HEALTH AND BEAUTY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15884, 3 April 1915, Page 6 (Supplement)

HEALTH AND BEAUTY

"The art of beautifying mankind is full of errors," says a well-Known physician, who thinks it a mistake that medical men have left this important subject almost entirely alone. It belongs to dermatology, or the scienco of skin affections, and can therefore bo best dealt with by a skillod

physician. Although cosmetics g ve the finishing touches, perfect beauty is always based on sound 'health. You cannot have tho smoothness, bloom, and pure colour that constitute beauty if the health is impaired Diet, exercise, and bathing are the first things to be attended to. The regulation of diet is of prime importance. lor persons too heavy wo must exclude all fatforming substances, while in the case of those who are poor'y nourished we must increase the weight by a nourishing diet. Next to the question of diet, exercise in tho fresh air is of considerable benefit to the skin. Breathing exercises and several hours' walking every day, skating, swimming, riding, and gymnastics are valuable, and the longer tho stay in the fresh air the better. This brings us to consider one of the most important of cosmetic agents—water. Washing should be done thoroughly, and the best time is at night when going to bed. The water should bo soft—that is, free- from chalk and magnesia salts. When it is hard it should be boiled for a long time, during which the hardening salts fall to the bottom of the vessel. As a rule borax may bo added with advantage, not only on account of its soothing action but because it may be extensively used for the most delicate skin. It is solublo one in 25 of cold water. In cases of diffuse redness or vascular formation in the skin (dilated blood-vessels) some camphor should bo added to tho I borax solution. Cold baths may bo taken in summer, whereas lukewarm baths, on account of their relaxing effect on the skin, should only be employed once or twice a week. This fact should not bo forgotten by women who do not realise that hot bathing of the face, while it Hemporarily nmooths and freshens the skin, ultimately leads to a relaxed condition with consequent wrinkles. Creams are best used at bedtime. Tho skin is first washed and dried, and then a small quantity is rubbed in with a fine towel.