JOIN USThere are numerous ways in which your skin can get adversely affected by both, internal and external factors. It is best to prevent these harmful effects. But in unfortunate cases where the skin does take a hit, there are certain things you can do to mitigate the effects.
Acne agony
Acne, commonly known as pimples, is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the sebaceous unit present in the skin. In mild to moderate cases, there may be blackheads, whiteheads or pustules. In severe cases, there are nodules, cysts and abscess, which lead to scarring, if not
treated in time. Acne is common in the age group of 13-30 years, but it may occur or persist beyond this age.
Aggravating factors:
- Hormonal imbalance
- Polycystic ovarian disease
- Genetic predisposition
- Stress
- Use of cosmetics
- Hot and humid climate
- Drugs such as oral contraceptives, steroids, isoniazid, lithium, phenytoin,
iodides
-Squeezing or picking a pre-existing
lesion
Prevention tricks:
-Wash your face with an anti-bacterial facewash, at least two to three times a day.
-Increase the intake of citrus fruits such as oranges, grapes, lime and lemon.
-Drink plenty of water.
-Do not pick or squeeze the pimples as this causes infection, pigmentation and scarring.
- Avoid the use of oily cosmetics, cleansing milk and gels.
-Do not apply excessive hair oil.
- Avoid stress.
- Be patient and give medicines some time to act. You may have to take
antibiotics for eight to ten weeks.
- You may require surgical intervention in the form of comedone extraction, cryoslush, cryo-peel with liquid nitrogen or superficial chemical peel. These are best performed by a dermatosurgeon.
Acne scars can be treated using surgical methods like subcision punch elevation/ excision and grafting, dermabrasion, CO2 or erbium laser ablation. Non-surgical methods to treat acne scars include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, non-ablative lasers, Fraxel fillers,
microneedling and radiofrequency.
Pigmentation problems
The colour of anyone’s skin depends mainly on the amount of melanin present in layers of their epidermis. The thickness of epidermis and vascularity of the epidermis are other factors affecting the colour of skin. Hyper pigmentation (increase in skin pigmentation) may either be due to increased melanin deposition in the epidermis or dermis. Epidermal pigmentary disorders respond well to treatment, while dermal pigmentation may take a long time to lighten.
There are different kinds of pigmentation.
-Melasma: Seen as brown patches on the face, it is more common in females.
It occurs due to hormonal changes in the body. The pigmentation increases on
exposure to sun.
- Peri-orbital melanosis: Also known as ‘dark circles,’ this may be hereditary, due to stress or eye strain.
-Freckles and Lentigenes: These are tiny black spots on the face and are
genetic in origin.
- Photomelanosis: This is increased pigmentation due to sun exposure. It
occurs on exposed skin, commonly on the face, neck and back. The pigmentation may be patchy or as diffused
darkening of the exposed skin.
- Sun burn (tan): Commonly among fair-skinned people, the condition occurs due to excessive sun exposure.
- Post inflammatory hyper pigmentation: It may be seen after healing has occurred, like in acne, eczemas, contact dermatitis.
- Drug-induced pigmentation: Pigmentation due to cosmetics, specially those containing fragrance.Melasma, photomelanosis and post- inflammatory hyper pigmentation can be treated with topical creams such as hydroxy quinine, tretinoin, topical steroids, alpha hydroxy acid creams, azelic acid, arbutin, liquorice, kojic acid. If the condition does not improve with these medicines, other modalities like chemical peeling, intense pulse light treatment and laser treatment may be employed.
Darn dark circles
Dark circles under the eyes are usually a sign of stress. They give the impression of tiredness all the time. They can be caused by a combination of factors such as:
-Thinner skin on the lower eyelids,
allowing pigment and vessels to be more visible.
- Cumulative sun damage plays a significant role by increasing skin thinning and melanin content.
- Inflammation, atopic dermatitis.
- Hereditary origins.
Using the combination of arginine and lactic acid peels, along with Vitamin C serum, helps reduce dark circles in eight to ten sessions, if done at two weekly intervals. The peel is very safe and the person can go back to work immediately after the session.
Alternatively, pixel laser can also be used to treat dark circles and fine lines under the eyes. About four treatments are needed once a month. Sunken eyes can also create an effect of dark circles due to a shadowing effect. In such cases, a hyaluronic acid filler can be used to fill the hollow under eyes, thus getting rid of the shadow and the apparent dark circles.
Unwanted lines & wrinkles
Fine lines and wrinkles become unavoidable when we start ageing, as our skin becomes dryer and less elastic. Most of us begin to develop fine lines and wrinkles by the age of 30 or 35 because of the following factors:
- Ageing processes
-Sun damage
- Muscle movement
- Gravity
- Injury
-Surgery
- Acne
-Smoking
Fine lines arise because of irregular thickening of the dermis and because of a decrease in the amount of water held by the epidermis. This is mainly caused by sun damage and exposure to environmental toxins.
One way to prevent wrinkles and lines is to moisturise your skin as much as possible.
Dryness and dehydration will cause more lines to appear on the skin. Always use a sunscreen before stepping out, to prevent sun damage. Use creams containing peptides, coenzyme Q10,
curcumin, Vitamins C & E. Alpha hydroxy peels will reduce fine lines by about 30 to 40 percent. Laser treatments are also done to get rid of fine lines.
For wrinkles on the upper face such as forehead, frown lines or crow’s feet, botox injections will help erase them for four to six months. One has to repeat the session when the effect wears off.
Hyaluronic acid filler injections are given for deeper wrinkles such as laugh lines and lines around the mouth. The effect lasts for about a year and the process needs to be repeated for long-term effects.
(The author is cosmetic dermatologist & author of Skin Talks)