In the first part of the interview, Dr. Vijay Aswani spoke about the various treatments conducted by him for hair care. Here, in the second part of the interview he speaks about skin care and cosmetology.
Skin Care
Coming to skin care, what kind of treatments would you suggest for sun-burn and dark blemishes?
Sunburn can possibly be treated with silver sulfadiazine 1% cream. If it is mild, plenty of fluids and NSAIDS are used. Additional topical measures such as cool compresses, Burow’s solution soaks or high quality moisturizing creams are prescribed. If the patient has severe burns Oral steroids are given for few days along with topical measures. Dark blemishes can be caused due to various factors. Some treatments include using a cleanser containing salicylic acid or glycolic acid, an exfoliant once a week, a lightening cream and always applying sunscreen.
Can you elaborate on the benefits of sunscreen usage? And what are the factors that one has to look out for while choosing a sunscreen?
Research says that 65% of wrinkles are caused by the sun’s UV Rays. Sunscreen is designed to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Sunscreens contain absorbers and reflectors and are extremely safe and effective. They are helpful in minimizing the harmful effects of UVA and UVB on DNA. They can also aid in keeping the skin smooth and firm as they protect important proteins like collagen, elastin and keratin. They prevent skin cancers particularly in Type І and Πskins. Sunscreen should have SPF of atleast 15 and people with oily skin should avoid greasy sunscreen. Those who are prone to allergic reactions or breakouts should use a hypoallergenic product. Waterproof sunscreens are also available for swimmers.
The skin is naturally endowed with skin oils, it is said that regular use of soaps can wash them off. Would you like to comment on the same?
Continuous use of soaps makes the skin rough and dry with the exception of moisturizing bars.
What remedy would you suggest for treating premature fine lines and wrinkles on the face?
I’d say the 5 R’s of anti aging treatments are:
A) Repair sun damage
B) Relax muscles reducing lines
C) Restore volume
D) Resurface skin texture
E) Redrape sagging skin.
Tretinoin containing creams repair sun damage while chemical peels also help. Products like Botox relax muscles and injections of Hyaluronic acid restore volume. IPL and Laser improve skin texture. Non-surgical radiofrequency and Fraxel laser treatment re-drape sagging skin.
There are various skin types; what kind of care would you suggest for each skin type?
Care for oily skin: Choose a cleansing product made for oily skin and use it three times a day. If you over do washing your skin glands will produce more oil and you can also use a toner or astringent to tackle oil.
Care for combination skin: This brings to light the necessity for carefully managing both dry and oily skin. Using moist cotton wool, a light re-hydrant gel should be used to wipe the dry areas. You can use a medicated soap or cleanser to wash the oily area while you should avoid using strong astringents.
Care for dry skin: Use a moisturizing soap or non drying cleanser followed by a nourishing cream or lotion. People with normal skin type are lucky and just need normal skin cleansing and routine care.
Any home remedies that you would suggest for skin care?
There are various home remedies for skin care. These are like grandmother’s recipes, passed on from one generation to the next. Some of them are highlighted here for various skin problems and types.
A) Mix equal quantity of lime juice, glycerin and rose water to treat acne.
B) Mix ½ tsp of honey with egg white and 1tsp of lemon juice. Add Fuller’s earth (Multani mitti) to make a paste and apply it for 20mins. Wash with water, for a glowing complexion.
C) A mixture of apricot, kernel oil, camomile oil and sandalwood oil can be used to massage the face if you have a dull skin.
D) Squeeze a fresh lime in a fully boiled glassful of whole milk. Add 1 tsp of glycerine. Leave it for ½ an hour and apply on the face, hands and feet before retiring at night. This application daily at night will help one look young and beautiful.
E) Grated cucumber applied over the face and neck for 15 to 20 minutes is an effective beauty aid.
F) Fresh drumstick leaf juice applied with lime juice is useful in the treatment of pimples and keeps face fresh.
Cosmetology
Most people may not know about Cosmetology. Can you elaborate a little on this science?
The practice of beautifying the face, hair and skin is called cosmetology. A good understanding of the effects of aging on skin and hair is required. Aging is because of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors refer to genetically determined hormonal and biochemical processes that cause irreversible degeneration of skin tissue, whereas extrinsic factors refer to environmental influences, particularly UV Radiation. Aging is associated with changes in skin quality and appearance as well structural changes e.g. loss of soft tissue volume, redistribution of subcutaneous fat. Science of cosmetology addresses all these factors. Cosmetology involves the use of various cosmeceuticals as home care products and professional treatments in the form of chemical peels, on-ablative and ablative therapies. Chemical peels use AHA’s, BHA’s, TCA, phenol and many other newer peeling agents to rejuvenate the skin.
Non-ablative skin rejuvenation, a non invasive alternative to laser resurfacing or surgery, provides a variety of cosmetic benefits with minimum downtime. Non-ablative therapies can improve skin texture, discoloration and scarring by using devices that deliver light or thermal energy or both, from various sources, including visible and infrared Lasers, IPL(Intense pulse light), LEDs and Radiofrequency energy sources. Ablative Laser resurfacing is associated with greater morbidity but is more effective. Fractional photo thermolysis technology allows for corrective ablative laser treatment with less downtime and greater patient comfort, however multiple treatments are necessary.
Surgical techniques such as blepharoplasty, brow lifts and facelifts are commonly used to reverse aging, but are associated with complications and significant recovery time. Non-surgical techniques used to correct the structural effects of aging include botulinum toxin injections, autologous fat transfer, and dermal fillers to restore soft tissue volume loss and improve facial contour. These techniques can be used alone or in combination with lasers to rejuvenate facial appearance.
Cosmetics have long been condemned as harmful to the skin. Do you agree to this notion?
The number of adverse reactions to skin care products and cosmetics is small, given the tremendous popularity and widespread use of these formulations. Yet dermatologists are called upon to identify the cause of an allergic reaction or irritant contact dermatitis related to product use. The incidence of irritant contact dermatitis is much higher than allergic contact dermatitis because any product can cause irritation when applied over a damaged skin. Cosmetic products may also produce contact urticaria, cutaneous stinging, phototoxic reactions and photo allergic reactions. Therefore one has to be careful about the quality of products one uses.
Thanks a lot for your valuable inputs and letting us know in detail about the various skin and hair care techniques while also giving us insights on cosmetology.
You are most welcome, the pleasure was all mine.