TEN HOLIDAY SKIN CARE TIPS

Ten Holiday Skin Care Tips

 

Just when you need to show your best during reunions with friends, ex-officemates and relatives, suddenly you get a zit or two, thanks to the holiday stress. Here are some of the best tips to give your complexion a much-needed boost this holiday season.

1.  Sleep well. Getting at least 8 hours a day of sleep lowers stress levels. The skin naturally repairs itself at night so you wake up to fresher, glowing skin in the morning. If you must join that pajama party, roll on DERMAX Hyalift eye repair duo when you wake up with puffy eyes.

2.  Apply sunscreen everyday. Before heading outdoors for a day of gift-hunting, apply sunscreen on your face, neck and other exposed areas. Choose a broad spectrum sunscreen that provides protection against skin-damaging UVA/UVB rays such as DERMAX UV Milk Anti-Aging Sunscreen with SPF 50 PA+++.

3.  Drink plenty of water. The holiday rush can leave your skin dry and tired-looking. Make sure you drink plenty of water to replenish lost moisture in your skin. Take extra sips of water within the day for clearer skin and prevention of fine lines and wrinkles.

4.   Exercise. Beat holiday stress by getting enough exercise to maintain a sound mind and body. Regular exercise also increases blood flow that nourishes skin cells to give your skin that healthy and vibrant boost.

DERMAX Professional skin care products are
available exclusively in all SkinStation branches.

5.   Have a facial. Pamper yourself during the stressful holidays by having a facial. It helps you relax and lets you get your much-needed “me-time”. Check SkinStation’s range of relaxing signature facials that moisturize, smoothen and brighten skin all throughout the holiday season.

6.   Exfoliate. Regular cleansing might not be enough to rid your skin of dead skin cells that cause blackheads and blemishes. Prep up your skin for the holidays by having a Diamond Peel to gently slough off dry skin. No time for one? Use an exfoliant soap like DERMAX AcneX Soap with time-released salicylic acid through advanced double encapsulation technology.

7.  Try a lip plumper. Be kissable under the mistletoe. DERMAX Pink n’ Pout lip plumper helps you achieve smoother, fuller and more youthful lips. It promises long-term benefits through a combination of two multi-awarded and patent-pending innovations that “fatten” lips in just one month. Pucker up this Christmas and on New Year’s Eve too!

8. Have instant wrinkle therapy. Botox. Dermal fillers. These breakthrough clinic procedures can soften fine lines and wrinkles in no time at all. Allow a few days before the reunion events. You can also appear much younger in just two minutes with DERMAX Retinol C instant effect.

9.  Smile. Your best accessory is your smile. So while going through the holiday rush, don’t forget to smile as often as you can. It instantly brightens your appearance and makes everyone you smile at feel good inside.

10. Warts away. Once the hustle and bustle subsides, plan on having warts removal on your face and body. The last few days of the holiday season is the best time to have those contagious warts cauterized.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on December 24, 2013. The author is the CEO of SkinStation. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. 
Skin Smart aims to clarify facts and myths on skin care. Send your questions and comments to info@skinstation.ph. 

TOP ANTI-AGING BREAKTHROUGHS (Part 3)

Top Anti-aging Breakthroughs (Part 3)

We continue with the third installment on the topic of top anti-aging breakthroughs. Earlier mentioned are Nano-Encapsulation Technology, Fractional Lasers, Dermal Fillers, and Anti-Aging Sunscreen. Here are the last two scientific breakthroughs: 

Antioxidants

What do vitamins C and E, CoQ10, green tea, coffee berry, resveratrol from grapes, and glutathione have in common? They are among the most popular antioxidant ingredients in the market.

Antioxidants fight aging by destroying free radicals, the unstable molecules that occur from sun exposure, smoking, and pollution. Excessive amounts of free radicals can lead to cell injury and death.

DERMAX NanoQ has Nano-
encapsulated CoQ10 and
stabilized vitamin C.

Free radicals play a major part not only in aging, but also in degenerative diseases such as cancer, fatty liver, arthritis, cardiovascular and neuro disorders. Generating the loudest buzz (albeit for the wrong reason) is glutathione, which when taken internally excellently protects the body tissues.

