Scar Removal: Eliminate Hyperpigmentation and Skin Discoloration

Scar removal does not have to consist of painful and expensive laser therapy. However, it is going to take more than just scar creams and onion extract or vitamin E. The good news is that scar removal can take place in the comforts of your own home regardless of what your dermatologist may have told you. Your dermatologist will recommend medicated creams or refer you to a laser therapy treatment because that is how they make money. Truthfully, eliminating scars does not have to be painful, and it does not have to cost you an arm and a leg. Scars are not permanent,  and unlike the popular myths, you do not need invasive surgery or medicated creams.

You may have acne scars, hyperpigmentation, or scars for some other reason, but if you wear more clothing than you are comfortable in because of this nuisance, then it is time you are alleviated of your burden. Right? The scars you have might not even be your own fault and acne scars are a perfect example of this. I mean, if you are a man, you may be able to live with them, but scars can be very detrimental to a woman’s self-esteem and lead to unhealthy levels of insecurity. This is why I wanted to share this information, but if you have a high pain tolerance and the money to spare, laser scar removal treatments are certainly very effective.

Scar removal can be accomplished several different ways where the discoloration is eliminated and the smooth, natural texture of the healthy skin returns. Hyperpigmentation is often the result of older scars, and this can be treated just as effectively as the redness and discoloration of skin caused by recent damage.

For those of you would prefer to remove scars naturally, there are ways to do it that are dermatologist approved and clinically proven to work. They even work for skin damage that you may have thought to be irreparable. Here is a list of scars that can be remedied naturally:

• Acne


• Keloid


• Burns


• Cuts


• Stretch marks


• Hypopigmentation (lighter discoloration)


• Hyperpigmentation (darker discoloration)


• Sunken/recessed


• Hypertrophic/raised

Hopefully this information was of some help to you. If you need more details, perhaps you would like to read the report on how to heal your skin damage at home? Click here for the medical research on scar removal and see whether your skin damage is reversible. If you happen to find that it helps, or if you find better information elsewhere, it would be much appreciated by many if you would share you experience or knowledge here in the comments. Thank you

What you need and what you don’t

It’s tempting to think when starting out that you need a whole array of belts, straps, gloves, and suits to begin strength training, especially if you see a lot of folks in the gym all decked out like medieval cyborgs. Well, the truth is that you don’t. Here’s what you need and what you can do without.

whatcha need

access to heavy stuff

Most of us don’t have a complete home gym sitting in our nests. If you are thinking of putting together a home gym, check out my suggestions on what to buy. If you don’t want to buy stuff for home, the first thing to do is find a gym. When looking for a gym, here are some things you should think about. Is it reasonable? Don’t pay for crap like a juice bar or the upscale clientele. Often you can find cheap rates at your local Y or university/college gym. Is it convenient? Someone did a study showing that the ideal maximum distance a gym should be from your home, school, or work should be 12.5 minutes. I think that’s a little harsh but you get the general idea. If your gym is too inaccessible, you probably won’t go.

What kind of equipment does it have? You’re looking for a gym that has free weights and plenty of them. Look for squat cages, dumbbells, and bench press racks. If all you see are machines, this probably isn’t a gym for serious weight training.

Can you get a trainer? Often gyms include a free first session with a personal trainer, something a beginner should take advantage of, since they can show you how to properly use the equipment. However, be warned: this first free session is also often an opportunity for gym sales staff to bombard you with an aggressive marketing pitch.

Do they take you seriously? If a gym staff greets your request for weights with sneers of derision or worried clearly-she’s-crazy pity, you might find that they’re the ones who also have a trainer that tells you to stay off the heavy stuff. Don’t be scared off by gyms with virile or famous names like Gold’s or Pitbull. Often these places are very welcoming to serious women lifters and have plenty of goodies in terms of their equipment.

good form

Learning good form is very important. I have illustrated some common exercises on my Dork to Diva page. Also check out Biofitness’ demos, and Exrx. Or, go to your local library and check out some books on weightlifting. Look at how to do the exercises properly and safely. This will save you injuries and problems in future.

comfortable clothing

If you’re in the gym to pick up, by all means be generous with the classy workout togs. But if you don’t care about having the latest in butt floss (which is a bad idea while squatting anyway), then just wear something comfortable. You don’t need to look mahvelous to get a good workout. The beauty of the gym often lies in the fact that everyone is so concerned about how THEY look that they can’t be bothered to notice how YOU look. So you don’t need to invest in a new ensemble just to pump the iron.

proper nutrition

See the “Eating” section of this site.

a notebook

As a beginner, one of the hardest things to learn is how to focus and develop a program. Getting things in writing helps immensely. You can plan out your workouts, record your progress, and generally keep informed about how and what you’re doing. At first it might feel a bit geeky to carry around a notebook but once you see how much it helps you stick to a program and chart your development, you’ll come to appreciate it. It also helps you remember what weights you did, how many sets, and how many reps. You’ll know when it’s time to move the weights up without having to work from memory every time. As a beginner it’s easy to feel overwhelmed; this puts you in control.

