Orange Self-Tan
Quick Fix: Skip the lemon juice and scrub the area with a washcloth dipped in moisturizer, advises Dr. Lisa Donofrio, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine. To even out patchy areas, blend in a temporary bronzer that you can wash off.
Best Fix: Prevention is key. Since the chemicals in self-tanners continue working for 24 hours, apply a thin, even layer and wait a day to see the results before reapplying. Donofrio suggests switching to a moisturizer with self-tanner to achieve a more gradual tan.
Peeling Skin
Quick Fix: After a bad sunburn, "moisturizing is the best thing," says Dr. Leslie Baumann, a professor of dermatology at the University of Miami. "But don't exfoliate, which can make skin peel more. Just let dead skin come off in the shower and moisturize after."
Best Fix: To prevent peeling, you should, of course, avoid unprotected sun exposure. Use a sunblock. Baumann also recommends taking Heliocare supplements, developed by Harvard researchers, to help prevent sunburn.
Acne
Quick Fix: A steroid injection at the derm office is the only sure way to get rid of a pimple. For an at-home treatment, use a drying lotion containing salicylic acid. In Baumann's practice, she's found that the mistake people often make is to put Retin-A on pimples, which only works in preventing them.
The other huge mistake is to pop them yourself. If you're even slightly tempted to take matters into your own hands, celebrity dermatologist Dr. Patricia Wexler warns that "manipulating your own pimples usually extends acne lesions from two to three days to up to 7 to10 days. Doing so leaves marks on the skin that are called post-inflammatory pigmentation (another name for a dark brown spot), or even worse, a depressed scar beneath the surface of the skin leading to permanent injury of the skin."
Best Fix: "The best remedy is preventative," insists Baumann. On her website,
www.lesliebaumann.com, she identifies 16 different skin types and gives specific skin regimens for each of them. But, in general, she recommends preventing pimples with cleansers containing benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid, which gets down in the pores and cleans them out.
Ashy Skin
Quick Fix: Dull, ashy skin is caused by dead skin cells. The best way to get supple skin is to exfoliate, says Dr. Mary Lupo, a dermatologist at Tulane University School of Medicine. A good scrub preps skin for absorbing moisture, so apply lotion immediately afterwards for best results.
Best Fix: Don't skip cream. Apply it every time you get out of the shower. Also, shaving daily, which is another form of exfoliation, will reveal your skin's natural glow.
Splotchy Tan
Quick Fix: Even out skin tone with a tinted lotion or cream. For your face, Donofrio recommends using a bronzing powder to build color over patchy skin.
Best Fix: Be conscientious when putting on sunblock. You'll be less likely to miss a spot if you apply it before slipping into your bikini. Also, prior to any kind of tanning, whether that's sunbathing or self-tanning, exfoliate well, using a circular motion.
Extremely Dry Skin
Quick Fix: Jump in the shower, says Donofrio. "Let the steam and warm water rehydrate your skin. After showering, apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp."
Best Fix: Stay hydrated, says Donofrio, who offers these tips: "Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Get in the routine of applying moisturizer right after cleansing. Don't use soap, but rather a non-soap facial cleanser and a moisturizing body wash. For very dry skin, switch to a moisturizer with lactic acid."
Oily Skin
Quick Fix: Oily skin is both a blessing and a curse. It's genetic, so unfortunately there is no true "cure," says Donofrio. The upside is that women with oily skin tend to age more slowly. But to deal with constant shine, keep blotting papers and powder handy.
Best Fix: Donofrio suggests that you keep skin clean with an oil-control cream containing special polymers that absorb oil on a continuous basis.
Poodle Perm
Quick Fix: "Condition, condition, condition!" urges Garren, who owns a salon in New York and has styled the hair of everyone from Kate Moss to Courtney Love to Audrey Hepburn. Switch to a creamy shampoo and conditioner to smooth hair follicles. A monthly deep conditioning treatment, like the one offered at his salon, will also tame curls. For an at-home treatment, Garren says, "Shampoo hair and towel blot dry. Then apply two to three tablespoons of a luxurious cream or hot-oil treatment and spread from roots to ends. Comb through using a wide-tooth comb. Then, cover hair with a shower cap and secure firmly with a clip to keep heat inside. Leave on for 30 minutes before rinsing out." A large barrel curling iron, Garren adds, will help to soften curls for a more toussled look.
