Do you have “dandruff” on your feet???

Athlete’s foot (also known as ringworm of the foot and tinea pedis is a fungal infection of the skin that causes scaling, flaking, and itch of affected areas. It is caused by fungi in the genus Trichophyton and is typically transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot, such as showers or bathhouses. Although the condition typically affects the feet, it can spread to other areas of the body, including the groin.

Athlete’s foot may be contagious from person to person, but it is not always contagious. Some people may be more susceptible to the fungus that causes athlete’s foot while others are more resistant. There are many households where two people (often husband and wife or siblings) using the same showers and bathroom for years have not transmitted the fungus between them. The exact cause of this predisposition or susceptibility to fungal infections is unknown. Some people just seem more prone to fungal skin infections than others.

The treatment of athlete’s foot can be divided into two parts. The first, and most important part, is to make the infected area less suitable for the athlete’s foot fungus to grow. This means keeping the area clean and dry.

Buy shoes that are leather or other breathable material. Shoe materials, such as vinyl, that don’t breathe cause your feet to remain moist, providing an excellent area for the fungus to breed. Likewise, absorbent socks like cotton that wick water away from your feet may help. DON’T sleep with socks on, allow your feet to breathe while you are sleeping.

Powders, especially medicated powders (such as with miconazole or tolnaftate), can help keep your feet dry. Finally, your feet can be soaked in a drying solution of aluminum acetate (Burrow’s solution or Domeboro’s solution). A homemade remedy of dilute white vinegar soaks using one part vinegar and roughly four parts water, once or twice a day as 10-minute foot soaks may aid in treatment. Original Listerine is also a good at home remedy. Mix one cap full in a soaking tub and soak for 10 minutes.

The second part of treatment is the use of antifungal creams and washes. Many medications are available, including miconazole, clotrimazole, terbinafine (Lamisil) sprays and creams, and ketoconazole shampoo and cream, etc. Ask your health-care professional or pharmacist for a recommendation. Treatment for athlete’s foot should generally be continued for four weeks, or at least one week after all of the skin symptoms have cleared.

If you notice any redness, increased swelling, bleeding, or if your infection is not clearing up, see your health-care practitioner. If a bacterial infection is also occurring, an antibiotic pill may be necessary. If you have fungal nail involvement, are diabetic, or have a compromised immune system, you should also see your physician for treatment.

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What’s “Toe Fungus?”

Do you suffer from  thick, yellowed toenails?

Toenail fungus, also known as onychomycosis, is a fairly common condition that disfigures and can destroy the toenail. The big toe and the little toe are the nails that are most likely to be affected. This condition is caused by any one of the many types of fungi that grow in the moist warm environment in your shoes. As they grow, they invade and feed on the protein (keratin) that makes up the hard surface of the toenails.Toenail fungus is rare in children but the incidence increases as you age, with an estimated 48% of people in the United States having at least one toe affected by the time they are 70 years of age. Studies also show an increase in diabetics.

Wearing tight-fitting shoes and layers of nail polish increases the risk of developing toenail fungus. It can also be spread person-to-person in public areas, such as locker rooms and showers. Having a chronic condition that affects your circulation, such as diabetes, or HIV also increases your risk.

Symptoms of Toenail Fungus

The affected nail will become discolored (yellow or brown) and will become very thick and overgrown. You may notice foul-smelling debris under the nail. The nail may crumble and eventually completely fall off, or it may become so thick that it is very painful to wear shoes.

Diagnosis of Toenail Fungus

If a fungal infection becomes uncomfortable enough to seek medical treatment, your doctor will examine the toenail and may take small samples. The nail can be examined for fungi or some other infection under a microscope in the lab.

Treatment of Toenail Fungus

Toenail fungus often becomes a chronic condition, and if it is not painful, many people do not get treatment. However, people with chronic illness like diabetes should see a doctor if they notice changes in their nails as it may be an indication of more serious problems. If the nail becomes very thick and makes wearing shoes and walking painful, you should see a doctor.The nail can be trimmed and filed down carefully, (note: you should ALWAY trim the nail with a straight clipper rather then a moon shaped.)  either at home or by a licensed foot specialist. If the infection is mild and very localized, your doctor may prescribe a medicated nail polish containing either Loceryl (amorolfine) or Loprox (ciclopirox).

If the infection persists or continues to spread, your doctor may prescribe an oral, systemic anti-fungal medication such as Sporanox (itraconazole) or Lamisil (terbinafine). The length of treatment will be about 12 weeks. Both of these drugs have some very serious side effects and may not be appropriate for some people.

