October 01, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC Much like fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation is a common skin concern that most folks associate with the face—not the body. Believe it or not, though, hyperpigmentation (spots or specks that appear darker than the rest of the skin), doesn’t discriminate and can appear just about anywhere on the face or below the neck. We know what you’re probably thinking: Oh give me a break. And we’re right there with you. It’s already annoying enough that we have to worry about dark marks and discoloration on our precious complexions—but our entire bodies, too? It feels like a helluva of a lot of ground to cover. The good news? Hyperpigmentation causes and treatments are fairly similar for the face and the body. We know because we tapped two board-certified dermatologists for their expert insight on the matter, and they came through with all the details. Without further ado, find a full breakdown on body hyperpigmentation—including causes, solutions, and rare cases you should know about—below. What is hyperpigmentation and why does it happen? Hyperpigmentation is loosely defined as darkened patches or spots on the skin and runs the gamut from sun spots to acne scars to freckles. As Sejal Shah, MD, a New York City dermatologist, puts it matter-of-factly: “Hyperpigmentation refers to excess pigmentation, which appears as dark spots on the skin.” This excess pigmentation occurs when the skin produces more melanin, which for those unfamiliar, is the pigment that’s responsible for giving skin its
Category: City
All you need to make any skin type happy is just 3 products, according to a dermatologist
September 30, 2019 at 05:38PM by CWC In general, we tend to talk a lot about finding “the one.” The perfect partner, the perfect job, the perfect apartment—so much of our lives come down to discovering that one single thing that’s right for us. Skin care, though, is not like that. When it comes to our faces, no matter what skin type or concern we’re dealing with, it’s actually the combination of ingredients we use—not just one—that really make a difference. But similar to finding the perfect partner, job, or home, finding the perfect skin-care routine can be a massive undertaking. To make things slightly less overwhelming (and dare I say… fun?), we worked with New York City dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD to turn the entire thing into a game (the most fun game of all: Bingo). Here’s how you play: Scroll to find your skin type, then note the three ingredients or products on each card. Pick one from each column, and slather ’em on. Before you know it, they’ll be working synergistically to have your skin shouting: “Bingo!” in no time flat. Mix and match to your heart’s desire to come up with the perfect three-product routine—really, you can’t go wrong, and the more you experiment, the more fun you’ll have along the way. Photo: Well+Good Creative For acne, try benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, and sulfur Benzoyl peroxide: PCA Skin BPO 5 Percent Cleanser ($39), Jan Marini Benzoyl Peroxide 10 Percent ($42), Vivant Skin Care BP 10 Percent
5 yoga poses that banish bloat faster than you can say ‘namaste’
September 30, 2019 at 04:17PM by CWC Yoga class has reputation for relaxing you from head-to-toe. Not to be graphic, but your bowels are totally included in that. Amanda Sauceda, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian shared a post on Instagram of a five-pose, bloat-relieving flow that will “help you get pooping.” Beth Cooke, a New York City yoga instructor, previously told Well+Good the reason why a simple vinyasa flow can get your gastric juices flowing. “Because you’re moving around—maybe you’re twisting or maybe you’re folding—you’re pressing on your intestines, the air that’s already in there has to go someplace so it’s natural, and it happens, and I just pretend that I don’t hear it and I keep it moving.” Personally, I’ve felt these effects first-hand. Letting one rip in downward is practically a yogi’s right of passage. But if you happen to need to bid farewell to bloat—and fast—roll out your mat and try Sauceda’s moves on for size. 5 yoga poses for constipation View this post on Instagram Constipation yoga flow ⠀ ⠀ All of these poses are designed to help you relax and get your bowels moving.⠀ ⠀ Here’s the order I like to use for these moves..⠀ ⠀ 1. Downward-Facing Dog⠀ 2. Cat-Cow⠀ 3. Wide-Knee Childs Pose⠀ 4. Seated Twist⠀ 5. Wind-Relieving Pose⠀ ⠀ Honestly, you can mix and match these moves in any way that feels good to your body.⠀ ⠀ This gut friendly yoga flow can help you get pooping. Make sure to
I’ve tried hundreds of natural mascaras, and this is the only one that doesn’t make me look like a racoon
