The ultimate guide to fighting acne would usually include using acne products such as a deep cleanser, an astringent toner, pimple creams, and oil-free moisturizers. Doctors will usually include a topical antibiotic preparation into the regime, or start their patients on oral antibiotics. A recent trend in skincare for troubled skin is the use of topical probiotics. Yes, I am referring to applying things like Acidophilus on your skin. In case it doesn’t ring a bell, probiotics contain live bacterial cultures, exactly like those you find in yogurt, or what my 3 year old son likes – Yakult. In fact, people who regularly consume fermented food such as the Japanese natto (really smelly, fermented beans), korean kimchi, kombucha and kefir or those who take probiotic supplements have noted reduction in their acne. The basis for this is that scientists have found that people with healthy, clear skin have antimicrobial peptides that are produced by bacteria which selectively act against acne-causing bacteria. Why Probiotics Are Good For Acne-Prone Skin In Continue Reading
5 Things You Need To Know Before Getting That Lip Filler
The lips are usually not the first feature that people rush to augment, but in the last 5 years, the plump pout has clearly become popular. We are not talking about simple lip liner jobs which only go as far as giving you limited headway with overlining or shading. We are talking about delectably filled lips, like Kylie Jenner’s. But before you rush into it, know that lip filler results may not result in the most natural-looking set of lips. We spoke to Dr Low Chai Ling, founder of the SW1 Clinic, and she gave 5 insider tips to help you sidestep the botched filler job and emerge a winner in the sexy lip lane. 1. You Need To Prepare For It First of all, leave Kylie Jenner’s photo at home. If you have super thin lips and want to go from nothing to everything at one go, the likelihood of having your lips overfilled is probably 100%. Overfilled lips tend to have the cosmetically made (or botched) Continue Reading
5 Things To Start Now To Look Younger Than Your Friends in 10 Years’ Time
If you ever need a reminder at how fast you might be aging, look at your friends. Women, especially, age at dramatic speed once they hit 35, and after they have had kids. If you are still quite happy with the way you look, congratulations! But time does have its way of creeping up on people, and who’s to say who will look better as they age? Well, I have always been careful of the saying “burning the candle at both ends”, and now, in my late 30s, I am fairly comforted by the fact that I look younger than my real age. It takes a bit of effort, a little investment but you will thank yourself when you go for your next class reunion and log that youthful-looking face in a photo. Build Up Your Collagen Bank First of all, think of your skin’s collagen stores like a piggy bank. Collagen is abundant (like how parents put hard-earned money raising children) when we are young, but this Continue Reading
How My Life Changed with a Filler Lift
A filler lift at The SW1 Clinic gave me a slimmer jawline, fuller cheeks, and an ‘eye-opening’ effect (literally)! I woke up happy today. 10 hours of glorious sleep! But my happiness was shortlived, as I bumped into a friend I haven’t seen in yonks on the way to work. “Germaine?” I yelled out to her with enthusiasm initially. “Serene? Wow! You look tired.” She replied. Yup. That was pretty much all we said for the rest of the train ride. Maybe her comment was a ‘girl thing’, maybe she never liked me much while we were at school. Or maybe it was an ‘asian thing’, speaking our minds candidly. Or it could really be because at the ripe old age of 25, I had undereye circles so dark that I looked like I just spent a year in a cave. My Miracle Lift I was frankly tired of people commenting on how tired I looked everyday, even though I always woke up feeling fresh. I researched on the possible Continue Reading
Why You Should Be Careful Of Sun Exposure
I have pigments on both sides of my face, thanks to spending a decade of my younger years studying in Australia. But my right cheek has a pesky brown spot, the size of a 5 cent coin in Singapore. It bothers me. How did I get it? I am almost positive that it all started during one hot summer afternoon when I was stuck in a 3 hour traffic jam travelling from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. After I got out of my car, my right cheek was sunburnt. To be honest, I never really noticed my pigments until they got really obvious. I headed out to the beach during study breaks and lay on the soft white sand, trying to get that stupid sun-kissed tan. I even tried the tanning booth at the gym several times. The burnt spot would go on and turn into a nasty pigment many years later and I am spending good money on skincare products and visits to my doctor’s clinic to make sure Continue Reading