Harsh cleansers and exfoliants damage the skin rather than help them. Choose a gentle daily cleanser for your face and avoid using exfoliating products with rough edges, such as crushed apricot shells. Apply a noncomedogenic moisturizer to your face each day. Avoid picking or squeezing pimples or pores, which can lead to spider veins. Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher each day to protect your skin from sun damage. Avoid going out in the sun during peak hours, and wear long-sleeved clothing and a wide-brimmed hat if you must. Wear a hat and scarf to protect your skin from extreme temperatures and wind burn in the colder months, as well. A poorly-functioning liver can lead to spider veins. Reduce your alcohol consumption and try taking supplements to support liver health. Such supplements include milk thistle, holy basil, dandelion root, and bupleurum. Consult your doctor before beginning any supplement regimen. This is especially important if you have an autoimmune disorder. Foods to avoid include processed foods (like lunch meat and hot dogs), fast food, sugar, wheat and gluten. If you are on steroids or hormone replacements, an unfortunate side effect may be spider veins. Talk to your doctor about alternative medications you could take. It’s important that you don’t stop taking a prescribed medication, like steroids, before discussing the decision with your doctor.

Summary: Use gentle cleansers on your face. Protect your skin from environmental damage. Support your liver. Avoid foods linked to inflammation. Discuss your medication options with your doctor.


The first note in a scale is the C note. The order of the scale is C, D, E, F, G, A, and B, with the same pattern repeating after B. You can find the C key on a keyboard by looking for any pair of black keys that are surrounded on both sides by two white keys instead of one. C is always the key immediately to the left of the black key on the left side of that pair.  Note the pattern of white keys: three white keys enclosing two black keys, and four white keys enclosing three black keys. C is the white key on the left of the two enclosed black keys. This pattern is consistent on all keyboards. Every note on the keyboard is represented in this single 12-note octave, which is the term for an interval of notes that appear in the same order. Different octaves are higher or lower in pitch depending on where they are positioned in reference to the middle octave. Each black key has two possible notes based on the context of the music that you’re playing. For example, C sharp (C♯) and D flat (D♭) are the same key on the piano, but the note changes whether you’re moving up or down on the keyboard, or whether or not you’re pressing a pedal. This is because the sound created by the black keys is imperfect, and doesn’t correspond perfectly with the natural scale. The black keys usually play a supporting role in most compositions, so it will help to remember their order by starting directly above the white C note in the middle, which is C♯ or D♭.  The symbol ♯ is read as “sharp,” and the symbol ♭ is read as “flat.” The white keys are called “natural” tones, and are the main keys used in most songs. The black keys are known as “accidentals,” and contain sharp and flat sounds in tones in between the natural keys. Going from left to right, every group of notes between a C and B is called an octave. A standard 88-key piano has 12.5 octaves. A note determines the tone of a key, while the octave determines the pitch. The notes on the left are lower in pitch, while the notes on your right will be higher. You almost always start playing a song from middle C, which is a term for the octave in the dead center of your piano. A grand or upright piano has 88 keys, but there are electronic and modified keyboards with 44 or 49 keys. The more keys that a keyboard has, the more octaves the keyboard is capable of playing.

Summary: Learn the order of the white keys by finding C. Get familiar with the black keys by finding C♯/D♭. Familiarize yourself with the octaves on your keyboard.


Fill the bottom of your tub up enough to cover your ferret’s body while leaving its head above the water. The temperature should be just slightly warmer than lukewarm. Scrub your ferret with a ferret-safe shampoo purchased from your local pet store or vet.  Never use a human shampoo or conditioner on your ferret, as these can be toxic to them. Bathing your ferret too frequently can actually remove natural oils from their skin and make their odor stronger. Unless your ferret is excessively dirty, bathing it once a month is usually sufficient and healthy. Pour a small amount of ear cleaning solution into a bowl. Dip the end of a single cotton swab into the liquid. Then, hold your ferret firmly and rub the swab along its outer ear. Move the swab deeper into the ear canal, slightly rotating it as you clean.  Ear cleaning solution is available for purchase at most pet stores. Swirling the swab around keeps you from pushing any wax deeper into the ear canal. As each swab gets dirty, replace it with a fresh one. Part of the end of the swab should always stay visible, even while you are cleaning your ferret’s inner ear. Otherwise, you risk going too deep and damaging the ear. Purchase a soft toothbrush and toothpaste designed for cats or kittens. Hold your ferret carefully in your lap and use a single hand to pull up the gums on a single side of your ferret’s mouth. Apply a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on to the brush. Place the brush against your ferret’s gums and rotate in small circles.  Your ferret may not like getting its teeth brushed at first. Try to start off slow by only doing a few teeth at a time. If you are worried about getting bitten by your ferret, talk to your vet about bringing it in for professional teeth cleanings. Once your ferret reaches its maturity, then its hormones will go into overdrive. This can result in an uptick in the odor of both males and females. Spaying or neutering can reduce your ferret’s potential marking and make them healthier overall.  Female ferrets who are not spayed can actually develop anemia over time from repeated heat cycles. Neutering a male ferret can lead to an increased risk of adrenal gland disease. Discuss the pros and cons of neutering with a veterinarian.
Summary: Bathe your ferret once a month at most. Clean your ferret’s ears on a weekly basis. Brush your ferret’s teeth once a week. Spay or neuter your ferret at 4 months of age.