For extremely persistent infections, permanent surgical removal of the nail may be necessary.

Prevention of Toenail Fungus

You can help to prevent toenail fungus by:

• Wearing comfortable, well-fitting shoes and clean hosiery every day, and allowing your shoes to dry thoroughly between wearings
• Wearing shower shoes, sandals or flip-flops in community showers or locker rooms
• Washing your feet daily, drying them thoroughly, and using a good-quality foot powder
• Keeping your toenails trimmed
• Avoid applying layers of nail polish
• Having regular pedicures help add nutrients back into the nail and also help sluff off dead skin from other parts of your feet
• The elimination of dirt and bacteria from your feet will also help prevent nail diseases and disorders and helps eliminate foot odor.

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Health Benefits of Essential Oils for skin

When it comes to natural skin care, essential oils are an invaluable tool. These natural, non-greasy oils from plants and herbs are used for toning, spot treatment of acne, scars and blemishes, smoothing wrinkles and age marks, creating a healthy glow and bringing skin back to life. Most beauty regimens involve essential oils in tiny amounts, usually diluted in a vegetable oil or cream with other natural and synthetic ingredients. In these forms, essential oils are being used more for fragrance and marketing than for their therapeutic properties.

In fact, most of the oils in commercial health and beauty products hardly have medicinal or therapeutic properties – they are grown and processed in such a rapid way that the healing potential of the plants is lost.

Pure and properly derived essential oils require a slower, more arduous process and yield a smaller volume of product – but quality essential oils are able to provide concentrated oxygen and nutrients to the skin that is almost impossible to get from other sources.

If you’re using therapeutic-grade, organic essential oils, you can put the oils directly onto your skin, or dilute them with a carrier oil for easier application.

Some of the most popular essential oils to restore skin’s health and beauty include:

Clary Sage

Clary sage contains plant chemicals which are very similar to human hormones and act as “hormone precursors” – the human body can convert them to whatever it needs at the time. It is also helpful to skin where there is a hormonal imbalance acting in concert with a skin issue.

Eucalyptus

Similar to tea tree oil (below), eucalyptus is well known for its ability to clear blackheads and blemishes and create smooth skin.

Lavender

Lavender is often called the “universal oil,” good for everything and harmful to none – unless you’re using hybrid lavender or an artificial substitute. Real lavender is very difficult to find and labels can be misleading. Lavender is a natural antiseptic and has properties in it to soothe skin and clear acne. It is also  good for the skin, soothing and calming, and extraordinarily healing for burns and blemishes, but is very drying.

Lemon

Citrus oils are healing and restorative to the skin. A dab of lemon oil, in particular, is one of the fastest ways to clear up acne, take the redness away from a break out and assists in shrinking pore size. But beware: citrus oils may discolour (like a sunburn) if exposed to direct sunlight within 72 hours of application.

Myrrh

The lesser-known partner to Frankincense, Myrrh was well-known in the ancient world as a balm and was used to treat almost everything. This thick, resinous essential oil is often considered invaluable for treating rashes and blemishes caused by warts, eczema, and bacteria. (But be careful of your source – inferior quality myrrh, processed from the resin, can contain solvents and chemicals that make it unsafe to use directly on the skin.)

Patchouly

Patchouly is often recommended for all kinds of skin conditions. It is excellent for treating rashes and scarring, and may be used as a moisturizer or as deodorant because of its powerful fragrance.

Sandalwood

Sandalwood oil has a mild fragrance and is extremely moisturizing. One of the ancient healing oils used for the skin in Biblical times, it is helpful for removing wrinkles and scars and renewing tired skin.

Tea Tree (Melaleuca)

Tea tree or melaleuca is useful for cleaning and soothing blotchy skin or acne. It helps heal blemishes and relieves congestion in the skin.

There are some important things to remember in purchasing essential oils. Make sure they are ORGANIC and come from a trustworthy source. If they are not in a pure form they can have extra added chemicals, some of the properties can damage and harm the skin, a little goes a long way-so use the oil sparingly, make sure you know your specific skin type. Using products even essential oils can change your hyaluronic acid level (natural moisture of your skin) and cause you oil break out shine or dry, chapped or chaffed skin.

You can find natural essential oils at Ubiquitous Journey. There address is: 15011 Meridian E.  Suite C Puyallup WA 98373. Their phone number is: 253.445.6128. If they do not have a specific essential oil you are looking for they can custom order it for you. They are organic and made from plant derivatives.

