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Beauty, at what cost?

Beauty comes easy these days, but be sure about what goes into every treatment, says HEMA VIJAY

IS IT REALLY HERBAL? Check out the contents before application

With beauty spas and parlours sprouting in every corner of the city, exotic beauty treatments are no longer the prerogative of the likes of Queen Cleopatra. With a mind-boggling range of options to choose from, and an equally incredible range of effects they promise, it is perhaps time to get ourselves acquainted with the basics of beauty treatments, the myths and facts of the scenario.

"There is no 100 per cent herbal bleach, at least none that can create instantaneous effects," says herbal beauty therapist Asha Gopikrishnan. The most trusted natural bleaching ingredients happen to be honey and lemon. The good news is these natural goodies work, but over a period of time. "As for the instantaneous bleaches, these concoctions contain ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, bleaching with which dries up the skin," Gopikrishnan adds. So, if you do opt for these instantaneous bleaches, be sure to follow it up with a facial, or at least with an application of a good toner or even ice (which happens to be a good, inexpensive toner). Do not directly apply moisturising lotions following a bleach. This will clog the skin's pores that had been opened while bleaching. In the kind of polluted environment that we live in today, these clogged pores trap dust and may spawn pimples.

Facial hair

Facial hair can be a painful nuisance, but never, ever, try to get rid of it by waxing your face. "Tearing off the wax strips from the face pulls your sensitive facial skin, and the skin never really gets right back in place as facial skin tends to loose collagen — the elasticity factor which keeps the skin supple, eventually resulting in sagging of facial skin," says beautician Nithya Raghuraman.

The most inexpensive and effective option to tackle facial hair is threading, which when done repeatedly over a period of time minimises the growth of facial hair. After threading, tone the skin with lotion based toners or ice. "Like instant herbal bleaches, instant herbal dyes are a myth (with the exception of henna and amla combination, which bestow a brown-red hue to hair over a period of time). All instantaneous dyes contain para phenelyne diamine (PPD), continuous use of which can lead to cancer," elaborates Asha Gopikrishnan. So, use these dyes judiciously. If you have to dye your hair with these instantaneous dyes, be sure to take a henna treatment for your hair 15 days preceding the dye treatment. This way, your hair gets coated with a layer of protein that protects to some extent the inner layers from the effects of the PPD in the dye, suggests Gopikrishnan. While applying, ensure that the dye is spread only on the hair, taking care to never let it touch your scalp. Then again, these days, some of the henna products available in the market too contain PPD additives; so make sure that the henna powder you get is the true, pure stuff.

Collagen facials are now in the news. "But remember, collagen treatment works only when it is injected into the skin well below the epidermis and the dermis of the skin. Collagen cream based facials do not have the capacity to penetrate these layers of the skin," says beautician Kamala Sampath.

Collagen injections can keep wrinkles and crow's feet at bay, but only temporarily. The effect wears off in a few months. The sun may be the motor that runs our world, but it has a definite negative effect on the skin. "Sunscreen lotions do help. But the effect lasts for only about a couple of hours, and requires constant reapplication. Besides, you need to apply sunscreens half an hour before you step into the sun's gaze for sunscreens to be really absorbed and work," says Nithya Raghuraman. So, sunscreen or no sunscreen, be sure to adequately cover your face when you have to step out into the sun. Avoid exposing your skin to sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun is at its fiercest best.

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