bulb would have been less shiny!) but the mother of all zits, the blemish to end all blemishes, the pimple that would launch a thousand cities and devour them all in one foul swoop (huh?). "Cruel fate why do you haunt me!" you shriek...and you’re still screaming as you return from this episode of the Twilight Zone. Scary, isn’t it? Your body is changing in many frightening and exciting ways and just when you’d like to keep the change as quiet as possible, take cover under a rock, or skip the planet ("Beam Me Up, Spotty!") leave it to your face to proudly shout to the whole world (via zits) that you are, in fact, becoming an adult. Well... your face no longer has to look like a Pizza Paradise masterpiece or a game of connect the dots. Here’s all the info that you need to get a complexion that would make the Gerber baby’s behind green with envy--or at least green with something else...but that’s another story for another web page.

Fun Facts

Attention all Jeopardy contestants: Did you know that your skin is the largest organ of your body? There are nerve endings all over your skin that send messages to your brain. These nerve endings are responsible for your sense of touch. Your skin protects your organs and keeps you from flashing your kidneys around. Your skin also keeps your body from going into meltdown by regulating your internal temperature. You perspirate to cool down. There are two main layers to your skin: the epidermis (the outer, thinner layers of skin) and the dermis (the inner, thicker layers of skin). Nails and toenails sprout out of your epidermis while hair follicles, nerve endings and glands have their roots in the dermis.

"Mummy, dearest..." Did you know that vials of zit cream were found in King Tut’s tomb?

DON’T LET YOUR FACE BE MISTAKEN FOR A HALLOWEEN MASK

• Chocolate is not a four letter word: there is no scientific proof whatsoever that chocolate makes your skin break out. The same goes for greasy foods like fries and uh... pizza. If you tend to break out after eating a certain food, then don’t eat it anymore. Sorry to pop your zit...uh....bubble dermatologists say that toothpaste and calamine lotion have no proven effect on spots. But you don’t have to take our word for it.
• In the words of Nancy Kerrigan: "Why, Why, WHY?!" As if hormones and genes weren’t enough, your skin is constantly battling with pollutants in the air. The dreaded S’s--Stress, Sleeplessness, Smoking, Sweat, and Sunshine--wreak havoc on what could otherwise be a glowing complexion.
• Believe it or not, SUNSHINE DOES NOT CLEAR UP ZITS!!! The sun can signal your sebaceous glands to kick up the oil production--and the Crisco complexion is nice if you want to bake cheese on your face. The sun can also do the exact opposite: dry out your skin so much that the sebaceous glands go into overtime trying to make up for the moisture loss. Sunburns can also cause existing blemishes to leave behind dark scars. So before you head outside, MAKE A NONCOMEDOGENIC, OIL-FREE SUNSCREEN WITH AT LEAST AN SPF OF 15 THE ICING ON YOUR BIRTHDAY SUIT AND REMEMBER THAT SUN-WORSHIPERS SACRAFICE AT THE ALTAR OF THE PLASTIC SURGEON. In the beginning, there was Blonde in a Bottle. Now we have Tan in a Bottle. There’s no reason you should be causing yourself unnecessary and possibly permanent skin damage by basking in the sun without protection or using tanning beds!!! If you are using any kind of acne medication (oral or topical) check with your dermatologist before catching any rays because the main ingredient in your medication could make your skin more sun-sensitive. You could wind up with some serious burns. Retin-A users beware.
• Have you hugged your dermatologist today? If you have tried absolutely everything from toothpaste to dancing naked under a full moon with an armadillo on your head and you are still plagued by frequent breakouts after six to eight weeks or have underground critters that won’t go away, don’t be shy--SEE A DERMATOLOGIST!!! They can prescribe stronger topical medications or oral antibiotics and answer any questions that you may have (it’s what they are there for!). Accutane, Retin-A, and AHA are star performers. So don’t be a stranger (you probably couldn’t get any stranger if you tried)
• To Pop or not to Pop: THAT is the Question: Your psychic friends, fairy godmothers, and talking dogs may have warned you that popping zits will lead to scarring and like gray hairs will result in ten more, but the truth is that sometimes relieving the pressure and releasing the buildup of a pimple will help it go away faster. If you can see the pus under the surface (that yucky white or yellowish stuff) and the zit has passed the "I can feel it under the surface!" stage, go ahead and pop the little sucker. REMEMBER TO WASH YOUR HANDS FIRST AND TO CLEAN UP AFTER WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND A DAB OF ZIT GEL OR SOMETHING!! BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERSQUEEZE--THAT WILL LEAD TO SCARRING. IF YOUR ZIT IS STILL TOO DEEP AND NOT OF THE POPPY VARIETY, LEAVE IT ALONE. If you don’t follow our advice, you could wind up with an infection and a cabbage patch of zits instead of one. When it’s still subterranean, (hasn’t come up for air yet, but you can definitely feel it under the surface...YEOWW!!), or if you’re still leery about popping it and fulfilling your family’s ancient evil curse, you can take a washcloth and soak it in water as hot as you can stand. Smother the pimple with this for at least one minute and definitely no more than five. Then slather on some jelly zit goop or cream. There are many zit medicines out on the market--some of them even come flesh toned so that you can cover up your tracks and leave nary a trace of evidence when you go in for the kill.
• If one of your parents had acne, there’s a good chance that you’ll have acne, too. There are many kids who experience acne, though, whose parents had glowing complexions. It’s just the dumb luck of the draw, I guess.
• You want to wash your face at least twice a day and take a shower and wash your face after you exercise to avoid acne (face or other) brought on by sweat. The key to a great complexion lies in keeping your skin clean and hydrated. You don’t want to go overboard and be squeaky clean, though. Overcleansing, overexfoliating, and using too many medicated products can zap moisture and the irritation that this brings on will only make matters worse.
• Drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, exercising, keeping your skin clean, and getting a good-night’s sleep will do wonders for your complexion.
• Keep your hands off your face during the day!! Resting your chin or forehead in your greasy, grimy palms or rubbing your face when you’re stressing out or nervous will only make your face more dirty and oily. Beware of the telephone mouthpiece, unless you’re going for the "chin as mountain range" motif.

