Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Beauty Beyond 50

It is said that ‘age’ is all in the mind. But what about the stark reality that stares you in the face from your mirror where you see a receding hairline, a much bigger waistline than you would have wished, deep wrinkles and a jowl that you would rather not have! Yes, as you get more and more successful professionally and start reaching the upper echelons of your career, the body works in the reverse. The BMR (basal metabolic rate) or the ability of the body to burn calories slows down, the hormones in women play havoc, with the result that they are landed with very dry and patchy skin, stubborn pigmentation, unwanted coarse hair on their face, deep wrinkles, weight gain.

Add to this the other adjustments in life they have to undergo with their ‘dear daughters’ parting from them after marriage and the daughters-in-law coming in and changing the dynamics of the family. These changes make the body and mind very vulnerable and if one does not anticipate these or are not forewarned, one tends to find the 50’s very trying.

I believe that ‘every phase of our life is the best phase to be in’ and therefore I take joy in every ‘milestone’ year of my life. I am shortly about to become a grandmother but that does not stop me from trying to retain my figure, wearing jeans, highlighting my hair besides working long hours, balancing home life and relationships. After all I firmly believe that life is all about relationships. But I cannot imagine looking in the mirror and seeing a fat me without a waistline, a patchy pigmented skin on the face, grey hair and a slump in my gait. I would rather not be alive. But without getting to extremes I would say that it is very important to look good, to feel good.

Lifestyle changes become the singlemost important change that one has to bring about.

This includes the right kind of diet, regular exercise, nutritional supplements, mental relaxation through yoga & meditation, being involved in hobbies or social activities and following a simple anti ageing skin care regime. The diet would entail frequent meals at regular intervals low in oil and refined sugar. It should contain whole grain, pulses, fish, eggs, milk and milk products, lean meat, unsalted nuts, fruits especially the citric ones and those of a rich, deep colour as they are rich in antioxidants ( they flush the free radicals and toxins out of the body) and alcohol intake is best limited to red wine.

Regular exercise or at least a walk 4-5 times a week will go a long way in maintaining a sense of well being in you. Always consult your physician before you undertake any physical activity. Exercise always rushes more fresh blood containing nutrients and oxygen and flushes away the toxins from the whole body. The exercise you choose depends on your age, your health, your time available. This in combination with a little mental relaxation (yoga or meditation) can form an ideal workout pattern that promises to keep you healthy and happy.

Nutritional supplements are essential after the age of 40 as the body uses up all the natural reserves by then and to compensate for all the systemic changes that occur with age. A good combination of B complex, antioxidants, calcium, Omega-3 fatty acids, iron or folic acid supplements should suffice in normal individuals.

Coming back to “ looking good after 50”, is a state of mind, I believe if the lifestyle is good and the thought process is right, one can be sure that one feels good. Add to it a little skin care regime which will include ‘an always application’ of a sunscreen 2-3 times a day, cleansing, moisturizing and exfoliation of the skin, and a night care regime which would consist of proper cleansing and the use of active anti ageing and anti pigmentation ingredients in the night cream or serum. Keeping the basal metabolic rate up and the weight down is important to remain trim. A good hair cut from a professional can make a huge difference to your morale.

An issue of mind over matter, there are lots of little measures one can take that can infuse the much needed feel good factor back into your life without having to resort to drastic measures.

Dr. Jamuna Pai


Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Tips for the Bride and Groom to be


As the bridal season draws closer, every bride and bridegroom to be want to ensure that they are at their personal bests for the biggest event of their lives. The most elaborate wedding lehengas and the most extravagant jewellery pale if the wearer appears unkempt or sloppy.

To avoid any wedding day disasters it is essential that you make yourself a lifestyle, fitness and beauty routine a few months in advance and stick to it. To make sure that you are only indulging in treatments, therapies and fitness routines that are in no way harmful to your body, it is best to consult with an expert. The amount of skincare products out there can be daunting and confusion about what’s good for you and what isn’t is rampant. It’s important to properly understand your skin and what it needs before embarking on any kind of cosmetology adventure. So do ensure that you put your skin in the hands of an experienced and qualified doctor.

