Everyone has their own ideas but here is my tried and trusted way to remove blackheads.

First, wash your face, not vigorously but gently.  You can if you wish use a soap but its not necessary.

Then soak a cloth in water as hot as you can bear.  Wring the cloth so that it is still pretty wet but not dripping.  Place it on your face (or wherever you have the blackheads) and leave it there for at least five minutes, ten is better.  The heat in the cloth allows your pores to open and prepares the blackheads for their eviction.

Remove the cloth and place a clean dry tissue on your face (to catch the blackheads) Using both hands, put your fingers, not your nails,  on each side of the affected area, and SQUEEZE.  If you inspect the tissue you will find the now homeless blackheads.  Repeat the process in the other affected areas.  If the blackheads do not pop out, don’t force too much.  Accept they are not ready and leave, but repeat the process the following day.

Don’t forget to dispose of the tissue

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked what is a Blackhead………well I wouldn’t be here.

Blackheads are those pesky black spots on your nose, ears, chin or back. They occur in clusters and are unsightly, and unfortunately like to re-occur .

Do Blackheads cause acne? Well, blackheads are a form of acne. However, they are non inflammatory acne and may be a cause to other severe form of acne which are inflammatory in nature.

So how do you get Blackheads? Our skin contains hundreds of tiny pores. Blackheads occur in partially blocked pores. When dead cells in the bod drain slowly to the surface of the skin, the colour in the skin turn black when it meets the air outside.

Inside a blackhead consists of keratin and sebum- which is the oily substance that comes out from sebaceous glands.

To get rid of blackheads it is important that you realize what is causing blackheads to you. Getting new blackheads frequently indicates a greater problem inside you. The possible factors that cause blackheads are:

Lack of water in the body.

Excess dead cells blocking the opening to the pore.

Excess facial oil.

Poor cleansing routine wherein the facial oil may not be getting removed.

Excessive scrubbing of the skin.

Use of products/makeup that may contain too much of oil.

Most people today are conscious of how their teeth look, and yellow or off-white teeth are not attractive.

But if like me you have a coffee ritual, or have a liking for tea, soda or red wine, you know already the difficulty in keeping your teeth white. These drinks are as these are the major causes of discolored teeth for many people. You don’t believe me? Just look into your cup. But what if you do love these beverages? Does that mean you have to choose between your favorite latte and a bright white smile? Well no, but you do need to invest in some of the teeth whitening products available.

When it comes to getting your teeth whiter, you have a few choices. You can go to the dentist and pay thousands of dollars to have him whiten your teeth, you can give those temporary teeth whitening kiosks a try for a few hundred dollars, or you can try some of the at home teeth whitening products for which you can get a free trial before you buy.

Well all are interested in having a better and prettier smile to show everybody? Who wouldn’t want teeth to be white like pearls and look like they are perfect? There are ways to get bright white teeth without having to go to the dentist for expensive treatments. Here are some tips to get you the brighter smile you want in less than a week.

Remember, the treatments that dentists use to brighten your teeth do work, but they are chemical treatments. We all know that there are certain risks with chemicals no matter where they are found or what they are used for. This is true with whitening chemicals as well. Think about it for a second, they use bleach and what can bleach do to you?

If you search hard enough there are a few great natural products for whitening teeth out there. Some of which has a money back guarantee, which is good, and many that will allow you to try it for a full month for just the cost of shipping and handling. This is called a free trial offer and they know that you will love their product and end up purchasing it once you complete the free trial. look around and you will find plenty of these offers.

Okay, so you’ve had acne, and now you are left with something embarrassing, ugly acne scars. But there are ways to reduce the appearance of the acne scars. How severe the scars will determine what you will need to do to diminish them. It should also go without saying, but you should seek advice from a dermatologist to assist in deciding the best Acne Scar Treatment for you.

 For very mild scarring you can try a few at home procedures to help reduce the appearance of the scars. At home dermabrasion and chemical peels can help reduce some scarring especially if you also use retinol or alpha hydroxyl acid lotions or creams. For sensitive skin you may not want to use these products right after dermabrasion or peels because it can cause irritation and/or redness. Other products you can try are scar reducing creams like Mederma or Rosehip seed oil which is said to be great at reducing scar tissue. Aloe Vera juice and gels and lavender oils are also said to work well on reducing scars.

