Chemical peel is a treatment that uses chemicals to peel the surface layer of the skin. This is not as horrible as it sounds, the amount ?peeled? being so minute that it can hardly be seen, but it certainly improves the skin it has been damaged due to certain conditions.
Pre-cancerous keratoses is one condition that may improve with the use of the chemical peel. Irregular skin pigmentation is another. Wrinkles due to age or heredity or sun damage can be smoothed out and the skin's tolerance to acne and external irritations can be increased.
Chemical peel treatments may be purchased over the counter, but if this course of action is followed, make sure you read the label carefully and start with the weakest mixture first. There is no point treating your skin harshly if it's not necessary.
Dermabrasion is similar to chemical peeling in the results, but fine diamond tipped rotary instruments are used to ?sand? the skin to a certain depth, much like a carpenter sands his new furniture smooth with glasspaper. After the skin is healed, fewer irregularities are found and the surface is much smoother. A surgeon must perform this procedure. A light sedative and local anaesthetic are used.
Sometimes dermabrasion in used in conjunction with chemical peeling in order to treat deeper wrinkles or scarring. Cold packs are often used before the dermabrasion and very little discomfort should be felt during the procedure, though the skin is often swollen and tender afterwards. Some redness may persist for several months, while small white dots can be a side effect, but will disappear shortly. Make-up can be used after about a week. Other side effects of the treatment may be a darkening or lightening of the skin. The darker areas can be successfully treated with special creams, while the lighter area is untreatable, but mostly hardly noticeable.
Laser resurfacing surgery is sometimes used to minimize facial wrinkles. A special beam of light energy can be used to make precise surgical incisions or to significantly improve the lines of the face. It is done under sedation and local anaesthesia and redness persists for several weeks, but make-up may be used to camouflage it seven to ten days.
Now that summer is here many people are spending more time outdoors enjoying the warmth of the sun. Studies have shown that sunlight is actually needed to prevent certain cancers (lung, colon, breast and prostate ), diabetes, multiple sclerosis and asthma. However, people can often get too much of a good thing. You have to be careful when you go outdoors. If you want to prevent skin cancer, it is very important to follow these steps.
1) Wear a hat with two to three-inch brim all around and wear long-sleeved shirt and pants. Tightly woven fabrics like denim are better than loosely woven cotton or linen. Wearing a hat and protective clothing is more effective than using a sunscreen according to recent studies. This is expecially important for those people who are fair-skinned, turn red after 10 minutes of unprotected sun exposure, who have 100 moles and who have history of skin cancer either self or family. Look for clothing that are made from sun-protective fabrics. There is also a laundry additive that has a UV protectant which can be used to wash clothes with.
2) Apply sunscreen properly 15 to 30 minutes before going outdoors. Cover the exposed parts of your body thoroughly with the right sunscreen. Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Apply sunscreen even on cloudy days because 80% of the sun's UV rays pass through the clouds. Also protect your lips by applying a lip balm that has sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Re-apply sunscreen every two hours while outdoors expecially after swimming and if you sweat heavily.
3) Try not to stay outdoors more than 20 minutes during the peak hours when the sun's rays are the strongest which is from 10 am to 4 pm.
4) The best sunscreen, however, is an internal sunscreen built with nutrition. Eat plenty of chlorella, spirulina, goji berries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, astaxanthin, carrots and nutrient-rich superfoods to boost your skin's natural UV protection (takes about 30 days of nutrition to boost skin levels). Add foods to your diet that are rich in carotenoids such as tomatoes, peaches, broccoli, watermelons and spinach. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants and protect against the sun's damaging UV rays.
5) Do a monthly skin exam. Did you know that skin cancers can develop in parts of your body that are not exposed to the sun? Look for moles, spots or freckles that are asymmetric, have an irregular border, variation in color and are more than 6 millimeters (the size of a pencil eraser). See a dermatologist if you find any moles, freckles or spots that look suspicious.
6) If you take medications, be aware that some prescriptions drugs such as antibiotics, diuretics, tricyclic antidepressants and over- the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Aleve and Advil can make your skin more vulnerable to sun damage.
Both Nicky Pilkington & Theresa De Jesus are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Theresa De Jesus has sinced written about articles on various topics from Affiliate Programs, Cosmetic Surgery. Theresa de Jesus is an internet marketer whose main website is .. Theresa De Jesus's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.