By IPRWire Staff Writer

Stretch mark removal creams are only as effective as the ingredients they contain combined with the delivery methods they utilize to carry the actives deep into the skin.

By law, most products (including stretch mark removal creams) must list their ingredients in order from the most ingredient being first to the least ingredient being last. Most creams on the market contain water as the first ingredient. Some also have a lot of additives and fillers listed before the actual key or effective ‘active’ ingredients. The further down the list the key ingredients are listed, the less of each of these ingredients the cream actually contains.

So basically, if a cream is going to help get rid of stretch marks, it must contain high amounts of the essential key ingredients that are crucial for skin repair. Some key vital ingredients in a stretch mark cream include collagen and elastin, but the ingredients alone won’t help much. They must be delivered ‘deeply’ into the skin where they can go to work.

A good treatment for stretch marks must also have an effective delivery system such as emu oil or liposomes (or both if possible). These ‘carrier’ ingredients help to deliver the key ingredients down to the damaged area where they can help get rid of stretch marks.

We have three layers of skin: the epidermis (or outer layer), the dermis (or middle layer) and the subcutaneous stratum (or deepest layer). Stretch marks are also known as stria atrophica and striae distensae. They occur in the dermis which is the elastic, resilient middle layer. This middle layer allows the skin to retain its shape.

When the dermis is constantly stretched, the skin becomes less elastic and the connective fibers break down leaving behind tiny tears in the skin known as stretch marks.

There are various treatments for stretch marks including laser surgery, creams and in some cases tummy tucks. Although there is no one treatment that is 100% effective in completely getting rid of stretch marks for every person, technological advances have brought about success for many seeking to rid their body of the marks.

75 to 90 percent of all pregnant women develop stretch marks during pregnancy, but they aren’t the only ones susceptible. Young adults who experience growth spurts and bodybuilders who practice strenuous and repetitive exercise are likely to get stretch marks.

One thing is certain. Knowing where to turn to for help with stretch marks is not easy. Who do you turn to? How do you know which cream to try or which company to trust?

Here are some simple guidelines to go by when looking for a stretch mark cream online.

* Does the product have good ingredients? Also, does the product contain ‘high’ amounts of these ingredients? (some creams only have enough of an ingredient to ‘legally’ be able to say that their cream contains the ingredient)

* Does the product have a good ‘delivery’ system such as emu oil, liposomes or some other type of ‘carrier’?

* Does the company have a professional website with access to their contact information such as their address and phone number? (be leery of websites that do not provide their contact information)

* Does the company have user testimonials about the cream?

* Most importantly, what kind of guarantee does the company offer for the cream? (be leery of companies that offer you the ‘moon’ – – – especially if they do not have a ‘strong’ money back guarantee)

About the Author: spasentiments.com was originally founded in 1998 as Bodies By Design. The company’s focus is on stretch mark removal creams and treatments made from fresh, pure, and helpful ingredients.

Source: isnare.com

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By Richard D S Hill

If you live in the UK, you may have heard or seen (outdoor, radio, press, online) adverts recently from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), aimed at raising awareness of the fact that its remit is being extended to cover marketing on websites from 1 March 2011.

From then, marketing communications on companies own websites and in other third party space under their control, such as Facebook and Twitter, will have to adhere to the non-broadcast advertising rules as set out in the CAP Codes.

Exactly how effective this will be, given the global nature of the web, is debatable but no genuine organisation would wish to be anything other than legal, decent, honest and truthful.

Trust and safety are not, of course, new elements when it comes to websites. Twitter had to introduce detection and prevention filters for spam and phishing and Facebook has much about safety on its site though not everyone feels it is doing enough. Trust questions for a site when it comes to ecommerce are as old as the web.

If you or anyone you know is concerned about protecting childrens online safety then The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) works across the UK tackling child sex abuse and providing advice for parents, young people and children about internet safety and online safety.

So, when it comes to your website how does it measure up?

Way back in 1999, Stanford University compiled a list of guidelines for building the credibility of a website. Although the information is not new, it is still very important if you want to be successful with your online business. Some of the points they made are:

Look and Design

People really do judge a book by its cover. Many people use visual cues when assessing a sites credibility. Your site layout, typography, images, consistency and style all affect how users perceive your website business.

Ease of Use

Sites that are easy to navigate are seen as being more trustworthy. So consistent navigation is essential and things like missing pages, pages that don’t display correctly, broken links or ineffective search are not helpful. Check regularly for errors.

