The Washington herald., 1917-02-07

Ideas of beauty differ in different coun-
tries and at different ages of the world s
progress; but there Is unquestionabIy one
thing upon which every one is agreed.
That Is, that however lovely the features
and expression OF face may be, its
beauty is lost when marred by facial
! blemishes Some of these are absolutely
disfguring and cannot be discussed In
an article of this scope, but the minor
disorders Of the skin are sufficiently nu-
merous to occupy our time.
OF these, blackheads are probably the
most common Their medical name is
"comedones," and they are also called
"sebaceous grubs," for the reason that
they consist OF sebaceous or oily matter
that has accumulated and hardened at
the outlet OF the tiny glands. The CRIME
on the face adheres to the oily speck and
colors 1t. When dislodged 1t resembles
a minute grub with black head. From
this It will plainly be seen that black
heads are the result of inactivity OF the
sebaceous glands, and that the glands
require stimulation in order to free them
selves Of their contents. The disorder is
usually local, but It may be associated
with some arrangements of the internal
organs; indigestion, torpidity Of the liver,
a poor circulation, &C If so, the primary
cause must be treated and removed (;
meantime much can be done locally to
overcome the condition. As a rule the
Objectionable little specks are squeezed
out with the finger nails, which is the
worst possible thing to do, and especially
SO IL the skin has not previously been
prepared for such rude treatment Skins
Of very delicate texture are bruised, and
very often the face remains 'blotchy"
for several days. The finger nails are
poisonous in that they carry myriads Of
bacteria of greater or less harmfulness
to everything they touch, and 1t requires
only the slightest abrasion OF the skin,
such as invariably results from pressure
with the finger nails. to create tiny foci
Of infection. That is why blackheads
SO often beget pimples, which are moth
ing more or less than aggregations Of pus
caused by a pus germ.
I remarked a moment ago that black
heads are the result of inactive skin, and
I must add of an unclean skin. 1t
cannot be too frequently emphasized.
that the skin is an organ, like the heart
and the stomach, with work to perform.
1t Is not merely a covering. This won
derful mechanism must breathe, because
1t rids the system Of a great deal Of
waste matter, and, for that very good
reason, the days accumulation from
within and from without, must be
thoroughly removed. Hence the great
need of a daily Tubing, and the par
ticular value OF subjecting the face to
more than a hasty dash of cold water
or a quick wash with a poor soap, fol-
lowed, in many instances, with the use
of powder.
Wherever blackheads appear on the
face, chest or back, the skin must first
be rendered pliable and supple SO that
the pores can willingly yield their con-
tents without breaking the surrounding
tissue. This condition, and incidentally
thorough cleansing, can be procured
by amounting the parts with bland cold
cream, rubbing 1t in deeply with the
finger tips and each time removing 1t
after hve minutes massage, only to re-
peat the process until the skin glows
like a ripened peach and assumes a
velvety texture. This should be done
several times each day for as many days
as 1t is needful to bring about a soft,
thoroughly relaxed skin. If this method
of gaining the desired condition is un-
successful, application Of fairly hot
water with the use of genuine almond