Being a nurse is a job with long hours and you might not always have time for other things, such as complicated skincare routines. This doesn’t mean you have to entertain under-eye circles, dullness, or other skin problems. Having fresh, glowing skin is healthy and will also help you make a great impression on the people for whom you’re caring. Best of all, you can achieve it with these six easy skin care tips.
1. Scrub Away the Dullness
Exfoliation is a must to smooth your skin and make it look fresher because it sloughs away any dead skin on the surface that can accumulate and give you a dull appearance.
It doesn’t have to be a complicated process – simply do it at home once or twice a week. You can make your own scrub by mixing together sugar with some olive oil and then gently rubbing it in circular movements over your skin.
Gently scrubbing your skin also boosts blood circulation so that more oxygen and nutrients can reach your skin and give you a glowing complexion. Always finish off exfoliating with moisturizer so that you lock in that hydration and prevent dryness.
2. Clear Up Your Skin
Do not shave your body hairs including of arms, hands, legs, etc. as shaving possess risk of getting cuts on skin which can be easy target for germs. Similarly, waxing also should be avoided as it also cause irritation because it becomes sensitive. Better solution is to epilate your body hairs using any best epilator. The advantage of using epilator is that it doesn’t need to be use frequently as the hairs gets removed from roots. So you may follow epilation on weekend. On the other shaving and waxing makes skin sensitive and more vulnerable to infection and germs especially in hospital environment.
3. Delete Your Dryness
Dryness makes your skin flake, become rough, and turn dull. If you have a darker skin tone, dryness could also have the side effect of looking grey or ashy. When you’re busy, you might apply some concealer or foundation to try to hide it, but this is a bad move as it can actually make your skin look and feel even drier! Dry or ashy skin is a sign that you need to increase your skin’s moisture content.
You should apply moisturizer to your skin when it’s damp after a shower so that it can be better absorbed and continue applying it to your skin throughout the day. After hours, a humidifier in your home is also a good idea to prevent dry indoor air from being produced.
4. Keep Spider Veins at Bay
Standing for long periods of time every day puts pressure on your legs, which can lead to spider veins appearing on your skin. However, sun exposure is also said to increase the risk of spider veins in light skin tones, such as on the nose and cheeks, so you want to slather on the sunscreen if you are outside.
If you are a regular in participating charity run or marathons, you have certainly noticed that many of the other participants use brightly colored tight socks as their racing outfits. These are called compression socks. These garments are usually made of spandex and help prevent deep veins thrombosis or reduce swelling for travelers and athletes to boost their performance. They are gaining popularity because athletes also use them during exercises to prevent chafing and rashes.
Compression socks was first introduced in the field of medicine to threat different blood circulatory conditions, such as post surgery swelling, lymphedema or deep veins thrombosis. About 25 years ago, ESPN socks technique was introduced in sports to improve exercise performance and muscle recovery. Now you can find compression wear for your entire body, from short to socks.
When standing, try to shift your weight from one foot to the other so that you relieve pressure on your legs. When your shift is done and you get a chance to sit for a bit, try to elevate your legs to enhance blood circulation. Compression stockings can also be a good investment if you are worried about spider veins. These gently press your skin so that more blood is pushed into your legs, improving circulation.
5. Get Rid of Dark Circles
Dark circles under your eyes can be annoying and they’re most commonly caused by a lack of sleep. To get rid of them, you need to place something cold onto this delicate skin, such as a bag of peas or a spoon that you have placed in the freezer. The cold will help to constrict blood vessels in the area so that blood flows away from it. This is also effective for reducing puffiness.
6. Avoid Allergies
Research has shown that nurses are prone to allergic contact dermatitis. This is such a common condition because nurses are exposed to chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide and they also use latex gloves. Symptoms of allergic contact dermatitis include an itchy or red rash.
Try to see when your skin flares up. For instance, is it after you wear latex gloves or use a specific chemical? Try to limit your exposure to these triggers, such as by switching to non-latex gloves or not handling certain chemicals without gloves. If the rashes occur regularly, seeing a dermatologist can help you to find the source of the dermatitis and help you find alternatives to the allergen products in your workplace.
Looking after yourself is important and your skin reflects your lifestyle. You therefore need to make some lifestyle changes and follow good skincare tips to enjoy a healthier skin that will also signal a healthier body.