Ease of Contact

If I cant easily find (on every page?):

who you are

how to contact you (address, phone number and email)

what your terms are, how you treat privacy

what your prices are (have you never had to click on buy to find a

price? terrible practice)

and more such as the basic legal requirements in the UK (set out in The Electronic Commerce Regulations (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 and The Companies Act 2006 and the Business Names Act 1985) which include all the above plus and more, including:

registered office

company and VAT numbers

supervisory authorities

then why would I trust you or do business with you?

What else?

So, thats all very well, but its a bit legalistic isnt it? Hmm, well yes, but wouldnt you be the first to complain about a cowboy builder or similar?

The web is no different and its perhaps even more important when you dont actually meet people to show that you can be trusted.

Some other things to think about are:

Make it easy to verify information on your site by providing third-party support – link to the evidence and even if people don’t follow the links, you’ve shown you are upright.

Show photos of your offices and staff with employee biographies that include work background family and hobbies plus video testimonials as well as written ones from customers.

If you must have ads, clearly distinguish the sponsored content from your own. Avoid pop-up ads.

If you have an ecommerce site make sure you offer a secure connection for transactions. Thats HTTPS rather than HTTP and you will see a lock icon picture in the address bar.

Get verified with an Internet trust organization a third party company that:

o Provides an independent way to register and resolve complaints

o Verifies that a website has a privacy statement

o Verifies that the website gives you a choice of how they use your information

Make sure that you have a good Privacy Policy and Privacy Statement.

OK so all the above really are statements of the bleedin obvious, but, how many websites do you know that dont comply?

Oh and if you dont then the ASA has sanctions it can apply. These include:

Removal of paid-for search advertising ads that link to the page hosting the non-compliant marketing communication may be removed with the agreement of the search engines.

ASA paid-for search advertisements – the ASA could place advertisements online highlighting an advertisers continued non-compliance.

or going even further:

They can ask CAP member bodies to intervene when one of their members is not playing by the rules. Usually an informal intervention is enough to secure future compliance but if thats not successful the relevant CAP member body could threaten the withdrawal of membership privileges or recognition.

The ASA is recognised by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) as the established means for regulating misleading and comparative ads in the UK. If, having failed to secure an advertisers agreement to co-operate with the self-regulatory system, it can ask the OFT to consider taking action under the Consumer Protection Regulations (CPRs) or the Business Protection Regulations (BPRs). The OFT can seek undertakings from a company that it will change its ads; it can also seek injunctions from the Courts to prevent companies from making misleading claims in their ads.

About the Author: Richard Hill is a director of

E-CRM Solutions – a web design and internet marketing agency

and has spent many years in senior direct and interactive marketing roles.

E-CRM

helps you to grow by getting you more customers that stay with you longer.

Source:

isnare.com

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byAlma Abell

The home builders in Florida Keys FL are always watching for the latest home trends. It seems there is an interest in people opting to live a greener lifestyle. When building new homes, energy efficiency as well as using sustainable materials and products that are environmentally friendly such as low VOC products is becoming a must. However there are also many families trying to reduce their carbon footprint. This means there is more interest in smaller homes.

Ideas for Smaller Homes

In order to come up with comfortable designs for the smaller home there are many traditional spaces being removed from the layout. Additional spaces such as formal dining rooms might be replaced with eat-in kitchens or vice versa. Additional living space such as a rec room or family room is giving way to a single formal living room. The luxurious bathroom is becoming smaller with a focus on eco-friendly fixtures and low flow shower heads. The idea is to downsize wasted space and condense the home to provide the space required to be comfortable without the extravagance of too much space.

Better Value

One of the benefits of downsizing the house you design with home builders in Florida Keys FL is that it will allow you to build a home with better value. You will not only be enjoying the benefits of living a more eco-conscious life, but also lessen the financial burdens associated with building and maintaining a larger home. Your costs will be reduced both during the building process as well as your energy bills when you move in. Even your costs to furnish the home will be greatly reduced.

Cosier Family Living

In order to take advantage of every inch of space in a smaller home there has to be a more creative approach to the design. Consideration in the modern, downsized home offers interesting features that allow for multiple functions. Many families are looking at options such as “drop zones” where you can have a dedicated space for mail drop off, electrical outlets for recharging phones and a space to drop off school bags. Eat in kitchens are designed for entertaining to reduce the need for formal dining rooms. Smaller bathrooms still allow for luxuries without the need for massive showers or water wasting deep soaker tubs. Function becomes important to design to allow for everything to work for the eco-conscious family.

Island Marine Contractors & Thaler Construction, Inc. are the home builders Florida Keys FL families can trust for quality homes.

By John B Mayall

There are telescopes of several brands that are freely available in the market. However, even for one who wants to construct his telescope at home, there are several viable options.

