FitSugar

Take Care of Your Bikini Line

FitSugar — Thu, 10 May 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Everyone has a certain way that they deal with their bikini line. Whether you shave or wax, there's something we all have to deal with - IRRITATION!

Nobody talks much about how to take care of your bikini line once the hair is removed, but we all get itchy or painful red bumps. When the hair grows back, since it's curly and course, it can get stuck underneath the first few layers of your skin, causing ingrown hairs.

Here's how to prevent them:

Gently exfoliate daily - Get yourself a pair of loofah gloves, lather up with some moisturizing soap, and gently scrub your bikini line. They've got a rough texture to get rid of dead skin cells, but they're gentle enough to use every day. My fave are from The Body Shop ($7.00) because they have a little loop on each glove so you can hang them in the shower.
Wear loose-fitting undies - If the elastic on your underwear is making indentations on your skin, than it's way too tight. All that rubbing will irritate your sensitive skin, and cause more ingrown hairs.

Fit's Tips: Sometimes you may need to help get rid of an ingrown hair if it becomes too painful. Sterilize a pair of tweezers with some rubbing alcohol, and pluck the hair out. Wipe the area with some alcohol afterwards.

Do you all have any tips to share on this one? Let me know in the comments below.

Source

Ingrown Hairs - Not a Fan

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:00:00 -0800

When you remove unwanted hair from your body by waxing or shaving, you run the risk of ingrown hairs. I've had women tell me to never wax my bikini line ever, because those hairs are thick and curly, so they tend to get trapped inside the hair follicle and grow in crooked more often than say your leg hair.

I'm not going to let a little ingrown hair keep me from waxing. Oh no. Here's a tip I picked up from a waitress when I was out to dinner one night (really). She said she was way into waxing (don't ask me how we got started talking about that), and she waxed everything, including her armpits (ouch).

Her advice: To prevent those irritating little red bumps you get from ingrown hairs, you must exfoliate the area daily.

Now I'm not saying use something harsh like a sugar scrub on your sensitive parts - I much prefer using loofah gloves. They are gentle enough to use every day.

And exfoliating consistently to remove dead skin cells really helps prevent those suckers. So you can wax and shave all you want and get silky smooth skin without those annoying red bumps.

Aging changes in hair and nails

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:18:29 -0700

Overview

Information

Illustrations

Hair follicle of young person

Aged hair follicle

Aging changes in nails

HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

Information

Hair color change is probably one of the most obvious signs of aging. Hair color is caused by a pigment (melanin) produced by hair follicles. With aging, the follicle produces less melanin.

Graying often begins in the 30s, although this varies widely. Graying usually begins at the temples and extends to the top of the scalp. Hair becomes progressively lighter, eventually turning white.

Many people have some gray scalp hair by the time they are in their 40s. Body and facial hair also turn gray, but usually later than scalp hair. The hair in the armpit, chest, and pubic area may gray less or not at all.

Graying is genetically determined. Gray hair tends to occur earlier in Caucasians and later in Asian races. Nutritional supplements, vitamins, and other products will not stop or decrease the rate of graying.

HAIR THICKNESS CHANGES

Hair is a protein strand that grows through an opening (follicle) in the skin. A single hair has a normal life of about 4 or 5 years. That hair then falls out and is replaced with a new hair.

How much hair you have on your body and head is determined by your genes. However, almost everyone experiences some hair loss with aging. The rate of hair growth slows.

The hair strands become smaller and have less pigment, so the thick, coarse hair of a young adult eventually becomes thin, fine, light-colored hair. Many hair follicles stop producing new hairs altogether.

About a quarter of men begin to show signs of baldness by the time they are 30 years old, and about two-thirds of men have significant baldness by age 60. Men develop a typical pattern of baldness associated with the male hormone testosterone (male-pattern baldness). Hair may be lost at the temples or at the top of the head.

Women may also develop a typical pattern of hair loss as they age (female-pattern baldness). The hair becomes less dense all over and the scalp may become visible.

Body and facial hair are also lost, but the hairs that remain may become coarser. Some women may notice a loss of body hair, but may find that they have coarse facial hair, especially on the chin and around the lips.

Men may find the hair of their eyebrows, ears, and nose becoming longer and coarser.

NAIL CHANGES

The nails also change with aging. They grow slower and may become dull and brittle. They may become yellowed and opaque.

Nails, especially toenails, may become hard and thick. Ingrown toenails may be more common. The tips of the fingernails may fragment.

Sometimes, lengthwise ridges will develop in the fingernails and toenails. This can be a normal aging change. However, some nail changes can be caused by infections, nutritional deficiencies, trauma, and other problems.

Check with your health care provider if your nails develop pits, ridges, lines, changed shape, or other changes. These can be related to iron deficiency, kidney disease, and nutritional deficiencies.