Hobbies and interests serve to cheer you up and heighten your spirits. They are pleasurable indulgences that wither offer your physical health benefits or enhance your creativity and expression. However, the hobbies that you may enjoy may also be putting your skin at risk to certain damage.

Here are some potentially risky hobbies for the skin and tips to keep your skin safe:

Hobby: Gym & Exercising

While going to the gym and exercising can provide you with a great deal of skin care benefits like increased blood circulation and a radiant glow, it can also put your skin at risk to damage.

Bacterial Infections
Gyms are generally hot and sweaty. And this is what makes them the perfect place for bacteria and fungus to survive and transfer from one person to the other. There can be germs everywhere be it on the mats, weights and other equipments, machines and so on. They can get transferred to your skin and give rise to acne and blemishes. Therefore, make sure your clean the equipment and machines with a clean towel before suing them. Also, take a shower as soon as you are done. Damp clothes can cause itchiness or rashes.

Dehydration
Since gyms usually have air conditioners that make the air dry, your skin loses moisture. Moreover, exercising speeds up the rate at which body loses water that may often lead to dehydration of the skin. Dehydration causes a reduction in the blood flow to your skin which may further diminish the necessary nutrients that is required for skin repair and renewal. As a result, your complexion may become dull and your skin, dry and flaky. In order to prevent this, drink a lot of water before your start exercising and take small sips every 15 minutes during your workout.

Hobby: Outdoor Sports

Be it football or be it baseball… anything that makes you spend time under the sun puts your skin at risk of severe sun damage.

Damage by UV Rays
The harsh ultraviolet rays of the sun are responsible for causing painful sunburns and premature aging of the skin. This leads to the development of wrinkles, fine lines and brown spots. Also, the skin becomes dry and saggy. UV exposure also increases the risk of skin cancer.

Heat Rashes
High temperatures and humidity can cause heat rashes. When the skin pores become clogged, they are unable to release sweat to cool the skin and this traps the sweat within the skin. Heat rashes appear as clusters of red spots that are itchy and prickly. Therefore, make sure you wear protective clothing when out in the sun.

Acne
The profuse sweating from outdoor sports when combined with oil, bacteria and dead skin cells attracts dirt and debris. This leads to the clogging of skin pores that further cause acne. Therefore, make sure you protect your skin by applying a broad spectrum sunscreen with minimum SPF 30. Look for a sunscreen that delivers anti-aging nutrients to your skin but doesn’t sting the skin. Instead of rich creamy formulations, use lighter oil-free sunscreens.

Hobby: Swimming

Swimming pools are generally loaded with chlorine in order to kill germs and keep the water clean. However, chlorine does not go well with the skin.

Skin Dryness
Chlorine has a major drying affect on the skin and also leaves behind a mild odor. Therefore, make sure you take a shower immediately in order to wash off the chlorine deposits on your body. Also, moisturize your skin with a rich moisturizer that hydrates intensively and does not irritate the skin.

Hobby: Hiking & Camping

Hiking and camping can be great fun but if you are not careful; your skin can pay a heavy toll for all the fun.

Poison Ivy & Poison Oak
These plants contain sticky oil called urushiol that sticks to almost anything and irritates your skin when it comes in contact. It may further result in the development of blisters, soars and rashes.

UV damage
Because of the outdoor traveling, your skin becomes prone to damage by the UV rays. Therefore make sure your wear protective clothing and slather on dollops of sunscreen all over your body.

Dr. Marilyn Syrett is a professional physician and skin care expert. After completing her graduation from the Western University of Health Sciences, she involved herself with the cosmetics skin care industry. She writes articles about skin care and reviews products from popular brands like Obagi Nu Derm and iS Clinical skin care products.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/are-your-hobbies-harming-your-skin-1422115.html

When keeping a well known skin care routine, it might seem hard to get changes in it. But in order to keep your body nice and healthy, make sure you made the best choices for your skin. These are the basic tips you should know about.

The Proper routine

There are three essential steps in each skin care routine: cleansing, toning and moisturizing.

Adjust these steps to the winter damaging factors and your skin will keep its youthful appearance. When you cleanse, make sure you are doing it gently, because skin will get more sensitive from the cold. If you make further damages, the bacterias will spread out and breakouts will appear.

Also, find a lighter toner, that will only finish the cleansing step and close your pores.

As for the moisturizer, choose a creamier one, which will deep nourish your skin. You can opt for some homemade facials which will also hydrate as best as possible with their 100% natural ingredients.

Protect Your Skin

Just as in summer, there are some external factors your should protect your skin from. First of all, make sure you keep hydrating yourself, by drinking plenty of water and moisturizing your skin as best as possible. Even if you have oily skin, keep on moisturizing, to provide comfort to your skin.

