We crunch the numbers (and the pain factor) in our new series tallying the cost of beauty

We’ve all been there: standing in the shower, dull razor in hand, trying to squeeze in one more shave before replacing the pricey blade, picturing the inevitable nicks and razor burn coming our way, and thinking “There must be a better way!” Of course, there are other options to our daily encounter with the blade, but are they better? We broke down the three most popular hair removal methods — shaving, waxing, and laser — to see who comes out on top for least time and money spent, and the lowest pain factor. Check out the breakdown below and tell us what your method of choice is.

trends 2

Source: http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/blog/shaving-vs-waxing-vs-laser-whats-cost-li?lc=nw0012&utm_campaign=scoop_130820&utm_source=TB_Email&utm_medium=email

We've all been there: standing in the shower, dull razor in hand, trying to squeeze in one more shave before replacing the pricey blade, picturing the inevitable nicks and razor burn coming our way, and thinking "There must be a better way!"

With the changing weather, you also have to change your skin care routine. The damp and humid weather takes a toll on your skin – no matter what your skin type is. Pollution, dirt, grime and the harmful UV rays of the sun are the main reasons why your skin is prone to damage during the rainy season.

Says Dr. Abhijit Desai, makeover expert and dermatologist, Evolve Medspa, “It is extremely important to take care of your skin during the rains. Even though the temperature is cooler, a whole new set of problems -greasy skin, flaky itching skin and acne are common at this time.”

Oily skin
Even though the summer heat is almost gone, facial skin tends to become oily due to the humid weather. Says Desai, “Those with oily skin should be extremely careful during the monsoons. The skin tends to get oilier and eventually lead to breakouts.”

If you have oily skin, make sure to use a light-weight moisturiser after bath. Scrub your face twice in a week to remove dirt and grime. Before stepping out in the sun, apply a water or a gel-based sunscreen with an SPF 30, to avoid tanning. Use a floral toner before bedtime to keep your skin hydrated. Opt for light-weight and water-proof make-up during this time.

Dry skin
If you have dry skin, during the monsoons, your skin tends to get drier and dehydrated. Says beauty expert, VLCC, Dr Swati Srivastava, “If you have dry skin, you need to be cautious at this time. The skin tends to get flaky and itchy. Use a good moisturising lotion or cream to keep your skin healthy and nourished.” Use a heavy-weight sunscreen with SPF 30 or more before you step out.

Cleansing the skin is extremely important for those with dry skin. Use a cream based cleanser to keep your skin hydrated and an alcohol-free toner to keep it moisturised. During the monsoons, foundations work best for those with dry skin. Opt for water-proof make-up.

Combination skin
You have a tricky skin type – a combination of both dry and oily. The T-zone (forehead, nose and chin are mostly oily than the rest of the
face). Says cosmetic dermatologist, Dr Chytra V Anand, “For those with combination skin, cleansing is extremely important. Make sure to use a gentle moisturising non-soap cleanser to strip away excess oil while also moisturising and hydrating the dry areas on the skin.”
Scrub your face at least twice a week to remove dust and blackheads. Says Desai, “Moisturise twice in a day with a light-weight moisturiser and make sure to apply a gel-based sunscreen with an SPF 15 or more, before going out in the sun.” While choosing make-up, make sure you opt for the mineral range, as this works the best for combination skin.

Tips for healthy skin

  • There is a lot of humidity in the atmosphere during the monsoon and the climate keeps changing – make sure you stay hydrated during this time.
  • Beauty is not restricted to external application only. Make sure you are eating right. Says Srivastava, “Include vitamin E and Omega 3 in your diet. These nutrients are rich in oils and will keep your skin nourished. It is advisable to take vitamin C during the monsoons to
    boost your resistance against diseases.”
  • Avoid wearing heavy make-up. Opt for the sweat-proof or water-proof products.
  • Cleansing is important during the monsoons. The high humidity can cause sweat to run in rivulets over your face. This creates a build-up of dirt, dust and grime along with other toxins on the surface of your skin.
  • Dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad says, “Moisturise your skin religiously by using moisturisers with natural ingredients like coconuts, as they penetrate deep into the skin and get absorbed quickly, making the skin feel moisturised and fresh.”
  • This is the time to go in for detox facials to help drain the body lymphatic and toxins. Exfoliating the skin is necessary to get rid of the dead layers of cells on your skin.