One way to go about constructing a telescope is to buy each individual component and then assemble the whole structure. The required elements are mirrors, concave and convex lenses, the housing structure, brackets, and some other components. These can all be bought at local shops or in online stores. A comprehensive list of required elements can be downloaded from websites that serve as guides for amateurs looking to build their own telescopes. Books dedicated to this subject are available.

An enthusiast may also want to construct each element by hand at home, though that is an extremely time-consuming process and not the usual home method. It is a cumbersome process to create the housing compartment and arranging each element inside it. If one wants to follow this method, then one must be prepared to face several hurdles in the construction process.

Another method is to make use of telescope kits, which are available in the markets. These kits contain all the required elements and include instruction manuals to guide amateurs working at home. Using kit elements and assembling the instrument is considered a better method than constructing a telescope from individual elements bought separately. Telescope kits are cheaper and far less time-consuming than other methods of telescope construction. They save time spent on searching for each required component. Step-by-step instructions make it possible to work faster, making fewer mistakes along the way. These kits are intended for amateurs, and first-timers not yet experienced in making telescopes. A professional astronomer or one who aims to become a professional may however choose to work from scratch.

The point of consideration now is whether homemade telescopes are better than readymade instruments available otherwise. The simple answer to such a question is that both are almost the same with respect to quality. A homemade instrument displays the same characteristics as a readymade one of the same specification. A telescope made at home will have the same magnification factor, and is simpler to use in comparison to one bought in a shop. In fact, it is not complex at all and is similar to the ones built by early astronomers like Galileo.

The construction of telescopes at home, in truth, is often a joy, and a hobby that many enjoy. Several people consider it akin to an art, and have dedicated themselves to creating perfect instruments at home. Several sites online are a medium for proud astronomers to display their homemade telescopes. There are also web pages in existence that are dedicated guides for amateurs who want to create their own telescopes. Such pages give comprehensive lists of the elements required for its construction as well.

As with any other task, exhaustive research is required before setting out to make a telescope. It is imperative that the builder understands how each element performs individually and how it affects the whole. It also advisable to have storage space for the material required in construction of a telescope. However, despite all the effort that goes into construction of a homemade instrument, the results are reward enough.

About the Author: Discover more on

celestron telescope reviews

and detailed information on

celestron nexstar telescope

when you visit

howdotelescopeswork.com

, the online resources for telescope making and usage.

Source:

isnare.com

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By Dave Text

The immune system is probably one of the most important systems of the human body. It is what keeps us from getting sick. Sometimes we compromise our immune system through the daily battering that our bodies get from the activities we subject it to. When we think of taking care of our immune system or even improving it, oftentimes, the thought comes too late. A disease awaiting cure, when it could have been prevented from happening by keeping our immune system in tip-top shape already hits us.

The best way to keep our immune system at optimum is to eat healthy and have a regular exercise. What we take in as food greatly affects how our immune system reacts as our bodys defense structure; therefore, we have to take extra care in the amount and kind of food that we eat. We can classify the food we eat as bad and good, though being classified as bad does not necessarily mean that we should not eat it.

First in line for the bad food category is sugar. Too much sugar intake decreases the ability of white blood cells to fight bacteria, leading to a weaker resistance to infection. Another bad food is coffee. Coffee is a diuretic, which makes the body lose important nutrients in the process. In third place is alcohol, which has detrimental effects on all systems in the human body. If you wish to take alcohol, do so in moderate amounts. Landing in fourth place are the raw foods that contain bacteria and intestinal parasites. You are trying to protect your immune system here so why introduce their enemies freely? Fifth are the rancid fats and oils that create free radicals that initiate reactions of chemical disturbance that lead to cell damage.

Now, we come to the good food. Eating these so-called good foods should top your list when trying to keep your immune system healthy. First in the list are whole grains, which are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Next are vegetables which contain an abundance of vitamins, minerals and photochemical. Vegetables and fruits also improve digestion. Another good food is protein, which maintains the quick production and repair of cells that support the immune system. Needless to say, water is also part of this list as it is the best cleansing agent for the body. You can also supplement these good foods with manufactured vitamins, minerals, etc. to ensure a stronger immune system.

Pitting the good food against the bad, you can see how advantageous it is to eat healthy in order for you to keep yourself away from sickness, no matter how harmless the sickness may seem to be. Prevention is always better than cure and this applies even to keeping your immune system healthy. The rewards are great when you practice this idea because in the end, it will save you from a lot of worries, medical costs, even death.

About the Author: For more information on

Immune System Foods

please visit our website.

Source:

isnare.com

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