Ingredients To Look For In Stretch Mark Creams

Over-the-counter and home made creams have long been the preferred method of many people for getting rid of troublesome and unattractive marks on the body. These stretch mark creams lighten and fade the scars on our bodies, adding moisturizers to the skin that will help to improve its tone and texture, as well as masking imperfections. But what are the ingredients that you should be looking for in these creams?

Moisturizers

When buying a stretch mark cream, you should be looking for moisturizer or moisturizing components in the ingredients. These elements will hold moisture in the skin, which helps to improve its tone and texture. When looking for moisturizing ingredients, you should be looking for vitamins, minerals, sunscreens, plant extracts and sunless tanners.

Onion Extract

This is an ingredient commonly used in the treatment of surgical scars but, as marks are also a kind of scarring to the skin, the use of onion extract is also found in treatment creams. It helps to improve the redness, texture and softness of marks and scars.

Palm, Wheat Germ, Sesame Seed and Mineral Oils

These plant extracts all contain Vitamin E, which is a beneficial moisturizer for our skin, as well as being high in naturally emollient fats. Mineral oils are commonly used as a skin ointment and are useful for reducing inflammation, hence their inclusion in many stretch mark creams.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is, essentially, fat made from the cacao bean (no, you didn't hear wrong - it is the main ingredient in chocolate). It contains emollient properties that help to restore moisture to our skin.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is made from the fat of the African Shea Tree. As it contains Vitamins E and A, it makes for an excellent moisturizer that is easily absorbed by our skin.

Glycerin

Also known as glycerol in some stretch mark creams, glycerin is one of the natural components that make up fatty acids. In these creams, it functions as a moisturizer for our skin and is commonly used to heal many skin conditions.

Lanolin

Lanolin is a fatty substance that is only found on animals that grow wool, such as sheep. It is commonly used to heal dry skin and is also beneficial in carrying other chemicals through the skin's surface, making it highly useful in these creams.

Peptides

In stretch mark creams, peptides can be found under many various names. They are, essentially, amino acids that stimulate the production of collagen, which our skin needs to repair itself.

When it comes to making marks appear smoother and softer, you cannot go past an effective cream. Finding one that contains most, if not all, of the above ingredients, will do wonders for the condition of your skin and will help to improve the appearance of your scars.

Now-a-days stretch marks treatment is possible. Use stretch mark cream or oil by meiskin to get rid of stretch marks.

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The Emergence of Luxury Men's Skin Care for the Modern Man

In today's society where "looking good" is of considerably greater importance as compared to in the past, men have been exposed to more products and services to help upkeep their masculine and clean sharp look. More men are diving into indulgent purchases for their face and body. It is no wonder that the men's grooming business has been the fastest growing segment in the entire cosmetics industry (both men and women's) for the past few years. If men can afford to buy a $500 iPad, it definitely means that they can splurge on goodies for their face. And how many of you received some type of skincare product(s) like a smooth shave cream or hydrating facial scrub guaranteed to wipe out all sweat and stress off your face as Christmas presents last month?

Buying skin care products at your local CVS or RiteAid is a thing of the past. Studies have shown the highest growth rates in the entire cosmetics industry are in the men's luxury grooming market, specifically men's luxury skin care products purchased at higher end malls like Bloomingdales and Nordstrom. This is evident as renowned luxury brands like Giorgio Armani and John Varvatos who have not wandered into the men's skin care business launched new skincare products in the past few years. Even the ever so popular Stetson cowboy cologne magazine ad in the 80s has been replaced by celebrity A-Listers adorning luxury cologne full-page ads in Esquire magazine. There are even smaller niche brands emerging focusing solely on skin care products for the affluent man which seem to be favored at 5 star spas around the world. These much smaller exclusive luxury lines have been gaining momentum as the grooming essentials for the "modern man" or as we used to dub them "the metrosexual".

