Uneven Skin Tone Treatment

Rather than covering up your problems, its always better to solve them. The same applies to problems related to your skin. The environmental conditions today and our lifestyle calls for occurrence of problems like uneven skin tone. What do we do about it? Most of us resort to covering it up using makeup. But why cover it when you can make it vanish? In order to do so, its important to first understand the in and out of why this problem arises in the first place.

Going undercover

An uneven skin tone is irregular darkening of the skin. It can occur when there is increased production of your natural skin pigment called melanin. It can be temporary or permanent and can make you look older than you are. The condition usually arises because of the following reasons-

• Sun exposure: When your skin is repeatedly exposed to UV light, sun damage occurs resulting in brown spots and uneven skin tone because of increased melanin production.
• Hormones: The imbalance in hormones may cause high melanin production which can produce an uneven skin tone.  Melasma is hormone-related hyperpigmentation caused by increased hormone stimulation. It’s most commonly experienced by women who are pregnant or taking contraceptives.
• Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation: It means darkening of the skin as a result of
• Inflammation which can be caused by acne lesions, skin injury or as a result of reaction to certain cosmetics.
• Life style factors- Stress, pollution and lack of proper sleep and rest also aggravates the dullness of skin and may result into the appearance of an uneven skin tone.

The issue makes us feel conscious when we step out with our bare skin. But, worry not as there are a vast number of ways in which you can treat the problem and get your natural glow back.

Solving the problem

Not everything requires a doctor, isn’t it? Sometimes, the problems of our skin may seem a lot, but they can be treated by being careful on your end. With that in mind, a few solutions to treat uneven skin tone include-

• Apply sunscreen daily- Applying a sunscreen with a Broad Spectrum SPF of at least 30 is the most important step in maintaining even skin tone and preventing its further aggravation. 
• Exfoliate. Cleansing the skin one to two times weekly with a gentle exfoliating cleanser to remove dead skin cells helps in getting a much even complexion. Also, this clears the path for the ingredients in your serums and moisturizers to better penetrate into the skin.
• Healthy diet- Eating a clean diet helps beautify any complexion, not only uneven ones. Avoid processed foods such as white bread, chips, soda, and candy. The preservatives and additives found within these ingredients cause your blood sugar levels to spike, thereby increasing pigmentation. Try to incorporate more foods into your diet that have been proven to improve the quality of your skin, such as: Green tea, Green vegetables, Citrus Foods such as oranges and tomatoes. These eatables are rich in antioxidants and can improve the quality of your skin while minimizing visible aging effects.
• Use the right ingredients. Choose products that contain Activated Charcoal to help remove pollutants; certain skin lightening substances like niacinamide to decrease melanin production; and certain exfoliating agents like Retinol to rejuvenate the skin.
• Be patient. There's no immediate correction available for an uneven skin tone. It takes at least 1-2 months of regular skin care treatment before you see any improvement. 

If the condition of your skin is really bad, then seeking expert help seems like the right choice to make. Some procedures done in the treatment room can solve your stubborn problem. These include-

1. Certain agents that help you to achieve an even skin tone are-

• Hydroquinone: This is the most common depigmenting agent used to remove pigmentation and correct uneven tone. 
• Kojic acid: This ingredient suppresses the tyrosinase enzyme responsible for production of melanin.
• Glutathione: Commonly found in soaps, lotions, ointments and even pills, glutathione is a peptide whose strong antioxidant powers have a whitening effect on your skin.
• Arbutin, niacinamide, retinol, beta white are other ingredients found in certain topical medications which can be used to reduce pigmentation.

2. Chemical peels

A chemical peel removes the dead outer layers of your skin and in turn exposing new, fresh skin underneath. It has been proven very efficient in rejuvenating your skin and producing an even skin tone.

There are several different options for chemical peels- Glycolic acid, Salicylic acid, yellow peels and phenol which can reduce acne spots, sun spots, age spots, and wrinkles. It works by penetrating the top layers of the skin with a chemical solution and causes it to exfoliate, revealing healthier new skin underneath.

3. Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion can treat a number of skin conditions, including light scarring, sun damage, and discoloration. It works by rejuvenating the skin while removing the thicker, damaged outer layer, creating a more youthful appearance.

4. Laser treatment

Laser treatments, with the ability to lighten scars or age and sun spots are being used to help improve skin tones in refractory cases. Q switched nd yag laser works on degrading melanin (colour producing element) in the skin resulting in reduction in pigmentation and providing an even skin tone.

Since its always nicer to solve problems from their roots, it is advised to first understand the root cause of pigmentation and then work on it. Even if you seek expert help, working towards betterment of your skin from your side goes a long way.

