Aromatherapy’s Anti-Aging Elixir: How 3 Essential Oils Can Transform Your Skin
While there is no dearth of products for anti-ageing but people are turning towards essential oils for this particular concern as they are natural and more than just skin care they have a holistic effect. As people age, the skin begins to break down and lose elasticity. This natural process causes wrinkles and fine lines to appear on the face around the forehead, mouth, and eyes.
Although essential oils will not eliminate wrinkles completely, they may be able to reduce their appearance. They are also a natural alternative to chemical creams and lotions. They may also:
Now that we spoke so highly of essential oils for anti-ageing let us look at the oils, we can turn to for this –
Sandalwood essential oil is one of the most fragrant of all oils that have been used widely in the beauty industry. It possesses a unique earthy aroma and holds a significant role in healing skin woes. The strong antioxidant nature of this oil is effective in scavenging free radicals from the skin and reduces oxidative damage. Furthermore, it flushes out the toxins from the skin and uplifts overall skin health and glow.
Lemon is well-known for its vitamin C content and potential health benefits for the immune system. However, lemon oils are also used in a variety of commercial skin care products to help reduce the signs of aging, such as wrinkles. All citrus essential oils, including lemon and grapefruit, make the skin more sensitive to sunlight. It is essential to avoid sun exposure for several hours after using citrus essential oils, so it is wise to apply them before bed.
The potent antimicrobial and antioxidant traits of rosemary essential oil help to cure skin problems like dermatitis, eczema, and rosacea. It is beneficial in maintaining the overall health and beauty of the skin. Rosemary essential oil is known to avert the alteration of the natural lipids of the skin surface and slow down signs of ageing.
Frankincense oil is well known for their potential to promote cell regeneration, fade away fine lines and wrinkles, and improve skin elasticity.
Frequent bloating is a cause of concern. (Photo credit: AI generated)
Many women do not consider persistent bloating to be a serious issue because they tend to correlate their symptoms with acidity, excessive gas, overeating, or other temporary issues caused by their digestive system. Many women tend to treat their symptoms on their own by changing their diet or taking over-the-counter medications without looking into what the underlying problem may be. Many women do this because their symptoms initially seem mild. However, it is important to pay attention to any persistent bloating, especially if the bloating occurs on a regular basis, has lasted for at least one month, or is associated with symptoms such as pelvic discomfort, loss of appetite, an increased feeling of fullness, or irregular bowel habits (diarrhoea, constipation, etc.).
In an interaction with Health and Me, Dr Parnamita Bhattacharya, Gynaecologist at CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI, spoke about the concerns surrounding persistent bloating and whether it is associated with the risk of ovarian cancer.
One of the most significant concerns surrounding persistent bloating is that women can develop ovarian cancer, especially in the early stages, without knowing or having any obvious signs that they have the disease. Because there are no routine screening tests to detect ovarian cancer in the general population, it is critical for women to be on the lookout for any symptoms of persistent bloating and report them immediately to their doctor. Unfortunately, because women often ignore their symptoms and fail to seek medical attention, by the time they do see a doctor, ovarian cancer has progressed to a later stage of development.
Not all bloating is related to ovarian cancer. Other common contributing factors to bloating include irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerance, hormonal changes, and lifestyle factors. The significant difference between "normal" bloating and "abnormal" bloating is how long each type of bloating lasts and how quickly the symptoms progress. If your bloating continues despite dietary changes, or if it increases in frequency, you should not ignore the symptoms. You should have them evaluated by a medical professional.
It is important for women to understand the signals sent by their bodies. If you frequently experience bloating, this issue needs to be investigated and not just accepted as normal. If you seek timely evaluation, doctors can determine the source of your problem early on, which greatly increases your chances of a good outcome from a serious diagnosis such as ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer symptoms can be vague and may develop as the disease progresses. Therefore, timely detection is a challenge. Some of the signs of ovarian cancer include:
Credit: AP
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been discharged from the ICU but will remain in the hospital for “some time” as he recovers from pneumonia, according to his spokesperson.