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How to prevent hair loss

Hair is made up of dead protein called keratin. This is the same material that makes up fingernails, toenails, and teeth in humans and horns and hooves in animals. Humans have hair all over their exterior bodies except for the palms of hands, bottoms of the feet, toenails and fingernails, eyeballs, and lips. There are about five million hairs on a human’s body.

The average number of hairs on a human head is 100,000. Surprisingly, blondes have more hair than people with other hair colors. Blondes average 140,000 hairs on their fair heads. Redheads have the least amount of hair, with an average of about 80,000 hairs. Blonde hair is the finest and black hair is the coarsest. Men generally also have coarser hair than females, but women’s hair is denser.

Men’s hair grows faster than women’s hair. Bone marrow is the only part of the human body that grows quicker than hair. Human hair grows about an inch every three or four months. Human hair grows quicker in warm weather.

For healthy humans, most hair doesn’t live longer than seven years and can be as short as three years. Because of this, human hair doesn’t usually grow longer than a couple of feet. A human’s entire head of hair is replaced more than ten times during their lifetime.

As a person ages, hair grows slower and gets thinner in both males and females. More than half of men have male pattern hair loss by the age of fifty. Almost half of women will experience female pattern hair loss by the time they go through menopause. The normal rate of hair loss in humans is about seventy-five hairs daily. In order to be visible to others, about half of hair must be lost.

There are several way to prevent future hair loss. Some of these include:

  Include vitamin C to prevent hair loss and encourage hair restoration for those going bald. Vitamin C is a natural part of healthy hair and an important dietary addition. Because it is water soluble, it needs to be consumed daily to keep the body supplied with the proper amount. Eat fresh citrus fruits or taking a vitamin C supplement. Recommended doses range between 1,000-3,000 mg daily.

  The B vitamins and biotin are necessary components for hair growth. B3 is known to increase circulation to the scalp and B6 helps to strengthen and condition weak hair. Taking a vitamin B complex supplement daily with at least 100 mg of B6 should aid in helping to grow hair.

  Adequate iron is necessary for proper oxygenation of the blood and contributes to increased circulation in the scalp. Eat foods high in iron to prevent hair loss such as raisins, apricots, green leafy vegetables, liver and whole grains.

  Vitamin E stimulates hair growth by increasing circulation to the scalp. Vitamin E may be taken orally and also added to hot oil treatments for the scalp to protect and restore hair as well as preventing hair loss.

  Consider using a laser comb for hair restoration. Based on reports from the manufacturer, the HairMax laser comb was cleared for use by the FDA for cases of alopecia, or balding. Reports claim it stimulates hair follicles promoting hair re-growth.

  Receiving scheduled hair trims will also help stimulate the new growth of the hair follicle.

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Do you suffer from ingrown hairs?

Ingrown hair is a condition where the hair curls back or grows sideways into the skin. The ingrown hair condition is seen primarily among people having curly hairs although any skin or hair type can be prone to this condition. It may or may not be accompanied by an infection of the hair follicle  or “razor bumps” , which vary in size. While ingrown hair most commonly appears in areas where the skin in the beard, legs, arms, pubic region, it can appear anywhere on the body where hair grows.

Anything which causes the hair to be broken off short with a sharp tip can cause ingrown hair. Shaving is the leading cause, followed by waxing and tight clothing. The embedded hair causes a localized inflammation and can become painful and pus filled. Sometimes ingrown hair occurs naturally without shaving, as too much dead skin or blocked pores can make hair grow sideways.

The following are some GREAT and inexpensive home remedies to prevent ingrown hairs:

Prep and soften skin and hair. Prior to shaving, use a gentle scrub which will both remove dead skin for a cleaner shave, and help point hair out of the skin for it to be properly shaved. Shave after you have been in the shower for a bit, not right away, since the steam and heat will soften the hair.

Use a new blade, or try a different kind altogether. Old blades are both dull and can introduce bacteria into freshly shaved skin. Some skin types simply do not respond well to standard blade shaving. If you are still having ingrown hairs or razor bump/burn challenges, switch to a high quality electric razor.

Watch your pressure and technique. Press gently with the blade as too much pressure removes excess surface skin. Shave with the grain, as shaving against the grain will cause both skin irritation and point hairs back into the skin causing a bump. Try and avoid shaving over the same area too many times, as each stroke removes skin cells and can cause unnecessary irritation.

Waxing is another way to help prevent ingrown hairs because it is detaching the hair follicle at the papilla, or the end of the hair follicle. When the hair begins to grow back it is soft without stubble.

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Health Benefits to a pedicure???

Do you have “Urine crystals” in your feet?

