Skin Care Basics: Moisturizers, Sunblock & Dark Spots

Proper skin care basics involve understanding the order of sunblock and primer application. Discover how to wash your face with jojoba oil, lighten skin tone at home, and use glycolic acid toners and aloe vera to manage dark spots and redness.

female hand applying moisturiser

Creams for Black Skin

If you have black skin, it is important to keep your skin lubricated and moisturized. While creams in general are best for normal to oily skin types, some skin treatments give black skin a dry and “ashy” look if the skin is not properly hydrated.

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Human leg with postoperative scar of cardiac surgery

How to Reduce Collagen Buildup

Collagen is a tough fiber that helps to give your skin its firmness and structure. One of the most abundant proteins in your body, collagen is found in tendons, bones and your skin, according to Smart Skincare.

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Woman with knee contusion

There Is Discoloration of the Skin Around My Joints

Your skin relies on pigmentation as a form of protection from the elements. Brown pigment produced by your skin cells allows your skin to reflect harmful ultraviolet rays to reduce damage to your skin cells.

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2013 NBC Upfront Presentation Red Carpet Event

How to Hide a Bulge in Skinny Jeans

Form-fitting skinny jeans are a popular fashion item for both men and women, but wearers often find that their jeans leave little room for extras like phones or wallets. You may manage to squeeze a few parcels into your unforgiving jeans, but doing so will usually leave you with an unsightly jean bulge.

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Women playing with plastic toy hoop on beach

How to Get Rid of Underarm Bumps

Razor burn on your underarms is the pits. While armpits may not be the most alluring part of the body, they still deserve to look clean and smooth -- not covered in those tiny red bumps that most often occur from shaving irritation or from an allergic reaction to a skin-care product.

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young woman laying on beach. rear view

The Effects of Tanning on Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are damaged areas of the skin where the bottom layers of tissue were torn apart because the skin was stretched too quickly. This means that stretch marks are technically scar tissue and will not respond to tanning in the same way as other areas of your skin.

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Hands breaking leaf of aloe plant

How to Drink Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera has long been used in folk medicine. Healers reach for aloe vera most commonly as an aid to heal cuts, soothe burns and moisturize external skin. Taken internally, aloe has medical uses as a laxative and an "anthelmintic" -- used to clear parasitic worms from an infested digestive system.

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African-American Teenage Girl

Skin Care Tips for Black Women

Women with darker skin have a different set of challenges than women with lighter skin. Most skin care products are formulated to women with light, combination skin, meaning black women need to choose their arsenal of skin care products and routines carefully.

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How to Remove Dark Spots From Acne on Black Skin

Inflammation from acne blemishes can overstimulate the skin's pigment-producing cells and cause them to create too much melanin. Once the blemishes clear, they frequently leave behind small, dark blotches on the skin that are known as postinflammatory hyperpigmentation.

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Lighting up a cigarette

How to Lighten Dark Lips From Smoking

Darkened lips can result from months and years of smoking. Nicotine and tar transfer to the lips through inhalation of the cigarette smoke, causing discoloration and constricting blood vessels in the skin.

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Dropper With Amber Bottle and Green Background

The Advantages of Tea Tree Oil on Facial Skin

Tea tree oil is no newcomer to the skin-care world. The natural ingredient, derived from the leaves of the Melaleuca tea tree, has long been employed for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties.

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Sunbathing Face Blue Sky

How to Clear a Dark Spot on the Nose From Peeling Skin

When your skin peels due to dryness or healing from sunburn, the damaged layers may darken as excess melanin is distributed to the injured area. This darkening may leave you feeling a little unsure about your outward appearance.

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Dark Skin in Groin Area

Dark skin around the groin area indicates a skin disorder called acanthosis nigricans. The condition affects people of any age, notes the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, or AOCD. It is seen more often in people with dark pigmentation, particularly those of African descent.

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Close up of bruise on wounded woman leg skin. Gender

How to Prevent Black and Blue Marks

Black-and-blue marks, or bruises, are spots in which you've sustained bleeding under the skin. Bruising usually occurs after a trauma like falling down, bumping into something or getting hit.

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Venipuncture Complications

Venipuncture is the act of puncturing the vein for the purpose of adding a substance or removing blood. It is usually performed in the medical setting. Substances added via venipuncture include medication, fluids, blood and diagnostic agents such as dye. The removal of blood is called phlebotomy.

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Natural Sources of Collagen

Collagen is a type of protein that is used as connective and support tissue throughout the body. According to “Human Biochemistry and Disease,” collagen makes up 75 percent of our skin composition and 30 percent of our bodies overall.

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