You've used the right moisturizers, got that manicure and pedicure, but here's looking at area you may have neglected – by Anubha Charan
Back beauty is a great 'feel-good' you might want to acquire even if you are not quite the 'high-fashion' type of person. And who knows, for that special occasion, you may want to try out that back-revealing blouse or an evening top with a low-cut neckline and back…
Daily routine
It's easy to neglect the back, as it's the most difficult part of the body to reach. Bt there is an easy solution – using liquid bathing gel on a longhaldled brush will give you ready access to those evasive spots, and go a long way to removing the grime and sweat that lead to clogged pores. (We like the large range of body washes from Lux and Palmolive)
Your back will also benefit from five minutes of dry brushing once a week. This exfoliates the dead skin cells, improves circulation and speeds up lymphatic drainage. Once again, the trick is to look for a long-handled britle brush, and always use strokes moving towards the heart.
Towel-drying after you bathe also has benefits – it helps banish dead cells and kickstarts cell regeneration. Towel upwards, with brisk yet gentle motions, for maximum effect.
Once you're clean and dry, message body lotion. Remember, your back reflects the same skincare concerns as the rest of you, and it too needs more than a one-size-fits-all approach. So if you have dry skin, look for a moisturizing lotion (such as Shiseido Energizing Body Lotion or Oriflame Silk Body Lotion).
If going backless, do get a body wax. It helps exfoliate too.
Problem areas
Backne : It's slang for back acne, which is one of the most common problems associated with this are. It usually happens when sebaceous glands work overtime, producing excess oil and clogging skin pores. This attracts bacteria, which lead to acne.
Backne is also triggered by wearing tight clothes, constant heat exposure and sweating, which do not allow the skin to breathe properly. Therefore, some ways to control this problem would be to wear loose, cotton clothing and shower after venturing out in particularly hot and humid environs.
The kin on our back is thicker than anywhere else on the body, making back acne more stubborn than facial acne and more resistant to treatment. Look for products that contains salicylic or glycolic acid (such as Vichy Normaderm Deep Cleansing Gel or Clearasil Deep Cleansing Body Wash). Follo with anti-blemish products (such as Neutrogena Skin Clearing Spot Control Cream or Garnier Pure Zone SOS Pen) on the affected areas, for faster relief.
It will also help to use a purifying mask on blemishes to draw out the impurities. For this, however, you might have to enlist the help of a friend or partner, as reaching your back while lying flat on your stomach can be a tough proposition !
Discoloration : The skin tone of your back may often appear sallow, uneven and blemished, as the skin is thicker in this area, with a dense population of awebaceous glands. The solution? Clarifying soaps and body washes, and regular exfoliation (try Vichy Detoxifying Exfoliating Scrub or Himalaya Gentle Exfoliating Walnut Scrub, two options that have been known to deliver good results).
Or try this simple home remedy: Grind ½ cup almonds and 1 cut honey, then blend with 3 tablespoons lemon juice. After showering, message the scrub over your back and rinse with warm water.
This region is also prone to the revages of hyperpigmentation, simply because it figures low on our suncare regimen. In fact, the upper back catches most of the brunt of the sun, thereby requiring periodic reapplication of sunscreen throughout the day.
Uneven pigmentation and discoloration may also happen because of yeast imbalances – a common problem in hot weather. The best cure for this is to wash the area with an antidandruff shampopo.
Ageing and stress : Since the back bears the brunt of the balancing our body weight, it's not surprising that it's also one of the first places to show signs of stress and ageing. Poor posture is the most popular culprit, so practice standing tall and straight.
Tension also causes the connective tissue that covers muscles to seize up, slowing down the elimination of toxins and also leading to backaches. To relax, sit down and take 20 deep breaths, taking care to inhale and exhale through your chest and abdomen. Taking 5 minute stretching breaks every 2-3 hours also goes a long way to releasing tension.
Since the back muscles do so much work, it's natural that they are at a high risk for showing fatigue in the form of unsightly cellulite (cottage cheese skin), tyres, flabbiness and slackness. Keep them well tones with simple exercises such as push-ups, swimming, oblique crunches and some light weight training.
You can also supplement this by having a diet rich in unsalted nuts and fish, and
working in some contouring and firming lotions (Such as Granier Body Tonic Conditioning Lotion and Fair & Lovely Perfect Radiance Firm & Lighten Body Lotion) into your daily regimen.It's hard for us at times, but not as hard as it is for them.
The football game is on in full swing and threatens to trun into a dispute. The boys, for all their rough and tumble games, are closest to Mummy and bring their argument to her. She mediates, turning a potentially raucous situation into an impromptu 100m sprint competition… Just another day at just another suburban home. Or is it?
