June 2014 - Fall Creek Skin and Health

10 Ways to Use Epsom Salt

1. Hair Volumizer – Use it with equal parts salt and equal parts conditioner to help you rid your hair of excess volume, which gives your hair more body.

2. Sunburn Relief – Take a spray bottle with Epsom salt and one cup water to spray on the affected area.

3. Tile Cleaner – Use equal parts of Epsom salt with liquid dish soap. This will help you scrub your tile and what not with a more cost effective method.

4. Dry Lips – Mix a few tablespoons salt with a teaspoon of petroleum jelly. This will exfoliate your lips and make them soft at the same time.

5. Bug Bite or Poison Relief – Mix two tablespoons of Epsom salt with one cup of water, dip a cotton washcloth in the solution, and apply to the affected area.

6. Cold and Flu Relief – When you feel a cold or flu coming, try to boost your immune system by taking a warm bath mixed with Epsom salt.

7. Sore Muscle Relief – Make a paste when you combine a teaspoon of Epsom salt into a cup of hot water and then cool it for 20 minutes in the fridge. Make sure to clean the affected area first.

8. Pedicure – Mix one half a cup of Epsom salt with warm soap water and soak. Remove nail polish, cut and file toenails and then soak again for five minutes. Epsom salt’s natural exfoliating properties will help soften rough and callused skin.

9. Bee Sting Remedy – Mix two tablespoons of Epsom salt with a cup of cold water and apply to the affected area.

10. Facial – For a facial every once in a while, use Epsom salt by adding one half teaspoon Epsom salt to any face cleansing cream, wash your face and rinse it off.

Information pulled from http://www.doctoroz.com/slideshow/epsom-salt-uses.

How to Treat and Manage Acne

Acne can be very difficult and irritating. It can lead to depression and lower feelings of self-worth. This is a hard topic for a lot of people because everyone’s skin type is so different. Fall Creek Skin wants to do everything to help. We had another blog post about how to find out your skin type. Some people are more oily and others are more dry. Some people have sensitive skin and others can try any products! There are many ways to treat acne and maintain healthy skin. Lets get started:

First of all, figuring out the pathogenic factors that lead to your own personal acne is the key in finding the right treatment. Your skin care professional can help you with that! When a topical or systematic antibiotic is used, it should be used in conjunction with benzoyl peroxide to reduce the emergence of resistance.

1. Wash your face twice a day with a gentle cleanser. Try to avoid washing your face with a bar of soap or an abrasive cleanser. Wash your face after sweating too, because perspiration can increase acne. Your cleansers should be water-soluble, non-drying and fragrance free. Try Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin, Eucerin Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, Yes to Cucumbers Gentle Milk Cleanser or Cerave Hydrating Cleanser.

2. Avoid scrubbing your skin or harsh ingredients like alcohols and most toners that dry out your skin. Also, wash your skin in lukewarm water, not hot water. Most people think that you should use an exfoliant with abrasive or bead-like qualities, but these are not always the best options. You can get liquid, lotion or gel type exfoliators that penetrate your skin with out causing too much damage. Consider an AHA or BHA product for exfoliation.

3. Use good moisturizers that are calming and don’t have harsh ingredients or fragrances. Also, use a moisturizer that has SPF in it to protect skin. Try Kiss My Face Broad Spectrum 30 moisturizer, Yes to Carrots Fragrance Free Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15 or Neutrogena Ageless Intesives Tone Correcting Moisture.

4. Try a retinal product. You can get them over the counter or you can get a strong one, like Retin-A. These products help tremendously with acne and also with wrinkles.

You can also use certain treatments, antibiotics or medications that can help with acne. Here are a few:

5. Certain hormonal therapies can help in treating acne. Oral contraceptives increase sex hormone-binding globulin, which results in an overall decrease in circulating free testosterone. Also, birth control pills can help acne.

6. Sprionolactone is another treatment. This medication binds the androgen receptor and reduces androgen production. Side effects include dizziness, breast tenderness and dysmenorrhea. Pregnancy must be avoided while on this drug.

7. Isotretinoin is a retinoid that is highly effective in dealing with severe acne. You should talk to your skin care professional before you get involved with this product!

8. Clindamycin can help fight bacteria in the skin.

8. Tetracycline is an antibiotic that you take orally that can reduce acne. Spironolactone, is a blood pressure drug, that can help balance hormones. Another antibiotic is Dabsone, which is a gel that fights infection and inflammation.

Make sure you consult your skin care professional to get specific treatments that can help. If you are interested in trying a product, ask your dermatology or skincare specialist if that is a good product for you!