Do you have redness on your face, neck or chest? Persistant redness that waxes and wanes? You might have a skin condition known as rosacea. The redness is caused by sensitivity to certain factors, and overactive small blood vessels. A blush for a normal person might look cute, for someone with rosacea, the redness can last for hours or days. The annoying thing is, the redness can be triggered by virtually anything. For example, the sun, and stress. Persistent flare-ups can result in changes in the physiology of the skin, which can be seen as a permanent flush on the nose and cheeks. Without treatment, broken capillaries appear and acne begins. TREATMENT FOR ROSACEA If you suspect you have rosacea, especially when you can see broken capillaries through the redness, it might be time have a laser done. Pulsed dye lasers such as the VBeam Perfecta are gold standard treatments for redness – using a special dye to generate different colours of laser beams, which are delivered in gentle Continue Reading
Are Chemical Sunscreens Safe For You?
Doctors advise applying sunscreen daily, and not only that, you usually need to apply a lot of it to achieve the amount of sun protection stated on the sunscreen label. There are so many sunscreens available – sunscreens for the face, the body, for children, and there are sunscreens found in moisturizers and makeup. Just to add to the conundrum, there are also physical, as well as chemical sunscreens. Physical sunscreens are the sunscreens which sit superficially on top of skin and physically block out harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Because these sunscreens usually contain zinc oxide, they tend to give skin a white cast that can be unflattering. They also tend to be thicker in texture, or oily. Chemical sunscreens fare better cosmetically. They are usually lightweight and many have an almost invisible finish, and are far more compatible in this respect with makeup. ARE CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS SAFE? Chemical ingredients such as oxybenzone and avobenzone in chemical sunscreens protect the skin from UV rays, but there have been concerns Continue Reading
Now You Can Have Your SPF, And Eat It
We grew up thinking that soaking up loads of sunshine was actually good for health. While it is still true that ultraviolet B (UVB) rays help with vitamin D synthesis, the “sunshine vitamin” that is essential from bones, risking sun damage (which translates to increased risk of skin cancer) is not the way to do it. Most people make enough Vitamin D from being out in the sun daily, without having to “fry” their skin, and for those concerned, just know that Vitamin D can also be sourced from food such as salmon, sardines, red meat and eggs. We have also now learnt, women especially, that sun exposure is the cause of certain types of pigmentation. Melasma, a type of pigmentation driven by hormones, is also triggered and worsened by sun exposure. For people with UV- or heat-sensitive hyperpigmentation problems, or those who want to prevent these, sun avoidance is recommended. But no one can stay indoors all the time! Thankfully, sun protection is now a real thing and Continue Reading
This Is How Your Face Is Betraying You
We’ve been told to never judge a book by its cover, but the truth is, we can’t help but do it. The human brain is remarkably brilliant at sizing things up, at the first glance, or some studies say, within the first 7 seconds of meeting someone for the first time. What’s scary really is how the first impression really sticks. Now we have all learnt that we should never jump to conclusions about others, but we all do. Here are some things that people think. YOU LOOK TIRED Hands up if people have actually shown you some concern by asking if you had enough sleep last night, even though you had plenty of rest. Most of the time, the eyes are to be blamed. Dark undereye circles in particular are caused by sunken eye hollows which give the malnourished, sleep-deprived look. For most people looking for a quick solution without surgery, lunchtime facial filler procedures such as Revitalift Eye places soft hyaluronic acid fillers under the skin of Continue Reading
Face Off: Ulthera Or Threadlift, Which One Is Better For You?
Lunchtime rejuvenation procedures are now as easy as going for your facials, as people increasingly search for quick, minimally invasive aesthetic treatments to freshen up their appearances. Apart from wrinkles, sagging skin is probably one of those things that freak people out the most. Young skin gets its firmness thanks to abundant collagen and elastin. Unfortunately, production of collagen and elastin starts to drop as we approach our thirties, and skin begins its slow but definite droop in the following decade. Anyone not living under a rock would have heard of non-invasive skin lifting procedures that can be done usually within 60 minutes or less. There are many such treatments around, but between non-invasive energy skin lifting device such as Ultherapy and something such as a facial threadlift, which should you choose? ULTHERAPY took the world by storm as the world’s first true non-invasive device approved by the FDA for skin lifting. Using sound energy – ultrasound, Ultherapy stimulates collagen production deep within the skin, resulting in a clinically apparent Continue Reading