Best fix: For future perming appointments, Australian hairstylist and SoHo salon owner Rodney Cutler says to make sure your stylist uses larger perming rods for looser, softer waves.
Frizzy Hair
Quick Fix: When your hair is still wet, use a wide-tooth comb, says Eva Scrivo, owner of the eponymous salon located in New York's Meatpacking District, and never a brush. Once your hair is dry, smooth it with a few drops of a silicon-based product, such as a styling cream or serum.
Best Fix: Scrivo cites three culprits which can cause frizz: improper brushing, heat styling, and dehydration from hair coloring. A preventative strategy would be to comb, not brush; avoid the hair dryer whenever possible; and deep-condition on a weekly basis. She also suggests using a boar-bristle brush when the hair is dry. Doing so helps stimulate the production of oil in the scalp and carries it down the hair shaft for a natural conditioning treatment.
Cowlick
Quick Fix: Style the area where your cowlick is right after you shampoo, says Scrivo. "This way you can shape the hair before it has a chance to exercise its own mind."
Best Fix: "Don't fight it," says Garren. "With the right cut, you can create a great, modern look by working with it. If you have a cowlick at the crown of the head, try growing out your hair so that the weight from the length holds it down. If your cowlick is at the hairline, ask your stylist to cut your bangs dry so they lay straight and even."
Badly Cut Bangs
Quick Fix: "Unfortunately, there's really not much you can do about bad bangs other than to grow them out," says Garren. On a more positive note, the hair on your head grows an average of half an inch to an inch a month. In the meantime, Garren suggests that you try styling your bangs to the side, or just try to own them as your look until they do grow out.
Best Fix: Think long and hard before getting bangs—heavy, straight bangs often look dated and are unflattering on round and oval face shapes. Instead, consider wispy bangs cut at an angle. Also, bringing in a picture to the salon, Cutler adds, "will help identify the exact bangs you like and help the stylist visualize them."
Overly Layered Hair
Quick Fix: Exercise damage control and keep extremely razored hair from looking like a mullet by blowing it straight, Garren advises.
Best Fix: While your layers grow out, ask your stylist to cut in some fringe around your face to give you an edgy look until your length evens out on top. If you're brave enough to revisit a layered haircut, says Cutler, "make sure to tell the stylist to layer it only two to three inches shorter than the actual length of your hair."
Brassy Hair
Quick Fix: Cutler advises returning to your salon and asking your stylist to use a glaze that's close to your natural color.
Best Fix: Keep hair from going brassy by using a UV filter when you're in the sun. Also, maintain your color with shampoo specifically formulated for color-treated hair. And next time you have a hair appointment, stick to one or two shades away from your natural color.
Overbleached Hair
Quick Fix: Add depth to your hair with a glaze in a warmer blond like honey or amber, says Cutler. Also, hair that's too blond is often damaged. Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner with restructurizing proteins.
Best Fix: For future coloring trips, blend hair color with warmer tones and gradually work up to a more mellow blond.
Matted Hair
Quick Fix: Loosen tangled hair with a conditioner, says Garren, and work through knots with a wide-tooth comb.
Best Fix: To avoid matting, you need to shampoo and condition and comb through before hair dries. Also, keep your ends trimmed to prevent splitting.
Fly-aways
Quick Fix: Smooth hair with a styling cream or serum. Scrivo also recommends a leave-in conditioner in addition to regular conditioning.
Best Fix: Fly-aways often result from aggressive brushing or combing. Scrivo explains the right way to brush your hair: "Start at the ends of the hair and work your way up slowly—never hold the hair in a ponytail with one hand and rip the hair with a brush with the other."
"Dent" in Hair From Ponytail Elastic
Quick Fix: Spritz with water to smooth out the dent in your hair. If this doesn't work, says Scrivo, instead of smoothing it out, hide it by putting the hair in a loose bun. Then secure it with bobby pins, and gently pull the bun apart with your hands for a modern and more relaxed look.
Best Fix: "Think about your plans before putting your hair into a ponytail," says Garren. If you plan to take it out later in the day, do not put it up until after your hair is dry—this will minimize the crimp. Scrivo offers another solution: Wear a hair band, which is just as practical as a ponytail for keeping your hair off your face.
