An Unusual Use For An Embarassing Product

Why was My Friend Looking Shifty In The Chemist Shop?

Isn't it funny how friends react when you bump into them while they are shopping for embarrassing products?

I bumped into my friend while shopping at a well know high street chemist, and while we were chatting I scanned the content of her basket, as you do (come on now, you know you do it too!). Anyway, I spotted a tube of hemorrhoid cream in her basket. Well after having three children in quick succession, I figured it wasn't surprising. But my friend obviously noticed that I had spotted the said item and began to get a little agitated. She flushed a little and started burbling that she didn't buy the cream for the obvious reason, and went on to assure me that she was free of those little problems. She told me she used the cream to shrink the bags under her eyes!

Errr… whatnow? Was my intelligent response to her revelation. But apparently it is a little trick known to many make-up artists who's job it is to make TV and film stars look half-way decent for the cameras, especially after a hard night - and morning, partying and not having had very much sleep. The cream is designed to shrink blood vessels and swelling, so it will have the same effect wherever it is used! My friend is no star, but she finds it helps her look and feel a bit more human after endless sleepless nights caring for her three little ones who are all under 5 years old.

So there's a little tip for you! If you suffer from eye bags, or puffy eyes, use a little hemorrhoid cream. However, do use with caution. Most preparations contain steroids, and with prolonged use can actually thin the skin making dark circles look much worse. So I would only use it occasionally for an emergency measure.

Anyway, here are some tips for keeping the signs of ageing away for longer.

1. Maintain healthy eating habits: A well balanced diet is the key to maintaining a proper body metabolism. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (raw), they are the best source of fibre and have a very refreshing effect on your body.

2. Reduce stress: Stress disturbs the body metabolism and accelerates the aging process. Sleep, exercise and a relaxing bath, are all good ways of beating stress. Aroma-therapy is also a great way to relieve stress.

3. Drink plenty of water: Water helps in flushing out the toxins from the body. Around 8 glasses of water each day is recommended by doctors.

4. Regular exercise is great for the skin. Besides toning your muscles, it also helps in cleaning the skin by flushing out the toxins through sweat.

5. Use organic skin care products whenever possible. They contain no harmful chemicals to damage the skin. Try not to overuse skin creams, and try not to use too many at once.

6. Protect your skin against UV radiation ; UV rays are known to speed up the aging process. So, a good sunscreen lotion should be used. There are some moisturisers available with sunscreen added.

Here's to us all looking 10 years younger by next year!

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Wishing you the best of Family Life.

Michelle, Joint Editor, Cotswold Family Life