Skin care, Hair care, hair loss, shaving the hair how to prevent? infections - nail cutting

The root of the nail grows outward from pockets in the epidermis much as hair grows from a follicle. The nail is made up of living cells as far as the pale lunate, visible at the base of the nail. The rest of the nail, virtually all the visible portion, is made up of dead cells. Nail growth rate varies, depending upon such factors as age and season of the year. Nails tend to grow faster in young people and during summer months.

SKIN CARE Regular cleaning of normal skin with soap and water is desirable for both health and cosmetic reasons. Cleaning removes oily secretions, sweat, dead skin, and bacteria as well as any dirt present. There is no particular mystique about the cleaning process. A clean washcloth or complexion brush serves the purpose. Soap need not be massaged into the skin. It should always be rinsed off thoroughly. Normal skin tends to become dry with middle age, and a plain cold cream or oily lotion can be helpful. If the skin tends to be excessively oily, washing with a moderately drying soap two or three times daily and use of a non-greasy cleanser often will help. If the oiliness still persists, an astringent may be used two or three times a day on such oily areas as nose, chin, and forehead. If, however, any redness or unusual irritation develops, such preparations should be discontinued.

Germicidal soaps and antiseptics are not essential. Healthy skin is not bothered by germs that land on it. You should, of course, take proper care of cuts and scrapes.

SHAVING

Most men develop their own individual routines of shaving-and if they work well, if there are no problems of frequent cuts or infections, they need no change. For those, however, who do have troubles; a few guide- lines may be helpful. It is not commonly appreciated but actually the most effective beard softener in preparation for shaving is water. Two minutes' contact with warm water hydrates and softens bristles-and the warmer the water, the shorter the time needed. Soap or cream helps to accentuate and maintain the softness achieved with water. Apply the soap or cream after the water exposure, employ a sharp blade in a good quality safety razor, stretch the skin ahead of and in the path of the blade, and a good shave should result. After shaving, it is helpful to wash the face completely with warm water, and follow with an after-shave lotion. If you don't react well to Preventive Body Care perfumed lotions, ask your druggist to supply pure 70 percent alcohol. Finish the job with powder, especially over any areas that appear chafed. For cuts: Usually a small cut will stop bleeding if treated with cold water and some clean tissue paper.

By the time you have finished shaving, you should be able to remove the tissue gently with cold water and there should be no further problem. If there is, however, use a styptic. For infections: If there is any infection of the Face, shave around it. With infection present, discontinue using a shaving brush. Use a new blade for each shave, and shave non-infected portions of the face first. If infection covers a wide area, your physician may want you to continue shaving daily, even over the infection, in order that medicine he pre- scribes may penetrate more thoroughly into infected hair follicles. Electric razors: Men who use them insist that anyone who gives them a fair try will be converted.

For men with heavy beards whose work requires freedom from "five o'clock shadow," keeping a spare electric razor at work may be advisable. An often-useful procedure for men with excessively tough beards is to shave quickly with an electric shaver to remove 80 to 90 percent of the obvious stubble, then finish with lather and safety razor. This often produces an elegant result even with the toughest type of beard. 

Baldness, Hair loss, blonds, skin care, irritation, hair growth causes and medicines

Hair

Hair, which is part of the skin, varies considerably in texture from the soft, almost invisible type on the forehead to the long scalp hairs and the shorter, stiff hairs on the eyelids. The root of each hair is anchored at the bottom of a follicle, or tiny shaft. The follicle passes through the epidermis, deep into the dermal layer, and the follicle of a long hair may penetrate into the subcutaneous layer. Emptying into the follicles is sebaceous, or oil, glands. Each hair has a shaft which extends past the top of the follicle and is covered with microscopic overlapping scales. Cells in an inner layer of the shaft contain pigment that determines hair color. In white hair, these cells contain air rather than pigment.

Attached to each hair follicle, too, is a small bundle of muscle fibers which, under influence of cold or emotions, causes the hair to become erect and produces "goose flesh." The average scalp has about 100,000 hairs. Blonds generally have about 20,000 more and redheads about 20,000 less. Hereditary influences determine color, texture, and distribution of hair over head and body. Hairs can grow only so long as follicles are alive. Sometimes follicles wear out or are destroyed by illness. Baldness indicates that the follicles have stopped functioning. If the baldness is caused by disease, the hair may grow back. Most often, however, baldness is a hereditary condition and there is no known way to renew the hair follicles. 

Like baldness, the tendency for hair to turn gray is inherited. There is no evidence that graying is caused by a vitamin deficiency or a sudden emotional crisis. Hair follicles follow a cycle: they are active for a period, then wither, then rest, then become active again. Withering lasts several weeks and during this period hair shafts fall out. About 30 to 60 hairs are lost daily from the scalp but the follicles are not lost. After a resting period of several months, the hairs begin to grow again and continue to grow for several years.

Hair growth during the active period varies according to body location. Scalp hair growth has been measured at about .012 inch daily, beard growth at .15 inch. Elsewhere on the body, growth is slower. Nails Like hair, the fingernails and toenails are a specialized form of skin, as fingers and toes develop, a thin layer, known as the stratum lucidum, which separates dermis and epidermis, thickens and hardens. The fully developed nail overlays a modified part of the dermis, that is the nail bed. At its base, the nail is covered by epidermis.