So what does this all mean? It means that the Y chromosome is finally coming to grips with himself and that he needs to take care of his own skin like how women do when they apply 20 different foundations, moisturizers, serums, and sunscreens onto their face each morning. Ok 20 is a bit excessive but you get the idea. Education on how to minimize the harmful effects of UVA/UVB sun rays and increasing media exposure to high profile men looking clean shaven with flawless skin probably helped groom today's modern man. Its better these days for a gentleman to be 60 years of age but look like 50, than be 60 and look 70. Anti-aging for women is now being embraced by men themselves. I even have started to put on SPF40 sunscreen daily which I never did unless I took a trip out to the beach. There are now all kinds of products for men to use, from luxury shave creams to overnight eye serums all of which are supposed to bring out the very best for your skin complexion and elasticity, and more importantly products in all price ranges. But after using the mass market men's skin care brands found at your local supermarket, I have found that the best performing products were of the ones that were considered in the "luxury" realm ($30+ suggested retail prices). The saying "You get what you pay for!" definitely is the case here.

In general, the $7 facial washes purchased at CVS initially felt like great skincare maintenance products as they definitely removed all the dirt and oil from my face. However 5 minutes post-washing, my skin tended to flake and feel dry. I experimented with luxury men's skin care ranges from the ones you find at upscale department stores to smaller niche brands. Aside from the pricier raw ingredients and sometimes exotic ones used in these more expensive lines, they tended to be natural with no parabens used. The only drawback about products being more natural is that the shelf life of the product are reduced and less clinical testing of the side effects, if any, have been done on them. But I can confidently say that the luxury men's skin care products are more performance based products, meaning that a higher percentage of them compared to the mass market products actually work! I hate it when I buy a moisturizer and after 10 minutes post-application, my face is still dry as if I had put nothing on. This is no wonder why men who can afford the best only buy the best skin care products. The modern man has evolutionized into a forward-looking vanity smurf but without the blue skin.

Luxury men's skin care products have emerged as my winner and essential for any man's daily grooming ritual. Buy the best to look your best. Although shelling out $60 for an aftershave balm is tough at first, once you physically see what it can do for you, it's all worth it. Hey...I'll do anything to look 10 years younger again and have all the sexy hot women do a double-take when I stroll pass them. Luxury Shaving is another story too which I will have to write about next. Stay tuned!

Written by Alexander Pastore, an independent writer and consultant to the health and beauty industry proficient in identifying future trends in the cosmetics industry. For the best in men's luxury skin care, visit TwinLuxe.com.

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Protecting Your Skin From the Sun

Protecting your skin from the sun is one of the very most important aspects of any anti-aging skin care routine. It is the one essential that if ignored can completely mitigate all of your other healthy choices. Unfortunately, keeping your skin safe from the sun is a little more difficult than many realize.

There are two types of ultraviolet rays that effect your skin - UVA and UVB. In the past we thought UVB was really the only UV ray that caused any danger as it is what causes the burning of the skin. People thought that the more prevalent (up to 40x more prevalent) UVA ray was of little concern. Due to this, many sunscreens were designed only to be effective against UVB rays.

Now we realize that it is actually the UVA ray that is more damaging. While UVB can give the skin a superficial burn on the top layers, UVA actually penetrate much deeper and are responsible for the majority of skin aging. They have also been shown to be directly related to the development of skin cancer. The use of tanning beds, which use primarily UVA rays, have been shown to dramatically increase a persons risk of developing skin cancer.

UVA unlike UVB are also able to easily penetrate windows, and are equally powerful at all hours of sunlight throughout the day.

So, how do we mitigate the effects of ultraviolet rays?

The best option is to try to avoid the sun as much as possible. If you will be outside, a large brimmed hat and long sleeves are a must. Sunscreen is also great, but one must ensure that they are using a natural sunscreen with physical blocking agents such titanium dioxide or zinc dioxide. The majority of sunscreens (pretty much everything you find in most stores besides the natural grocers) instead use a harmful chemical blocking agent called oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is a hormone blocker that has direct links to cancer. Another nasty thing featured in many unnatural sunscreens is the paraben. Parabens, like oxybenzone, have hormone mimicking capabilities, and have been linked to breast cancer and other diseases.