Stretch Marks Treatment

Before getting into the medical details on stretch marks, let’s first lay our eyes on how they affect us emotionally. For most men and women, the appearance of stretch marks begin when they either loose or gain weight suddenly (e.g. at the time of puberty). People don’t find them flattering and usually try to cover them up using different ways. As most of us associate them with weight gain, their appearance often become a source of dread to us. It hampers our emotional stability since we consider ourselves ‘Fat’ and for most people, the words ‘fat’ and ‘mental peace’ don’t go hand in hand. Hence, we spend a lot of time and energy in finding and trying out ways to get rid of them.
As dangerous they may seem, stretch marks are nothing but beauty marks. They are a sign of your struggle and honestly they are nothing that you should be ashamed of. And let’s face it- Everyone has them.

“Stretch marks look pretty on other people”, someone must have said that about you too…

The Science behind stretch marks

What are stretch marks?

In medical terms, stretch marks are called stria or striae. Usually, they are elongated marks which form when our skin expands or shrinks quickly. In their initial stages of formation, they appear in a red or purple colour and gradually, they fade into a silvery-white colour. Their appearance is usually of two types, Horizontal stretch marks (which are a result of gaining height) and vertical stretch marks (which are a result of gaining weight).

So what exactly is the mechanism behind their formation? The abrupt changes in our body causes the rupture of collagen and elastin fibres which are in the skin. These fibres are responsible for maintaining the firmness and elasticity of our skin. When these are broken down, they result in the formation of stretch marks.

When do stretch marks appear?

Stretch marks may appear-

• During pregnancy: They appear during the later stages of pregnancy as the skin stretches. They usually appear on the thighs, abdomen and breasts.
• During puberty (due to rapid growth): During puberty, the body shows rapid changes involving growth resulting in the development of stretch marks.
• Due to rapid weight loss or gain: Gaining or losing weight in a short period of time welcomes the appearance of stretch marks. In order to avoid them, it is advised to loose or gain weight slowly and steadily.
• Due to rapid muscle growth during weight training in gymnasiums: Weight straining involves increases of muscle size. As a result, bodybuilders and athletes often develop stretch marks. 

Treatment of stretch marks

Admit it, we have all been there- googling homemade treatments for stretch marks, buying commercial creams to reduce their appearance. But with great accessibility to all such information, comes great confusion. The body type of different individuals and their concerns are different, so why shouldn’t the treatment be unique too?

To begin with, stretch marks that turn white or pale are difficult to cure than the ones which are pink or red. So, usually at-home treatments are meant to cure stretch marks which are in their early stage. However, they may be a little helpful in curing the appearance of white marks too, but the process takes a lot of time and consistency on your end.

• At-home treatments:

1. Exfoliating: Regular exfoliation using a moisturizing scrub can improve the appearance of stretch marks. You can even create your own scrub at home using coffee, coconut oil and honey or sugar, coconut oil/ almond oil.
2. Aloe Vera: Using natural aloe vera and lathering it on the affected areas twice a day can sooth your skin and heal it eventually.
3. Coconut oil: Massage the affected area using coconut oil.

• Medicinal treatments:

There are various procedures which can help to improve the stretch marks.

1. Laser therapy
2. Microneedling or dermaroller
3. Microneedling Radiofrequency

Non-surgical treatments such as micro-needling, micro-needling radiofrequency and lasers are far more effective in getting rid of stretch marks than lotions and creams.

As stretch marks are caused by damaged collagen, these types of procedures help in the rebuilding of collagen or induction of new collagen fibres. These help in the remodelling of the scar and reduction of stretch marks with multiple sessions. These procedures may be combined with PRP – platelet rich plasma, which is a concentrate of platelets containing growth factors and proteins which help in improving the collagen remodelling.

Once the stretch marks have been removed or made quite better, they typically do not come back. However, if the conditions that originally caused the stretch marks in the first place come back, the creation of new stretch marks is possible. Similarly, if the patient is planning for another pregnancy, the procedures should be done after the pregnancy as this can cause new stretch marks to appear.

Psoriasis Treatment

Psoriasis is a skin condition which affects about 3% of the world’s population. The disease is usually not understood in its depth by many. The impact of the disease at all levels is pretty big and so it needs to be discussed from the inside out. Let’s begin..

What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition which is a cause of an overactive immune system. This results into rapid build-up of skin cells. Once the cells starts building, they cause scaling on the skin’s surface.

Usually, skin cells grow in the deeper layers of the skin and eventually rise to the surface. Later on, they fall off and the process continues. Typically, the life cycle of a skin cell is one month. However, in people suffering from psoriasis since the production of cells is extreme, they do not have the time to fall off. As a result of which the cells start building up.