Broken Nail
Quick Fix: If your nail is broken above the finger pad, tearing it off will just make it worse. Use the proper tools, says Karen Terranova, manager of the Great Jones Spa in New York, and clip and file it smooth. If the nail is cut at the skin level, bandage it to protect the area.
Best Fix: Strong and supple nails don't break, so Terranova recommends taking a biotin supplement and applying a clear polish with a fortifying formula.
Hangnail
Quick Fix: Snip off dead skin as close to the cuticle as possible. Terranova advises gently exfoliating the area by buffing in the direction of the hangnail. Follow with cuticle cream. If you continue to buff and moisturize for the next three days, Terranova promises the hangnail will disappear.
Best Fix: Regular manicures are a sure way of ridding yourself of painful hangnails. Buff the cuticle area lightly and massage in a thick hand cream at night so it doesn't wash off from the day's activities.
Blisters
Quick Fix: Focus on relieving pain and preventing further irritation, says Dr. Lisa Donofrio, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, by covering the blister with a bandage. Terranova recommends icing the area, massaging with calendula cream, and wearing open shoes that won't rub the blister until it heals.
Best Fix: Again, the best remedy is prevention. Break in shoes by wearing them at home with socks on. Donofrio also recommends pre-empting blisters by applying moleskin to areas where your shoes rub.
Overplucked Brows
Quick Fix: Badly overplucked brows may take up to six months to grow back, says Anastasia, who has created perfect arches for celebs like Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Lucy Liu, and Naomi Campbell. But don't despair. Just pick a waxy brow pencil that matches your brow color and lightly trace an outline around your brow. Then, with a brush, lightly fill in sparse areas with a powder that matches the color of your brows.
Best Fix: Leave this job to a professional. If you insist on shaping your own brows, invest in a set of stencils. Not only will they keep you from overplucking, says Anastasia, but they also keep the left and right brows looking symmetrical. "When you cross your right hand over to the left brow, a majority of your vision is lost, which compromises your eye/hand coordination."
Cold Sores
Quick Fix: "Go to your doctor and ask him to inject the cold sore with a steroid and it'll reduce the swelling," says Dr. Leslie Baumann, a professor of dermatology at the University of Miami. "If you're treating it yourself, try a steroid cream like hydrocortisone and that will help a little."
Best Fix: "The moment you feel that tingling in your lip, you can prevent an outbreak by taking Valtrex, which is a prescription-only drug you can get from your doctor," Baumann says.
Puffy Eyes
Quick Fix: The gravity from getting up and moving around will help reduce the puffiness. For further relief, Baumann recommends using eye creams with caffeine and other anti-inflammatories like seaweed. And don't underestimate the tried-and-true home remedy of tea bags over your eyes.
Best Fix: "There isn't much you can do to lessen puffiness, but avoiding salt and sleeping with your head slightly elevated will help," says Baumann.
Bloating
Quick Fix: For feet, the first thing to do is elevate them to drain the fluid. A cool soak, notes Karen Terranova, manager of the Great Jones Spa in New York, will also ease the swelling. For the body, find relief in creams and gels with anti-inflammatories like caffeine and cooling ingredients like mint. And massage well.
Best Fix: To ease bloating or swelling, Terranova recommends reducing salt intake and drinking water to flush toxins out of your system.
Bloodshot Eyes
Quick Fix: Pinpoint the reason for your inflamed peepers: If a long night of drinking in a smoke-filled bar is to blame, you're most likely dehydrated. Dr. Joseph Eviatar, assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at New York Medical College, suggests an eye compress and anti-allergy drops like Vasocon-A or Visine. But, he warns, don't become too dependent on eyedrops, since in the long term drops will make your eyes more sensitive and prone to redness.
Best Fix: Get your beauty rest. But if you are staying up, bring lubricating drops such as Hypo Tears and remind yourself to blink and drink lots of water. It's also crucial to take off makeup before going to bed—especially mascara. Otherwise, celebrity dermatologist Dr. Patricia Wexler warns, "makeup surrounding the peri-orbital area can clog lash follicles, cause inflammation, and lead to loss of lashes."
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