Beauty is deeper than skin

Has it ever occurred to anyone to wonder why all those film stars whose faces have been extensively used to launch so many new beauty aids or to boost the sales of many established ones, end up looking bloated, haggard and older than their years? With all the best cosmetics, beauty therapies Botox, fillers and cosmetic surgery and the like, why should film stars or rich socialites ever age?

But they do age earlier than your jhadu poachawali bai, subjiwali, dhobin or your domestic help. Startling as it may sound, isn't it a fact that while many of your favourite tall, lissome and willowy heroines of a decade or two ago have suddenly started looking matronly ? While, on the other hand, your subjiwali (vegetable vendor), who was never into skincare (forget about cosmetic surgery and other expensive treatments) looks just the same?

women undergoing beauty therapies
           The tall claims of cosmetics and beauty therapies can only give a temporary boost.

This is for the simple reason that while the rich spoil their looks with erratic, unhealthy eating and sleeping habits, the poor effortlessly maintain their figures with their simple food and sound sleep after a hard day's work. The creams and lotions which seem to work miracles during one's youth seem to lose their power, once the downhill journey starts.

To get the best results from beauty aids, one must have simple and regular habits. Glamour girls are bound to have erratic lifestyles but those who even in that artificial world maintain a regular schedule never show their age. For instance, Nutan, till her last film, could with a subtle touch of make-up, have easily played heroine to the same hero whose mother she was playing in the film! So also Sharmila Tagore, who has aged so gracefully. This is because these ladies strictly kept away from late night parties and booze.

Importance of a regular routine
The same goes for rich socialites too. They eat and drink too much but never bother to burn away those calories they keep shoving down their throats throughout the day. Soaps, lotions, creams, face-packs, anti-aging serums,  are, no doubt, wonderful stimulants, but only when your whole system is clean and healthy. For example, how effective would starch and steam ironing be on an otherwise old and faded sari? In the same way any amount or makeup can hardly impart a glow to an anaemic face. So before rushing to buy a cosmetic after seeing an advertisement, first find out the cause for your falling hair or wrinkling skin, dark circles or puffiness under the eyes.

Even extensive use of hair-growth serums, shikakai , miracle herbal hair oil, Vitamin- E creams or anti-aging creams for that matter will fail to check your falling hair or restore a glow to your face if you are suffering from sinus, lack of proteins on your diet or malfunctioning of your system.

So the first step is to maintain your health and keep your system clean. Beauty is certainly not skin deep and cannot be maintained by surface treatment only.

It is very beneficial to observe a weekly fast or remain on fruits and milk once a week, provided you are not suffering from low blood pressure or hypertension or taking some antibiotics. In the same way, aerobics or yoga should be done only after ascertaining your physical fitness or capacity to undertake them. After surgery or bone or muscle injury, exercise can do more harm than good.

The best and most complete exercise and one which will not have any adverse effects is brisk walking. Even slow walking can produce good results in due course of time. There is nothing like an early morning stroll in a park or along comparatively, pollution-free roads but if that is not possible, keep walking in your own house. If even a small balcony is not available for the purpose, open all the windows of your bedroom and pace up and down there for half an hour at least.

Stop being your own beautician and physician. Never take a medicine just because it suited a friend of yours and don't apply a face mask just because your sister suggested it. Before taking any beauty or hair treatment first get your skin and hair types analysed by experts.

Hazards of self medication
Once you know your skin and hair types ( whether it is dry, oily, normal or combination type) then of course you can take a treatment suggested for those particular types. The same goes for your diet. In many articles in health and fitness magazines, readers are vaguely advised to up their intake of Vitamin-C and Vitamin-E or resort to nutritional supplements such as omega-3 capsules, multivitamins etc to look young and robust. However, no one bothers to advise one how much the intake should be and for how long one should continue it. Taking such supplements or pills on your own can be detrimental to your health as proved by recent studies. So better consult a good dietician and your family doctor.

self medication is bad
Stop popping pills by the dozen. Self-medication can be dangerous.

Many housewives, too, after reading elementary books on alternative medicines such as homeopathy, start treating the minor ailments of their families and friends. The general belief is that homeopathic medicines are quite safe to be taken any old way because they don't cause any adverse side-effects. But as recently confirmed by leading homeopathic practitioners, homeopathic medicines can have adverse effects and self-medication should not be attempted.

Neither is it advisable to give up anything on a friend's advice. What might not suit her system might have suited you. And for similar seeming ailments, the causes could be different.

For example, your friend might be suffering from migraine but your persistent headache might be due to weak eyesight, your sister's due to constipation and your cousin's because of sinus. Now how advisable it would be to suggest to your friend the treatment which benefited you?

Certain diseases like diabetes, arthritis and eczema are hereditary and precautions should be taken against them but once again on a physician's advice. Don't give up sugar or rice on your own. Also don't become obsessed with eating only superfoods and completely avoiding fried or fatty foods. Too much of a good thing is also bad.

First, make sure of what suits you. You have got to live for yourself; it is your life after all. So live it taking the right decisions and not on the superficial advice of your well-wishers.

Remember, beauty is deep-rooted. For a beautiful face you need a peaceful mind too. So keep fit and feel at peace with the world. It is but natural to get angry. If you shout at someone and let it go at that, it is alright. But if you seethe with anger and keep fretting and fuming, you had better watch yourself in a mirror. You may fail to recognise yourself and are bound to hate that angry look of yours!

woman meditating-1
For a beautiful face you need a peaceful mind too. Meditate to acheive peace of mind.

