Getting the perfect smile : > )

How many of you have had to keep a straight face while taking pictures because of fear of showing off your not so perfect teeth? Well, fear mot. The truth is whatever your budget, there is a lot you can do to make your beautiful.
· Crooked, poorly arranged teeth.
An orthodox (special dentist) can fix braces and straighten out even the worst cases. Luckily, there are white braces which are barely noticed at first glance and there are lingual braces which are fixed on the inside surface of the teeth and thus not visible at all when you smile.
· Missing teeth.
There are many options, some of which are rather affordable for fixing that cheap smile. Teeth implants are one of the options your dentist may throw at you.
· Dirty teeth.
Dirty teeth are unsightly and breeding grounds for bacteria that causes dental decay and gum disease. A six – monthly cleaning session with your dentist comes highly recommended.
· Excess gum.
Excess gum can be contoured by your dentist so they show less.
· Broken or chipped teeth.
These can be fixed quite easily with crowns and veneers made from porcelain or similar materials. If done well, they are very similar with your teeth.
· Colored/ Stained teeth.
In order to have a brighter smile, teeth whitening is your best bet. You could either do it yourself with a take – home kit which you can apply daily for 2 – 3 weeks or you can have it done at a dental clinic which takes about 45 – 60 minutes to apply and achieves instant results.
However, you should know that the commercial kits, though effective are less effective than professional whitening jobs as they have a lesser quantity of the peroxide gel which is the bleaching agent. This thus means that only a dentist can get your teeth whitest.

The whitening process has been found to be completely safe. The only side – effects observed is that some people experience temporary sensitive to hot and cold foods. This could be abated with the use of a desensitizing toothpaste/gel alternated with the whitening gel. The gel has patented Amorphous Calcium Phosphate (ACP) technology. Research has proven that ACP reduces sensitivity, rebuilds enamel and fills tooth surface detects to restore enamel luster for that bright and elegant smile.

You should limit bleaching to once or twice a year to maintain results. Most teeth stains are caused by coffee, tea, tobacco, soft drinks and certain foods. It thus implies that when whitening the teeth treatment is stopped, these stains would be absorbed by the teeth.
Ensure that you don’t drink red wine, coffee or eat soy sauce for at least two days after your whitening treatment. It is also advised that you avoid deep red lipstick during this time.

So are you ready to say CHEESE?

Skin Care For the Eyes

The eyes are the first place on your face to show stress, aging and fatigue. The skin in the eye area is five to 10 times thinner than skin on the rest of the face and contains a very small amount of subcutaneous fat and few oil glands. Visible effects are:

• Dark circles
• Puffiness
• Fine lines
• Crow's feet

Eye creams are an essential staple to keep on hand for prevention as well as damage control. They imitate the function of oil glands and provide hydration. Other benefits of eye creams are:

• Stimulating circulation (reducing dark circles and puffiness0
• Improve the skin's elasticity (diminishing the crinkled look and crow's feet0
• Plumps up the fine lines so they look less pronounced

When choosing an eye cream, choose one that addresses your biggest concern.

Dark Circles:

• Common for fair-skinned people and may be due to lack of sleep, sun exposure, dehydration, kidney or thyroid conditions, genetics and allergies
• To fight against allergy-induced dark circles, supplements that address both allergies and skin health may help. Vitamin C builds collagen and strengthens blood vessels
• The antioxidant activity of alpha-lipoic acid and green tee may help prevent skin and blood vessel damage
• Green tea and green, leafy vegetables are a source of vitamin K, which may reduce leakage from blood vessels and help diminish dark circles

Puffy Eyes:

• Five minutes under a cold compress can constrict blood vessels to help decrease puffiness and dark circles
• Fluid retention causes puffy eyes and is common in the morning as fluid builds up overnight
• Sleep on your back with your head elevated to let your eye area drain

Smooth Lines and Crow's Feet

• The outer corners of the eyes are notorious for dryness and wrinkles
• Sun exposure causes the fine lines, or crow's feet
• Creams rich in vitamins C and Y, and other antioxidants provide natural sunscreen protection and helps to keep your eyes looking fresh
• Always wear sunglasses when in direct sunlight

Source: Strausfogel S. eye - catching creams and gels.. Better Nutrition [serial online]. January 2007;69(1):36-38. Available from: Health Source - Consumer Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 6, 2008.