If you’d like something to get you started, site reader Jennifer has made a workout log template (pdf) that you can print off and take with you to the gym.

water

Despite the claims of ads for Gatorade etc., water is really the best liquid for rehydration (unless you’re running a marathon or something, where you sweat so much that sodium retention becomes an issue). Carry around a bottle of it when you’re in the gym and drink regularly. Thirst appears only after you’ve been dehydrated for a while, so it is not a reliable indicator of your body’s need for water. If you’re doing this whole working out thing right, you’ll be sweating like it’s high noon in Death Valley so drink up. Also, having a water bottle will save you the trip to the water fountain during which some gym moron can rip off your weights.

a grasp of basic gym etiquette

One thing that won’t get you far in the gym is an attitude. Be a decent human being in the gym and clean up after yourself. Re-rack your weights, don’t hog machines, wipe off your sweat, and for heaven’s sake, try not to block anyone’s mirror!

whatcha don’t need

a belt

You see a lot of guys hanging out at the gym wearing those big leather or Velcro-nylon belts. They wear ‘em everywhere—to the water fountain, on the StairMaster, doing bicep curls. You’d think their spines would just collapse like so much gelatinous goo if they ever took those things off. Now, a belt does have its uses. During heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses, the belt can help stabilize your torso through increasing intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). Worn loosely, it can provide proprioceptive cues to keeping your spine in proper position. But as a beginner, you don’t need this.

gloves

Gloves are a pretty personal thing and if you want to wear them that’s fine. The danger in gloves is that the assistance they lend to your grip impedes your grip strength development. If you’re worried about calluses, pick up a foot file. Every day in the shower, file down your calluses. After the shower, apply some heavy duty hand cream. You’ll have some skin thickness there which will protect your hands, but it won’t feel rough.

straps

Along the same lines as gloves, straps wrap around your wrist and then around the bar. Once again this is aiding your grip potential, which does not force you to develop much grip strength. However, straps are fine to use as your grip develops. You just work till your grip fails, then use the straps to keep on going. A helpful tool, but not a necessity for a beginner.

supplements

You hear about all these marvelous things that will not only make you skinny and beautiful but will also make you pack on muscle like the Incredible Hulk on ‘roids. Most of them are crap, variously packaged forms of speed, novocaine for your stomach, or other things that have very unpleasant and potentially dangerous side effects. As a beginner you should rely on nutrition and exercise alone to build muscle mass and burn fat. I would recommend only a daily protein shake, which gives you a convenient, portable, high-quality source of protein that you might not be able to get in your diet, and a daily multivitamin.

snazzy and chic gym stuff

As I said, no-one cares what you look like since they’re all fighting to keep from getting crushed by heavy objects or climbing infinite virtual hills. Besides, you’re just going to sweat all over it and probably smear some occasional grease or plate crud on it too.

a personal trainer

While I recommended taking advantage of a free personal training session, a PT is not required to help you learn if you take charge of your own education. If you choose to lay out the cash for one, great. But find one that will take you seriously and show you how to do the exercises right. I have already heard enough horror stories about personal trainers to last me a lifetime. If possible, find yourself a trainer with experience in powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting.

a gym full of the latest and weirdest isolation machines

Considering you can get a great workout with just two dumbbells, you don’t really need that machine which does your inner thighs. Performing basic compound exercises with free weights will give you a full-body workout. See “Don’t Fear the Free Weights!” for more on this.

Beginners: also check out ExRx.net and the amazingly informative beginners’ section as well as the other wonderful resources.

The Weight Training Guide is another resource aimed at beginners.

The Less Thinking, More Doing Program, The Sequel: Slightly More Thinking, Slightly More Doing

The Less Thinking, More Doing Starter Program was unveiled to wild enthusiasm from Stumpfans. Now Geoff Girvitz is back with more asskicking glory. It’s LTMD: The Sequel: Slightly More Thinking, Slightly More Doing.

This is a simple program. It’s easy to understand and easy to follow – just a bit less so than the original one, which you’ll find here.

---

The purpose of the original LTMD Program was to provide an antidote for those of you paralyzed by too much information. The purpose of Phase II is to help you keep you moving forward while you continue to learn. As long as you’re familiar with the exercises, it’s something you can print out a copy of and bring to the gym with you right now.

Working out can be quite simple. You need only follow these three steps:

1. Show up: consistency is more important than anything else


2. Work hard: don’t half-ass things


3. Don’t do anything stupid: skip anything wildly inefficient and always weigh risk with reward

While optimizing the efficiency of your workouts is an inevitable goal, it represents perhaps the last 10-20% of your journey. You can choose a program that isn’t great and still walk away with an A in results. Just follow the three steps above.

Let’s divide up duties: your job is to show up and work hard. My job is to give you a program that minimizes injury risks and makes good use of your time. Good? Good. Let’s get to work.

