Posts Tagged ‘skin’

How to: Treat Your Skin During the Winter Months

Friday, January 6th, 2012

 

No one likes the feeling or appearance of dry flaky skin any time of year, especially during the winter months.  That is why it is important to make the right choices when it comes to skincare maintenance.

   

According to skincarebeautyzone.com the cold makes your skin work a lot less, especially on your face, and therefore your skin becomes drier during the winter months.

 

Following a  few simple tips and tricks will help preserve the freshness and attractiveness of your overall complexion and leave you flaky free!

 

Tips provided by: Skincarebeautyzone & WebMD 

 

Facial and All Over Body

  • Say goodbye to your bar of soap- this only makes your skin dryer.
    • Try using lotion, body milk, or even your favorite tonic to clean your face.  An occasional peel would also be nice for your skin.
  • Washing your face with hot water morning and night will help add moisture to your skin.
  • Take a hot bath- this will help open up all of your pores allowing you to clean all the dead skin cells that are just lying there making your skin look old. 
  • Apply a facial mask or even have a facial massage occasionally.
  • Moisturize your skin with coconut or olive oil 15 minutes prior to taking a hot bath, this will leave your skin feeling super soft and will add a nice glow.

 

Lips

 

To keep your lips feeling fresh during the winter months;

  • Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
  • Use a humidifier at home.
  • Apply beeswax or petroleum jelly to your lips.
  • Put on lip balm or lipstick that contains an SPF every time you go outside.
  • Don’t lick your lips, it just makes matters worse!

 

For more skincare tips, visit WebMD.com!

 

Care for your skin year round and it will thank you!

 

Sources:

http://www.skincarebeautyzone.com/skin-care/skin-care-tips/the-right-way-to-treat-your-skin-during-wintertime/

 

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/slideshow-winter-skin-hazards

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Blog Posts | No Comments »

How to: Treat Tick Bites

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

 

Did you know there are over 850 different species of ticks?! Yuck!

 

With spring in full gear and the sight of summer on the horizon Family Medical Walk-In Clinic feels it is important to let you know the “How to’s” when it comes to dealing with ticks.

 

 

It is important you know how to;

  1. Identify a tick
  2. Know where they hide out
  3. Remove a tick
  4. Treat a tick bite
  5. Proper precautions

 

What is a Tick?
According to MedlinePlus.com ticks are bloodsucking parasites.  These species transmit diseases to humans and animals.

 

There are Two Kinds of Ticks:

  1. Soft ticks, the argasids, have soft, leathery shells with sub-terminal mouth-parts that are on the underside of the tick.
  2. Hard ticks, the lxodids, have a hard plate on their dorsal surface and have terminal mouth-parts.
     

Did you know?

According to SpokaneOutdoors.com:

  • Soft ticks are fast feeders and blow up like a balloon once full.
  • Hard ticks are slow feeders, taking several days to finish their meal.
  • A tick can suck up to 8 ml of blood in one feeding! 
  • Ticks can intake 100X  their body weight in blood (wow, that is disgusting!)

 

Where Ticks Hide Out:

  • Wooded areas
  • Hiking trails
  • Campgrounds
  • Backyards

 

How to Remove Ticks:

  • Wear some type of gloves (plastic or cloth) while handling the tick.
  • Use tweezers: grasp the tick as closest to the skin as possible and pick up the body and pull upward slowly and gently and the mouth-parts should release.  Do NOT twist or jerk.

Note: If you see what looks like black lines, then the head is still attached.  At this point, you should try and pick it out.  If you can’t get it out, please see a doctor immediately.  If the tick is not completely removed, you risk infection.

  • Once removed, disinfect where the tick was removed (Do NOT squish or squeeze the body of the tick; it’s fluids may contain infectious organisms).
  • Wash your hands with soap and water immediately!
  • Save the tick (I know, I know…gross) but you need to save it for identification in case you fall ill.  This will help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

To save: Place in a plastic sealable bag and place in your freezer- write the date of the bite on the bag.

 

Types of diseases: (This is a partial list)

To learn more about these different types; please click on their names above.

 

Tick Symptoms:

  • Rashes
  • Headaches
  • Fevers
  • Nausea
  • Muscle pain 

To learn more visit: http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/symptoms.html

 

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases usually a tick needs to be attached to your body for at least 24 hours before it can infect you.