Some of the most common problems plaguing brides and bridesgroom include pigmentation, acne and acne scarring. But going beyond the obvious there are a variety of concerns that can be addressed such as sweaty underarms that leave unsightly stains on clothes, thin or crinkled lips, a square jaw line, uneven nasal flares etc.. Fortunately for us, there is now a simple solution for all these problems that doesn’t involve having to go under the knife or any painful procedures. Most of the treatments have negligible down time and routine activities can be continued all throughout the duration of the treatment.

PIGMENTATION

There are various AHA peels which help in lightening the skin and acne scars, but at Blush there is an exclusive super skin lightening peel which is perfect if any old accident scars, acne scars or pigmentation problems need to be taken care of.

The results are almost immediate but best results are seen after 3 weeks with 1 week of mild peeling. The treatment consists of two phases; the first– that must be carried out at a Blush clinic under the watchful eye of our qualified doctors–involves the application of a ‘professional’ cream which is much like a facial mask that is left on the face for a short period (6-8 hours). Following this, is the use of a post-treatment home care maintenance cream that preserves the luminosity and glow of the skin coupled with the use of a good sun block during the day. Besides skin lightening by 2-3 shades or more, this treatment also improves texture and makes the skin glow. Stubborn pigmentation is lightened by more than 60 % with the 1st sitting and may be a little more after the 2nd sitting. The best part about this peel is that there is no restriction at all to sunlight even whilst the skin is peeling and the treatment or the post- care is free of any steroids or hydroquinone..

The skin lightening peel is free of any side effects and guarantees fantastic results.

ACNE SCARS

Acne scars do need proper treatment to bring about the skin repair. Microdermabrasion does help, but very marginally. For deeper scare one of the following treatments will prove most effective.

1) Subcision: This works best for scars with a broad base. After numbing the area, a needle is pushed and turned around under the ‘pit’ where the scar tissue is maximum. This will cause a pool of blood under the scar and frees it from the old scar tissue. With time, the new collagen formation will push up the base of this scar. After total healing, another session can be carried out.

2) Fraxel: This is the new generation fractional laser that resurfaces the underlying scar tissue without breaking open the overlying skin. 4-6 sittings are required at an interval of 3-5 weeks.

3) Dermal fillers: to even out deep pits or as a last resort to other treatments as a final step, dermal fillers do the trick. Highly sophisticated hyaluronic acid ( the ground substance of your own skin) is used as the filler material and with the help of a very fine needle each ‘ pit’ is lifted up by the material injected to the surface level. The result is instantaneous with no downtime.

EXCESSIVE SWEATING OR HYPERHIDROSIS

Excessive perspiration can definitely be a cause of embarrassment. You need to bathE at least twice daily. Dust an antifungal powder, not just in your underarms after bath, but in all body folds too. You can also use antiperspirant deodorants containing aluminium chloride, but it is not advisable to use them for too long, as it can be an irritant to the skin. Another good option is to undergo a Botox treatment for excessive perspiration in the underarm. With a few tiny pricks, botox will be injected at certain points in the axilla of maximum sweat gland concentration and you will be relieved of this problem for as long as 6-8 months, after which you can go for another session. An anaesthetic numbing gel is used so there is minimal pain and absolutely no downtime.

Featured in : India Se Magazine, Singapore

Dr. Jamuna Pai on 'What it takes to be a Beauty Queen'


I have been a part of many expert panels for beauty pageants over the years and though each year the set of girls I train and talk to are very different from each other my advice to them always remains the same. However, compared to even 10 years ago, beauty pageants are a lot tougher and more competitive today. So to win the crown you will definitely need that extra know-how and poise.

Discipline is the first and most important part of any winner’s routine. You must get your lifestyle into a good routine with a healthy diet and exercise plan, adequate sleep and appropriate beauty regime. Complement your diet with nutraceuticals such as evening primrose, anti oxidants, calcium and iron to make sure you look and feel your best. Every pageant normally has its own team of experts who guide and coach the girls. So do make the most of your sessions with the diet and fitness trainers who will put you on a correct and healthy path. Remember that starving is not an option. You must eat right and work out right if you want to truly shine.

Next come the skin and hair. Once again, your sleep, diet and exercise patterns play a very large hand in how your skin and hair will look. But a consultation with an expert will you give that extra edge. Rectify and correct any skin or facial problems or asymmetries. It’s very surprising and heartening to see what medical sciences are capable of doing without much pain, no downtime and reasonable costs.