Each of the children playing here is the child of a convict or an ex-conmvict. The sensational headlines that accompany the morning cup – criminals brought to book, murderers put away for life – do not reveal the unseen collateral society pays for safety: the children of these convicts, who often fall through cracks in the absence of parents to take care of them.
Teena and Reny George know first-hand life's perils that await convicts' children. An ex-convict himself, Reny was charged with murber and has served a life sentence at the Trivandrum jail. Theirs is a remarkable story, culminating in this happy home in Doddagubbi village, on the out skirts of Bangalore. They call their home the Precious Children Home, and precious it is to the couple and each and every one of their 60 children.
It all began while Reny was still in jail… He would attend routine prayer meetings – albeit reluctantly – but one day, while at such a meeting, he had a strange experience …
'I don't have a logical explanation, but it was as if my heart changed tracks, literally. I had a strong urge to make amends for all the wrong I had done in the past.' Meanwhile, in faraway Bahrain, Teena, a nurse in The Army Hospital, was also moving towards her destiny… A change encounter with a traveling missionary, led her to her soulmate. The missionary was Renhy's father, and he had a rather radical proposal for Teena: Would she many his son and help him turn his life aroung.
The journey ended, but they kept in touch. Recalls Reny, 'She was outraged at such a "proposal". I too was upset and asked my father if he had lost his mind.' So what made Teena agree eventually? Her answer stumps me, as did Reny's change of heart. 'I found myself thinking of the proposal again and again. I prayed for guidance, and one day I heard a voice clearly asking me to share Christ's cup of sorrow… I knew I had to accept the proposal,' says Teena Simply.
They were married in 1991, while Reny was out on a month's parole. He returned to jail to complete the rest of his sentence and Teena shifted to Bangalore to be closer to her husband. Soon after, working with the Bangalore Juvenile Prison, she was to witness at first hand the appalling living conditions of the prisoners' children. Many sleepless nights afterwards waws born the idea of a home, a proper home for these helpless children, where they would be loved for themselves, where no one would look at them as 'branded' children. 'Reny loved the idea. He knew from his fellow cellmates the misery their children wenth through. A convict serves time even after he has paid his dues and his family suffers along with him,' says Teena. Coincidentally, at that time the Prisons Fellowhip of India, an NGO, was looking into the plight of children of convicts and wondering how to help them.
Things fell into place. And when Reny got out, the couple started life a newlyweds by taking into their home 15 children whose parents were convicts serving time in Bangalore and Mysore Central Jail. They rented a small place. The Prison Fellowhip of India chi8pped in with funds – thanks to Teena's persuasive powers, also helps with funds, and the family shifted to a bigger remise.
The first challenge Teena and George faced was building up the children's self-esteem: 'Many of them orphaned, but what is worse is the constant persecution – by police, by relatives and classmates, Should anything go wrong, they are the first suspects and everyone is quick to label them kallara makkalu or 'theif's child. Imagine the agony that the child goes through ! My heart would bleed each time one of the returned with yet another such tale from the school… We had to change schools several times,' say Reny.
This probably explains why the couple is publicity-shy to the point of being reclusive. They are fiercely protective of the childrens' privacy and their hard-won equanimity, which they struggle daily to maintain. The athere is indeed much trauma that needs dealing with… Tecalls Tejaswani, 12: 'My sister Kavya and I were in school when a neighbor came running to tell us our mother had been killed. The police had taken Appa away. I was stunned. Kavya began crying. Afterwards, my uncle and aunt ca
me to take us to their home, but there was very little money. Often there was nothing to eat. Mummy and Daddy brought us here some months later. I's nice here but sometimes I feel sad, and go and sit by myself in the playground. Mummy or Daddy or one of my friends usually finds me there. They take me back to the house…' And when Kavya wakes up from a nightmare, it is Mummy who rushes to hold her, soothe her with kisses and kind words. Says Reny with quiet pride: 'Teena is much more the hands on parent. The children go to her with their every day problems, however small. If anybody were to fall ill at night, it's Teena who will take the car out and drive him or her to the city doctor.
me to take us to their home, but there was very little money. Often there was nothing to eat. Mummy and Daddy brought us here some months later. I's nice here but sometimes I feel sad, and go and sit by myself in the playground. Mummy or Daddy or one of my friends usually finds me there. They take me back to the house…' And when Kavya wakes up from a nightmare, it is Mummy who rushes to hold her, soothe her with kisses and kind words. Says Reny with quiet pride: 'Teena is much more the hands on parent. The children go to her with their every day problems, however small. If anybody were to fall ill at night, it's Teena who will take the car out and drive him or her to the city doctor.
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