There’s a new online skin health magazine called Optiderma.com (new since January this year). Josephine Toulemonde is the founder of this wonderful website full of information about natural remedies for all kinds of skin issues such as acne, athlete’s foot, burns, cellulite, cold sores, cuts, excema, frostbite, fungus, psoriasis, sunburn, and warts. Ms. Toulemonde believes that most skin disorders have a solution as long as the underlying cause is found. Because it takes time, patience, and knowledge, she decided to gather the most reliable sources to help other people with their skin problems and to implement an online portal where everyone could share healthy and natural skin tips. (And I know some of my readers probably have some tips they could share!)
She agreed to let me interview her to give you more information about her mission and purpose in creating this informative resource.
What inspired you to start Optiderma? How long has it taken for your ideas to materialize? Do you suffer from a particular skin condition yourself?
I started Optiderma because I noticed more and more people have skin problems and are looking for natural solutions. I suffer from psoriasis and couldn’t find what I was really looking for on the web. My interest in natural therapies made me want to develop an online skin health magazine to share my knowledge with other skin sufferers. It took me two years to create Optiderma as it is today. Optiderma.com has been officially online since January 2009. Thanks to my partner who is a web developer and my background in communication, this website is the result of many months of work gathering reliable information, designing the layout, and structuring the information so that it is easier for people to find what they are looking for.
The main idea is not to replace health care professionals but allowing a community of people, from the patient to the practitioner, to share their knowledge. This is why my focus is to interview practitioners such as naturopaths, herbalists, nutritionists and so on, to inform and educate people on how to heal their skin problems naturally.
I noticed that Optiderma offers many food recipes as well as skin care recipes. How does our diet affect our skin?
I believe there is an effect of particular diets on our skin. Some foods can promote healing or decrease of inflammation. Many people find out that their skin disease is due to a food intolerance or allergy. Every time you take things in your body that irritate your skin, it may promote inflammation. Personally, I need to stay away from dairy products because they promote inflammation in my body and it is hard because I am French and I love cheese! But what helps some individuals may actually aggravate the symptoms in others. So we all need to find our proper diet.
There is actually little scientific research on diet and the impact on skin conditions. But we know that diet is so important to strengthen our immune system. If you are tired, stressed, and do not eat properly, you are likely to see the symptoms of your skin disease getting worse.
Which skin condition is searched most often at Optiderma?
Sunburn is searched most often because of the time of the year. Natural remedies for psoriasis, acne, fungus, and cuts are also popular searches.
It seems like more people are suffering from skin sensitivities than ever before. What do you think is causing this, and how can Optiderma help?
I think more and more products are made from petrochemicals and are easily absorbed by your body causing rashes and allergies. This is why I advise people to check this skin care database, www.cosmeticsdatabase.com, before buying a product, or to make their own skincare products.
Optiderma offers a database of skin care recipes shared by the community. For the moment, there is just a few but this database is going to grow over time.
What is the difference between the information you can find at Optiderma compared to what you can find at WebMD?
Well, Optiderma contains less information than WebMD, but we are more specialized. We focus on skin and natural remedies and offer advice from a variety of people through articles, interviews, recipes, testimonials, books, etc.
What information are you currently seeking for Optiderma? What are your long-term goals for the site?
I always look for new skin care topics. If I had the time, I could write hundreds of articles every day! At the moment, I am working by myself and I can’t interview as many practioners as I would like to. I am starting to look for other web journalists.
My long term goal is to have at least several reliable articles, interviews, recipes, and testimonials for each skin condition. I am starting to have practitioners interested in writing articles as well, which is great. I want Optiderma to become a reliable skin health guide mainly in the US and Canada. A French version is also on its way…
More about Josephine Toulemonde: Originally from the north of France, she has been living in the Canadian Rockies since 2006. Previously project manager in a communication agency in Montreal, she has a master diploma in communication and information.
In 2007, she became a vitamin consultant for a health food store in Canmore in the Canadian Rockies, and decided to deepen her knowledge on natural therapies for skin conditions, especially for psoriasis. Today she is developing her own personal natural skin care recipes and has qualification in digestive care and nutritional product advising.
I highly recommend checking out Optiderma.com and the wealth of information you can find there for all your natural skin health needs! If you are a natural soap maker, you might considering advertising with Optiderma.com.
RSS Subscription Feed
Tags: natural skin care, optiderma | Category: Skin Care Resources | No Comments »
First, I want to wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July! Second, I want to let you know there is a site-wide sale in honor of Independence Day at Greatcakessoapworks.com for my Preferred Customers only! (There have to be some perks to being a Preferred Customer, right?) Fortunately, anyone can sign up to be a Preferred Customer. In fact, you can do it right now.