 Spring is finally here and that means Summer and sandal weather is just around the corner. Besides having your feet looking nicely manicured there are specific health benefits to having a pedicure. Pedicures are a good way to help keep your feet healthy, looking, smelling and feeling good. The rest of your body might not follow suit and feel as well because your feet harbor the most toxins. Thus the reason why there is sometimes an odor coming from your feet when they have been sweating and in closed quarters cramped in shoes all day.

A pedicure cleans feet, provides nail care and detoxifying foot massages. A good pedicure can be very relaxing and if you have foot problems it can be very therapeutic.

There are specific toxins that build up prodominately in the arch and toe area of your feet call urine crystals. Urine crystals are often increased concentrations of uric acid can cause crystals to form in the joints, which leads to joint inflamation and pain. Characteristic of gout. Uric acid can also form crystals or kidney stones in your bladder that can damage the kidneys. Reflexology is a great tool and technique to losen the particules so that your body can excrete in a normal fashion.  A few specific types, however, can be important in certain clinical situations.

A great cheap trick to not have urine crystals build up in your feet and body is to drink PLAIN water and lots of it. This will help the body flush unnecessary toxins from harboring in the body.

 There are some things to consider when looking for a good pedicure. All instruments should be new or sterilized prevent the spread of fungus or disease. A pedicurist should be licensed and accredited and make you feel comfortable. If you are not at ease with your pedicurist, you should not proceed with the pedicure.

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Black Circles Under Your Eyes???

Do you suffer from black circles under your eyes? If you do you want to read this blog.

Skin is the largest organ in our body and it tells a story. Our body gives us “symptoms” that something is wrong and it is our job and duty to be in-tuned to these “symptoms” and to make the proper changes to rectify whatever it is that we are doing to our bodies.

Sweating is a wonderful natural form of detoxifying. Although sweating doesn’t fully allow our body to release toxins. Our colon is the main organ for this. If you suffer from black circles under your eyes it could mean that you need to cleanse your colon and rid your body of toxins. The skin around your eyes is the thinest part of skin anywhere on the body.

Often times I see clients who have black circles under their eyes and when asked if they have regular bowel movements 9 out of 10 times the answer is “no.” Lack of hydration is another reason for these circles because the skin is dehydrated. Water is a very important liquid that our bodies need to allow our system to flush properly.

A great recommendation for a gentle colon cleans is Yerba Prima 30 Day Colon Cleanse. This can be found at Super Supplements and has one specific for women and men.

Please remember when cleansing the colon to drink extra water during this time. Also, keep a food diary of what foods you are eating, you will find that certain foods upset the stomach. Avoid heavy starches and foods during this time. The purpose of a cleanse is to rid yourself of toxins so NO McDonald’s. You will notice some weight loss during this time as a wonderful added side effect.

Cleansing your colon is recommended once a year and can be done every 6 months. John Wayne had 16 lbs of undigested food in his colon that was found during his autopsy. He could have had Thanksgiving dinner from last year still awaiting to be released!

Another great cheap in-expensive trick for those bags under the eyes is Perpetration H. This should be applied at night because our bodies heal and renew at night. DO NOT use the medicated one as that will cause your eyes to burn. Remember this is a temporary “fix” and you need to go to the root of the health issue as to why you are experiencing this problem.

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Dangers of washcloths???

If you are currently using a washcloth to wash your face daily then you will want to read this.

Using a washcloth on a daily basis can change the natural moisture level of your skin. This is also known as over exfoliating because a washcloth is abrassive and leaves skin dry, damaged and chaffed. I see clients on a regular basis who state they have rosacea, a skin disease that causes redness and pimples on your nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead. The redness may come and go. 90% of the time this is caused from the overuse of a washcloth or using a product that is too harsh for their skin type.

Usually, washcloths sit by a dirty bacteria filled sink or in the shower and are re-used the next day. Germs and bacteria harbor on this washcloth and is now spread to your face, causing break out activities.

Try using:

Warm water to loosen dirt and clogged pores. Use a pea-sized bit of cleanser, Use your fingertips in an upward circular motion to cleanse. Rinse with cool or lukewarm water.

Exfoliate with a LIGHT exfoliator ONLY 3 times a week and not consecutive days

Use a daily SPF moisturizer.

Toner: Optional

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Tacoma & Puyallup Day Spa Grand Re-Opening

Please join us for our Grand Re-pening April 8th@ 5pm
Tour our new facility, enjoy food catered by Mama Stortini’s and prize giveaways.

Rejuvenation Salon & Spa NEW location:
5324 84th St E Tacoma WA 98446
253.208.4695

We open our doors April 1, 2010
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