Written by: Connie Limon To find more skin care articles and tips visit http://smalldogs2.com/SkinCareTips To find a variety of reprint articles visit http://www.camelotarticles.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Limon

Erectile Dysfunction...

Erectile dysfunction (ED) simply put is a medical condition that prevents a man from achieving or maintaining an erection throughout sexual intercourse.
It has been said that nearly one in five men ages 20 and above has had erectile dysfunction. This thus means that the problem is quite popular amongst men.
Here are four ways to treat erectile dysfunction:

1. Change your lifestyle:
To determine the cause of the problem, pay a visit to your doctor. It may be related to medications, diabetes, hypertension or some other conditions or you may have testosterone deficiency. Exercise has been found to help (though you should consult your doctor before you begin); so has losing weight. You should cut down or eliminate alcohol from your diet as it only makes the problem worse. You should also consider quitting smoking as it decreases blood flow.

2. Revamp your diet:
Eat a diet based on plant foods, fish, omega-3 and whole grains with no saturated or Trans fat. Ask your doctor about the amino-acid L-arginine too. It may improve the function of cells lining the blood vessels throughout the body.

3. Try medication:
ED is treatable, thanks in part to new drugs. A urologist may prescribe Viagra, Levitra or Cialis after an examination. All three of them relax the smooth wall inside the penis to allow greater blood flow. If the drugs don’t work, or if you are taking other pills that prevent you from using the, you doctor may suggest inject able drugs or prosthetics.
The most commonly used inject able drug used in this manner is Prostaglandin E1. Other drugs include: papaverine and phentolamine or combinations of these three drugs.
These drugs affect the soothe muscle tone in the blood vessels and produce an erection that lasts for about an hour. However, if this treatment is employed over a long period of time, problems pertaining to scarring may probably take place.
A prosthesis may be implanted into the penis under anesthetic. This may be a semi rigid rod that results in a permanently erect penis. There are however some modern mechanisms which enables the patient to control an inflatable rod. Research in this area is still emerging and a wide range of plastic or silicone prostheses are available. The implant may function for several years. The most usual complication is infection owing to the implant procedure.
There are also vacuum constriction devices that draw blood into the penis, causing it to be erect. An elastic ring is then positioned around the penis so as to retain the erection.

4. Get acupuncture & psychotherapy:
To treat ED, sometimes the psychological and emotional aspects could just be as important as the medical ones. If stressed and cannot relax or sleep, try acupuncture. It can help alleviate ED by relieving stress. Your tension level should drop in three to five sessions.
Psychotherapy has to do with abstinence from intercourse, by a couple, for a few weeks while the couple explores other aspects of their physical relationship. Only when the man is capable of having an erection and sustaining it on more than a few occasions should the couple attempt intercourse.

GOOGLE ME!!

Have you ever Googled your name? You might be startled to know how much of your personal details have been made public thanks to the Internet.
The world is fast becoming a global village. Most of us are on online dating social networks like. My space and Face book with friends from all over the world.
The Internet is a wonderful place for people to meet, buy, shop-and to get information. Howbeit, in our society today, your identity is the most important thing you will ever have and once gone, it could be gone forever. This is why you have to take crucial steps to secure your identity.
We all are in the know of the dangers associated with identity theft- debts piled in your name, preventing you from accessing loan other credit facilities and your bank account could be left bare.
This serves to remind us that the World Wide Web is still the Wild, Wild West. You’ve got to be careful out there.
Again, Employers are beginning to look up job applicants online. How? In some cases, just by Googling you’re your name!
In fact, just as one consultant told the New York Post, “Your Googling results are your new resume.”
Thus, here are tips on protecting your vital Resume.

Ø Don’t post anything [including pictures], lewd, obnoxious or risque and don’t badmouth your organization or boss [former or present].
Ø Don’t disclose crucial information about your company deals or reveal intimate details about your ex-lover.
Ø Switch your Face book or My space profile to “private”.
Ø Don’t write anything of someone’s profile that you would regret later.
Ø Also edit what is written on your “wall” else you’ll be held accountable for your friend’s stupidity.
Ø Avoid crazy e-mail addresses. People have been turned down for jobs because of e-mail addresses.
Ø If you are in a blog or a chat room, do not divulge details about your physical addresses, telephone numbers or credit card number.
Ø Avoid giving details of your children, family members, your sexual history or information that could track you down.
Ø Google yourself regularly. Better yet, sign up for a Google Alert, which will tell you when your name is mentioned online.
Ø Think of your profile as your public relations tool. Use it to prevent your accomplishments and creativity, not to settle scores and attack others.
So friends, what do you do about that picture of you fast asleep - passed out actually-and in your power rangers underwear with beautifully sketched scars, a mustache and graffiti on your face? Yeah that’s right –TAKE IT DOWN! And everything else that could be classified as offensive.
Think again before you type or put up that “funny” picture: the world is literally your audience each time you log on.

