What is Aromatherapy?

What is Aromatherapy Massage?

Aromatherapy is a relaxing and healing therapy where different oil blends are used to treat different concerns.  After you have had an aromatherapy treatment it is best to let the oils soak into your skin throughout the day as this will help to prolong the massages effect.  

Aromatherapy can help to combat stress and aid in relaxation. Different oils provide different benefits. For example:

-Eucalyptus can help to boost moral for someone feeling unwell or low.

-Lavender will help balance the body and leave you will be left feeling much calmer.

-Lemon is uplifting and can help with anxiety.

When using these oils they are blended with grapeseed oil as this prevents any allergies and helps to soak the oils into the skin

Aromatherapy is a great treatment to have as it will help you to feel more grounded and much better within yourself.

Aromatherapy massage is suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Some oils need to be avoided during this treatment so make sure you let your therapist know! 

To Book in for Aromatherapy massage call us on 01908 567766 or book online at www.alchemytherapycentre.com

Dehydration - Why do I need to drink?

Although the warmer weather seems to have deserted us lately its still important to stay hydrated particularly whilst exercising.  There are plenty of marathons, half marathons, triathlons and cycling events coming up and I know a lot of my clients are in training, and despite the cooler temperatures it is still important to be aware of the dangers of dehydration.

Dehydration happens when your body loses more fluid than you take in.  When the normal water content of your body is reduced, it upsets the balance of minerals (salts and sugar) in your body, which affects the way it functions. Everyone is at risk from dehydration and despite making you feel thirsty, light headed and sometimes nauseous it is also one of the causes of muscle cramps, especially in athletes.

In the early stages of dehydration you start to feel thirsty, this is your brains early warning system.  Don’t fight that thought, take on fluids as soon as you can.  It is recommended by the Food Standards Agency that you drink six to eight glasses of anything other than alcohol each day to stay hydrated.  If you ignore your brains early warning, the next step is often headaches, lethargy and the inability to concentrate.  Most people reach for the paracetamol, or stimulants like caffeine, but this just masks the problem.  Try the “turgor test” pinch the skin on the back of your hand and if it doesn’t ping back immediately it’s a sign of moderate dehydration.  Now is the time to reach for the isotonic drinks!  Remember that you don’t just lose fluids when you sweat, you lose electrolytes, such as salt, too.  You can make your own isotonic drink by adding a pinch of salt to a glass of fruit squash, or drinking flat cola and eating salty crisps is recommended by doctors as a quick fix to moderate dehydration.

So don’t forget to take water with you on your training runs, stock up on gels, isotonic drinks or at least some salt, and if you feel thirsty, don’t ignore your brain, drink something!

Teenage and Adult Acne. How we can help deplete it?

We all get a bit paranoid when we get a spot before a big night out or just before a holiday especially if its on the end of our nose making us look like Rudolph! But some of us suffer from very bad acne and this not only makes us self concious but it can be very uncomfortable too! There are ways we can diminish acne without aggressive tablets prescribed by the doctors. 

Why does acne occur?

Acne occurs from the over production of oil in the pores of the skin. The oil blocks the pores which prevents natural oils from flowing out. Bacteria thrives on these oils and causes a reaction which leads to an infection. The white pus you see on a spot is the white blood cells coming along to remove the bacteria and heal the spot. Squeezing white heads causes the pore to break inside and removes the white blood cells that are there to fix it. When a spot bleeds it means the pore has burst and blood is seeping into other surrounding pores underneath the skin. So leave white heads alone! 

Medical prescribed acne tablets

Roaccutane is a medically prescribed acne tablet that doctors will prescribe to treat acne. Though these are great for diminishing spots fast it can cause long term damage to the skin. Roaccutane reduces the skins natural oil production meaning spots are unable to grow under the skins surface. Whilst this sounds like the perfect solution roaccutane causes many problems. 

Roaccutane decreases the size of the pores making the skin thicker and stopping oil from being produced! Now we all know that some oil is good for the skin and removing it completely can cause long term side effects. Firstly roaccutane thickens the skin causing it to become rough which leads to more severe acne scarring and pitting and this damage can sometimes be irreversible.

Common side effects of roaccutane are dry skin, dry, cracked and sore lips, dry eyes, muscular and joint pain, headaches, anaemia, blood in urine, mood changes, depression, anxiety, depletion of white blood cells and increased liver enzymes. 

Though some find roaccutane a great cause for removing spots we believe it is an unnecessary way to treat acne. 

 

How can we help?

Three steps are taken to diminish acne. These are: 

- Normalising oil production

- Normalising cells 

- Removing bad bacteria

Products for topical use are used to help remove spots on the surface of the skin. These products are:

- Environ Sebuwash- A foaming skin wash that removes excess oils without drying the skin. 

- Environ Sebutone- A medium strength toner that helps to smooth and hydrate the skin which is perfect for reducing acne scarring.

- Environ Sebumasque- A clay based Masque that helps to absorb excess oils. Should be used once a week.

- Environ AVST- A moisturiser that works on a step program starting on a level one to introduce vitamin A to the skin. Helps to rebalance the moisture of the skin.

- AVST Body oil- For those who suffer with really bad acne, body oil can be used on the face to remove spots as a moisturiser. Once this has depleted spots you can then swap straight onto AVST to continue moisturising the skin. 

Having regular facials once or twice a month can drastically improve the skin. Our Environ Electronic facials use sound waves and electrical pulses to push products deeper into the skin all the way down to the base layer to treat healthy skin cells before they reach the top! 

For advice or to book a treatment give us a call on 01908 567766 or book online via our website.  www.alchemytherapycentre.com

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