Why: To rejuvenate the skin, it is essential to know what kind of skin you have and what kind of products best suit you. Every woman has unique skin and as the days of standard measurements of oil, dry and combination are things of the past, this latest technology helps you discover skin truths.
WhatThe pond's skin analyser employs the latest cutting-edge proprietary technology in skin quality recognition. It transforms the business of skin care with an engaging experience. The pond's skin analyser takes a measurable approach to skin care, revealing what your mirror and best friend can't. Developed by combining the worlds of pattern recognition science, optical imaging, and dermatology, this diagnostic tool provides a scientific assessment of skin and skin care.
How:Developed to study Indian skin, the Pond's skin analyser will capture a series of skin images that measure hydration, melanin levels and sun spots and the presence of fine lines and wrinkles. These images will be abalysed against ideal Indian skin attributes and the final graph will reveal the unique skin condition.This will serve as the diagnosis for the pond's beauty advisor to recommend the ideal products that will strengthen, repair and nourish troubled skin of our readers.
BEAUTY IS 'SKIN' DEEP
Good skin care regime and skin treatments go a long way in maintaining healthy skin over the age of 35
Beautiful youthful skin has a great deal to do with your diet, lifestyle, digestion, hormone levels, stress levels and the state of your, entire nutritional health. Anti-aging skin care means maintaining a properly balanced diet; drinking plenty of water, regular exercise; developing a positive attitude to maintain a healthy, desirable and glowing skin. With proper amalgamation of these tools, most women over the age of 35 years can continue to enjoy desirable skin.
PROTECT YOUR SKIN
Whether you are a working woman or a housewife, exposure to the sun is the number one cause of skin damage, including wrinkles. So protect your skin by always wearing skin cream with a built-in sunscreen of at least SPR 25. Additionally makeup will give you added protection. Apply it on top of sunscreen. Also wear protective hats and clothing to limit skin exposure to the sun's harmful rays.
HORMONES
PCOD (polycystic ovarian disease) is common in this age group. This manifests as irregular periods, thick facial hair, acne and weight gain. If you feel you fit in to this profile, please consult an endocrinologist(hormone specialist) for hormone correction. For the thick facial hair, NdYAG laser hair removal is an excellent option.
NATURAL SUPLLEMENTS/VITAMAINS
Your skin requires natural supplements to keep it glowing. Consult your doctor in case your skin shows any vitamin deficiency.
MOISTURISE
Fine lines are often brought on by dry skin cells. Therefore, keeping your skin moisturised can help to minimise their appearance.
ANTI-AGING CREAM
This is the right age and time to start using an anti-aging cream. There is no shortage of wrinkle creams available, and the selection is ever-incresing. Seek a dermatologist's help for prescription products, which will be customised, to your skin and the skin problem. Anti-aging skin care will diminish the fine lines and wrinkles, while some of the anti-aging skin care products will put moisture and nutrients back into your skin. Other anti-aging natural skin care formulas and natural ingredients such as cucumbers, papaya will provide soothing relief for puffiness, swelling, lines and wrinkles.
FACIALS/CLEANUPS
These become a must after you cross your thirties. Remember that if you have oily skin and are prone to acne breakouts, avoid doing facials altogether. You must stick to cleanups and avoid massages. Water based and gel products need to be used. For the ones with dry and normal skin, once a month facial and once in three months, skin polishing is a must.
During these years, attention is drawn to the neglect that your skin has got all these years. If you follow good skin care regime and are still seeking more dramatic improvements, consult a dermatologist, who in addition to skin care products, may recommend some anti-aging cosmetic produres. Don't be scared. He/she will not place you directly under the knife. With the development of new technologies every day, there are plenty of non-surgical, non-ablative procedures available for patients.
The commonly performed lunchtime anti-aging procedures are:
* Microdermabrasion(skin polishing)This is a skin-freshening technique that helps repair facial skin that takes a beating from the sun and aging. The aesthetician uses a device like a fine sandblaster to spray tiny crystals across the face, mixing gentle abrasion with suction to remove the dead, outer layer of skin.
