Health and Beauty

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but according to area massage therapists, nothing beats a good rubdown.

"In the last five or six years, massage therapy has boomed around here," said E.J. King, owner and massage therapy instructor at E.J.'s Day Spa.

John A. Logan College has seen the results of an increase in interest in massage therapy. The program has 20 spots open and has to turn people away every year. Bill Connell, massage therapy instructor at the college, said the practice has grown in popularity in recent years with people seeing that it's not just a luxury, but a way of being health-conscious too.

"More and more people get massage as part of a healthy lifestyle," Connell said. "It's a wonderful way to get relief from stress and pain."

Connell said the health aspect has been seen by those in the medical field as well. He said more and more doctors are working with and referring people to massage therapists. King said therapists also are developing closer relationships with chiropractors.

"When you work the muscles out, chiropractors are going to do a lot more," King said.

But becoming a massage therapist takes more than a willingness to touch a naked back. Illinois requires massage therapists to be licensed.

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By now your skin is probably parched, cracking in spots around your fingertips and knuckles and may even be itchy.

The diagnosis is dry skin, and winter is the culprit.

It's caused by cold dry air, friction from heavy clothing and indoor heating. According to Consumer Reports On Health, here are ways to keep your skin moist over the next few months:

• 1. Add humidity by placing a water-filled bowl near a heating vent or radiator, or use a humidifier.
• 2. Shorten your hot showers and baths and keep the bathroom door closed to lock in steam. The hot water washes away your body's natural oils, so try to limit the washes to 10 minutes.
• 3. Don't lick those lips. Lips chap easily because they lack sweat and oil glands. Licking them causes evaporation, which makes chapping worse. Use petroleum jelly or lip balm or lipstick.
• 4. Look for moisturizers with glycerin, fatty acids, ceramide or cholesterol. Put it on after bathing while your skin is damp. Reapply throughout the day.
• 5. Wear soft clothing. Avoid wool and other rough fabrics. Cotton or silk is best. Switch to an unscented fabric softener to avoid drying perfumes and chemicals. One of the worst culprits is an electric blanket -- it can suck moisture from your skin while you sleep.

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Gloss was nice, for a time, but a little grown-up color is welcome.

Ladies are once again loving their lipstick.

The shiny luster of lip gloss had tempted them away for a few years, but a creamier texture, long-lasting color and more refined fashions are behind a renewed interest in lipstick. It doesn't hurt that celebrities have taken to red lips on the red carpet and that beauty insiders are touting the old standby as the next big thing.

"I think everyone got tired of that really sticky stuff," says Allure editor in chief Linda Wells. "Some people realized it was a little too teenybopper, your hair gets caught and lip gloss disappears after a few fleeting moments."

Lipstick, however, will last through lunch.

But lipstick could be imposing, says Wells. "In the old days, you could see it coming a mile away," she says. "Now lipstick is sheer. You hear words like 'almost lipstick,' 'mattene' and 'satin.' "

Manufacturers revamped their lipstick recipes to mimic what consumers liked best about lip gloss – including moisture, a fresh scent and even a more palatable taste – while amplifying the pros of lipstick.

"We were absolutely motivated that lip gloss usage surpassed lipstick sales worldwide," says Anne Carullo, senior vice president of corporate product innovations at Estee Lauder, which reintroduced its signature lipstick this year.

The lipstick category started this year stronger than the gloss category in terms of sales, reversing what had been the trend for the past few years, according to NPD Group Inc., a market research firm. However, summertime gloss sales outpaced lipstick. There's room, though, for lipstick to make up ground in the fourth quarter, especially with full color lips dominating holiday-season magazine pages and the spring fashion runways.

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