Basic Skin Care Explained By

Home Health Consultants

By Dottie Evans

Newtown seniors were treated to “A Day of Beauty” on Wednesday, April 7, as Home Health consultants Dale Meier and Linda Parsloe completed the third in a series of seminars on health, nutrition, and skin care at the Newtown Senior Center.

The two consultants presented an informative program using power point slides with Ms Meier adding commentary.

“There are seven problems common to aging skin, many of them caused by overexposure to sunlight. As you probably know, what we did years ago on the beach or more recently in the tanning salons can affect what our skin looks like today,” Ms Meier said.

Damage to skin due to ultraviolet radiation includes wrinkles and fine lines, which are accentuated over time by the effects of gravity and by the set pattern of a person’s individual facial expression.

Discolorations and blotches may also be the result of ultraviolet damage.

Thinning of the skin due to hormonal decline is a common complaint as one ages, Ms Meier said, as is dry skin and rough skin, both of which may be caused by the accumulation of dead skin cells.

“Use a sunscreen of SPF15 or higher, drink lots of water, and clean the skin with exfoliating soaps. Whatever you do, don’t smoke,” she added.

Another suggested remedy for dry skin was the use of humidifiers in the home and taking supplemental vitamins A and B.

The sixth of the seven skin problems is dull skin, which occurs when the cells are not being renewed at a timely rate.

“A 14-year-old’s skin is totally renewed every 14 days,” she said.

Obviously, with aging skin the process takes longer.

“But exercise and a good night’s sleep can work wonders,” Ms Meier noted.

The last of the seven skin issues was acne and the presence of infected, enlarged skin pores.

“Watch what you eat. Remember to avoid refined carbohydrates. Again, hydrate and moisturize your skin often.”

The two Home Health consultants concluded the presentation with demonstrations of custom-blended foundation products and advised the use of “only water-based cosmetics, avoiding all products that contain fragrances.”

“Remember, oil doesn’t penetrate but water plumps you up,” said Ms Meier, as she passed around two sealed bottles –– one containing a raisin immersed in oil, the other containing a raisin packed in water.

The water-packed raisin was soft-looking and slightly larger with very few lines or wrinkles.

Following the presentation, four raffle winners were given beauty products and a free beauty makeover.