 

Tick Treatments:

  1.  Antibiotics should be initiated immediately when there is a suspicion of tick-borne illness.
  2. If the patient is treated within the first 4-5 days, the fever will usually subside within 24-72 hours, with appropriate antibiotics.

To learn more visit: http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/treatment.html

 

How to: Protect Yourself & Your Family:

  • Use a chemical repellent with DEET, permethrin or picaridin
  • Wear light-colored protective clothing
  • Tuck pant legs into socks or high boots
  • Avoid tick infested areas
  • Check yourself and children anytime after you have been outdoors

 

To see different examples of ticks, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/transmission.html

 

Warm weather’s great but tick bites are NOT!  Be safe out there my friends!!!

 

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tick_removal.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tickbites.html

http://www.spokaneoutdoors.com/ticks.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/babesiosis/

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/cchf.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/stari/

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/RelapsingFever/

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/symptoms.html

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/transmission.html

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/rockyMountainSpottedFever/Pages/default.aspx

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Blog Posts | 20 Comments »

The Sun & Your Skin…Part 2

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

BeachSunEven though the winter months are ahead, it is still important that you know how to protect your skin against the sun’s harmful rays.

 

Did you know there are six different types of skin groups?

 

  1. Porcelain white-
    a. Always burns, never tans
    b. Highest risk for skin cancer and wrinkles
  2. Light or fair-
    a. Burns easily
    b. High risk for skin cancer
  3. Still white but darker-
    a. Sometimes burns and may tan to a light bronze
    b. Risk remains high for skin cancer
  4. Tans easily-
    a. Rarely burns
    b. Skin cancer risk exist but are minimal
  5. Darker-
    a. Never burns
    b. Very little risk for skin cancer
  6. Dark-
    a. Skin never burns
    b. Skin cancer is rare for this group.

According to Dr. Colbert, with WebMD, “Skin groups 1-3 are more likely to develop skin cancers if they burn a lot when they are younger.”

FYI:
Dr. Colbert says; “Sunburns are actually your body’s way of telling you you’ve damaged it. That burn is created by the energy of light waves hitting your skin, creating cell death, which your skin will peel away and create a new layer later on. But this is damaging over time.”

Helpful tips to protect your skin in the sun;

  1. Wear sun block, at least an SPF 15
  2. Apply Moisturizer
  3. Get enough Vitamin C (orange juice, apple juice, etc.)
  4. Wear a hat
  5. Wear sun protecting clothing (light colors)
  6. Should avoid direct contact with sun during midday (11am- 3pm)

We are doing a seven part blog series on skin; please continue viewing 417Health.com for additional healthy skin updates!!

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/healthy-skin-tv-9/default.htm?catId=20020&vidId=091e9c5e80393fe3

http://www.googobits.com/articles/2874-the-six-basic-skin-types-know-yours-and-how-to-prevent-sun-damage.html

http://www.suite101.com/print_article.cfm/healthy_aging/43857

http://www.ivillage.co.uk/print/0,9688,710286,00.html

Tags: ,
Posted in Blog Posts | 1 Comment »

The Science of Your Skin…Part 1

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

SkinWhat are the functions of the skin?

The primary function of the skin is to regulate the body’s temperature.  According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the skin protects the body against heat, light, injury and infection; the skin stores water, fat and vitamin D.

 

What your skin does for you:

According to Dr. David A. Colbert, MD;

  • Skin is a touch and sensory organ, which allows us to feel.
  • Skin has thermo regulators that allow us to sense temperature.
  • The skin also has blood vessels that pump blood in and out of our skin to deliver nutrients, resist infection, and make us look healthy.

Did you know there are three layers to your skin ???

  1. Epidermis- the outer covering of the skin.
  2. Dermis- the middle layer, which is filled with blood vessels and different molecules that form collagen.
  3. Subcutaneous Tissue- the bottom layer, which is made up of fat and blood vessels.  This gives our skin structure and silhouette, which makes us look healthy.

We will be doing a seven part blog series on skin; please continue viewing 417Health.com for additional healthy skin updates!!

Source:

http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/healthy-skin-tv-9/default.htm?catId=20020&vidId=091e9c5e80393fe3

http://www.umm.edu/skincancer/anatomy.htm

Tags: ,
Posted in Blog Posts | 2 Comments »