Home  -  Back Issues  -  The Team  -  Contact Us
     Volume 7 Issue 21 | May 23, 2008 |


  Letters
  Voicebox
  Chintito
  Newsnotes
  Cover Story
  Heritage
  Perspective
  Art
  Photo Feature
  Event
  Perceptions
  Literature
  Photography
  Impressions
  Reflections
  Book Review
  Dhaka Diary
  Health

   SWM Home


Health

Five Tips for Keeping Your
Face Clean and Healthy

Srabonti Narmeen Ali

Whatever your skin type -- oily, dry, balanced or combination -- proper cleaning is the key to maintaining a good complexion. This is especially true when it comes to your face.

How often should a person wash the face? Once in the morning, once in the evening, and, if necessary, after exercising -- usually does the trick. If the face skin suffers from dryness, once a day should be enough. But more frequent cleanings may be required if face skin is oily or prone to acne.

Here are a few tips that can help keep your face clean and fresh.

* Remove eye makeup with a soft sponge, cotton cloth, or cotton balls and moisturizing cream. This helps prevent damage to delicate tissue around the eyes.

* Stick with lukewarm water when washing. Avoid hot water, which dries out the skin.

* Skip a strong soap that doesn't contain moisturizer. It can strip oil from the skin and leave your skin dry.

* Avoid washing products containing perfumes or dyes.

* Forget using a washcloth, which can be abrasive on the skin. Use your hands to wash your face.

Source: www.thirdage.com

Clean Skin Is Happy Skin
One simple way to take care of your skin is to keep it clean. Keeping your hands clean is especially important because your hands can spread germs to the skin on other parts of your body.

When washing your hands, use water that's comfortably warm. Wet your hands, then lather up with a mild soap. You should lather and rub everywhere, including the palms, the wrists, between the fingers, and under the nails. Rinse well, dry thoroughly with a clean towel, and you're done!

You'll also want to use water that's warm, not too hot, when you take a shower or bath. Use a gentle soap to clean your body. It's a good idea to wash your face once or twice daily with warm water and a mild cleanser.
If you look in the drugstore, you'll see shelf after shelf of skin care products, but kids don't usually need anything more than a gentle soap. Talk to a parent or your doctor if you have questions about what to use on your skin.

If you have dry, flaky, or itchy skin, you might use a moisturizing lotion or cream. When choosing a moisturizer, pick one without a lot of colours and perfumes. Petroleum jelly can work for some kids.

With pimples, you might think that scrubbing your face is the way to get rid of them. But actually, your skin will be less likely to break out if you clean it gently, using your fingertips, not a rough washcloth. If you have trouble with pimples, talk with your doctor about which cleansers are best to use.

Allergies to Skin Care Products
Sometimes when you use a new kind of soap or other skin product, your skin may get irritated or you may get an allergic reaction. If you get a rash or if your skin feels itchy, hot, dry, or like it's burning, tell an adult. Stop using

the product and don't forget that it caused a reaction. You don't want to use it again or buy a product with the same active ingredient.

To test a new product, place a tiny bit of it on the inside of your wrist or arm. Watch for any redness or irritation over the next 24 hours. If your skin becomes red or irritated, don't use the product. Sometimes, your skin is fine with a new product the first time, or few times, you use it, but then your skin gets red or irritated later on. You'll want to stop using the product whenever redness or irritation occurs.

Screening Your Skin From Damage
There is one product that everyone needs: sunscreen. Even if your skin is naturally dark, you still need to use a sunscreen. Protecting your skin from the sun prevents sunburn, which hurts and is a kind of skin damage. Sunscreen also can help prevent wrinkles when you get older and can decrease the risk of skin cancer, which is caused by exposure to the sun's harmful rays.

Choose a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or 45, and apply it evenly. Try not to miss any spots, such as your neck or the middle of your back. Have a friend or your parent help you with the hard-to-reach spots. Follow the directions on the sunscreen, which often recommend reapplying it, especially after swimming or sweating.

Because sunscreen cannot protect your skin completely from the sun, it's also a good idea to wear a brimmed hat and use a lip balm containing sunscreen. If you need more protection from the sun, wear long sleeves and pants. Also, avoid the sun between 10 AM and 2 PM.

Source: www.kidshealth.org

Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2007