Your body needs tender loving care

Your body needs tender loving care

What is common between the diary you use each day to scribble notes in office and your feet? Too weird a comparison? Well, think again. Chances are that you will discover you care for your feet as little as you do for that diary caked with dust and on the verge of tearing apart.

But unlike the diary, you cannot replace the body parts you tend to ignore most often. This new year, make a new start. Use this checklist to make sure you give each part of yourself its due.

Hands

The delicate skin, fewer oil glands, constant exposure to sun and direct contact with drying elements such as harsh detergents and hot water contribute to making hands age years before the rest of you.

    * Take special care to use a gentle scrub on your hands to remove dead skin.
    * Moisturise hands during the day as well as before going to bed to keep them soft while maintaining their suppleness.
    * Use SPF-containing sunscreens and lotions to protect hands from the sun.
    * Use gloves while doing household work such as washing utensils or clothes.

Elbows and knees

The thick skin around the elbows and knees tends to be drier and darker than the rest of the body. However, it is mostly left uncared for since these parts can be easily covered with clothes.

    * Remove dark skin from knees and elbows by exfoliating the skin regularly. Avoid use of alcohol-based products.
    * Massage them with olive and almond oil.
    * Lemon is extremely beneficial for your elbows and knees. Use a paste made by mixing lemon juice with salt to lighten the stubborn dark skin on these parts.
    * Nutritional supplements of antioxidants, flaxseed oil, co-enzyme and Vitamin C will help make a difference.

Feet and heels

Clean, soft heels never fail to attract praise. However, cold weather and the dirt are bound to put them to severe test.

    * Wash feet in lukewarm soapy water and exfoliate using a foot scrub to keep them clean and free from itch cracks.
    * Apply a lanolin-rich cream or mixture of glycerin and rose water to help soften the heels.
    * Massage the foot with either petroleum jelly which contains urea and lactic acid or a salicylic acid preparation (if the cracks are very deep) at bedtime.
    * Use low heel, comfortable shoes that cover your feet.
    * Always put on a loose pair of socks before going to bed.
    * While waxing your legs, ask your therapist to wax the foot as well, to remove the dryness from the upper foot.

Underarms

Dark underarms can be unsightly and embarrassing. Caused due to hyper-pigmentation, they are mostly genetic.

    * Shaving can lead to dark underarms as the skin is sensitive and thin. As waxing removes hair from the root, it is a far better alternative to shaving.
    * Since deodorants can lead to discoloration of the armpits, try to use perfumes or sprays when going out.
    * Avoid bleaching this part of the body as the thin, sensitive skin turns unusually dark later on.
    * Apply a mixture of half lemon juice and half water to your underarms. Allow the mixture to stay for 15 to 30 minutes before rinsing. Repeat this on alternate days.

Hips

Hard and dark skin on the hips is very common among women. However, since not everyone goes around sporting bikinis, the problem remains largely ignored.

    * Daily exfoliation with a loofah during your bath will help reduce discoloration of the hip region.
    * Use mild scrubs for this area to avoid goose pimples.

Back

It's common knowledge that most women are plagued by acne and unusually dark skin on their backs.

    * Use anti-bacterial soap or a salicylic acid-based cleanser to dry up the acne on your back.
    * Moisturise your back with a hydroxyl acid that can be bought at any drug or beauty store. This will prevent the skin from drying up in any weather.
    * Protect the skin from sunlight and cleanse it with gentle cleansing milk every night before going to bed.

Neck skin

The skin on the neck is much more delicate, and thus requires more care as compared to the rest of your body.

    * Regularly peel the dead skin on your neck with face cosmetics once a week, since they are gentler.
    * To prevent ageing and moisture loss, eat food containing vitamin F, such as corn, sunflower oil, linseed oil, and nuts.

With inputs from: Dr Jamuna Pai, Cosmetic Physician, Blush Clinics; Anuradha CH, Director, Anoo's Salon; Anjali Negi, Marketing Manager, JAFRA Cosmetics; and Vivek Sahni, MD, Kama Ayurveda.

Reproduced From India Today. © 2011. LMIL. All rights reserved.