By Betty Guy-Wills
We get so engrossed in our skin care routine for our faces we have a tendency to neglect the skin on our bodies. Time to take care of this large organ that covers the complete body. It not only protects our muscles, bones and organs, but also keeps us at the correct body temperature and gives us that lovely sense of touch. The epidermis or top layer of skin is what we will be addressing.
What really is weird is to see is beautiful faces (artificial, make-up, fillers, etc) paired with saggy, sun spotted, rough, dry, bodies. A daily routine of body skin care is needed to match those faces.
- Exfoliate and Moisturize
This is the very first process to smooth body skin. A loofah for speedy sloughing is excellent for the back, arms, hands shoulders, chest (go around the delicate breast area), abs, hips, buttocks, legs, thighs and feet. The inner thigh and the inside of the arms are more tender than the outer thigh and lower arm and buttocks.
So use pressure accordingly paying special attention to rough spots like elbows, knees, knuckles, etc. Wet the loofah with warm water,and apply a liquid no-soap cleanser before you start. For sensitive skin a bath brush with vegetable fibers works wonders as a “dry brush method”. Simply follow the same pattern as the loofah method before stepping into the shower. You can see the dry skin flaking off your body.
After your shower with warm ,not hot water, pat dry with a terry towel leaving the skin damp, then immediately applying a rich body cream or emulsion,not forgetting hands and feet. Always use circular kneading hand and finger motions exfoliation along with kneading is an excellent aid to lessen any cellulite on the body. Do not exfoliate every day once or twice a week is plenty so as not to damage the skins’ protective barrier. But moisturize daily and more than once if needed. Remember that hot showers strip away the skin’s natural oils so keep the water at a soothing warm temperature.
- Body Blemishes
You’ll sometimes see pimples/blemishes cropping up on the back and shoulders.This is due to a high concentration of sebaceous glands. After exfoliating these areas apply a no alcohol toner (the one with B5 that you use on your face), before applying your body crème. Hint: To reach all areas of the back that has any blemishes pour some of your toner in a small spray bottle and generously spritz away.
- Removing Dark Spots
Apply the same dark spot gel that is used on the face the one that contains glycolic acid and hydroquinone The glycolic acid helps the lightening ingredient hydroquinone to absorb deeper into the skin. These type of products are applied at PM only on a regular basis. Please test on your under arm before regular use. Results will not be immediate it takes 3-4 weeks before seeing some results. After all brown/dark spots took years to develop to the epidermis level, and some may even be genetic.
- Removing Body Hair
When it comes to removing hair on the body,there is a lot of variations the same as on the face.
Shaving – the most common and popular hair removal technique. It is the most temporary because shaving cuts hair at the surface instead of removing it by its follicles.
Waxing – is the application of heated wax in the direction of the hair growth over the skin. Your hair becomes embedded in the wax as it cools and then quickly stripped off. You can administer this method yourself but a professional salon/spa attendant is recommended for sensitive areas.
Depilatories -are made of chemicals called thioglycolates mixed with sodium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide to actually melt the hair away. They are fast and cheap and smelly in a cream form found at your local drug store. They are easy to apply yourself, avoiding sensitive areas. The biggest problem is their short life span. After a day or two you will see little hairs starting to surface after all that effort.
Electrolysis – is actually inserting a needle into the hair follicle and applying an electrical current to the follicle root. This will burn the hair root, preventing it from growing any more hair. A professional clinician is the administrator.
Laser -this treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a laser beam that kills the hair follicles the most expensive way to go for removing body hair. A physician is always recommended for this treatment. The physician must know the skin pigmentation, perhaps skin tests are in order, and the natural color of the hair.
So now, start your body skin care make sure it consists of cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, treating blemishes and dark spots plus removing excess body hair.If you have to spend a little extra money it will certainly go to good use. The fillers and treatments (administered by a board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist) for your face are also available for your body.
* Betty Guy-Wills is a writer, consultant and motivational speaker on anti-aging and age subtracting beauty. She lives in Beverly Hills and can be contacted by email: bettygw_at_roadrunner.com
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