Skin Care & Beauty Questions

Q. how do you get rid of red bumps in the bikini area due to shaving.  Tried SkinTend and it didn't work, also smelled really bad. Thank you

A. Thanks for writing!  The problem with red bumps is that once the damage is done and the bumps appear, there's very little you can do to get rid of them.  The best solution is not to get them in the first place.

Here's what I do which works for me:

With a cotton ball, liberally apply hydrogen peroxide to the area to be shaved, then apply a quality, moisturizing shaving cream to the area. As you begin shaving, shave in the direction that the hair grows, don't shave in the opposite direction, that is a major causes of irritation.  When finished rinse off the shaving cream and reapply some hydrogen peroxide. 

Q: How can you make your lips look bigger?

A: Lip-gloss makes them stand out so they look more plump. Also if you outline your lips in a shade of lip liner that matches your lips, then color it in with your favorite lip color  to make your lips look bigger, only pencil in the arch on your upper lip then blend that in with your lipstick or your lip gloss.

Q: What causes sudden darkening under the eyes?

A: Generally dark circles under the eyes are caused from not getting enough sleep, wearing too much make-up, or it can be a skin irritation.

Q. How can I reduce puffiness, redness and bloating on my face?

A. For any kind of puffiness, cold is the secret.  For puffiness on your face, try soaking a washcloth in equal parts of whole milk and cold water.  Apply the cloth to your face for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will help soothe any irritation as well as reduce the puffiness or bloating. 

For puffiness around the eyes tea bags work quite well when applied to the eyes. Also another trick I've used and like is keep a spoon in the freezer and apply it gently to your eyes as soon as you wake up in the morning.  This relieves puffiness nicely.

Q. My hands and feet always sweat a lot, I have even contacted lots of doctors but no one will tell me what I can do to solve this problem. 

A. This is known as Hyperhidrosis.  It typically requires outpatient surgical treatements and I'm sure they will help the problem but I'm not sure how lasting the procedure is.

There are a few alternatives such as lotions and gels that you can rub on that might last a few hours or so, but I have noticed some sllight side effects with a few of them such as itching or burning. Plus it's hard to know if they'll really work.

If you haven't already, I would suggest trying some less invasive treatments, I personally prefer natural things or treatments that I can work on myself.

Native Remedies makes a natural homeopathic product called Deodorite.  It comes in tablet form that you dissolve in your mouth once a day. 

This product may help reduce your sweating but I think it's probably more successful at eliminating body odor.  Native remedies makes very good natural products so it may be worth a try, particularly if body odor is also a problem.  Plus they have a 1 year money back guarantee.

One other remedy I'd highly recommend is a book put out by Mike Ramsey called "Stop Sweating and Start Living".  Mike wrote this book revealing how he cured his own sweat problems. His remedy is a practical, natural remedy that Mike says will cure your sweating problem permanently. 

Q. Does Preparation H really reduce eye wrinkles?

A. Yes, surprisingly enough,  Preparation H does work around the eyes. It has an ingredient that tightens the skin, so even the skin around your eyes will have a more tightened less wrinkled look.  Keep in mind however, this is very temporary wrinkle solution.  

Q: How do you get rid of bags under your eyes?

A: There are a number of remedies.  Here's a few to try:

• Soak Tea bags in warm water then apply them to your eyes and rest for about 20 minutes.  
• Use Vitamin K eye cream, or a good concealer.
• Put something cold, such as an ice pack, under your eye when you wake up in the morning.
• Put some olive oil on the "baggy" part of the eye, and tap it in.
• Try drinking more water.

Q: What natural remedies are there for reducing stretch marks?

A: Try apply extra Virgin Olive oil to the stretch marks.  Some have said this really works.
Food, and lotions with vitamin E and maybe A are always good for scars.  You can also rub on liquid Vitamin E.

Q: I have pimples and blackheads but my skin is sensitive and most products are irritating.  Are there any over the counter products that will help me?
 
A: First off, use a good cleansing facial, this will help with getting rid of the blackheads.  If your skin isn't too sensitive try an over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid treatments, placed directly on the pimple to help to clear up the skin.  Also, a good mask for your skin type would be June Jacobs Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque 5oz. This is an excellent body and face mask that gently digests dead skin cells and impurities as it moisturizes and tightens.