GRooMing TiPs FOr mEN

Have you ever wondered why men are of the opinion that women and women alone should be the ones to make an extra effort about their physical appearance?
With the emergence of Metro-sexual – (that guy that is proud of his looks and yet is confident in his sexuality) and Über-sexual – (that guy who though dresses well, does not dwell so much on his looks because he is handsome and self-assured), one would think that such an idea would be water over a dam.
A man should have a good understanding of his body in respect to health, fitness, what to wear and grooming. We often think that as long as we take out baths once or twice a day, we are as good as clean, but that is only the beginning!
I will now give a few tips that should solve common grooming dilemmas men face:

BODY ODOUR:
The solution here is to bathe well and use a good anti-per spirant deodorant. Contrary to what you may think, perfumes do not solve the problems but could even aggravate it.
A deodorant decreases the activity of odour-causing bacteria, while anti-per spirants help decrease the amount of sweat produced.

HAIR:
Black men due to the texture of their hair are most often caught in a tight spot when it comes to their hair. Well, five options readily come to mind:
Dreadlocks- this is easy to maintain as there is no brushing, combing, or patting into shape.
Skin Cut- this is the easiest of them all and is favoured mostly by men losing their hair. It is so basic that some guys just buy a set of clippers and shave it all off!!
Corn rows- it is my opinion that only patient guys can sport this look as no matter tiny they are, they have a life span of 2-3 weeks and loosening and re-braiding it is quite a bother.
Low cut- my favourite. It is also probably the most acceptable style for (black) men. As the name implies, it involve keeping the hair short but not shaving it off entirely.
The Afro- this is another one that requires patience. Afros should be washed everyday with a good ant-dandruff shampoo. Once the hair is dried and combed, it needs to be patted into a spherical form. The afro is high maintenance for a guy.

CHEST HAIR:
If shaving or waxing it all off is not a preference, you could trim chest hair with clippers or scissors. Avoid cutting the hair too low and though it might sound and seem queer, brushing chest hair makes it look better.

NOSE HAIR: Trimming nose and ear hair can easily be done with a nose hair trimmer which can be purchased in pharmacies and body shops. You must be careful though, as getting cut in the nose/ear is somewhat painful.




NAILS:
Bitten nails look dreadful! Though only a perception, it gives the impression that you are not a confident person which is not healthy in today’s world where impressions count a lot. Getting a manicure and a pedicure at a good salon is as easy as it sounds.
However, if you are too nervous or too much of a coward J to walk into a salon, you could either DIY or call a girl friend.

EXFOLIATION & MOISTURISERS:
Exfoliation is simply the removal of dead skin cells form the outermost layer of the skin. These dead cells make the skin look dull, patchy and dry. Exfoliation sounds like a complicated process but it’s carried out easily by using a facial scrub or even just sponge. Using a facial scrub once or twice a week removes dead skin cells and helps the skin look brighter.
Moisturiser is a must for everyone, particularly one the body. A good moisturiser easily corrects the white patches of skin on the hands and feet. Applying moisturisers on the face is a good idea…especially after exfoliation. If you suffer from acne, consider using moisturisers particularly designed to treat this predicament.

SHAVING BUMPS:
Shaving bumps are caused by hairs growing back into the skin and it is most common in black men and those with very curly hair. If the bumps are causing much misery, consider switching to shaving powders. If your preference is shaving sticks, ensure the blade is sharp always. Shaving sticks with single blades are considered to be better than those with double blades as they don’t shave as close to the skin and so reduces the chances of hair growing back into the skin.
If possible, try shaving once in three days to give the skin time to calm down. Finally, using a good aftershave after shaving may help prevent bumps from getting infected.

Healthy Weight Loss.