Gently exfoliate your skin once in a while, to remove all the dead skin cells left on your face. But make sure once again not to harm your skin, and you can opt for the homemade scrubs to.

Stay away as best as possible from the wind and cold, wear scarfs and keep your skin in warm.

Use a sunscreen to maintain a good protection from the UV rays. This will keep your skin youthful and fresh as it is.

Protect your lips to. Being always exposed to the cold and other weather issues, your lips might get dry and chapped. Opt for a lip balm as an everyday use, even as a lipstick base. This way the lips will stay hydrated to and wrinkle free.

Also, another important thing to be careful with, is the water you take your shower with. Opt for the lukewarm one instead of extra hot water. This way your skin maintains its natural moisture and wont get damaged because of the big temperature gap.

Winter ha sits own harming factors, so do your best in avoiding them, in protecting and treating your skin right. Moisturize as often as needed, boost your body with all the vitamins it needs and you’ll be safe. Make sure you provide enough attention to your skin, in order to avoid damaged skin and appearance of aging signs.

For more Skin Care and Body Care tips, visit our sites
www.skin-care.becomegorgeous.com and www.bodycare.becomegorgeous.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/winter-skin-care-routine-1359259.html

One of the most challenging things for men is to shave on acne-inflicted skin. While shaving is an essential daily regimen, the razor moving on acneic skin can serve to make the condition worse and damage the skin further.

However, with effective skin care and correct shaving techniques, you can get a smooth shave without harming the pimples and causing future breakouts. Here are some tips that will help you get a smooth shave:

Use Acne Skin Care Treatments

In order to reduce acne on your skin, it is important to eliminate the acne causing bacteria from within the skin pores. Therefore, in addition to cleansing your skin effectively, start using professional acne skin care products and acne skin treatments. Look for active ingredients like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, triclosan that help eliminate P. acne bacteria and keep the skin clean.

Product Suggestions:

Skin Care Heaven Basic Acne Clarifying System
It reduces and restores blemished skin while dramatically improving the overall texture and tone of the skin. This is the perfect system for acne prone skin. The system includes:

Resurfacing Cleanser
It cleans the skin by unclogging the pores and prevents future breakouts.

Resurfacing Toning Pads
It gently exfoliates and rejuvenates acne-prone skin.

Clarifying Acne Gel
It is an anti-bacterial spot treatment to reduce breakouts.

Chemical-Free SPF 30
It moisturizes the skin while protecting against harmful UV-Rays of the sun.

Obagi Tretinoin Cream USP 0.025%
It is an effective solution for acne, scaly skin, fine lines and wrinkles. It is a derivative of Vitamin A . This helps to stimulate cell turnover. This product also stimulates the growth of healthy skin. It is the starting strength for Tretinoin cream that should be used. It is used to treat acne and scaly skin problems as well as has anti-aging benefits to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

Be patient as it can take up to 12 weeks to see results. There may be slight discomfort or peeling when using this product. Acne may worsen in the initial few weeks of using the product but will subside. You can step up to a stronger strength after you have been using this product and have not had any harsh or adverse reactions.

Soften your Stubble

The best time to shave is immediately after a warm shower. This is because heat and moisture make the hair softer. At other times, you can soak a washcloth in warm water and hold it against your face for a while in order to infuse the heat. This will make your stubble soft and you will be able to shave effortlessly.

Use a Good Blade

One of the most common reasons for a bad shave is using dull razors which pull at the hair strands instead of cutting them cleanly. This can further cause irritations on your skin as well. Therefore, inspect the razor blade carefully before you shave and make sure there are no nicks. Also consider trying out new varieties of razors to see what suits you best. Generally multiple blades work better and give you a smoother shave than single blade razors.

Shave with the Grain

Most men shave against the direction of hair growth. However, this often causes ingrown hairs and makes acne worse. Therefore, use short, light stroked and shave in the direction of hair growth.

Exfoliate Regularly

Exfoliation is very important to slough off dead skin cells from the surface and reveal new healthy cells. As a result, it helps to decrease acne and razor rash. Try Skin Care Heaven Anti-Aging Exfoliating Scrub. It gently removes dead skin cells and excess oil by delivering a soothing wave of heat, leaving the skin soft with a youthful glow.

Naomi Andrews is a professional esthetician and skin care professional, she has worked with several medical spas in the tenure of her career and developed an in-depth knowledge about various skin care processes including mens skin care. She has worked with popular brands like Obagi and iS Clinical.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/how-can-men-shave-with-acne-without-harming-the-skin-1608645.html