*Muscle-relaxing botulinum injections to soften the dynamic action lines like the frown lines, forehead wrinkles,crow's feet etc.
*Wrinkle filers, which can be collagen, your own body fat or those containing hyaluronic acid. These again can be used for filling laugh lines, frown lines, crow's feet, plumping up lips, or a chin lift.
*Lasers and light based technologies to stimulate skin collagen and reduce fine lines. Lasers are used for hair removal, wrinkle reduction, skin tightening and reversing other signs of aging. New fractional technology, which has just arrived in India, is already getting popular.
*Laser skin toning-The name comes from the effect that the Q switched NdYAG Laser has on the skin. It removes the fine hair, blemishes, fine lines and increases the skin glow.
Indian Carnivorous Plants headed towards the medicine cabinet
Researchers investigate the anti-fungal agents in carnivorous pitcher plants found in India that might be a cure-all for almost every kind of fungal infection
Carnivorous plants trap unsuspecting prey in a cavity filled with liquid known as a pitcher. The moment an insect falls into a pitcher, the plant's enzymes are activated and begin dissolving their new meal, obtaining nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen which are difficult to extract from certain soils.
Carnivorous plants also possess a highly develped set of compounds to aid in their survival. These compounds could serve as a new class of anti-fungal drugs for use in human medicine, says Aviah Zilberstein of Tel Aviv University's Department of Plant Sciences and his associates. The unusual components from the plants' pitchers were found effective as anti-fungal drugs against human fungal infections widespread in hospitals.
"To avoid sharing precious food resources with other micro-organisms such as fungi, the carnivorous plant has developed a host of agents that act as natural anti-fungal agents," says Zilberstein.
"In the natural habitat of the tropics, competition for food is fierce, and the hot, moist environment is perfect for fungi, which would also love to eat the plant's insect meal."
HIGHLY RESISTANT AND ORGANIC
After initial tests of the plant proteins and enzymes that dissolve the chitin of fungi could in the right clinical conditions develop effective anti-fungal drugs.
The team has just published a paper exploring that potential in the
Journal of Experimental Biology,based on the biology of the carnivorous plant
Nepenthes Khasiana.
Currently there is a need for additional broadly effective anti-fungal drugs. Even mildly sever forms of athlete's foot or other skin fungal infections lack effective treatments. The problem becomes more dire at hospitals, where patients acquire fungal infections during their stay as patients.
"The pitcher of the carnivorous plant produces these compounds in a gland,"says Zilberstein.
Until now, no one has published or discussed the anti-fungal compounds found in the trap liquid of this plant, she added.
"We're hoping that these compounds are working together to keep fungus at bay. Our aim now is to get funding for pre-clinical tests of these compounds in an animal model, so we can investigate their animal model, so we can investigate their effectiveness against the two very acute fungal pathogens found in hospitals worldwide,"she said.
The idea that liquid from a plant pitcher could stave off infection has been documented in the folk literature of India, where people drink carnivorous plant pitcher juice as a general elixir.
"There is a lot of room for developing compounds from nature into new drugs', says Zilberstein.
"The one we are working on is not toxic to humans."
Home care for skin in winter
* Boil cabbage in water. Strain it and use the water to wash your face to make your skin look radiant.
*Mix yoghurt with cucumber water. Apply on your face and wash it off.
*Cocount milk is excellent for skin care, especially in winter. Take half a cup of coconut milk. Use half of this portion to apply it over the face and body. Mix the rest with red sandalwood powder or sandalwood powder to make a paste. Apply it over the face. It can also be applied all over the body. It exfoliates your skin excellently.
*Is your skin looking dull and lifeless? Mix coconut water and thick pineapply juice. Add
Multani Mitti and apply it over your face and body.This works as an excellent face pack. Do not scrub vigorously; wash it off with ice cubes or cold water.
* Do you travel a lot and feel that your skin is always looking tired? Here's a way to make it look refreshed. Mix one teaspoon vinegar with one teaspoon rosewater.Apply on skin and leave for 10 minutes.Wash it off with ordinary water.