Psoriatic scales develop as thick, red patches and appear to be whitish-silver in texture. The condition causes inflammation and redness around these scales. Sometimes, these patches will crack and bleed.

Is Psoriasis contagious?

When it comes to psoriasis, the biggest myth is that it is contagious. It’s time we dig in the issue a little deeper.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition. Autoimmune conditions are the result of the body attacking itself. In the case of psoriasis, white blood cells known as T cells mistakenly attack the skin cells. This means that psoriasis isn’t contagious i.e. it can’t spread from one person to another. It’s a result of a person’s own gene makeup.

How do we know that we have psoriasis?

The most common symptoms of plaque psoriasis include:

• Formation of red, raised, inflamed patches of skin
• Development of whitish-silver scales on the red patches
• Skin becomes dry and may crack or bleed
• The skin around the patches become sore
• The area around the patches may start to itch and burn
• Joints become swollen and may even pain
• Nails become thick and pitted

Can psoriasis go away?

Psoriasis is a long term chronic condition. However, in many people it may clear up for years. In order to manage your condition, you should work it out with your doctor.

For diagnosing psoriasis, one of the following two tests may be conducted necessarily-

1. Physical examination: Symptoms of psoriasis are very easy to distinguish from other diseases with similar symptoms. As a result of which, most doctors are able to diagnose psoriasis with a very simple physical exam.
2. Biopsy: Sometimes, the symptoms of psoriasis are very closely related to conditions with similar symptoms. In such cases, the doctors are unclear about their diagnosis and hence they confirm the same through Biopsy. Biopsy is basically a process in which skin doctors take a small sample of the skin to test it in order to confirm their suspected diagnosis.

Different patients of psoriasis suffer from different intensities of the condition. Once topical treatments (which include-Topical corticosteroids, topical retinoids, anthralin, vitamin D analogues, salicylic acid, moisturisers) have been used, there are chances that a patient won’t respond well to them. As a result he/she may need to use injected or oral medications which are usually prescribed for short periods of time. An example of such medication is-

Light therapy- As the name suggests, this treatment involves curing psoriasis using light. This treatment involves using ultraviolent (UV) or natural light to do the same. The way this therapy works is that sunlight kills the overactive white blood cells which are attacking the healthy skin cells. This in turn will control the rapid cell growth. In order to reduce the symptoms of mild to moderate psoriasis, UVA or UVB rays may be used.

One thing needs to be cleared that food cannot cure psoriasis, what it can do is reduce its symptoms. This includes eating healthy and taking a low glycaemic diet. In the case of a patient suffering from obesity, reducing weight can help lowering down the symptoms of the disease

What triggers psoriasis?

No matter your condition regarding psoriasis is better than many, there are still some factors which can make it worse. These factors include-

• Stress- Unusually high levels of stress may increase the production of cells, making psoriasis even worse.
• Alcohol- High consumption of alcohol can trigger psoriasis flare-ups.
• Injury- Any kind of injury like an accident, cut or even a scrape can trigger the condition.

With all this, make small changes in your lifestyle that don’t disturb your condition like-

• Using deodorants meant for sensitive skin as they include less chemicals. Using a strong deodorant can aggravate the problem.
• Since psoriasis is not contagious, you can go swimming. However, the chlorine in the pool tends to dry up the skin. So if you are suffering from psoriasis, make sure to take a bath as soon as possible and finish everything up by moisturising your skin thoroughly.

Dermal Fillers

As we age, our face not only changes its condition, but its shape too. The most common issue with this change is the occurrence of fine lines and wrinkles, scars and a diminished facial contour. In order to provide you with volume in your face and a healthy looking skin, dermal fillers have come to your rescue.

What are dermal fillers?

Dermal filling has become one of the ace procedures in aesthetic medicines involving soft tissue augmentation. The procedure basically focuses on diminishing facial lines and restoring fullness and volume in the face. 

The process of Dermal fillers have gained a lot of popularity in the recent past due to the increased consciousness about appearance amongst today’s generation. Apart from that, the fact that the procedure has no downtime makes it a popular option among people.

When do you know you need them?

Usually people with the following problems resort to dermal fillers:

• Depressed scars- post surgical, post acne
• Wrinkles and folds
• Lip augmentation
• Enhancement of facial contours- Cheek, chin and temple
• Sunken eyes, tear trough
• Neck rejuvenation
• Hand rejuvenation

How do Dermal Fillers work?

The hyaluronic acid filler when injected in the skin, combines gently with water in the skin and restores elasticity.