Make sure that your wardrobe is well looked after too. Dress in styles and colours that flatter you and do not have the opposite effect. It isn’t essential for you to dress in the most recent trends if they do not suit you. It is far better to create your own individual style based on what complements your skin, figure and personality.

Apart from all this, it is essential that your personality match the way you look. Your physical appearances alone will fall flat and are not enough to take you through the pageant and win you the crown. You must be of a sunny disposition, with a kind word and a ready smile at all times. Be gracious to your opponents and always remember that confidence is the key word.

PAYING FOR "LIP SERVICE"


A lot of teenage girls are undergoing lip augmentation to look sexy among peers...

Luscious and beautiful lips have always been synonymous with youth and sex appeal. And while men drool over the fuller lips of Angelina Jolie, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif, beautiful lips are fast becoming a craze among teenage girls who are opting to undergo lip augmentation.~

~According to Dr. Jamuna Pai what makes the procedure more popular is its low “down-time”. “Patients can continue with their daily activities in just 24 hours after the process and in some cases within 2-4 hours” she says, adding that the low cost of the procedure (anywhere between Rs. 6,000 – 20,000) also makes it an attractive option. “Also the process does not include any incision as the fluid (most commonly hyaluronic acid gel) is inserted using tiny needles.

The procedure that was common among young aspiring models, beauty pageant participants and even wannabe filmstars, has lately been picked up by girls with a lack of self esteem. “A lot of them undergo cosmetic procedures because of peer pressure to look sensual. While a breast job, hairline treatment or a nose job continue to be in demand, lip augmentation is the latest in thing,” she says.

Eighteen year old Rosemary a college student got her lips augmented because she wasn’t confident of her thin lips. “I have beautiful eyes but I used to feel that my lips were not beautiful. Now i have beautiful lips too,” she says.

Featured in Asian Age, Mumbai

Date – 13th September 2010



Monday, September 6, 2010

How to keep your skin looking 20 all your life


Ageing has never been easier on the body or on the mind than it is now and for those of us lucky enough to be privy to the newest wonders in the world of anti ageing, looking like a perfectly air brushed image isn’t just a pipe dream. Luckily enough maintaining your youth and beauty do not necessarily equal to painful procedures and treatments.

With the cosmetic industry coming up with various treatments every day, it is possible for all to be able to not just reverse the signs of aging, but also maintain it that way. In fact, if started to care for early as advised below, it is possible to keep your skin looking healthy as it is in the age span of 20s.

  • A healthy lifestyle goes a long way in determining the health of your skin. This should include a well-balanced diet, 2-3 liters of water and 7-8hours of sleep daily.
  • Regular exercise is a must. This helps in improving the blood circulation and the oxygenation of your skin.
  • A sunscreen should always be used on the skin at least twice daily at an interval of a few hours, irrespective of the SPF and the climatic conditions.
  • A moisturizer should be applied on your skin at night. It is a good idea to use a repair agent under the moisturizer (as repair agents have strong active ingredients, it should only be used on advice of your doctor).
  • For a skin prone to acne, a cleanup done once every 4-6 weeks helps in exfoliating the dead cells, but should be done under an anti-biotic cover under the supervision of your doctor.
  • For normal to dry skin a facial once a month helps in hydrating the skin. Also the face massage included in a facial, helps in improving the blood circulation to the skin and thus rejuvenates it.
  • Procedures like Botox and Dermal Fillers are very good tools to correct facial lines and wrinkles and restoring lost volume to the face. If done by a qualified doctor, it can help in lifting off as much as 10 years from your face, depending on your age.
  • Anti-aging treatment like Thermage, is another non-surgical option to get a much tighter, firmer and younger looking skin.
  • There are various chemical peels which can be done to lighten the skin, reduce pigmentation spots and acne scars, and some are just for skin rejuvenation. But these peels again should be done after a proper skin analysis and under medical supervision.
  • Lastly, one can include certain nutritional supplements to further enhance the quality of skin and general well-being as well. Anti-oxidants, Vitamin C supplements and oil capsules help in fighting the accumulation of free radicals in our system thus preventing premature ageing.

With a little bit of discipline, it is indeed possible to keep your skin glowing and youthful all through your life.