Using a topical skin care product such as a serum with vitamin C is a great idea. Vitamin C, when applied to the skin, can have a profound effect at mitigating UV generated skin damage. Look for a serum or cream that also features vitamin E, as this will further increase the protective properties of the product.

If you will be spending a fair amount of time outside, stay away from skin care products with vitamin A. While vitamin A can help heal sun damage, it does leave the skin more sensitive, so it is often an ingredient better utilized in the winter when you will not be outside as much.

The number one thing you can do for your skin is to avoid too much sun. This one action alone can do remarkable things for the appearance and health of your skin.

Learn more about skin care from Sam's many articles here on EzineArticles. The sooner you start taking care of your skin the better. Remember though when choosing skin care products to always go all natural. With the lack of regulation in the industry, many unnatural skin care products utilize harmful synthetic ingredients that can cause permanent damage to your body. Become an educated consumer when it comes to the products you use on your skin.

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Weight Training Basics To Actually Build Muscle

Good weight training basics are essential. If you don't get the basics right, no amount of supplements or secret potions or advanced training programs will help you.

Fortunately, weight training to build muscle is not that complicated. It's a lot simpler than most people will tell you, or than most articles online make it out to be.

So, here are the weight training basics that will allow you to make great progress!

Good Exercise Form

Good exercise form is essential. Not just for making progress and getting stronger, but so that you don't hurt yourself. An injury can really set back your training.

Whatever exercise you're doing, make sure you're doing it right. This will also serve to stress the muscles you're trying to stress in your exercises - rather than straining other muscles, or your connective tissue.

Free Weights or Machines?

This is a big question, and a quagmire really. For experienced people, I think that free weights are better - they challenge your balance, and I personally just like heaving around big chunks of metal!

But if you're just starting out, refine your weight training basics with machines. Weight machines are much more controlled, and can help you train good form. And it's harder (though not impossible) to hurt yourself using machines rather than with free weights.

So, start with machines. But once you've got the hang of it, move on to free weights.

Get Sore

Yes, get sore. If you're going to the gym to workout, then really workout. Don't lie to yourself and just go through the motions of exercising - really push yourself.

Now, pushing yourself is different for everybody. But one of the most important weight training basics is the principle of 'progressive overload' - you must work harder each and every time you go to the gym.

More repetitions with that weight, or simply lifting a heavier weight. If you just keep lifting the save weight that you were lifting last week or last month, you're not getting any stronger.

Eat!

Muscles don't grow out of nothing. You need to give yourself the energy to build that muscle!

Now, you can only grow so much muscle in a week. If you're just starting out, one pound of muscle a week is great! But after a few months it'll probably drop to half a pound per week. But this muscle only grows if you're eating enough to build it.

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Quick Tips For Losing Weight Fast In a Healthy Way

We're approaching the end of our first month in 2012, and no doubt people are scurrying to the scales to see how much weight has fallen off. Because of this, we found it fitting that our first post should involve weight loss tips. We all know someone, if not ourselves, who've tried the latest fad diets. But, what do these "diet sensations" really have to offer? The truth is, diets are temporary and most people resort back to bad habits after accomplishing a short term goal. If you want to lose weight fast and keep it off, here are a few tips that will lead you in the right direction.

Stick to water - Yeah, we've heard it all before. We're told to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. What many people may not know, however, is that a good rule of thumb is to take your body weight and divide it by two. What you're left with is the amount of ounces you should be drinking. For the sake of simple math, here's an example of a person who is 210 lbs: 210/2=105. That person should be drinking 105 ounces of water which is equivalent to about 13 glasses of water. Saying no to soft drinks, even diet ones, and sticking to water will help you reach your weight loss goals even quicker!