When topically applied, antioxidants stabilize the hyperactive free radicals before they harm the skin collagen. There are scores of studies demonstrating the power of topical antioxidants to reverse the signs of aging, particularly CoQ10 and vitamins C and E.  

Being reactive themselves, antioxidants should be used in stabilized form to be effective in skin care formulations. Nano-encapsulated CoQ10 and stabilized vitamin C are used in DERMAX Professional skin care products.

Botox

On April 12, 2002, the USFDA approved botulinum toxin type A injection for cosmetic use to temporarily improve the appearance of frown lines, forehead furrows, and wrinkles around the eyes. Popularly known as Botox (an Allergan trade mark), it has become the most popular method for facial rejuvenation, with annual figures exceeding 5 million procedures in the United States alone. Wrinkles can literally disappear with Botox, normally for 3 to 4 months, but effect could extend up to 6 months for regular users.

Botox treatment at SkinStation
erases wrinkles without the frozen look.

The procedure consists of injections of a small dose of botulinum toxin to paralyze specific facial muscles. The wrinkle reducing result can be immediate, with optimum effect showing one week after the procedure.

A common side effect is the dampening of emotional expressions, which could be due to less interaction between the facial muscles and the brain. If you notice some senior TV actors unable to show anger in their facial expression, that’s caused by Botox. At SkinStation, we have developed a treatment protocol to minimize such undesirable side effect.

Botox treatment is best combined with dermal fillers and anti-aging products to further improve results. This combination of therapies can extend the youth enhancing effects and even help prevent the formation of new lines and wrinkles.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on December 10, 2013. The author is the CEO of SkinStation. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. Skin Smart aims to clarify facts and myths on skin care. Send your questions and comments to info@skinstation.ph.  

TOP ANTI-AGING BREAKTHROUGHS (Part 2)

Top Anti-aging Breakthroughs (Part 2)

We continue to present the second of a three part series on the top anti-aging scientific breakthroughs to help in your quest for your best skin ever. In the first part, we mentioned Nano-encapsulation Technology and Fractional Lasers. Here are the next two breakthroughs.

Dermal Fillers

Perhaps nothing is more gratifying for patients than having an immediate correction of wrinkles after a filler injection. Dermal filler injection is one of the most popular procedures at SkinStation. We can use dermal fillers to volumize any part of the face, to sculpt a more natural youthful look without surgery. Nonsurgical rhinoplasty, lip augmentation, volumizing of cheeks, and filling up lines in nasolabial folds are among the most popular procedures. These fillers have effects lasting for one year, with new variants claiming to last up to 2 years. But the benefits go beyond these timelines. These fillers can lead to robust increase in collagen production for longer lasting anti-aging results. 

Since 1981, bovine collagen was used as dermal filler, with effects lasting for only 3 months. The breakthrough came in 2003 with the approval by the FDA of hyaluronic acid, marketed under the Restylane brand. Perlane and Juvederm followed shortly, using similar variants of synthetic hyaluronic acid. The wrinkle injection market soared to new heights with these approvals by the FDA. Recently, the FDA approved Artefill and Radiesse, each using a different substance to fill wrinkles. 

Anti-aging Sunscreens 

A new 4-year study in Australia showed that daily use of sunscreen resulted in 24% reduction in signs of aging. We can now look at sunscreen not just as a protection against aging. It can also reverse signs of aging.

DERMAX UV MILK
Anti-Aging Sunscreen

However, not just any sunscreen will do.  Your sunscreen must work against the damaging and aging effects of UVA rays. New breakthrough ingredients are now available to protect against UVA rays. Look for the broad-spectrum label. Check the PA rating, the measure of protection against UVA rays. The maximum rating is PA+++.

DERMAX UV MILK anti-aging sunscreen has the maximum PA+++ rating, plus a milky, non-greasy feel that’s best for daily use. 

What about SPF? This refers only to protection against burning UVB rays. Most sunscreens will effectively protect against UVB rays, even at a “low” SPF30. Save for a few field related work, there is no real risk of getting sunburn in our day-to-day activities. The marketing hypes on high SPF sunscreens are simply just that…hypes.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on November 26, 2013. The author is the CEO of SkinStation. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. Skin Smart aims to clarify facts and myths on skin care. Send your questions and comments to info@skinstation.ph.