Effective Underarm Therapy
Friday, June 1st, 2007Breaking the Therapy
According to one doctor, sweat mixed with alum chloride, the active ingredient in most deodorants, can stain skin and your clothes. Using deodorants will prevent body odor all right, but the flipside is that it can also cause darkening of the skin.
Wondering which is a good antiperspirant ingredient? The newest ingredient, Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Glycine, is better tolerated by the skin and is less likely to cause irritation or acne. Furthermore, applying these antiperspirants before bedtime reduces the risk of their mixing with sweat, and eventually lessens incidence of stains.
Hair Begone
Whether you’re shaving, waxing, using depilatory creams or getting laser treatment, all may cause inflammation that breeds chicken skin and dark underarms. Shaving means hair is not pulled out completely from the roots, so it is often visible especially if you’re light-skinned. This leaves a “shadow” on your armpits, making them appear dark. Waxing on the other hand removes hair from the roots, which eventually becomes less traumatic for armpits. Also, waxing exfoliates the skin, removing dead skin cells, which gives your armpit a spa-treatment feel. Most dermatologists recommend waxing for at-home hair removal.
Permanent hair removal or “lasering,” although a bit pricey, is the safest way to hair removal. It is done once a month (but you have to undergo five sessions). Another way to remove unwanted hair is by using depilatory creams or hair removal creams. The only downside to this is that creams often contain harsh chemicals that are strong enough to literally melt the hair away. The use of these creams is okay once in a while, but don’t make it a habit, as prolonged use can darken skin.
To help counteract irritation and trauma to the skin, some experts recommend rubbing an ice dub over the area to reduce redness, inflammation, discomfort and the flare-up of unwanted, unsightly hair bumps. You may also consider taking a Tylenol or Advil before you remove hair to reduce the amount of inflammation that may arise. (more…)

Birthmarks are areas of flat or raised discolored skin that are often seen on the body at birth or may develop shortly after birth. While folktales claim various reasons for these blemishes, the exact causes of birthmarks are unknown. However, most birthmarks are not inherited and are not caused by anything that happens to the mother during pregnancy. They vary in color and may be brown, tan, or black to blue, pink or red. Some birthmarks are only stains on the surface of the kin, while others extend into the tissues under the skin or grow above the surface. Normally, some birthmarks grow with the child and change little in color throughout a lifetime, while others fade or darken in time.