In a post on social media platform X, spokesperson Ted Goodman said Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized earlier this week in critical but stable condition.
Giuliani, who served as New York City's mayor from 1994 to 2001, was previously diagnosed with restrictive airway disease following the infamous 9/11 terrorist incident, where he “took down the mafia, saved New York City, and ran toward the towers on September 11th".
However, the incident left Giuliani with lasting health complications, Goodman said, adding that the former NYC Mayor "is recovering from pneumonia”.
“The virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition,” Goodman said.
Calling him the "same fighter he's always been, and he's winning this fight,” Goodman said that the "mayor and his family appreciate the outpouring of love and prayers sent his way”.
Notably, Giuliani is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. In 2025, Trump also announced awarding Giuliani with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung tissue, most often caused by infections. It can affect one or both lungs and can range from mild to life-threatening, especially in vulnerable populations like the elderly, young children, or those with underlying health conditions.
There are several types of pneumonia, classified based on their causes—bacterial, viral, and fungal—and each has distinct patterns of transmission and severity.
Pneumonia is not a single disease but a syndrome resulting from various infectious agents:
Bacterial Pneumonia: This is the most common type, often developing as a secondary infection after a cold or flu. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most frequent culprit.
Viral Pneumonia: Caused by viruses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), this type often starts in the upper respiratory tract and spreads to the lungs.
Fungal Pneumonia: This type is less common and usually affects individuals with weakened immune systems. It's typically contracted through environmental exposure, such as to soil or bird droppings.
Pneumonia can be insidious. It often begins with symptoms that mimic the flu: headache, fatigue, and fever. But as the infection progresses, signs become more serious:
Credit: NEJM
In a shocking case, a 68-year-old woman in the US who took antibiotics for inflammation developed an alarming skin reaction, leaving her skin black and blue.
The unusual case, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), noted that the woman developed dark patches on her skin very quickly, within two weeks of starting the drug — a course of minocycline, an oral antibiotic.
Two weeks before the onset of the skin changes, she had started taking 100 mg daily of oral minocycline to treat rosacea, which causes chronic inflammation and redness of the face.
Over the course of six weeks, dark patches appeared on the woman's arms and legs. It ranged from a bruise-like dark blue and purple to jet-black.
Her doctors also noticed blue-gray "hyperpigmentation" on the woman's forearms and shins, as well as on the sides of her tongue. The woman noted that the patches had first appeared on her legs before cropping up elsewhere.
Rosacea is a common skin condition that leads to the formation of small, red bumps and pus-filled pimples on the skin, and evidence suggests that antibiotics like minocycline can help eliminate those bumps.
Writing in the paper, Aarti Maharaj, from the University of Florida, shared that hyperpigmentation is a well-established side effect of minocycline, in which patches of skin become darker than the skin surrounding them.
While the condition typically develops after months of treatment, it may rarely occur with shorter courses, the expert said.
In this case, the woman was diagnosed with type II minocycline-induced hyperpigmentation, which is "defined by blue-gray discoloration of normal skin on the extensor surfaces of the arms and legs," according to Maharaj.
Doctors advised the patient to stop taking minocycline and to avoid sun exposure, as ultraviolet light is thought to worsen hyperpigmentation in these cases. Six months later, the hyperpigmentation in her limbs had "abated somewhat" but was still visible.
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According to Mayo Clinic, minocycline belongs to the class of medicines known as tetracycline antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth. However, this medicine will not work for colds, flu, or other virus infections.
It causes hyperpigmentation:
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According to a frequently cited study, the side effect shows up in about 28 per cent of people in this population, although that research included only a small number of patients. The true incidence of the side effect is unclear, Live Science reported.
Once a person stops taking minocycline, the pigmentation can take months to years to dissipate, reports suggest. In type III cases, it sometimes never goes away.
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