Stick to lean meats - Fuel your diet with chicken, fish, turkey, and lean ground beef. Try grilling these meats, instead of frying them. Drizzle olive oil on Tilapia and season it to taste, then slap it on the George Foreman grill. It tastes great, and it's good for you! If you don't have a George Foreman grill, you should definitely invest in one or it's counterpart. It's a great way to get your meats cooked with less fatty grease.

Take Vitamins - Once you change the way you eat, you will definitely notice the increase in energy. Add a multi-vitamin, fish oil, and vitamin C into the mix, and you'll begin to pump up those levels even more. An increase in energy will lift your endurance level, leaving you able to work out and exercise for longer periods.

Go for complex carbs - We all heard, during the Atkin's craze, to stay away from carbohydrates. While the diet does work, what happens when you revert back to your old ways? Are you really going to stay away from bread forever? Stick to complex carbs; brown rice, wheat bread, etc. Stay far, far away from simple carbs; candy, soft drinks, and any anything else with too much sugar.

Don't eat late - I make it a habit not to eat after 6pm. Don't make excuses on why you can't. Prepare your meals on Sunday for the week, and take them with you to work if you're there late. Most people aren't active past this time, so try not to eat late. If you fall into that category, you shouldn't be eating later than 6. If you feel the need to snack later, find something healthy; a cup of yogurt or an apple with a small spoonful of peanut butter.

Have patience - Most importantly, remember that there are no quick fixes. Give yourself a realistic amount of time to lose the weight. This ensures that the weight loss is done in a healthy way, and helps to keep it from coming back easily. If you are drastically changing your diet, the weight will begin to fall off. Just switching to drinking water only can cause a dramatic effect on your body. Make one small change at a time, and watch the pounds fall off.

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Effects of Massage Therapy on the Skin of Lymphedema Patients

The difference between normal massage techniques and manual lymph drainage techniques is that strokes that are used in normal massage therapy are applied with a bit more pressure than are strokes of manual lymph drainage therapy. The basic strokes that are used in normal massage therapy are petrissage, effleurage, tapotement, vibration and friction.

It should be noted that massage stroke effects are not limited to suprafascial tissues like the skin. These strokes also cause reactions in subfascial areas. Subfascial tissues are muscles, tendons and ligaments.
It is possible that local arterial blood flow is increased by massage strokes and there is venous and lymphatic return. Normal massage strokes can loosen subcutaneous adhesions as well.

There are various massage therapy publications that list edema as one of the indications of these techniques. This is a correct statement but it is also in a way misleading if one does not establish or clarify the distinction between edema and lymphedema.

Edema is actually related to suprafascial tissues and can be the result of various problems like inflammation or impaired venous return. Examples of impaired venous return are valvular insufficiency, pregnancy, or prolonged sitting and/or standing.

In edema, the lymphatic system is overloaded but remains intact. This results in water getting accumulated in the tissues. This condition is called dynamic insufficiency.

It is possible that massage therapy benefits some forms of edema but is contraindicated for others. This is why normal massage therapy should not be used in patients with edema without prior consultation with a physician.

Lymphedema on the other hand is always a result of mechanical insufficiency of the lymphatic system. This in turn ends with water and protein accumulating in tissues. When the lymphatic system becomes mechanically insufficient the transport capacity of the system decreases below the required physiological level of water and protein load. The system is not capable then of properly responding to an increase in lymphatic load.

There are also several negative effects of massage therapy on lymphedema. As mentioned before, massage strokes usually lead to an increase in arterial blood flow (also called active hyperemia) in skin areas to which normal massage techniques are applied. This active hyperemia is escorted by an increase in blood capillary pressure. This leads to a subsequent increase in ultrafiltration of water in the blood capillaries area. The result of this process is that more water accumulates in the interstitial spaces. As the lymphatic system is mechanical insufficient the lymphatic system is not able to manage this additional water load and there is an increase in swelling.

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