The skin of a healthy person should have a pink glow. How- ever, sometimes we tend to ignore skin care until signs of neglect begin to show. As with health, prevention is easier than cure.
Causes of Unhealthy skin: One of the main causes of unhealthy skin is faulty diet. But as the child grows older, he gradually loses these attributes due to wrong feeding habits and other factors. Devitalized foods like white flour, refined sugar and all products made from them, tea, coffee, and soft drinks take away energy, bring about wrinkles, unattractive skin and premature old age. Inadequate cleansing, which is responsible for many skin problems, is yet another important cause of unattractive skin.
Natural Care: Diet plays an important role in maintaining the health of the skin. Such a diet should consist of liberal quantities of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, supplemented by special protective foods like milk, vegetable oils, curd, honey and yeast. All the nutrients are essential for a healthy skin. A mild lack of vitamin B2 or riboflavin, continued over a long time, causes brown pigmentation, or liver spots to appear on the skin. A still more severe deficiency causes the skin under the nose and at the comers of the eyes and mouth to crack and become sore.
A lack of vitamin B6 or pyridoxine leads to dermatitis or eczema. Since seven vitamins of the B group are directly related to the health of the skin, few foods can improve the skin so rapidly as those rich in these vitamins. Even the person whose skin seems smooth and healthy usually notices improvement in texture and glow, a week after adding two or more tablespoons of brewer’s yeast to the daily diet. In case of unhealthy and unattractive skin due to anemia, the condition can be corrected by dietetic treatment. Anemia results from lack of protein, iodine, calcium, niacin, vitamin 86, vitamin B12, folic acid, cobalt, and copper as well as iron. In all anemia, particularly pernicious anemia, the vitamins of the B group should be generously supplied.
Natural Aids: Several natural aids have been found useful in promoting healthy and beautiful skin. Lime may be squeezed in a glass of boiled whole milk and a teaspoon of glycerine may be added to it. This application every night will help one to look young and beautiful. It will also help cure pimples. The use of orange juice has also been found valuable for a glowing complexion. If milk and lime juice is added to this juice and delicately massaged over the face and neck for half an hour and washed off with lukewarm water each night before going to bed, it acts as an effective skin tonic to increase and retain its beauty.
The seeds of radish contain a bleaching substance and an emulsion of the seeds with water, applied over the face, will remove blackheads and freckles. It can also be applied with beneficial results in the treatment of ring-worm. A paste of almonds with mild cream and fresh rosebud paste applied daily over the face is a very effective beauty aid. Its regular application prevents early appearance of wrinkles, blackheads, dryness of the skin, pimples and keeps the face fresh. A paste of lentil and curd, when applied as a mask, cleanses the skin and gives it a glow. When dried, it should be removed with fingertips and washed if with water. Adding a few drops of the juice of margosa leaves to this paste is very effective in dealing with pimples. The flour of the unroasted Bengal gram is a very effective cleansing agent and its regular use, as a cosmetic, bleaches the skin. The flour of the green gram is an excellent detergent and can be used as a substitute for soap.
Protection Against Sunlight: Excessive exposure to sun can lead to many serious consequences, including sun-induced premature ageing. The skin which is repeatedly exposed to sunlight becomes leathery, wrinkled and loose. It may also become dry and acquire yellowish brown hue with liver spots all over. The skin may become inflamed, which may contribute to the breakdown of other cells and tissues. Excessive exposure to sun can also lead to thickening of epidermis and enlargement of sebaceous glands in the face, ultimately resulting in acne and pimples. It is therefore essential to protect the skin from exposure to sun. This can be achieved by covering up and using a sunscreen with a high protection factor on the exposed parts. Even with these protective measures it will not be safe to stay in the sun for long periods.
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1 Comment
Great article and wonderful tips.
We all have problems with skin so any good tips are really appreciated