17 facts and myths about great skin

Dermatologist Dr Bindu Sthalekar dispenses hope to men and women of all ages... Skin care is a tricky area. Your skin needs nourishment and care if you want it to look radiant and healthy. And with advances in medical science, you can greatly delay the signs of ageing. Here are some skin care facts and myths that you should be aware about... 1. Teens wanting blemish-free skin and fairness with over-the-counter (OTC) products advertised by film stars must identify the need for using these products. Radiant and lustrous hair cannot be achieved using OTC products. Consult a dermatologist - use the products they give instead of fancy OTC products whose unsupervised, prolonged usage can lead to hyper-pigmentation. 2. The young woman just out of her teens blessed with good hair and healthy skin needs to pay attention to what she eats, make sure she gets adequate sleep (seven to eight hours), exercise regularly and avoid taking stress. She must cleanse, moisturise and use a sunscreen. 3. What you put in your mouth is more important than what you put on your skin! If your core is healthy, it will show on your face. Have a diet rich with Vitamin A and antioxidant foods, lots of coloured fruits and vegetables. Regular exercise improves circulation and blood supply, and flushes out toxins. 4. Bad hair days exist. The weather can wreak havoc on hair. Dry weather can make your hair frizzy, humidity can make it limp, stress can turn it oily. Products and chemical treatments that don't agree with you will also give you bad hair days. 5. Stress increases cortisol levels and this over activity of the oil gland will make one prone to breakouts. Psychological problems can lead to acne. 6. Fortunately, most skin problems if identified and treated early can be reversible. 7. The ageing process depends on the genes, but in a woman, it is any time between the mid 20s to late 30s. 8. If you get adequate sleep (the skin repairs and rejuvenates itself when we're asleep), eat the right diet, stay active and keep yourself hydrated, you won't regret later. Water retains moisture in the skin making it glow. Decrease stress levels and know your skin type (oily, dry, a combination, sensitive or mature skin) and use products accordingly. Sunscreen will avoid blotchiness and dullness. Exfoliate your skin at least one a week. This will remove dead skin and helps the moisturiser absorb better. 9. Men shouldn't shy away from approaching dermatologists for skin problems. Men have an added advantage - shaving daily is an automatic exfoliating process. 10. All commercially sold beauty products are not harmful. If made well and prescribed for a reason by an expert, they are beneficial; but certainly not when self-prescribed. 11. Continuous and long-term use of make-up does not damage the natural oils and texture of the skin if the make-up is of good quality, applied correctly, suitable for your skin type and removed properly. 12. Botox, fillers, wrinkle erasers, skin tightening machines, laser and mild non-invasive treatments are a boon. 13. Women in their 20s want fairer skin. A woman in her 30s fears blotchy and dehydrated skin, pigmentation etc. By the time she is 40, she fears lines, crow's feet, creases, deeper folds, wrinkles and sagging skin. Women in their 20s and 30s can start with microdermabrasion non-chemical peels, which remove dead, outer skin layers and delay the ageing process. As a woman ages, her dermatologist can tell her what she needs and doesn't. A woman in her 40s may need to get rid of wrinkles and folds near her nose and mouth and can opt for fillers and skin tightening. A woman in her 50s can go in for laser rejuvenation. This can erase 10 years off her face. 14. Dermatology and cosmetology are not the same. A dermatologist has done an in-depth study of skin, skin care and its problems. A cosmetologist is an expert on cosmetics on skin. A dermatologist can treat external as well as internal skin problems - something that a cosmetologist can't. The skin is a mirror of one's internal system. It can indicate more problems than just advancing age. 15. Botox does not harm the body. What is injected is a purified toxin. It relaxes the muscle where it is injected and is an excellent treatment for lines, creases, wrinkles, crow's feet etc. 16. It is never too late to salvage your skin. There are several non-invasive treatments like chemical peels and hydra dermabrasion which rejuvenate the skin. Non-abrasive skin tightening machines can help. 17. The world has become a smaller place with advances in medical science. Indian dermatologists update themselves by attending international conferences and undergoing constant training. The same treatments available in New York can be availed at a clinic in Mumbai. People prefer doing it here instead going abroad.