Part 1: Soft tissue

Grab a foam roller. If you don’t have a foam roller, use a medicine ball, aluminum bottle, a rolling pin, or anything else that will let you regulate pressure. Roll it along your body (or your body along it). Hit the following:

• The sides of your legs (between knee and thigh)


• Your quads and hip flexors (knee to hip)


• The inside of your thighs (by the knees and by the groin)


• Your bum


• Your upper back


• Your lats


• Whatever else feels tender

Give each area 8-12 passes. Each spot should take no more than a minute. If there’s a problem area, frequency is the key, not duration. If something’s bugging you, hit it again in an hour.

Part 2: Stretching

Pick the two tightest parts of your body and stretch them. The odds are strongly against these being any part of your back. However they are likely to be the:

• Front of your shoulder and pecs


• Hamstrings


• Hip flexors


• Glutes

Don’t force anything and only look at range of motion through the joint you’re stretching. Rounding your back out until you look like a hedgehog will not give you more flexible hamstrings; it will give you a bad back.

Some people consider it heretical to perform any static stretching before a workout. Ask them for links to the relevant journal articles. If they can actually name some, read them and draw your own conclusions.

Part 3: Warm-up

Spend 5-10 minutes practicing light versions of the movements you’re going to use during the strength training portion of your program. Those movements might be:

• Glute bridges


• X-band walks


• Reaching to the sky


• Bodyweight split squats


• Scapular push-ups


• Regular or knee push-ups


• Running forward


• Running backward


• Skipping sideways


• Crawling around like a ninja

Remember that the objective is not to fatigue yourself, but to prepare your body for the more intense exercise to come.

Part 4: Loading

It should feel as if you can perform one or two more reps in each set (maintaining good technique throughout) than the number prescribed. If you’re not finishing the set, you obviously selected too heavy a weight. However, if you’re finishing the set, you may be overestimating how difficult things felt. For that reason you will periodically choose one (and only one) exercise and go to failure.

Failure means not being able to perform another rep. Not for a $100,000 cash prize. Not to scare away an axe wielding maniac. That’s how you’ll know.

Naturally, you will want to take whatever precautions necessary to ensure that you don’t get hurt if you’re unable to move the weight from Point A to Point B (refer to Step 3).

Part 5: The exercises

Letters denote a series. For example, on Day 1 you will perform the A exercises in the order above. You will rest 60 seconds after each circuit. You will repeat this three times before going through the B exercises – again resting for 60 seconds between your first and second sequence. Within the circuit (i.e. from exercise A1 to A2), rest as little as possible. If you’re going to upchuck, of course take a moment. But push yourself — within reason — to take care of business without too much lollygagging.

Part 6: Intervals

After you finish your strength training, you’ll seal the deal with some conditioning. Intervals may not be easy but they are simple, quick and highly effective. If done properly, they will also be the most difficult 15-20 minutes of your life – every time you do them.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Choose an exercise that you can perform safely at a relatively high intensity.

I recommend a stationary bike. Swimming is ideal for many reasons but pool access is rarely convenient enough. A step mill will be fine and dandy. An elliptical machine will not be. I don’t recommend running unless you’ve already been coached or hail from Kenya. Few of us are sufficiently good natural runners. If you’re really de-conditioned, something as simple as walking fast and/or uphill may be fine.

• Experiment with whatever level of intensity you can safely handle.

Seek good medical advice (not to be confused with listening to any old MD) if you have any cause to be concerned. In a healthy person, 90% of maximal heart rate is considered to be a good goal. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, then you will have to go by your own sense of difficulty. Take it easy on your first few days. Move into things progressively. Be careful.

• Once you have figured out your own parameters for safe exercise, push them for one minute.

One single minute and no more. You will do this four or five times.

• In between your high intensity minutes, drop your pace as much as you need to in order to recover for your next round.

Beginners may find they need several minutes to recover. Others may find less than one minute to be adequate. Remember that the effectiveness of this style of training has very little to do with how hard you go during your breaks. Don’t get suckered into thinking that more time at a lower intensity will be more effective. It won’t.

Part 7: Post work-out

Take a few minutes to cool down. You can and should repeat the stretches and soft tissue work from the beginning of this program.

Part 8: The big picture

You will get far more out of this program with proper nutrition. Refer to Stumptuous, Kyle Byron or Precision Nutrition for more information on what (and when) to eat.

This program will serve most people well for four weeks or so. I would recommend using it 2-3 times per week. You’ll simply alternate between Day 1 and Day 2, regardless of your training frequency.

Every time you revisit a day you will try to do better than the last. Before you try to up your weight, try to improve your technique. You may have noticed that doing things right is usually more difficult than doing them poorly; the same goes for lifting weights.

---

Geoff Girvitz runs Bang Fitness in Toronto. He puts HGH in his smoothies and once punched Flex Wheeler in the soleus.