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 1^st sitting and may be a little more after the 2^nd 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 – 13^th September 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.

Dr. Pai, skincare expert for Zoom's International Face 2010

Dr. Jamuna Pai advising contestants at the Zoom International Face 2010

Twelve contestants came face-toface with the judges at the Grand finale of India’s International Face, held recently at The Westin in Mumbai. A Zoom initiative, the pan nation model hunt was for two faces that will represent India on the international fashion ramps at Milan and Paris.

The hunt began in May, with onground activities at colleges and malls in six cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Pune and Kolkata). This was followed by the regional auditions held locally there. The regional 24 winners were then brought to Mumbai for a 15 day grooming session with levels of eliminations built into the format.

Experts like Subi Samuel, Vikram Phadnis, Dr Jamuna Pai, Rukshana Eisa, Mickey Mehta, Hakim Aalim, Diana Hayden, Lubna Adams and Jesse Randhawa were involved in grooming and training them as per the international standards. Later, there were eliminations based on the contestants’ performance on the tasks given by the experts.

And finally the day arrived when two winners were crowned by the panel of judges — Gazi and Sangya Lakhanpal will get a chance to walk the ramps at the fashion weeks in Milan and Paris. Way to go!

Source: www.zoomtv.in

Link: http://www.zoomtv.in/videos/Indias-International-Face-by-zoOm/11426

Video URL:

Dr. Jamuna Pai at Allergan's Asia-Pacific Advisory Board Meeting in Melbourne, Australia

Dr. Jamuna Pai with fellow Advisory Board Members in Melbourne, Australia

Dr. Jamuna Pai was recently appointed to Allergan's Asia-Pacific Advisory Board which met at Melbourne, Australia to further increase awareness and set new protocols for their wonder drug-cosmetic, Botox and Juvederm dermal fillers.

"I am honored and excited to be a part of such a big institution and i'm sure i will be able to provide valuable inputs to increase awareness about India's potential as a market for medical aesthetics" said Dr. Pai who introduced Botox for the first time to India in the year 2000 through her clinics BLUSH and has been India's single largest injector of the lunchtime wrinkle remover ever since.

Dr. Pai has played an integral role in lifting prejudices that were commonly associated with Botox by having created 'Awareness and Acceptance' in the minds of thousands of Indians from every walk of life through the numerous workshops and seminars she has carried out in various cities throughout the country.

Now into their 11th year of association, Dr. Pai and Allergan are constantly coming up with new strategies to increase awareness of this wonder drug . This has nw led to the inception of the 'Botox Week', a joint initiative between Allergan India and Dr. Pai, held every couple of months at Blush, Dr. Pai's clinics. Botox now has become the most sought after cosmetic treatment accross the world, a status symbol once considered a taboo, all thanks to a few visionaries and entrepreneurs like Dr. Jamuna Pai.

Allergan Advisory Board - AsiaPacific Meeting was held in July 2010 at The Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, Australia

Your Face is your Fortune

Nature touches your life everyday from the clothes you wear to the products you eat or drink to those you use on your skin. When you use something which is natural and organic, it is a win-win situation for the environment — and for you! Interestingly, apart from herbal remedies and organic health and beauty products, there has been an increasing demand for a wide range of quality natural products that slow down the ageing process and help in anti-ageing treatments. So much so that the anti-ageing segment is currently the leading component of the aesthetics market in the world including India.
The Indian aesthetics market is set to attain high growth rates. Market projections see a 10 to 15 per cent surge in growth. And the good aspect is that people are beginning to believe in the magic of herbs and herbal compounds — that they have the ability to contribute to the entire spectrum especially when it comes to anti-ageing products. Says Raghu Kumar, Managing Director, Allergan Healthcare India, which launched their next-generation dermal filler portfolio, Juvederm Voluma to physicians and patients in India, “India is an interesting market for us as the demand for natural products especially in the anti-ageing segment is on the rise. Today, there is a much greater awareness about the benefits of using such products and the dangers of chemical ingredients.”

Says well-known Aesthetic Consultant and Cosmetologist, BLUSH, Dr. Jamuna Pai, “As the skin ages and loses volume, facial wrinkles and folds form. Natural products re-volume facial hollows and re-contour cheeks and cheekbones for a fuller and softer appearance. Since, the key ingredient in the dermal filler range is hyaluronic acid which is a naturally occurring, biodegradable complex sugar found in the human body, the malleable gel flows easily into the skin and creates a smooth, natural look and feel. It helps restore the balance of the face, making a person look younger and in time, feel more confident.”

Dermal fillers are used widely in aesthetic clinics to enhance facial aesthetics by addressing folds and wrinkles that develop as men and women age, predominantly in their mid-thirties and forties. The market is responding well towards these products that are natural as they are closest to human components and hence have minimal side effects.

In fact, anti-ageing is becoming a movement where the concept of medicine is shifting from treatment to prevention to promotion and wellness. Since, it’s all about your inner and outer health and rejuvenation, people do prefer natural products as they avoid any unnecessary complications.
Says Dr. Deepak Chaturvedi, the country’s leading specialist in anti-ageing medicine and Co-Founder of Anti Ageing Medicine and Research, India, “Yes. There is an obvious tendency for people to shift towards natural anti-ageing products. Education and awareness have also played a huge role in this. Anti-ageing products that are natural are more friendly to the human body. The side effect profile is very minimal as compared to products that contain chemicals. So much so that health professionals are also advocating this trend.”

For instance, Bio Identical hormones are becoming synonymous with the anti-ageing approach of medicine in the Western world that is now spreading across India at its own pace. “Being isomolecular with natural human hormones, these products are recognised as the body’s own products and thus the body responds to these hormones (phytohormones) as if they were produced by it,” adds Dr. Chaturvedi. Resveratrol, Carotenoids, Phaseolus vulgaris, Pycnogenol, nutraceuticals, grape seed extracts, pineapple extracts, neem, turmeric, henna, amla etc. are some popular ingredients used in anti-ageing treatments. And while they have the power to revitalise and rejuvenate, they are also environment friendly and safe!

So why not go natural to go green?

Featured in: Deccan Chronicle on the web

Date: July 1st, 2010

Link: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloids/your-face-your-fortune-271

Accessed On: 12th July 2010