Personal hygiene and physical training for women

by Anna M. Galbraith

A soft, woven face towel, kept for the face and neck only, should be used with a moderate degree of friction. Great care must be used to wipe the skin thoroughly dry.

It is a question whether the daily use of soap on the face is advisable; for the healthy skin it is not essential and may prove very injurious. Soap should never be used on the face in winter just before going out-of-doors, as this would cause a roughening of the skin. When the hot tub-bath is taken, the face should be well washed with soap and hot water, plenty of friction being applied by means of the face towel, after which the face is thoroughly rinsed with pure water. This will open the pores of the skin, and should be followed by the use of cold water, which has a stimulant action on the blood-vessels and improves the circulation in the skin. It also improves the tone of the elastic fibers in the skin and tends to delay the appearance of wrinkles.

If there is any tendency to dryness of the skin, a good cold cream should be well rubbed in just after bathing the face. The cream must be a good quality and perfectly fresh, as a rancid cream is irritating to the skin. Only so much of the cream should be applied as will be absorbed by the skin. When the skin is very thin, and there has been loss of subcutaneous fat due to ill health or other cause, the systematic application of cream in this manner aids in the nutrition of the skin; and, when applied to the neck with good massage, is a great protection against sore throat due to exposure to drafts and cold.

Protection of the Face.—The cold winds of winter cause a dryness of the uncovered skin of the face and lips, which often leads to a painful chapping, and, in the case of the lips, small fissures may be produced. In addition to the use of cold cream, a good rice powder may be applied, which serves as a further protection to the skin.

In very cold weather a veil should be worn to protect the face from the cold and winds. In summer a parasol should always be carried, to protect the eyes and brain as well as the face from the hot rays of the sun.

The Use of So-called Cosmetics for the Face.—All skin specialists, and these are in the very best position to judge of the great amount of harm that is done, say emphatically that the use of face lotions and “paints” can only work the lasting injury of the complexion. They may assist in hiding the defects of nature, but they frequently contribute to increase these defects. Many of them merely fill up the pores of the skin and give it a pasty look. Numerous cases of eczema and other diseases have followed the use of paints. Of the advertised cosmetics, many are not only worthless, but actually injurious.

Certain applications to the skin of the face are permissible and beneficial. “Virgin milk,” which is a milky-looking mixture, composed of the tincture of benzoin and rose-water, renders the skin soft, and is said to prevent the formation of freckles. If the skin is dry, glycerin may be added to this. The formula for this mixture is as follows: Take of the tincture of benzoin and glycerin each 1 ounce, mix well, and then add 2 ounces of rose-water. This should be applied by the fingers, just after the face is washed. Pure glycerin is irritating, and should never be applied to the face without dilution.

The various good preparations of rice and talcum powder on the market are perfectly harmless, and, if there is a tendency to greasiness or shininess of the skin, the use of these is essential from an esthetic point of view. In case of greasiness a little calcined magnesia may be used. In hot weather the use of face powder is very refreshing, and in the hot climates it is used for this purpose to a very striking extent. But the true cosmetics, and the only ones that can procure and keep a beautiful complexion, are plenty of exercise in the open air, attention to the diet, to the daily evacuation of the bowels, to the condition of the kidneys, to baths, and to proper dress.

Facial Blemishes.—Among the most common facial blemishes are freckles, liver spots, a sallow complexion, pimples, acne, eczema, superfluous hairs, and wrinkles.

Freckles.—These are brownish or yellowish pigmentary spots, varying from the size of a pin-head to that of a pea. They occur on the face and the backs of the hands. They consist of a circumscribed deposit of pigment; not much is known about their origin. The pigment is situated in the deep layers of the epidermis, and, in order to remove the freckles, it is necessary to use something capable of producing desquamation. As a rule, if left alone, they will gradually disappear.