Sometimes when you are at peace with yourself, when you are recalling someone's kind gesture or have resolved to help a needy person, have a look at yourself in the mirror. You will find a strange coyness, a soft glow on your face and a sparkle in your eyes. So for having a beautiful face, keep both the mind and body beautiful.

(Guest post by Anya)

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21 comments:

  1. Imperfection is Beautiful. Start believing that; and you'll realise all your inner beauties...

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  2. Bishaka9:03 AM

    Yoga is a wonderful tool that can provide you inner as well as outer beauty. That's what has worked for me

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  3. Anonymous9:08 AM

    If you are loving, kind, compassionate and friendly, it shows. There will be an aura of positivity around you. That alone, can impart a special glow and people will come to know that you are someone special. I know it's difficult to be goody-goody at all times, especially with the a**holes out there but it is possible.

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  4. Anonymous9:49 AM

    -self-medicating with a prescription drug (not available through OTC) is illegal but some people do it anyway
    -self-medication for depression is often through taking street drugs or alcohol which are unhealthy ways of altering mood

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  5. We must be careful about self-medicating the nervous system, Salayh. Some drugs, such as marijuana and alcohol, are considered to be accelerators. If a person is going to become mentally ill, these "street drugs" tend to accelerate that happening, like pouring gasoline on a barbecue. Whoosh!
    Some self-medication is a little safer, such as drinking mint tea or camomile to calm down. These generally have no or limited effect on the nervous system, other than a placebo effect.

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  6. Diana9:58 AM

    I'm one of those people that think that beauty is deeper than the skin. I mean, someone can be a 10 in looks, but if they're personality is crap then in my eyes they look uglier.

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  7. Joseph9:59 AM

    I think attitude play a good part in beauty, to me a girl who is cheerful and always smiling will look more beautiful than one who does not.

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  8. Anonymous10:00 AM

    "having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.;"

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  9. Shripriya10:01 AM

    No, the saying is 'beauty is more than just skin deep' which means beauty can be on the inside as well as the outside.

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  10. Christina10:01 AM

    Of course beauty is not just 'skin deep', but that's the first thing people look at. If you're pretty, people will usually want to get to know your 'beautiful personality' more. If your kind of ugly, well, people just judge you on the outside. It's just how the world rolls.

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  11. Someone can be beautiful on the inside as much as they can on the outside. Just think of the qualities that makes someone good that are not physical. Are they caring, compassionate, helpful, generous; do they go out of their way to help others, do they give 100% in everything they do, are they intelligent, speak kindly of/to others, do they only look for the good in others, etc.?
    There are a lot of qualities that can make someone beautiful on the inside.

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  12. I believe beauty is more than skin deep. I wouldn't say that inner beauty supersedes outer beauty as people with outer beauty go farther in life in almost all aspects, but I like people with inner beauty. I wish our society in general felt the same way.

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  13. Andrew10:05 AM

    Its a bit of both, because outer beauty is what gets you to notice the person first, but inner beauty is what makes you fall in love with them!

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  14. Looking to get healthy without a big budget?

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  15. Sindhu10:15 AM

    easy enough... you have to eat. its that sinple.. you only eat once a day! well your body sees that and starts storing everything it can because it sees starvation. that why your metabolism slows down. eat more metadolism speeds up.. its that simple.
    food wise. cut back a little on the fruits and high carb stuff and up the veggies. the trick with carbs is to eat them right after a workout or active time. no meals after 8:00pm just small salads and stuff like that...
    money wise.. well ,carbs and fatty stuff are just plain ol dirt cheap...want eat better. its gonna cost you some. how much is up to you. whats your health worth????????????

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  16. Anonymous10:16 AM

    1. Every morning get up and walk for 45 minutes. You can start with less time, but you want to get up to 45 minutes, and it must be fast walk. You want your heart rate to go up. It must be in the morning, it kick starts your metabolism.
    2. I cut out Red Meat, and fatty foods. Boneless skinnless chicken breast, baked, or grilled, rice and vegetables (steamed).
    3. Eat half. Just eat half of what you normally eat. Put 1/2 on your plate, and put the rest away. Cook less. When you go to fast food, get salads only. Or grilled chicken. No fries, only diet soda. Or water.

    It will work, once you get into a routine, you will get hooked on the results, and you will keep the routine. It has been over a year for me.

    Also start counting your calories. Write them down. You would be amazed as to how much more aware you are of your caloric intake, if you actually write it down. We recently discovered a site that offers a great program that counts calories, as well as keeps track of everything. It allows multiple users, so everyone in the family can keep track. They offer a free 7 day trial, and so far I am very impressed with the product. Try the 7 days and see. It allows you to add the exercise that you do during the day, which increases the amount of calories you can take in. Very Cool!!

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  17. Anonymous10:21 AM

    There is something in the Bible that is called forgiveness and while Christ lived here on earth there so many things that the humans did and they asked for forgiveness. It is not that we love what we do but it is the grace of God that helps us to live a holy life. No one is perfect and God knew it and that is why we ask for forgiveness when we wrong someone i am sure even you yourself has wronged someone at one time or the other judge not for you will also be judged.

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  18. Stay with current living arrangement until time prove differently. There are too many hypotheticals at this time.

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  19. How to get fit and lean?

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  20. Anonymous10:28 AM

    Detoxing would be a great way to kick your wieght loss into gear, Cleaning your body from all the bad stuff will give you more energy to start and complete you workouts they way you should. Look at it as an oil change for a car, runs better with clean oil. Adios

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  21. It is really a nice post, its always great reading such posts, this post is good in regards of both knowledge as well as information. Thanks for the post.

    ReplyDelete

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