By Isabel Ovalle
The moment we are born, we start ageing. It’s obvious, but as time goes by, it becomes more difficult to accept. Nevertheless, good sense, cosmetics and modern products and techniques can help maintain healthy and youthful looking skin.
The skin is the largest organ of the human body and it protects us from physical and chemical harm. The sun, heat and pollution damage the skin and, with the summer already here and temperatures gradually rising, it is imperative to be cautious and shield ourselves from ultraviolet radiation.
Major signs of ageing such as pigmentation and uneven tone are caused by the sun. Sunlight has a major role in causing freckles and brown spots.
Doctor Jameel Sayed, a dermatologist at Aster Medical Center, explained that there were six skin groups. “The first one is very fair, like that of former tennis player Boris Becker, with no pigmentation and a high chance of suffering skin affections caused by ultraviolet rays,” said the expert.
At the other end of the list are black people who, due to their high level of pigmentation, are naturally more protected against the sun. The rest of the skin types comprise a variety of skin tones, with the darker ones less likely to suffer skin cancer or wrinkles.
Sayed said sunscreen should be used not just by those who worked outdoors. “During July and August, I have treated construction workers completely burned after hours of working at 45 or 50 degrees Celsius,” he added.
Some of his other patients suffer from allergy to sunlight or hyper-pigmentation. Nevertheless, the doctor stated that most of these problems could be treated with modern techniques, such as use of bleaching agents, “which definitely decrease pigmentation”, or “very effective” laser treatments.
Even if there is no problem with the sun, as the years go by, it becomes important to take care of the skin, for both men and women. Su-Man, a facial expert based in Britain who regularly offers her services at W Hotel, said her philosophy was to purify, energize and nourish, “creating skin that instantly looks and feels reborn, whatever your age or skin type.”
“In my experience, many regimes focus only on purifying and nourishing the skin, missing the vital energizing step,” she clarified.
She, therefore, has aimed to create a three-step skincare programme.
Being a farm girl, Su-Man knows the power of nature. She is also “a dancer driven by precision and freedom, a shiatsu therapist who knows the power of chi, a Pilates instructor who understands balance, and a facialist passionate about transforming women’s lives,” she added.
She has combined all her knowledge and experiences to create what she calls the Su-man Skin sculpting and reawakening facial. “I use my own specially created skin products, which will be available to the public from September this year. It’s the essence of me, so it cannot be found anywhere else in the world, let alone Doha,” she stated.
Her regime purifies, energizes and nourishes the skin to repair, combat and delay the signs of ageing. The first step is to purify, by repairing ageing signs by deep-cleaning and exfoliating skin, providing a fresh, cleansed base for energizing.
When energizing, the key is to combat ageing by awakening, reactivating and lifting skin at the cellular level, providing an illuminated, enlivened complexion, ready for nourishing. The last phase is to nourish, delaying ageing by replenishing the skin’s firmness, softness and elasticity, for a beautifully conditioned, luminous complexion.
It is mostly middle-aged women who go for these kinds of treatments, but women in their twenties also use them to recover from the ravages of their busy professional lives. Young women in Qatar, both expatriates and locals, take care of their skin using the available products suitable for their age and needs.
For Megan Larsen, founder of Sodashi natural skin products, natural products are the best option. Use of these products, made with ingredients like rosewood, centella, carrot and neroli oil, should be paired with regular exercise, water and healthy food, she says. The impact of love and happiness on skin health must not be underrated either, because “it shows”, says Larsen.
With knowledge of aromatherapy, biochemistry and Ayurveda, Larsen realised long ago that the chemicals in skincare products were harmful, and began creating products that were not only 100 percent chemical-free, but also produced remarkable results.
