That melancholy virus always takes a hold of me just before the New Year. It is such a cliché phrase, but how time flies! When I was telling a journalist recently that I have four children, I suddenly realised that they aren’t so little anymore. My oldest is at secondary school now and regularly borrows my shoes…which I’m not always so happy about!
My blog is not so young anymore either: I wrote my first one 6 years ago in 2009. Even though I have the impression that, over the last few years, people are becoming more and more conscious about their choice of skincare products, there is still a lot of work to be done in ridding the world of all these cosmetics myths. As I believe that I will one day succeed, I would like to share with you an interview I gave for Gezond-nu, about myths and facts in the cosmetics world.
In my previous blog I promised to bring you some Oats Do-it-yourself tips. Oatmeal contains lots of different active properties, making it very versatile. You’ll discover this if you search the internet; oatmeal is used for treating athlete’s foot, chicken pox, insect bites, itching, eczema, dry skin, allergic reactions, ichthyosis, sun burn and skin irritation from using Vitamin A Acid (research).
I often think back to my time in the Dermatology unit at the Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam. It was heart breaking to see the children covered from top to toe in ointment and bandages. They were in a lot of discomfort from the itching and had to wear special gloves to stop them from scratching their skin and damaging it even further. How awful! Eczema is a rotten illness and sadly more and more people are suffering from it: 10-20% of children and around 6% of adults suffer. Fortunately, not always as serious as the children that I saw but it is still awful. I am going to talk about eczema today and what you can do to soothe your skin.
Isn’t it just awful when you are running late, you take one last look in the mirror and you notice lots of tiny bits of peel on those beautifully glossed lips! And if your lipstick is red then there is no escaping the drama… I am now going to tell you how dry lips happen but, far more importantly, how you can resolve the issue.
After my medical training, when I became absorbed in skincare and cosmetic products, I had just come out of my acne stage. I was so pleased with that even, smooth skin! A few years later I become pregnant and the enjoyment was over. The changing hormone levels didn’t help my skin at all and I had problems with Rosacea and pigmentation spots. So, I clearly didn’t belong to the group of women whose skin glows during pregnancy. My youngest son is now seven, my oldest will be going to the Secondary school this year and when I look in the mirror I see once again, a fine calm skin. I hope that I am able to enjoy it before the menopause throws a spanner in the works. Because the menopause will definitely leave its mark on your skin…
I cannot help but write again about the cleansing of your face. Good cleansing is an essential step in your skincare regime and, sadly, I see countless problems in people who either cleanse too often or use the wrong products. A properly cleansed skin glows, is well hydrated with minimal risk of blocked pores and spots. Skin which isn’t well cleansed (or over cleansed) will look dull, dry or just very greasy and irritated. Over- zealous cleansing not only disrupts the skin’s barrier function, but it also wipes out all sorts of bacteria which maintain your skins healthy condition. The balance between too much and too little cleansing is very fine and, to complicate things further, differs from person to person.
I can imagine only too well that it can make you break out in a sweat when trying to quickly scan through hundreds of ingredients lists whilst a sales assistant, full of well intended but not always useful advice, is distracting you. I am going to give you a few tips which will ensure that, in no time (well, before closing time, at least), you have come away from the shop with a fine product, or better still a tester. For convenience we are going to begin with the face cream; the Cleanser, Toner, Exfoliant and sun protection cream will follow soon…..
My “Smear it all over” campaign is aimed at raising awareness to parents and children of the importance of sun protection. Unprotected exposure to ultra violet rays (UVR) during childhood increases the risk of developing skin cancer in later life.
It always happens; your skin is smooth and radiant for weeks and then you wake up on that all important day with a pimple on your nose. And if it isn’t a pimple, then the bags under your eyes (not had enough sleep), red patches, dry flaky skin, or the peeling skin on your lips can considerably spoil your fun.
Here I am again! A bit later than normal, but this time I’ve got a good excuse. You see, I had to go to Miami for the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. This meeting is held once a year and you really need to attend it if you want to know the latest news in the field of (Cosmetic) Dermatology.