Q: Hi.  I'd love to have a good tan but I know it's recommend to stay out of the sun, plus I do burn easily.  What is the best tanning lotion or spray to use that will give me a natural look?

A: Tanning products have come a long way in the past few years and there are lots of good ones out there. Jergens Natural Glow is a nice one.  It's a daily moisturizer that gradually add color so there are no streaks and ugly orange colors. Be sure to read the directions and always wash your hands after use.

L'Oreal also has a great bronzer called Sublime Bronze. They have gels and lotions and many different formulas. The trick with using any self tanning product is to make sure it is completely and evenly rubbed into your skin.  Always wait at least a half hour before coming in contact with any clothing.
Jergens Natural Glow and L'Oreal Sublime Bronze are available at drugstore.com.

Q: Kelley from Los Angeles asks:  My mascara often dries out quickly and becomes hard to apply.  Is there anything I can add to it to make it useful again?

A: Some mascaras just dry out quickly, especially some of the cheaper ones.  Also if you pump your mascara in and out of the tube, this also dries it out.  A tube of mascara is really only meant to last about 3 months.  Plus your mascara can attract bacteria from your lashes and using it for long periods of time can promote infection.  If you mascara that is less than a month old try adding a drop of eye makup remover to it.  This sometimes helps but it's not a guarantee.
I've had good luck with L'Oreal mascaras.  I like the product in general and they seem to last a bit longer than many of the others.
P.S. from Beauty Survival:  L'Oreal mascaras are available from drugstore.com.

Q: Kathy from Chicago asks:  What products can I use to hide laugh lines and wrinkles around my forehead?

A: You might want to use a good exfoliator to smooth the skin first. Then a good product to use is the Joey New York Line up.  It's a gel formula that gently fills in and plumps up the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the face, the eye area and neck.

The Joey New York Line Up can be found at the SkinStore.com  Good luck.

Q: Is there a specific vitamin, such as Vitamin B, if taken regularly will help repel insects? 

A: There is no scientific evidence that eating garlic, vitamins, onions, or any other food will make a person repellent to mosquitoes.

However there has been some talk that Thiamin (vitamin b1) is a good insect repellent but note that Thiamine is actually very hard to obtain through diet as the cooking process destroys most of the vitamin.

The body typically needs less than 2 mg of Thiamine per day for a healthy diet and excess Thiamine is passed through the urine, breath and the skin.  Biting insects and in particular Mosquitoes dislike the smell of Thiamine.
However careful scientific trials have failed to show any mosquito repelling effects as a result of taking oral vitamin B, including B1.

There is some evidence that the use of B1 will make any bites feel less itchy, but it does not reduce the risk of diseases spread by biting mosquitoes.

Q: I brush my teeth sometimes three times a day and I still seem to have bad breath.  What can I do?

A: Brushing isn't always a cure for bad breath.  By all means, don't stop brushing, however bad breathe can often come from your tongue, your throat or even your stomach.  

Bad breath typically comes from lost oxygen. Losing oxygen can happen when taking certain medications, using alcohol based mouthwashes or just having your mouth in a closed position for any length of time. Doing this emits sulfur compounds.  Also eating certain foods like garlic and onions also emit sulfur compounds creating the odor.

Unfortunately sulfur compounds can't be removed with things like tongue scrapers, what you must do is bring oxygen to your mouth, you can do this by drinking water and using oral rinses that contain chlorine dioxide to neutralize the sulfur compounds.  Also chew on oxygen rich veggies like parsley or celery. If that doesn't help, you may want to check with your dentist.

Q:  I am need some help with me oily skin. I have tried everything on the market and nothing seems to work.  Can you please help.... 

A: Thanks for writing.

Oily skin can be a tough thing.  It's generally caused by heredity and we've all got hereditary curses in one way or another :-(

There's no cure for oily skin.  It's just one of the things you'll have to work with. The good news is that people with oily skin don't generally age as fast :-) however that's hard to enjoy when you're dripping with oil, so here are a few things you can do to minimize its effects.

One of the things that a few of my friends would do was to carry towelettes or blotting papers in their purse that were made for oily skin. This will allow you to give yourself a touch up now and then to help minimize the oily look.