Monsoon skin problems
Don’t forget, skin infections are very common during the monsoons. Fungal and bacterial infections are dangerous. Says Dr Mohan Thomas, Sr. Cosmetic Surgeon, Breach Candy Hospital, “Use an anti-fungal powder on all body folds to avoid any infection.” Other skin infections include – rashes, ringworms and discolouration of skin due to the harmful UV rays of the sun.

Source: http://idiva.com/news-style-beauty/a-guide-to-monsoon-skincare/13379

With the changing weather, you also have to change your skin care routine. The damp and humid weather takes a toll on your skin - no matter what your skin type is. Pollution, dirt, grime and the harmful UV rays of the sun are the main reasons why your skin is prone to damage during the rainy season.

1. Targeted treatments and “cheat products” are two of the fastest-moving areas of anti-aging skincare. Eye wrinkle fi llers from La Prairie and RoC have become popular. Also on trend is Kiehl’s Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler, which contains hyaluronic acids, peptides, polymers and silica and promises to minimize the look of wrinkles by 85% within four weeks.

2. Stem cell technology is in its infancy in skincare. The biggest hurdle facing this category is confusion. Stem cell creams and lotions do not contain human stem cells (that’s illegal), nor do they make new cells grow. Products like Amatokin Emulsion and the Lancôme Precious Cells range use specific ingredients that help to keep the body’s own skin cells active for longer.

3. It’s all in the genes. Personal care giants P&G, L’Oréal and J&J have spent billions on genome research to find out how the skin responds to ageing, stress and pollution at the molecular level. Nearly all of the creams and serums on the market, from Lancôme Genifi que Youth Activating Concentrate to L’Oréal Youth Code Rejuvenating Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream, work by identifying key proteins and genes that age poorly, and use ingredients like Pro-Xylane to nurture them.

4. Performance is a big selling point, so expect more roller ball applicators, airless dispensers that reduce the need for preservatives, and two-phase products that dispense two components in one pump – usually a serum and a moisturizer.

5. The term “dermatologically tested” is biting the dust. All it means is a product won’t bring most people out in a rash. “Clinically tested” will become the norm as women look for assurance that a product can deliver on the benefits it promises.

6. Watch out for more research into the effects of hormonal changes. As women approach menopause, their skin becomes drier, thinner and loses volume. We’re already seeing a new breed of ultra-hydrating moisturizers. Super-charged re-plumpers are on the drawing board too.

7. Cell repair that helps skin stay younger looking for longer has become a major trend. After years of using topical solutions to improve wrinkles, cosmetic companies from Olay to Lancôme are now using ingredients such as peptides and retinol that are proven to encourage the skin’s own mechanisms to create more collagen fi bres, and protect existing ones from damage.

8. A recent major trend has seen a crop of creams promising to curb facial slackening by firming and smoothing the jawline, face and neck – such as the RoC Complete Lift range, Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream, and Lancôme Rénergie Lift Volumetry Lifting & Shaping Cream. Most contain ingredients like caffeine that contract the skin’s surface.

9. Scientists are working on how epigenetic theory affects the skin. It’s a relatively new line of thought that argues that the genes of your skin and body can be affected by the diet, smoking habits, pollutant exposure and obesity levels of your parents and grandparents. It will be a tough call for cosmetic companies to convince people that their product claims are believable.

10. Women were once content to wait a month for anti-ageing moisturisers to “work”. No more. There’s been a major increase in time/speed claims as companies reboot their products with polymers to smooth the skin on contact, and brighteners and light diffusers to claim that skin looks visibly better in as little as seven days.

Source: http://www.rdasia.com/10-skincare-trends#sthash.paEKb7Au.9mbYyRgl.dpuf

1. Targeted treatments and “cheat products” are two of the fastest-moving areas of anti-aging skincare. Eye wrinkle fi llers from La Prairie and RoC have become popular. Also on trend is Kiehl’s Double Strength Deep Wrinkle Filler, which contains hyaluronic acids, peptides, polymers and silica and promises to minimize the look of wrinkles by 85% within four weeks.

Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have determined the role of a key growth factor, found in skin cells of limited quantities in humans, that helps hair follicles form and regenerate during the wound healing process. This growth factor, Fgf9, is initially secreted from gamma delta T cells, an unconventional, rare subset of T cells involved in the immune response. Once released, Fgf9 serves as the catalyst for a signal sent via the dermal Wnt pathway. The signal prompts further expression of Fgf9 in structural cells called fibroblasts, and adds to the generation of new hair follicles. Researchers believe that this growth factor could be used therapeutically for people with various hair and scalp disorders. The study appears in an advance online publication of Nature Medicine. (Credit: George Cotsarelis and Elsa Treffeisen/Penn Medicine)

Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have determined the role of a key growth factor, found in skin cells of limited quantities in humans, that helps hair follicles form and regenerate during the wound healing process. This growth factor, Fgf9, is initially secreted from gamma delta T cells, an unconventional, rare subset of T cells involved in the immune response. Once released, Fgf9 serves as the catalyst for a signal sent via the dermal Wnt pathway. The signal prompts further expression of Fgf9 in structural cells called fibroblasts, and adds to the generation of new hair follicles. Researchers believe that this growth factor could be used therapeutically for people with various hair and scalp disorders. The study appears in an advance online publication of Nature Medicine. (Credit: George Cotsarelis and Elsa Treffeisen/Penn Medicine)

Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvaniahave determined the role of a key growth factor, found in skin cells of limited quantities in humans, which helps hair follicles form and regenerate during the wound healing process. When this growth factor, called Fgf9, was overexpressed in a mouse model, there was a two- to three-fold increase in the number of new hair follicles produced. Researchers believe that this growth factor could be used therapeutically for people with various hair and scalp disorders. The study appears in an advance online publication of Nature Medicine.

“The findings help explain why humans don’t regenerate their hair after wounding,” said senior author George Cotsarelis, MD, professor and chair of Dermatology. “The study also points us to a way to treat wounds and grow hair.”

Following up on earlier work, which showed that increased signaling from the Wnt pathway doubled the number of new hair follicles, the Penn team looked further upstream in the pathway and identified an important cascade of signals that prompt further expression, as well as perpetuate and amplify signals sent during a crucial phase of hair-follicle regeneration.

Fgf9 is initially secreted from gd T cells, an unconventional, rare subset of T cells involved in the immune response. Once released, Fgf9 serves as the catalyst for a signal sent via the dermal Wnt pathway. The signal prompts further expression of Fgf9 in structural cells called fibroblasts, and adds to the generation of new hair follicles.

When a wound occurs in an adult person, hair follicle growth is blocked and the skin heals with a scar. However, hair does regenerate to a great extent in the wound-healing process in mice. The team compared how the process works in adult mice versus humans. Humans have low numbers of gd T cells in their skin compared to mice, and this may explain why human skin scars but does not regenerate hair follicles.

In adult mice, the amount of Fgf9 secreted modulates hair-follicle regeneration after wounding. When Fgf9 was reduced, there was a decrease in wound-induced hair follicle growth. Conversely, when Fgf9 was increased, there was a two- to three-fold increase in the number of new hair follicles, equal to the amount seen in the mice expressing Wnt. Importantly, when the investigators added Fgf9 back to the wounds that do not normally regenerate, FGF9 triggered the molecular cascade of events necessary for skin and hair regeneration; thus, leaving the door open for using Fgf9 to treat wounds and hair loss in people.

The Penn team suggests that, given the differences in skin development and regeneration in response to wounding, treatments intended to compensate for the lack of Fgf9 may be most effective if timed with a wounding response. “Testing activators of Fgf9 or Wnt pathways during the wound healing process may be warranted,” they stated.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (R01AR46837, P30AR057217, RO1AR055309, R01HL105732, T32AR007465), the Edwin and Fannie Gray Hall Center for Human Appearance at Penn Medicine, and The Dermatology Foundation.

Additional collaborators on the research include co-lead authors Denise Gay and Ohsang Kwon, Zhikun Zhang, Michelle Spata, Maksim V Plikus, Phillip D. Holler, Zaixin Yang, Elsa Treffeisen, Arben Nace, X Zhang, Sheena Baratono and Sarah E. Millar from Penn’s Department of Dermatology, along with collaborators from New York University Langone Medical Center (Mayumi Ito), Seoul National University College of Medicine, Chungnam National University in Daejeon, Korea, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, and Washington University School of Medicine.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130602144327.htm

Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvaniahave determined the role of a key growth factor, found in skin cells of limited quantities in humans, which helps hair follicles form and regenerate during the wound healing process.