*A combination of honey and tomato juice can give excellents results in skin care. Mix one teaspoon honey with one teaspoon tomato juice. Leave it on the face or body for 10 minutes and wash it off with ordinary water.
Multi –Therapy For Allergic Dermatitis
ALLERGIC DERMATITIS or Eczema is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterised by red, blistering, oozing or dry, scaly, thickened lesions. The commonest types of eczema are Atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis Jewellery Dermatitis, Seborrhoeic dermatitis, stasis Dermatitis and Neuro Dermatitis.
Atopic dermatitis: Also known a infantile eczema , is a disorder characterised by an extremely itchy and hypersensitive skin. It starts as a simple red rash and then spread all over the body in form of dry or oozing scaly eruptions, very often localising at the elbow bends, back of knees and the neck. Hereditary factors are believed to be the main cause of the disease. Atopic dermatitis is often accompanied with other allergic colds, like rhinitis (common cold) and in severe cases even with even with asthma. There have been certain cases where the two conditions alternate with each other, ie with the flare of skin eruptions, the asthma settles down and is followed by a phase, where there is relief from the skin eruptions and the asthma gets worse. The common triggers of Atopic dermatitis are dust, pollen, animal dander, cows milk eggs, sudden change in temperature, weather, and excessive use of soaps. It is also noticed that in children, extensive emotional trauma caused perhaps die to bereavement or separation of the points can aggravate the condition.
Contact dermatitis: This is a very common skin disorder that can arise from housework. It can occur as an irritation to the skin or as an allergic reaction to some agent. Allergies are often individualistic and what may dramatically affect one person, may not affects another person at all.
The best precaution is to avoid all contact with the offending agent, practically speaking. However, this is not possible for it would mean foregoing all housework.
Jewellery dermatitis(nickel allergy): This refers to a skin condition, which is medically called nickel allergy. This condition develops when a person becomes allergic to nickel and on contact with the metal, develops a reddish, itchy rash followed by tiny water blisters with peeling of skin. It is believed that jewellery dermatitis most commonly develops whenever the damaged or broken skin is exposed to nickel allowing the metal to easily pass into the deeper layers of skin.
This is women it starts most commonly during ear piercing, in which nickel containing studs are used. Common household articles like scissors, needles, thimbles, Zips, press-studs, pens, filling cabinets, taps, keys, key rings, watch straps, and stainless steel kitchen utensils can also aggravate the condition. Green leafy vegetables, acidic food like apples, citric fruits, which are cooked in stainless steel vessels are also common culprits.
Seborrhoeic dermatitis: This is characterised by the appearances of waxy scales on the skin especially of the scalp leading to reddish, scaly eruptions. The commonly found areas are behind the ears and the scalp. Infants and adults of middle age are most affected by it.
Stasis dermatitis: This type of eczema occurs in the portions of the body where the blood circulation is very poor, like around the ankles, and has a great tendency to form ulcers. It is often associated with some circulatory disorder like varicose veins etc.
Neuro dermatitis: This is used to describe eczemas, which are primarily psychometric in nature where stress is the triggering factor.
Multi-therapy treatment:
Allergic dermatitis can be treated through multi-therapy, by using a combination of therapies like Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, and Nutritional therapy. By employing a multitherapy approach patients will get both immediate, as well as long term improvement. All the above therapies work at different is to control and reduce the hypersensitivity of the skin to various agents. In most of the skin cases the patients show a lot of resistance to treatment. This is due to the long-term intake and applications of various medicines in the past. To counteract this, non-needle Acupuncture sessions are given at regular intervals. This makes the skin more receptive to the rest of the treatment given, enabling a better overall response to the medication.