September 29, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC I’ve always had a bone to pick with natural mascaras. Traditionally, every one I’d ever tried had barely done anything to my lashes (aside from making them look clumpy), and without fail would drip down my face within two hours of applying it. And let me tell you: I don’t make a particularly cute raccoon. But then, a makeup artist turned me onto Ilia Limitless Mascara ($28), and my eyelashes and I had to rethink our historic beef with the clean mascara category. Not only does it amp up my eyelashes to five times their normal size, but it manages to keep them that way all day long. It’s unclear how, exactly, it works this type of mascara magic, but it does. It’s made with all kinds of good-for-my-lashes ingredients—like shea butter and carnauba wax—that leave them conditioned, and don’t have me worrying that they’re going to dry out and flake off of my face at the end of the day. The brush lifts and separates them flawlessly, leaving no clumps in sight (which, for me, is an absolute dealbreaker in any mascara situation). And even though it doesn’t budge when I run from work to drinks to dinner to my friend’s basement comedy show near the West Side Highway, it comes off seamlessly with micellar water and a cotton pad when I’m ready for my lashes to return to their regularly scheduled, non-extended programming. My eyes also tend to be super sensitive thanks to years as
‘I’m a derm, and here’s what you can do every day to deal with hyperpigmentation’
September 28, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC Dealing with hyperpigmentation can be quite the battle. Whether it comes about from acne, rashes, bug bites, or a wax gone wrong, you’re left with spots on your skin that are darker than the surrounding areas. And aside from grabbing your concealer, it’s tricky to make them disappear. That is unless you have pro-advice from a dermatologist who knows exactly what your daily skincare line-up should consist of in order to say goodbye to the spots for good. According to dermatologist Keira L. Barr, MD, founder and chief wellness officer of Resilient Health Institute, there are two simple ways to combat hyperpigmentation that you should know about before getting into the fancy skincare ingredients: Avoiding the sun, which can make those dark spots worse, and making sure you’re properly dealing with air pollutants, which have been associated with hyperpigmentation. “The most important part of a skincare routine to help minimize hyperpigmentation is sun protection. Sun protection is always going to be number one,” Dr. Barr says. “Right behind sun protection as a contributing cause of hyperpigmentation is air pollution—especially if you live in a bigger city. Various air pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, oxides, particulate matter, ozone, and cigarette smoke affect the skin. So one of the biggest parts of a skincare routine is washing your face to get the grime, dirt, and pollutants off.” Aside from wearing sunscreen year-round and never skipping out on your face washes, Barr
The people with the most positive relationships in the world share 1 trait
September 27, 2019 at 10:30PM by CWC There’s a cliché that you can’t love someone if you don’t love yourself, and sure, there’s some merit to it, but as with all clichés, there are also serious limitations involved. That said, science is doing its darnedest to prove me wrong. According to recent research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, self-esteem is the key to having great relationships—social, romantic, professional, and otherwise. Furthermore, boosting self-esteem is an effect of these positive relationships. This synergistic conclusion was reached after analyzing 53 studies from 13 globe-spanning nations with more than 46,000 participating who ranged in age from 4 to 77. Suffice it to say the sample size was pretty robust. Each study identified a link between great relationships and high self-esteem, time and time again. The results do make sense; for instance, one study notes people with high self-esteem are more caring and attentive listeners—and who wouldn’t want a friend who can lend an ear with Van Gogh-like readiness? Everyone feels satisfied and loved and fulfilled in this scenario, which caters to, yep, boosting self-esteem. The conflict to contend with is the reality that many people have low self-esteem, because the cyclical nature of this positive-relationship-high-self-esteem finding, the loop is closed to that whole population. While I can’t change the results of this heartwarming if not psychologically exclusive finding, I can advise a few tips for boosting self-esteem from subterranean levels, thus opening you to the bliss of positive relationships. Because though self-esteem is
Your Apple Watch now gives the most important skin advice you’ll ever need
September 27, 2019 at 05:50PM by CWC When you first get your hands on an Apple Watch, it’s perfectly natural to feel bogged down by all the features. I mean, the heart-tracking metrics alone make my head spin. (Resting heart rate, who?) When it comes to protecting your skin though, there’s a number hiding in the face of the Apple Watch Series 5 that dermatologists really, really want you to pay attention to: the UV index. “The UV index is a measure of the strength of [ultraviolet] rays reaching the surface of the earth at a particular time and location,” Joshua Zeichner, MD, a New York City-based dermatologist, previously told Well+Good. “The higher the UV index, the more powerful the UV rays are and the more likely our skin is to get sunburned.” To find this metric in the wearable, search for a new watch face under the Face Gallery tab of the Watch app and look for the little sun icon with a number floating somewhere around it (or, you can simply check the weather app). Once you know the number, consult the World Health Organization (WHO) breakdown. It rates UV rays as follows: low (1-2), moderate (3-5), high (6-7), very high (8-10), and extreme (11 or more). Depending on the how high that number on your Apple Watch skyrockets, you’ll need to protect your largest organ in various different way (please see the cute chart below for details). Obviously, you should be wearing sunscreen every day (rain or
