Hope everyone had a fab xmas! Just thought I'd give you a little post holiday distraction with this cute little piece on home beauty remedies – and what the deal-e-o is, as in: DO THEY WORK OR ARE THEY BULLDINKY?
Below, Dr. Hevia addresses some beauty concerns in a series of fact or fiction questions in hopes of putting these old-school home remedies to rest.
Dark Under-Eye Circles: To get rid of dark under-eye circles, apply cucumber juice under the eyes with cotton balls.
FICTION! Dark circles under the eyes are essentially dead fat, despite all the cucumber slices you see placed on the eye on TV.
FACT! The only thing that can help under-eye circles are items containing vitamin K, which can help shrink the blood vessels so they're not as dark. At home products include spinach, collards and turnips, to name a few.
Varicose Veins: To avoid varicose veins, don't take a shower after exercising.
FICTION! This would not address the underlying causes or known risk factors for varicose veins—such as heredity, prolonged standing, pregnancy, advanced age, obesity or sedentary lifestyle. It can be argued that standing in the hot shower for a prolonged period without moving your legs could be problematic, but most people do move their legs while showering. In fact exercise may reduce the risk for varicose veins.
FACT! Exercise, good posture, sitting with your legs straight and wearing non constricting clothing are some ways to assist in preventing varicose veins. Unfortunately, the only way to treat would be through treatments such as Asclera, an injection therapy, a non-surgical procedure in which a solution is injected into the problem varicose veins or spider veins.
Stretch Marks: Cocoa Butter can correct stretch marks.
FICTION! Stretch marks are tears in your collagen and cocoa butter cannot fix tears that are under the surface.
FACT! A lotion with vitamin a, vitamin c, peptides and even onion juice.
Blemishes: To prevent acne, don't eat chocolate or soda.
FICTION! There is no scientific evidence linking ingestion of chocolate or soda to worsening acne symptoms. The only foods currently theorized to worsen acne are non-organic dairy products and possibly seafood—especially shellfish.
FACT! When you wake up in the morning with a big pimple, just grab a tube of plain white toothpaste and dab it on. Let the toothpaste dry for 15 minutes or so. Also, do not use whitening or brightening and red toothpastes or anything with cinnamon flavoring toothpastes because they can burn or irritate your skin.
Pores: Cold water will shrink your pores
FICTION! Your pore size is genetic, not much will change the size. Cold water constricts blood vessels so skin only feels tighter.
FACT! You can minimize their appearance on the surface. When pores are clogged with oil and dead skin, they look bigger. A product with salicylic acid cleans them out. Pores also stretch as you lose collagen.