There are different techniques used for fillers like Linear threading technique, Serial puncture technique, Fan technique, Cross-hatching technique, Depot technique.

Advantages/ Benefits of Dermal fillers

1. Provides a fresh and rejuvenated look.
2. Depending upon the product used, the technique maintains natural cooking results lasting up to 12-24 months
3. Provides eyebrow lift.
4. Helps in enhancement of cheeks.
5. Provides lip augmentation.
6. Contributes towards shaping the jawline.
7. Improves under-eye pigmentation by correcting tear trough.

Even though the treatment is quite popular among women, an increased amount of men are also using treatments like soft tissue filler to help reduce wrinkles, replace lost volume and refresh the under eye.

Advantages of soft tissue fillers

• Helps in revitalising your appearance.
• Replaces the lost volume and provides lift.
• Smoothens lines and wrinkles.
• Helps in providing a refreshed look by diminishing the signs of ageing.

Before giving the treatment a try, its important to know the risk factors associated with it.

Risk factors associated with dermal fillers

Following are the risk factors associated with using dermal fillers.

• Bruising
• Swelling
• Redness
• Pain 
• Itching

Verdict

Even though the entire science behind dermal fillers is pretty clear, some patients fear that these fillers may move when you press your face too hard. Well, this is not the case. Dermal fillers remain in the area in which they are injected and last the entire time as told by your doctor. Taking into consideration the advantages and risk factors associated with them, you can consult your dermatologist and make the right decision.

Carbon Peeling

While shuffling through television channels, we often stumble upon the beautiful faces of celebrities and wonder to ourselves “Where do they get that glorious charm from?” Our skin is our greatest asset and investing the adequate resources in it might help us achieve the look we always dreamt of. In order to get a rejuvenated and refreshed skin, the treatment you can count upon is ‘Carbon peeling’.

So what exactly is Carbon peeling?

Being discovered in Hollywood, carbon peeling is popularly known as Hollywood peel or Miami peel. It is a face laser treatment which focuses on the use of Carbon for extracting contaminants and oil from deep within the pores of your skin. It has gained popularity in the recent past due to its ability of providing great exfoliation, leaving behind an instant glow and a far more smother, softer, firmer and a radiant skin.

A layer of liquid activated carbon is applied to the face and is left for a while in order to let it penetrate deep into the pores. The carbon absorbs all the contaminants in these pores. Later on, a qs and yag laser light which is highly attracted to the carbon particles is passed over this layer. The laser destroys all the carbon particles on the surface of the skin and those seated deep within the pores thereby taking with it the contaminants attached to the carbon particles, giving you a cleansed and rejuvenated skin.

But why carbon peeling?

We all are guilty of making numerous visits to the parlour to get flawless skin. It’s time we ask ourselves a few questions-

• How long does the glow attained from parlour facial last?
• Are you scared that your skin will react adversely if you try new products for facials?
• Does a facial promise you’ll get the results you have in mind?

The answer, though correct; are disheartening. Aren’t they? So, rather than spending enormous amounts of money over and over again with no guarantee of desired results, why not try something concrete? Let’s see if carbon peeling is the answer to all these problems.

• How long do the results last? - It mainly depends on the type of your skin. However, in order to get long lasting results, a few treatments will do the job.
• Will your skin react adversely to the treatment? – The answer is a clear ’NO’. The primary reason why carbon peeling has gained so much importance is that it suits all skin types and doesn’t leave any side effects behind.
• Does it promise you the desired results? – Hollywood facial is hands down the best thing that’ll happen to you. The treatment promises to provide all the above mentioned results immediately.

You must have got your answers to what you should opt for now. However, the trail doesn’t end here. Apart from all this, there are a few more reasons why you should give carbon peeling a try-

• It’s quite normal that when we read of lasers touching our skin, we expect a little pain. But no worries here, as the procedure of carbon peeling is absolutely pain-free.
• The only thing we may feel that traditional facials do better than medical treatments is that they are quick. But same is the case here. Carbon peeling is popularly known to be a “lunch-time process” since the procedure is less- time consuming.

Isn’t it great that now you have even more reasons to give it a try?

What to expect?

We have now discussed why we should opt for carbon peeling. But what exactly does it do to our skin is a more important question at hand. The results from carbon peeling are as follows-

1. Instant radiance and glow  Even skin tone
2. Improved skin texture
3. Reduced oiliness and acne
4. Firmer skin and reduced pores
5. Provides exfoliation to the skin and gets rid of dead skin cells

The treatment has proven to be the best at what it does. So now all you have to do is take care of your skin from within and carbon peeling will take care of it from the outside.