 Professional treatments for scarring include Laser Resurfacing which involves the use of a laser to remove skin so new skin can form in its place. Laser resurfacing can cause uneven skin tones in people with darker skin. It is a relatively new treatment, and is still being studied but shows a lot of promise. After treatment you may experience redness and swelling which may last for several weeks.

 Dermabrasion has been around for decades. Can you belive sandpaper was used to remove damaged skin. Now a machine rotates to remove the damaged skin, the skin is numbed or frozen first. After the procedure your skin is raw and scabs will form. After the scabs heal your skin will be reddish for several weeks.

 Augmentation is a procedure where material like collagen or your own fat will be injected under the scar to bring it to the surface. The treatments last for about six months but they are working on more permanent solutions.

 Subcision is a technique that detaches the scar from deeper tissue and allows a pool of blood to form under the scar. The blood clots and helps form connective tissue under the scar to level it with the rest of the skin surface. Subcision is usually combined with either dermabrasion or laser resurfacing.

I popped a zit the other day, but you know for a guy at my age, I should be well past all that stuff now.  But it brought me back to thinking on how this used to almost be part of my daily routine, checking out my face for tiny pimples or the not so tiny ones.

There was such a sense of satisfaction when you popped that tiny pimple in the most awkward of places.  You know like that little crevice between your nose and your upper lip.  The tiniest little pimple head would appear, and there lay the challenge. 

How many of you have been there, in front of the mirror, trying to pull your face into all sorts of funny expressions, and tilting your head one way or the other, as if that was going to make a difference.  the easy way was to let this thing grow, let it mature into a large pimple, and hey, popping that baby would be simple.  But you prefer the challenge, and like me, didn’t stop til the job was done.

It’s odd the things that make you feel young.  Zit popping did it for me.

A few weeks back I decided to do something about my health regime, or lack of it, and decided that at lunchtimes, i’ll take myself for a walk and get the heart pumping again, and try a lose a few pounds.

So I packed some trainers, and at the hour of one, slipped them on and headed out of the office, up towards the local park.  By the time I got to the park my feet were pretty hot, and when I got to the far end of the park my feet were so hot I took off the trainers and the socks.  I wasn’t sure which was causing the burn, but pulled the socks on tightly again and tied on the trainers.

As I walked I became more and more conscious of the movement of the socks inside the trainers. Just below the row of toes, I could feel the rubbing with every step and as my circuit of the park completed, the pain started to kick in.  By the time I approached the office, i was literally walking on the sides of my feet, as to put my foot flat on the ground was too painful.

I climbed the stairs to my office and took off the trainers and socks.  I was astonished to find not only two huge blisters which were almost the full width of my foot, but inside each was floating a pool of blood.  How could this happen by just walking?  The answer lay in the loose socks and to a lesser degree the cheap trainers.

Then came a dilemma – to lance or not to lance?  In the end I didn’t get a choice, as by the time I got home that evening, both had burst and the ill fitting, blood stain socks were commissioned to the garbage.  Some three weeks on, these blisters are still on the mend, the skin eventually falling off to reveal a tender spot underneath.

My get fit regime is on hold, but for once I seem to have a genuine excuse.

Is there such a thing in this world as a free lunch?  Well perhaps not but there are certianly a lot of free appeziters available and for those of you looking to try before you buy an acne remedy, there are dozens of acne-fighting products who will gladly give you a free sample.

If you are attending a dermatologist, you will find that he or she will have a cupboard full of free samples and depending on how broadly you smile or how cheeky you are you could even up with enough sampples to cover you for a couple of weeks.

And then there is the Internet.  you just have to look around you and offfers will literally jump off the page.  Bear in mind some wil want for you to pay for the postage, but if it is a brand that has beeen recommended or one you simply must try, it is much better than shelling out on a whole bottle, only to find it doesn’t suit you.

And then the best of the free cures – Mother Nature.  Oh yes, long before we had pharmaceuticals, we had acne, and there are lots of home made remedies to try.  Such as orange peel or lemon juice, garlic, an egg white mask, coconut water or green tea all of which have their claims.  And I know some who have experimented by spreading yogurt or olive oil over the affected areas with alleged positive results.

What I do know for sure is that the best treatment is preventitive, and by keeping a healthy diet and drinking plently of spring water, you skkin will look revitalised and refreshed.  It may be hard work, but it’s more pleasant than zit popping.