Skin Care Regimens

All females: Don’t use any more products in your skin-care routine than are absolutely necessary. Choose cleansers formulated for your skin type. Never go to bed with makeup on--especially waterproof mascara. Great skin goes with everything! Try not to use scented facial products. If you are FEMALE and have...

• Nnormal Skin: Your skin is normal if it feels comfortable shortly after washing (approximately fifteen minutes later)--not tight or greasy. Start with a cleanser or moisturizing bar like Dove or Ivory. Those two brands are really great. Rinse with warm water. Pat dry with some facial tissue; never rub your face with towels that you use on the rest of your body. Then swipe your face with a cotton ball soaked in toner or astringent, but stay away from harsh products that make your skin sting. You want to moisturize your dry areas with an oil-free lotion.
• Oily Skin: If your skin feels greasy shortly after washing, you probably have oily skin. Wash your skin with oil-free gels or cleansers. Soaps formulated for oily skin are great, too. No harsh or stinging products here. You want to zap excess oil, not wipe out moisture all together. Use water as warm or hot as you are comfortable with. Look for products containing witch hazel. Witch hazel refreshes skin without drying it out. Use an exfoliant recommended for oily skin, preferably one with small granules. Oily skin moisturizes itself so you don’t need to use moisturizer. Use only oil-free, water-based, non-comedogenic makeup.
• Dry Skin: If your skin feels tight or scaly shortly after washing your face, you probably have dry skin. Wash your face with cleansing or moisturizing bars and never rinse with hot water. Warm to cool is your safest bet. Avoid soaps, products containing detergent, products that irritate or dry, dry saunas, and wash cloths--they strip skin of moisture. Moisturize by day with a product containing sunscreen and try a cold cream or sleep-wear moisturizer at night. Ponds Cold Cream and Night of Olay are fabulous. Look for products with alpha hydroxy acid or amino acid. Stay away from products containing any kind of extract.
• Combination Skin: If your cheeks are dry or normal and your T-Zone (your chin, nose, and forehead) is oily, then you have combination skin. Choose a cleanser labeled "for normal to oily" or one labeled "for normal to dry." Choose an astringent formulated for combination skin. Dab moisturizer where your skin is dry or scaly.

Within the last few years, the cosmetics industry has taken a serious interest in male skin-care. Makeup counters in department stores (like the Clinique counter) and stores in the mall (like the Body Shop and Bath and Body Works) have skin-care lines just for guys! So lack of products for men is no longer an excuse. There’s never been a better time to put your best face forward. If you are MALE and have...