After consultation and a detailed case history, local applications consisting of essential aromatherapy oils are prescribed. These essential oil molecules are very minute and have an incredible ability to quickly penetrate the skin. Bergamot, sage, Juniper and tea three are some of the oils, which are generally food for Eczema. These essential oils are rich in gamma linolenic acids and liquid wax esters. These are substances that reduce the skin inflammation thus alleviating the dryness and itching. Some oils also contain phospholipids, sterols and other active phyto compounds. These compounds are immune system and cell builders and are therefore very vital in treating allergic dermatitis.
Further their anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties prevent and kind of super added infection non the existing lesions. Simultaneously, the patient is also prescribed , Homeopathic medicine, which act as immune system builders and t herby strengthen the body resistance to various allergies and idiosyncrasies. Additionally Nutritional therapy involves advice regarding certain foods, which are healing for Allergic dermatitis.
Some self-help measures
It is advisable for people suffering from atopic dermatitis to keep away from places and objects, which are likely to gather dust like carpets, mattresses, curtains and stuffed toys. Animal skin and hair are known to aggravate this condition. Therefore if you have pets, which molt, do keep them away especially if there is a child in the house suffering from atopic dermatitis. Wool and coarse silk are especially known for making this condition worse. If one uses strong washing detergents, the residue remains in the clothes due to improper rinsing. This irritates the skin and increases the rash. In case of Nickel Allergy, the best thing to do is to identify the offending agent and avoid any contact with it during the course of treatment.
A combination of therapies like Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, and Nutritional therapy, can control and reduce the hypersensitivity of the skin to various agents
Consumption of watermelon and a combination of carrot (200 ml) and spinach (100 ml) juices daily is very effective for patients iof Allergic Dermatitis
Babe: Pig and the Pretty
Defy gravity and turn to hyaluronic acid fillers say dermatologists that erase lines without using pig, cow products.
IT's an issue about tissue that had divas diving for cover. Beauty products that promised to erase lines, plump lips, get ride of eye bags... bascially undo all that gravity does, used to contain pig and cow tissue. Consequently, both religous zealots, vegetarians and people who found out what was getting under their skin avoided use.
Now, a hyalurnoic acid filler by Allergen, the makiers of Botox, that can be used by doctors to erase smile lines, fill out eye bags and accentuate pouts joins similar other products that offer women natural skin fillers.
"People who would research on fillers would naturally be a little apprehensive about using collagen from cow or pig tissue to all out their faces. Religion is a very important part of our lives and since there are new acid now there will be no problem in people accepting an dusing such a product to enhance their looks," said dermatologist Dr Shrilata Trasi, who has seen a number of women come in asking for fillers for eye bags.
Au natural
According to Trasi, hyaluronic acid fillers that contain a natural gel like substance already present in the human body gives far better results than other fillers that require allergy testing. "We tried to import and use bovine and procine fillers, but they were never accepted," said Trasi.
Other dermatologists agree that the acid fillers give better results."At the end of the day, you're introducing a foreign substance into your lip or under your eye. Imagine the reprecussions of a bad reaction. We've had cases of lumpy lips with bleeding and frankly, it's not worth it," said dermatologist Dr Rashmi Shetty .
Model Shamita Singha said her choice has and will always be the natural one. "I don't even
use of such products by Muslims was absolutely forbidden."A product that uses pork would be haram. Even the use of such a skin cream is forbidden never mind something that is injected into your face," he said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by the Vishwa Hindu Parished secretary Venkatesh Abdeo, who said such products offened the traditions of Hindu culture.
‘Golden ratios’ key to beautiful face
Washington: A new study has helped researchers from the University of California, San Diego and the University of Toronto discover “golden ratios” for female facial beauty.
They have found that the distance between a woman’s eyes and the distance between her eyes and her mouth are key factors in determining how attractive she is to others.
Pamela Pallett and Stephen Link of UC San Diego and Kang Lee of the University of
Toronto successfully identified the optimal relation between the eyes, the mouth and the edge of the face for individual beauty.
They found two “golden ratios”, one for length and one for width. Female faces were judged more attractive when the vertical distance between their eyes and mouth was approximately 36% of the face’s length, and the horizontal distance between their eyes was 46% of the face’s width. These proportions correspond with those of an average face.