Vision is arguably one of our most valuable senses and our eyes contain some of the hardest working muscles in the human body. For example, an hour of reading a book takes nearly 10,000 coordinated movements of the external muscles of the eye. When our head is in motion, our eyes are constantly readjusting themselves to retain the proper focus necessary for accurate vision.
When it comes to this important bodily function, minorities seem to have less problems with their eyesight in some categories when compared to their Caucasian counterparts. The American Academy of Ophthalmology gives an overview of the causes of visual impairment and legal blindness in the United States according to demographics of Caucasians (or non-Hispanic whites), African Americans, and Hispanics:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading causes of blindness and low vision in the United States are primarily age-related eye diseases, such as macular degeneration, followed by cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Other vision problems are most frequently associated with refractive errors: myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (distorted vision at all distances), and presbyopia (loss of the ability to focus up close), which usually occurs between the ages of 40 to 50 years old.
Disorders such as amblyopia (sometimes referred to as “lazy eye” and most commonly seen in children) and strabismus (an imbalance in the positioning of the two eyes), which can lead to eyes that cross (esotropia) or turn out (exotropia). All of these can lead to visual impairment, which breaks down into these categories for different demographic groups:
Although nothing can stop the hands of time for age-related conditions that affect our valuable vision, certain lifestyle choices can influence the health and aging of our eyes. Number one, don’t smoke tobacco, period, followed by maintaining a good diet, regular exercise, and monitoring and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Some of these practices can also help to prevent the onset of diabetes, which contributes to diabetic retinopathy.
Some studies suggest eating more fish can greatly reduce your risk of contracting age-related macular degeneration. Research reveals that those who consumed higher amounts of fish, more than two servings per week, were 40% less likely to contract macular degeneration compared to those who ate less than one serving per week.
For all vision problems, another way to protect your vision is to wear good, high-quality sunglasses to prevent harmful UV rays from affecting our eyes. Prevention and protection can help you have better eyesight even as we age.
There’s an old idiom that states you can’t take care of others without taking care of yourself first. This is especially true for nurses and other caregivers who must often juggle caring for their patients and family members, while trying to maintain some kind of social life, attempting to stay healthy, and reducing stress at work. Home seems lost to them sometimes. All of us understand how hectic our lives can be at times, but many of us don’t deal with life-and-death situations that can often be associated with health care.
Speaking of care, there are many ways we can take better care of ourselves without completely reorganizing our reality. Granted, making better lifestyle choices doesn’t come without some compromises and changes, but it doesn’t mean that we have to turn our lives upside down in order to live a longer, healthier life.
Here are three simple extenders that we can all eat better and stay fit without turning into a complete vegetarian or becoming a fitness fanatic.
1. Go Tropical
A little known Polynesian secret to healthier living is coconut oil, which can be used both externally and internally for better health. The website Wellness Mama lists 101 different ways that coconut oil can enrich our bodies and minds. Here are just three of them:
COOKING: With a lower smoking point, this oil can replace butter and other more fattening frying ingredients.
MOISTURIZE: Can replace more expensive brands of diaper rubs, skin cream, lotions and a great cure for sunburns.
VITAMINS: Increases the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Research has also shown that it can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Take Care of Your Hair Style and Health
Your hairs health and style tells a lot about your personality, nature, health and about your current situation. Especially in a nursing profession some hospitals strictly instruct to tie your hair or are covered fully. Most woman style hairs in buns or in tails or braids. This minimize chances of hair fall and hair distraction but at the same time tied hairs may provides safe haven for germs especially in a hospital environment and also increase chances of structural damages in hair. So when at home after work, it is important to let your hairs free and wash them regularly. And to undo hair curls caused by being tied all day you may use any best flat iron to straighten them that uses ionic technology to make hairs straight. In Ionic hair straightening is known for straightening curls using less heat and keeping hair moisture within hairs by emitting negative ions from tourmaline plates to counteract with positive ions of hairs to reduce static energy and remove curls. Also apply hair mask and increase use of argan oil treatment to maintain and enhance hairs shine and health.
3. The Little Things in Life
When it comes to exercise, you don’t have to train every day to run a major marathon to get some quick results with some easy daily regimens. Using a timer or with the advent of things like the Apple Watch, we can remind ourselves to get up from seated positions more often, stretch our legs, take a quick walk, even perform a series of muscle exercises like “butt clenches” that can provide many benefits for the working crowd.
Making some minor changes in our diets and getting a little more exercise is beneficial for both young and old. It’s never too late to make some healthier choices that will help us live longer and much happier lives.
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