YoungYouCorp Rejuventation Center

Body Talk

We are born naked, wet, and hungry.
Then things get worse.
- Bumper Sticker

Your skin takes up 1.73 square meters to stretch over your flesh and bones, so you want to baby it from head to toe. Here is an A to Z primer on tending all of your parts. Later in this chapter I’ll provide you with information on other important body care topics, such as hair removal techniques, answers to your most common skin care questions, and research that shows the positive impact of fitness on your skin – and on your life.

Baby Your Body

Here are some simple recommendations for exfoliating, moisturizing, treating, and enhancing your different body areas.

Arms

Some women tend to get chicken skin, called keratosis pilaris, on their upper arms. These little bumps resemble the ones you get on your butt. Try using a lotion containing AHAs or BHAs to slough them off. However, be careful with your scrubbing tool – using a loofah or a grainy scrub may feel good temporarily, but may actually worsen the condition.

Back

Back and shoulders often break out. To prevent nasty eruptions:

Wash daily, and gently use a soft-bristled scrub brush
Fight blackheads with a mild salicylic acid cleanser or dab on a 2.5 to 10 percent benzoyl peroxide treatment (go to 10 percent only if skin is oily and not irritated by the concentration)
Make sure to shower promptly after exercising to remove sweat and oils

Breasts

Your decollete and breasts have very few sebaceous glands (unlike your upper chest), so they tend to get dry. To keep them moist and to avoid ugly patches of dry skin:

Moisturize after bathing or showering
Soothe chafed nipples (from jogging, breastfeeding, working out) with a thin film of petroleum jelly or Aquaphor moisturizer. Cover with an old bra. Check first with your pediatrician or OB/GYN if you are breastfeeding

Elbows

Almost everyone has complaints about these rough spots. That’s because the skin’s top layer of dead cells is thicker on elbows than anywhere else on the body. To keep them smooth:

Apply a thick moisturizer often
Try a 12 percent AHA product (Am-Lactin over the counter)
Wash with an alpha hydroxy cleanser and exfoliate several times a week

Feet

It’s easy to overlook feet, but you shouldn’t. Foot problems can be quite painful, but they are easily prevented. To keep feet in fighting shape:

Cleanse them daily
Remove dead skin with a pumice stone (or use an exfoliant)
Clip toenails short and straight to prevent ingrown toenails
Wear shoes that fit well, are comfortable, and don’t squeeze your feet or toes
If you get nail fungus, treat it with either topical or oral medications
Treat athlete’s foot with a medicated powder
Check for warts, and if you have one, see a dermatologist – otherwise, it may spread and/or grow
Wear sunblock all over your feet (heels included). A sunburn on the tops or the soles of the feet hurts!

Hands

An old saying says, “You can tell a woman’s true age by her hands.” In many ways, that is still true. Many women (and men) don’t take care of their hands, at least not as well as they take care of their faces, and the aging skin really shows it.

The skin on the hands is subject to the same damaging effects of the sun and environment as is the face, especially since you rarely cover them (except in the coldest weather). Hands also rarely reap the soothing benefits of moisturizers and sunscreens that you give the rest of your body. Even more wearing is that your hands endure the harsh treatment of repeated hand washings (which can dry them out) and that they touch paper and other harsh materials all day long (which is doubly drying to hands). Start treating your hands well by treating them the same way you would treat your face:

Use rich moisturizers, vitamin A products, glycolic acid products, vitamin C products, and peeling treatments
Always wear sunscreen to prevent “age” and “liver” spots, which are all directly caused by sun exposure. Hands get extra sun exposure, believe it or not, from their position on the wheel when you’re driving your car; the backs of your hands get all the sun’s damaging rays right through the windshield. Use a higher-SPF sunscreen (as you should on the rest of your body) when you will be exposed to direct sun for extended periods of time
When you wash your hands, use the mildest antibacterial cleanser you can find
Wear gloves when washing dishes (hot water is very drying to all skin)
Put your face cream products on your hands at night to get great results. (Because you don’t wash your hands while you sleep, the products will have the greatest amount of time to penetrate)

Knees

Wash your knees with alpha hydroxy acid-containing products
Apply a thick moisturizer, such as Curel Concentrated Moisturizing Cream
Use a 12 percent AHA prescription product, such as Lac-Hydrin
Try using an exfoliating mask on built-up dead skin on knees

Hair, Hair, Go Away

So many methods of hair removal are available today that it’s easy to get a smooth face and body. Here are some of the most common methods.

Shaving – A Quick and Easy Way to Hair-Free Skin

Moisten hairs before shaving. Otherwise, you’ll get razor burn
Lather on a shave cream or gel, and let it sit for a few minutes
Never exfoliate or apply AHA lotions right after shaving – it will sting!
Change blades often. They become dull after five to seven shaves
Shave against the direction of hair growth. That’s how you’ll get the closest shave. If your skin is very sensitive, shave with the direction of the hair growth
Avoid shaving right before swimming. Chlorine and salt water can sting freshly shaved skin, causing irritation

Waxing

Waxing is most often done at a salon. It can also be done with a do-it-at-home kit.
Don’t wax the week before or during your period, when you retain water and skin is more sensitive.
Don’t wax if you are taking Accutane or using topical vitamin A products – you can rip off a layer of skin.
Regrowth occurs in three to six weeks. Loofahs or body scrubs between waxing help prevent ingrowns. Pluck off some stubble from shorter hairs.

Depilatories

These hair-removal preparations are quick, painless, and come in different formulations, depending on where they are used: face or body. They remove hair below the skin’s surface, and it lasts for about two weeks.

If you have sensitive skin, acne, sunburn, or hives, exercise caution when using depilatories; the chemicals can cause a mild reaction or some burning.

Stressed Out? Get a Massage

Who doesn’t love a massage when they are tense? However, using oils for your massage can block your pores and contribute to breakdowns. Many of my patients complain when the beneficial, pleasurable aspects of a massage are minimized by pimples and cysts that occur several days after the massage. To solve this dilemma, I instruct patients to have massages with oil-free moisturizers, such as Neutrogena, Purpose, or Complex-15, instead of with oils. Most masseurs are happy to comply, and the patient’s pores remain unblocked and blemish-free.

From "Beautiful Skin" by David E. Bank, M.D., Director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery, with Estelle Sobel

YoungYou Rejuvenation Center • 19590 Ventura Blvd. • Tarzana • Los Angeles County • CA, 91356 • For appointments: 818.344.3358
Links: YoungYouCorp Slimbionic LiDa Weight Loss Weight Loss Skin Care • Copyright © 2008 • All rights reserved by YoungYouCorp
Serving the communities of Los Angeles, Tarzana, Encino, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Westwood
For oxygen facial, endermologie anti cellulite treatment and microdermabrasion packages think YoungYou Rejuvenation Center