A dietitian explains how you can eat healthy and delicious meals for just $7 a day
September 27, 2019 at 03:01PM by CWC Healthy eating has a reputation for being like the Big Apple—and by that I mean overpriced. Here in New York City, everything is expensive it seems. I once waited in line for two hours to buy a $15 bagel, and I’ve paid $19 for Serendipity 3‘s Forbidden Broadway Sundae more times than I care to admit. But if you ask Ilana Muhlstein, MS, RDN, and Los Angeles-based dietitian, she’ll tell you that purchasing a full day of nutritious food only requires a mere $7. “It’s a misconception that healthy eating has to be expensive,” Muhlstein explains. “It’s possible to eat cups of veggies, fresh fruit, and lean proteins for just pennies a meal.” You read that right! Loose change between the couch cushions is enough to buy a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner to fuel your daily activities. All you have to do is reach fro the right ingredients. “It could take some prep and planning, but even the $7 day includes a store bought wrap,” says the dietitian. View this post on Instagram HEALTHY EATING ON A BUDGET It’s a misconception that healthy eating has to be expensive. It’s possible to eat cups of veggies, fresh fruit and lean proteins for just pennies a meal. It could take some prep and planning, but even the $7 day includes a store bought wrap! Double tap if you want me to do more of these and tag a friend who is
Use your zodiac sign to optimize the absolute best nighttime routine for you
September 27, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Earlier this year, Well+Good surveyed readers about how they feel about the sleep and rest they’re getting. Many findings emerged, but the big and enduring takeaway is that we’re tired. In fact, 92 percent of us are fatigued at least once a week, and though many report having tried different strategies and solutions to improve their chronic sleepiness (CBD, meditation, natural sleep aids, you name it) it’s clear that some more guidance would be useful. And according to astrologer Kyle Thomas, taking your zodiac sign into consideration might just help you optimize your night routine in a way other strategies can’t. “When it comes to relaxation and evening mindfulness, each zodiac sign has a special way to harness their strengths and bring more focus and energy to prepare for the upcoming day,” he says. Below, check out Thomas’s recommendations for the best night routine for you, based on your zodiac sign. Below, get astrological insight about the best night routine for your sign. Graphics: Well+Good Creative Aries: Take a social media detox “Aries are prone to craving adrenaline and not knowing how to shut off their minds,” says Thomas of this passionate first fire sign. “The best way to calm down and get great sleep is to unplug from social media at least an hour prior to bed.” Graphics: Well+Good Creative Taurus: Eat early Ruled by Venus and lovers of fine food and luxurious situations, Taureans tend to like decadent dinners. But since
‘I’m a nutritionist, and here’s how I save money buying all the healthy food on Amazon’
September 26, 2019 at 04:01PM by CWC Getting Amazon Prime was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Instead of hunting down hard-to-find products or carrying multiple bags of groceries home, I can get everything I need with nothing but a couple taps on my phone—and it’ll all be at my door in 48 hours or less. Well, not surprisingly, I’m not the only one who’s obsessed with the service—nutritionists are, too. You can essentially find anything you could ever want and need on Amazon. I recently snagged an organic sea kelp blend to season my pasta with—because, yes, that’s a thing. The only downside is because of how effortless it is, the service can quickly go from something that can save you time and money to something that eats up all your paychecks. Luckily, there are some simple ways to save big when stocking up on wholesome goodies. From knowing exactly what to buy online (and what to get at the grocery store) to the hacks that will keep your bank account happy, here’s how four nutritionists shop on Amazon. 4 nutritionists share their favorite Amazon hacks 1. Go for large quantity orders When you have foodie friends, you can turn Amazon into a quick-shipping Costco-like experience that allows you to get everything your heart desires. “I often go in with someone else for large quantity orders,” says Sonya Angelone, MS, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Because when you buy in bulk, you’ll always