Let your life glow

Dr Vikas Sharma

Whether you have a date with your significant other or a significant book, set aside an evening this week to shower love and attention on your skin and pamper yourself. Think of it as a date with yourself!

Glowing skin is always in. Glowing skin is a dream for all; it is the best make up one can wear. Dull uneven skin makes one look tired and also prematurely aged. 

Though the health of our skin and hair depends a lot on the interplay of genes and hormones but various lifestyle factors majorly influence in determining how long we can keep and maintain that youthful look.

Diagnosing the skin imperfections whether in colour, facial sagging, under eye skin, receding hair line, fine wrinkling at an early stage and then getting specific target remedies is of paramount importance.   

No self medication

Avoid over-the-counter available preparations claiming to enhance your beauty and steer clear of self medication.

For some people wrinkles, creases or discolorations are career-enders. Anything a person can do to make himself or herself feel better about their looks should be an individual choice.

Back to nature 

The medical science has discovered some agents which, when applied in proper dosage and concentration, can help in skin pigmentary disorders in those who have very early signs of skin blemishes and premature ageing to certain extent. The agents which have shown good results include: proanthocynadins, glutathione and provitamin B3, L ascorbic acid, plankton extract and alpha arbutin. In addition other natural ingredients providing an even skin tone are licorice, mulberry extract, grape seed extract and pine-bark extract. These nature derived substances when used under the supervision of a dermatologist can help halt the growing imperfections in skin tone and colour. These are all plant extracts which act at different levels of melanin or skin pigmentation synthesis pathway and act as free radical scavengers and anti-oxidants. In addition to these, role of natural extracts like proanthocyanidin-rich extract from grape seeds, ellagic acid-rich pomegranate extract and coumarin extracts from the plant Angelica dahurica have been recommended in providing an even tone to the tanned and sun damaged skin. Procyanidins (pycnogenol, grape seed extracts) and polypodium leucotomos have been found to effectively enhance visual appeal of the skin. Not only they give smoother shinier appearance to the skin, also they act as anti-ageing agents due to their anti-oxidant effects and hence long-term results can be achieved without any side effects.   

Under the laser gun

Acne can be more than a minor annoyance; in many cases it can become a devastating disease that leaves the sufferer with deep scars, red patches and ultra-sensitive skin. Microdermabrasion, laser therapy and other skin surgeries can remove some of these problems, leaving the skin smoother, more even in colour. If you have fine lines, coarse unwanted hair, depressed scars from acne then you may be an ideal candidate for laser skin resurfacing.

Skin Ultherapy is another skin care treatment that is approved by the FDA. It uses this technology to stimulate the collagen cells deep within the skin, essentially “waking them up” and making them firm up the skin.  A natural, regenerative response is initiated, stimulating the growth of new collagen, which lifts  the skin over time.  

(Dr Sharma is a Chandigarh- based dermatologist)