Another thing you can do is use mud masks. The effect is only temporary but they can make your skin feel really good.  The darker brown the mud, the more oil it can absorb. White or rose-colored muds are best on
sensitive skin.

Use hot water to clean your face or as hot as you can stand it. Hot water and soap will dissolve skin oil better than cold water.

Try to find a drying soap that won't dry your skin.  I know that's easier said than done, however I've heard that Ivory soap is good for oily skin, along with some degreasing soaps such as Cuticura Medicated Soap, Clearasil soap, and Neutrogena Oily Skin Formula.

Use astringents with acetone or alcohol such as Seba-Nil, (found at DermaDoctor.com).  I understand witch-hazel also works well. Non-alcohol astringents won't do the trick as they are water based and that won't get at the oil. But use these only once a day or not at all if they increase oil flow, which happens for some
people.  Some basic tips:

Don't over wash your face, that can increase the secretion of oil. Wash at night and in the morning only.

Use only water based cosmetics.

Use baby powder. I've heard women say that Johnson's Baby Powder makes a great face powder when fluffed lightly over makeup. It absorbs the oil.

Q:  Is octinoxate bad for the skin as a sunscreen? Is bht toxic as a preservative? There is a lot of info on the internet about toxic ingredients in skincare, are they true?

A. My research indicates that bensophernone and octinoxate have troubling effects in sunscreens.

Bensophenone can be a skin irritant and cause allergies. If you get a skin rash from a sunscreen Bensophenone may be the culprit.

Also bensophenone-3 appears to mimic the hormone estrogen.  There was a study that showed estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells multiplied when they were exposed to benzophenone-3.  While research is still being examined in this area results still suggest that benzophenone-3 has the potential for concern in those that use it.

In addition octinoxate, also used in sunscreens has been noted to have toxic effects.   Even less research has been done in this area and no studies that I know of have been done on animals or humans.

Until real concrete evidence has been noted it's hard to come to a conclusion.
 
Some sunscreens do not list all ingredients on the label. If you are concerned about what might be in your sunscreen, call the manufacturer to request a complete list of ingredients.

Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are preferable sunblocks both for their effectiveness and low health risks.

Q: How can you make your lips look bigger and fuller?

A: Lip-gloss makes them stand out so they look more plump. Also if you outline your lips in a shade of lip liner that matches your lips, then color it in with your favorite lip color  to make your lips look bigger, only pencil in the arch on your upper lip then blend that in with your lipstick or your lip gloss.

Q: What causes sudden darkening under the eyes?

A: Generally dark circles under the eyes are caused from not getting enough sleep, wearing too much make-up, or it can be a skin irritation.

Q: How do you get rid of bags under your eyes?

A: There are a number of remedies.  Here's a few to try:

• Soak Tea bags in warm water then apply them to your eyes and rest for about 20 minutes.  
• Use Vitamin K eye cream, or a good concealer.
• Put something cold, such as an ice pack, under your eye when you wake up in the morning.
• Put some olive oil on the "baggy" part of the eye, and tap it in.
• Try drinking more water.

Q: What natural remedies are there for reducing stretch marks?

A: Try apply extra Virgin Olive oil to the stretch marks.  Some have said this really works.
Food, and lotions with vitamin E and maybe A are always good for scars.  You can also rub on liquid Vitamin E. Stretch marks can be kind of a tough on to remedy so if you want to try something stronger I suggest Strivectin.  It was originally formulated for stretch marks but also poses as a wrinkle reducer, however I've found its best performing on stretch marks.

Q: I have pimples and blackheads but my skin is sensitive and most products are irritating.  Are there any over the counter products that will help me?
 
A: First off, use a good cleansing facial, this will help with getting rid of the blackheads. Talk to your esthetician first, but you might also try Peter Thomas Roth's BPO and Sulfur topical gel. Spot treat your pimples every night until they disappear. Also, a good mask for your skin type would be June Jacobs Papaya mask. Use this once a week for 10 minutes to remove any dead skin.

June Jacobs Papaya mask is available at The Skinstore and Peter Thomas Roth BPO 10% and Sulfur Gel is available at DERMAdoctor.com.

Got A Question?
Post It here and I'll get back to you with my answer :-)