Ok, I just may have been slightly mean in my last post; and so, I have reconsidered and researched on HEALTHY weight loss and body fitness in general. If you are considering a proactive approach to your wellness, I can understand how daunting it may seem. There is so much to consider – your diet, creating a work-out routine, and sticking with it!!
I am not an authority on the topic but like I said, I carried a little research and here are my findings, which I hope will help you achieve a better body-

Let’s start with the DIET-
The secret of a healthy weight loss is actually very simple. It has been said that averagely, a woman needs 2000 calories a day while a man needs 2500 calories a day. This is essential for the proper functioning of your body – if you do not consume the right amount of calories, it could lead to organ damage. Starving yourself will do you no good. The whole idea of denying yourself of your cravings just would not work. Your diet should work around your eating habits – it should not be too restricted or boring. You can have some of the things you want to eat but in moderation and should not exceed the amount of calories you should have per day.
There are three major classes of food – carbohydrates, proteins and fats & oils. Your body absolutely should not be deprived of these and so you must learn to eat ‘SMART’ around these classes….
‘SMART’ Carbohydrates include: whole wheat breads, cereals, brown rice, barley, beans.
Skip carbohydrates for dinner and stop eating at 8pm at the very least.
‘SMART’ Proteins include: skinless chicken, turkey, skimmed milk, snails.
‘SMART’ Fats & Oils include: olive, sunflower & canola oils (USE MINIMALLY!!). As much as possible, avoid fried foods.
Be careful to maintain a healthy eating habit after weight loss. You could eat whatever you want but in small moderate proportions not like a glutton.

WORK-OUT ROUTINE-
An overweight/unfit person may not have the energy to gym and so, there is the need to turn exercising into a hobby – something fun and absolutely rewarding. Dancing in its various forms, walking, swimming or even cleaning could be used as a tool to achieve fitness goals.
You have to find the time to work out. If you are a morning person, then by all means go for mornings, it might mean waking up a few minutes earlier but it will become part of you. What can you do?? Plenty!! Go for a jog, a brisk walk. You don’t even have to leave your house to work out. Jog around your house, go up and down your flight of stairs, skip/jump ropes, do sit-ups and push-ups. You could also invest in a couple of aerobic DVD’s and work out in your house or, if you can spare the cash, get a personal trainer (you can do this as a group to save cash).
Finally, you could also join a gym and work out on your way to work in the morning or back home in the evening.
In all of this, you need to start slow. Slow and steady they say wins the race. Ten minutes twice a week should do and gradually build upwards. Remember Rome was not built in a day. Relax and watch your body gradually beat itself into shape.

So there, you have my findings. Take note though that the condition of your mind also plays a role in the success or failure of your healthy weight loss.

Dying to be THIN!!

There is an alarming new trend in the world today which is the passionate craving to be thin. In fact, it has been said that you can never be too wealthy or thin! Whilst being wealthy is healthy and good, the drive to diet to near-death is catching on like wildfire globally – with alarming results.The fire is further more fuelled by ‘beautiful’ Hollywood stars, both young and old, with million-dollar trust funds: Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, and the list would not be complete without mentioning Victoria ‘Posh Spice’ Beckham, who is a typical example of a size zero, despite having three sons. The latest and most surprising example is Jennifer Hudson (btw, she prompted this article). My jaw really did drop to the ground at the sight of her new album cover. It is either that picture of her on the cover was extremely photo-shopped or; ‘Dr. 90210’ performed a remarkable miracle; or her personal trainer has some trick up his sleeves that deserves a Nobel award.Jennifer Hudson was a reference point to all the plus-sized women out there. She, in addition to a few others like Queen Latifah, was like an ambassador to them. Is it likely that she has caught on the craze to be thin?? The media has incited a lot of women/girls to change the way they view their bodies to attain the skeleton chic status – what is popularly known in Nigeria as “Lepa Shandy”. It is incomprehensible why one would starve oneself into a laboured, bizarre heap of ribs, with such miniature breasts and buttocks!! “In 2005, top Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos died of heart failure caused by anorexia nervosa. At the time of death, she a had body mass index of about 14,5 (as opposed to the normal one of 18,5 – 24,90 and weighed just over 44kg, despite being 1,8m tall. Ramos had been living on nothing but Diet coke and lettuce for weeks.” Ladies, please don’t misconstrue, it IS GOOD to lose weight – healthy weight; it is good to look fit and trim but not excessively thin. Basically, I guess the message here is: Love yourself and again remember – “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”