=Wrinkles= and looseness of the skin depend chiefly on the attenuation of the cutis or true skin and the reduction in the bulk of the underlying surfacial portions of the body. They cannot be regarded as a disease of the skin; but are the result of long continued bad health, anxiety and study, and of general emaciation and old age. Cleanliness, nutritious food, vigorous outdoor exercise, agreeable occupation of the mind, and an equable and happy temper, retard their formation. Whatever tends to promote the general health and to increase the bulk of the body, and particularly the disposition of fat in the cellular tissues, also tends to remove them and to increase the smoothness and beauty of the skin. The free and frequent use of warm water and soap, followed by the daily use of mild, stimulating, cosmetic lotions or fomentations, or friction with warm oil of a like character, and cod-liver oil internally, is all that art can do for the purpose.
=Excoriations=, in popular language, are those cases of soreness produced by chafing under the arms, behind the ears, and in the wrinkles and folds of the skin generally. They occur chiefly in infancy, and in stout persons with a delicate skin, who perspire excessively. Extreme cleanliness, and carefully wiping the parts dry after washing, with the subsequent use of a little violet powder, or finely powdered starch, or French chalk scraped or grated very fine, dusted over the parts once or twice a day, will generally remove them and prevent their recurrence.
We do not approve of face washes, but as some ladies will use them, we recommend the following as harmless: Dampen with glycerine tempered with rose-water, then powder with the finest magnesia. It imparts a charming whiteness.
Less harmless, but more frequently used, is to procure five cents' worth of bismuth, of flake white, and of powdered chalk; mix with five cents' worth of rose-water. Great care must be taken to wash off this preparation before retiring to rest, as the bismuth is of a hurtful nature.
=To Remove Freckles.=—Freckles are of two kinds: Those occasioned by exposure to the sunshine, and consequently evanescent, are denominated “summer freckles”; those which are constitutional and permanent are called “cold freckles.” With regard to the latter, it is impossible to give any advice which will be of value. They result from causes not to be affected by mere external applications. Summer freckles are not difficult to deal with, and with a little care the skin may be kept free from this cause of disfigurement by using either of the following lotions:—