Well it’s a popular question and i’m afraid that the answer is yes.  Athletes Foot can be spread through skin-to-skin contact, or by sharing towels.  It was thought that you could get athletes foot by walking bare foot in areas like swimming pools and gymnasiums, but it is now known, that this while still possible, is highly unlikely.

So what is athletes foot?  The medical term is tinea pedis, and it is a relatively harmless infection that lives in moist damp dark conditions, such as sweaty socks and smelly feet.  Athletes foot symptoms include peeling of the skin in between the toes and may sometimes appear as scaling or blistering on the sole of side of your feet.  It generally does not cause pain  or itching, but if left untreated it can lead to more serious problems.

So whats the cure for athletes foot?  You may have heard of a number of home remedies such as tea tree oil or vinegar as a treatment for athletes foot, but I would recommend you see your pharmacists for an over the counter cream or powder.  Remember it is important that you treat the area for a further week after the infection has cleared up.

Also, to help prevent athletes foot returning, make sure you always dry your feet thoroughly, taking care to dry between your toes.  Weat correctly fitted footwear, that allow for ventilation, or in warm weather wear sandals or go barefoot!  Change your socks at least once a day and alternate your shoes to allow them to dry out.

Stinky Smelly Feet.  For some of you out there, girls sweaty feet may do something for you.  But for most of us, the smell of foot odor is not something to desire.

So what can be done to get rid of very sweaty feet?  Well before you run down to the pharmacy for some strong products, lets start with some basics.

Firstly what causes feet to smell?  Put simply, our feet are placed into small dark holes, often airtight, and then made work all day, often without a break.  All this hard labor will make them sweat.  That alone is is the root of the problem, but more so, it is compounded by other factors.

How many of you have removed your footwear during the day just to let you feet breathe?  When was the last time you took time to just wash your feet?  And answer honestly, how many of us have gone to the gym or the sports club, had a shower, but then put back on the smelly socks we wore on the way in?

Simple habits like wearing a good quality shoe, that allows breathability will reduce your foot odor problem.  Change your socks at least once a day, and try to wear a different pair of shoes each day, to allow one pair time to dry out.

There are those who despite having these good habits will need a little more help.  I am often asked for foot odor natural remedies, and I have come across people who use tea, or tea tree oil, or even vinegar for smelly feet, but honestly, which is better?  Either way your feet are going to smell bad.

If you have really bad smelly feet, then I would take the advice of your pharmacist, who can give you a deodorant foot spray or powder, such as Dr Scholl. But remember no spray on it’s own is the cure for smelly feet.  The good practices have to be followed also.

There is no remedy for smelly feet but with a little practice and persistence, you can significantly reduce how your feet smell.

One of the most inmportant but yet one of the most abused parts of the human body is our feet.  Our feet are designed to carry our entire body weight and transport us around, and yet feet are often crammed into unsuitable shoes.  The only time feet are given a thought is when they hurt.

There is no doubt that from birth to early teen sis when feet are most vunerable, as the many bones in the foot so not completetly solidify until around the age of eighteen.  Parents often bring their baby to a shoe fitting specialist fr their child’s first shoe, but it is equally important to have them measured and sized correctly until they reach adulthood.

So when does a child need their first pair of shoes?  The simple answer is when the child is walking most of the day and wants to alk outside.  This can be any time from seven months to two years.  Never push your child to walk and don’t give in just beacuse a friend’s child is walking.

Have feet measured by a qualified fitter.  Remember the fitting guague is merely a guide and diferent shoes depending on their sytle and where they were made, will fit differently.  A qualified fitter will assist you in ensureing the footwear you chose is the correct size for your child.

Look for shoes that are available in different width fittings, with good support, and made of natural materials, as these materials breathe and mould to the shape of the foot.  Man made materials make feet sweaty and keep their original shape, whhich can lead to fungal infections or abrasions and blisters. And never pass on second hand shoes.  They will have taken on the shape of the previous wearer and may be harbouring infection.

Never rely on the question “do they feel comfortable” when fitting very young children.  Children will often say they are if they like them! Your qualified shoe fitter will know best.  Children’s shoes should be checked for the correct fit every 4-6 weeks (up to 3 years of age) every 6-8 weeks (3-4 years of age) and 10-12 weeks thereafter.  This is not to say that they will need new shoes each time, but as childrens feet grow in fits and starts, it is important to check on a regular basis.