Pore You: Pore Shrinking Truths And Myths

Pores are nasty little blots on our skin, the nemesis of our skin. Almost everyone had tried something, anything to shrink them and that is there are plenty of pore stories passed from friend to friend and generation to generation on how to get rid of these vile little footprints from a beautiful canvas.   WHAT PORES REALLY ARE First things first, a little bit of pore physiology. Pores are tiny openings that can be observed on the surface of our skin. They are responsible for allowing oil and sweat to reach the surface from beneath. Pores can be found in every single millimeter of our skin, and there are millions of them. Some fortunate people have the tiniest of pores – so small that they are indiscernible to the naked eye. Others have enlarged pores and… let’s just leave it as that. There are two types of skin pores – Oil pores and sweat pores. Oil pores are also hair follicles (pilosebaceous unit) and they serve to lubricate the Continue Reading

Is There Hope For Stubborn Pigmentation?

One of the things that can really affect one’s selfie-esteem apart from acne is pigmentation. These dull blemishes can really stand out – whether they exist in larger patches or tinier spots, muting the sparkle of an otherwise clear complexion. Some of these pesky stains can really sink in deep, making topical peels and creams an impossible success, others are easier, allowing for easier eradication.   Read More: 5 Fabulous Lessons We All Can Learn from “The Fab Five” from Queer Eye   ALL PIGMENTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL Strangely, a lot of people think that all spots are the same (even if they look different). In truth, pigments can be broadly categorized into 1) freckles 2) solar lentigines (sun spots) 3) melasma 4) post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). But because freckles can usually be burnt off, people think their spots easily be expelled with once and for all with laser treatments. Our skin’s melanin production gets riled up by several triggers, such as the sun, inflammatory injury such as bug bites Continue Reading

5 Doctor-Approved Treatments To Combat Oily Skin

Do you get helpful advice such as “just wash your face more often” when people talk about your oily skin? Or are you tired of blotting oil off your nose every 30 minutes so that your glasses will stop sliding off? And are you thoroughly confused after reading everywhere that oily skin should be treated with oil? Here are 5 doctor-approved treatments to tackle oily skin!   1. Medicated facial washes Washing your face regularly is a must, although people with oily skin will find that doing so with facial washes that contain acids will help more. BHA (beta hydroxy acids or salicylic acid), being oil-soluble, works on the skin surface and inside the pore, refreshing grease-slicked pores instantly.   2. Find a product that works on oily skin overnight One of the ways to stop waking up with greasy skin is to try skincare products at night featuring active ingredients such as glycolic acid. This is a type of AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) that breaks down dead skin cells Continue Reading

All The Ways Stress Can Mess With Your Looks

Speak of stress and its psychological and social repercussions come to mind. Fact is, stress doesn’t only take a toll on how you feel, it can affect your skin as well. Unfortunately, we live in the real world, and stress happens to almost everyone. We all have work to do, deadlines to meet and bills to pay so we really need to start learning how to manage the stress. If we don’t, here’s what stress can do to make our lives worse.   1. REDNESS AND ECZEMA Heard that stress can affect digestion? The brain and gut are constantly in communication. When the body is stressed, the brain sends signals to trigger a “fight and flight” response, releasing stress hormones to prepare the body for the threat. This fight and flight response can result in an imbalance of gut bacteria – too much bad bacteria outweighing the good ones. This imbalance has been implicated in various problems outside the gut, such as the skin. Calm your skin with medical-grade probiotics Continue Reading

Is It Possible To Look Too Young For Your Age?

Looking too young for your age is almost never awkward, unless you are really young. Some of the issues preventing us from looking youthful have quick fixes, believe it not. Keep reading to find out what you can do non-surgically, so people can’t guess your actual age!   ADD RETINOL TO YOUR SKIN’S TOPICAL REGIME Genetics might be a factor of skin aging, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it. Most skin doctors recommend including this magic ingredient which helps to increase the rate of cellular renewal. This skin hero is particularly well-loved for its wrinkle-smoothing and radiance boosting effect.   APPLY SUNSCREEN RELIGIOUSLY A lot of scary things that can happen to your skin without you realizing it, such as how harmful UV rays from the sun can age your skin even during your daily commute and not just when you are deliberately out on the beach trying to get your tan. And also how you don’t need to get a sunburn for your skin to Continue Reading