Answers to Pressing Beauty Questions - Part Two By Kirsten Whittaker At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

After the first part in this series where 6 pressing beauty questions were covered, we follow up with another 6. Discover the answer to all your embarrassing beauty questions here:

7. What’s causing my toenail fungus?
This rather embarrassing fungus is in truth athlete’s food that you’ve picked up from shared showers or borrowed shoes that’s spread into your toenails.

The fix? What works best is a prescription antifungal pill like Lamisil or Sporanox, but be warned: these treatments are only 70 to 80% effective at best and can have some nasty side effects.

What’s more, it can take nearly 18 months for the toenail to fully grow out. Now you know why it’s so important for you to wear those shower slippers at the gym!

A natural option to try is bathing the affected nails in hot water and epsom salts 2 – 3 times a day and try to avoid wearing socks and shoes were possible.

8. Why do my teeth look so dingy?
The dull, stained look comes from culprits like smoking and drinking dark beverages (coffee, tea, soda and red wine) that stain your teeth.

The fix? As with any stain, the longer it sits the harder it will be to remove… so keep going for those dental cleanings.

You can also lighten your teeth a few shades with lightening toothpaste with carbamide peroxide, but use it only once a day to avoid drying out your gums.

And while you might be tempted by the packaging… drugstore teeth lightening kits generally aren’t strong enough (nor are the trays fitted properly) to take your tooth color more than a few shades lighter.

If you need stronger stain removal, your dentist can bleach your teeth up to eight shades brighter with a concentrated peroxide gel administered with a laser (at a cost of $800 to $1,500), or by using a custom-fitted mouthpiece (at about $600 to $1,000) that you wear an hour a day for 10 days.

9. Why do I have stretch marks?
While you might blame your pregnancies or weight fluctuations (maybe even your mother) for your stretch marks, they are actually caused by hormonal changes that happen during normal growth spurts. When your skin stretches minimally or the stretched skin is thick, white marks are the result.

The fix? While there’s no treatment guaranteed to take away stretch marks, there are steps you can take that make them less visible.

Twice daily applications of over the counter Striae Stretch Mark Crème may help - in fact several studies have confirmed that it can reduce red or white marks in about four weeks.

You might also ask about laser therapy (at a cost of $450 to $700 per treatment) that can tone down the brightness of recently acquired red marks.

Microdermabrasion, at a cost of $50 to $150 per session, can also diminish the look of those marks.

10. Could there be an underlying cause for my excess facial hair?
If you find that you’re fighting new facial hair growth on a daily basis, or are sprouting lots of hairs on your chin, it’s time for a visit to your doctor.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (a condition known to cause high levels of male hormones) or an adrenal gland problem could be to blame.

If you’re moderately hairy and touch up your upper lip or eyebrows once a month, you probably have nothing to worry about and your genetics to thank for the add on to your beauty routine.

The fix? Vaniqa is a new, odorless prescription cream that has just been approved by the FDA to decrease light to heavy hair growth anywhere on the face ($50 for a two-month supply).

Though it doesn’t give immediate results (keep using your regular hair-removal methods at first), the cream blocks one of the enzymes responsible for hair growth, gradually slowing it down as long as you continue to use the product.

For those who don’t respond to Vaniqa, six laser hair treatments (at a cost of $150 each) can significantly decrease hair growth for months, while monthly electrolysis sessions for up to a year (at a cost of $60 to $100 each) can get rid of hair permanently.

11. Why is my face so shiny?
If you’re loosing hair and have stopped getting your periods a hormone imbalance could be to blame… so see your doctor.

If this isn’t you, your skin may just be oversensitive to your male hormones (all women have them) and it is this that’s triggering the production of extra oil.

A too harsh cleaning regimen can also be responsible. Many dermatologists contend that alcohol-based toners and gritty scrubs can overdry and irritate your skin, making it produce extra oil to compensate.

The fix? Clean out the oil without overdrying your skin in the process.

In the morning, wash your face with an oil free lotion cleanser, then rub on an alcohol free toner. You can top this with an over the counter oil absorbing gel and touch up shiny spots during the day with blotting papers.

Repeat your morning cleansing routine, without the gel, just before bed.

If you’re still shining away, ask a dermatologist about Retin-A Micro, a less irritating cream created to treat acne, but that has also been proven effective against oiliness.

12. What do I do about these warts on my hands?
To get warts you have to be genetically predisposed, and be exposed to an infected person. The culprit is the human papilloma virus.

The fix? Use a clean nail file to slough off the top layers of your warts to get rid of dead skin. Don’t use the file for anything else, or share it with anyone. Next rub on over-the-counter Occlusal HP - its highly concentrated salicylic acid dissolves warts.

If warts linger after several months, you can talk to your dermatologist about laser therapy and liquid nitrogen treatments. Even with treatment, warts can come back.

You should also know that you need to be careful when engaging in sexual activity - though it’s unlikely, hand warts can spread to your (or your partner’s) genitals.

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