On 01 Oct, 2022, Seniors Today hosted their weekly Health Live Webinars with Dr Kalpana Sarangi, a leading dermatologist, and Head of the Dermatology Department at the Nanavati Max Hospital, Mumbai. Dr Sarangi spoke on and answered questions on Skin Care for Seniors.
Dr. Kalpana Sarangi is a qualified M.D. in Skin. She started as a dermatologist and subsequently established herself as the Head of the Cosmetology Centre at Mumbai’s Nanavati Max Hospital. She has nearly three decades of experience. She is among the few qualified Skin Specialists in India to have established as a Cosmetic-Dermatologist.
She has to her credit more than 100 published articles in Indian and International Journals and also co-authored ‘Textbook and Atlas of Dermato-surgery and Cosmetology’, ‘Manual of Dermatology Surgery’, etc. She is a recipient of two Gold Medals at National Level to her credit.
Since the last 2 decades, the awareness around skin care has multiplied multi fold and the credit goes to social media, print media, etc.
You should either use a non alcohol based sanitiser or aloe vera or moisture based sanitiser or best is to wash your hands with soap and water.
Since covid hit us, and we grew accustomed to wearing masks, some people developed skin pigmentation, allergic contact dermatitis, others who worked in hot environments while wearing a mask developed acne as well.
Acne, allergic contact dermatitis, cyst dermatitis and pigmentation was seen which was induced by the masks.
Good skin is a reflection of our inner health.
Skin wellness and its care can be done only if you know about your skin, your skin type, what our skin needs, seek expert advice while choosing the types of soaps and cosmetics we use.
Sometimes we tend to inadvertently use a lot of products that we do not require for our skin or which are too harsh for it or sometimes even detrimental.
Ageing of the skin starts around the age of 25. Ageing is a natural part of getting older. As soon as we are born, our skin starts to respond and change according to 2 factors:
- Intrinsic- natural, this includes the genetics, decrease in collagen in women during menopause, etc
- Extrinsic- sun damage, smoking, stress, poor nutrition, pollution
Some signs of ageing will include:
- Dry and rough skin
- Dull skin
- Appearance of dark spots and fine lines
- Spots on your face
- Pigmentation
- Loss of firmness of the skin
- Your natural oil will be reduced
- Before the wrinkles and the lines appear, you’ll see these changes in your skin.
Having a holistic approach to your skin helps preserve it for longer. Making unhealthy choices can lead to premature ageing.
With ageing, there is overproduction of free radicals which causes ageing. Free radicals are also produced by sun damage, excessive smoking, pollution damage.
The sun is the biggest problem in a country like ours. It is not just the damage caused by the UV rays of the sun, it is also the UV rays produced by the computer screen, sitting in a room which is very brightly lit, staring at your mere bole screens for too long, prolonged exposure to heat while cooking, etc.
A few things that you can do to avoid premature ageing:
- Avoid the sun and the damage caused by it but also expose yourself to some sunlight between 0900 hrs to 1000hrs, so you can get your Vit D. Avoid going out in the sun between 1200 hrs to 1600 hrs. And if you HAVE to go out, carry an umbrella, wear a cap or a hat and always wear sunscreen.
- Photo protection is a must for people who have sensitive skin. You should use a sunscreen which has both a UV A and a UV V protection and physical protection which includes full sleeves, caps, hats, umbrellas, etc.
- If you’re an outdoor person your sunscreen should have an SPF of 30 or 50
The products that your should use on the exposed parts of your skin such as your face, neck and hands:
- Gentle cleanser
- Toner
- Moisturiser
- Skin friendly vitamins
- Demelanising agent if you have age spots
- Under eye cream
- Anti ageing products
Ageing is a biological and chronological process. You cannot stop it but you can delay it.
Chemical peels are very simple and most cost effective treatment available which can be done on a OPD basis.
It rejuvenates and remodels the skin.
It also helps in removing tan and reducing the initial signs of ageing of skin such as fine wrinkles
These can be- superficial peels, deep peels, medium peels
Everybody needs a peel; starting from the age of 15 for acne to the age of 70-75
Botulinum toxin is a simple cosmetic procedure but it involves injectable being given to erase the wrinkles.
It is a temporary treatment which requires to be done every 6 months
The price varies and depends on the indication and also the area- if you are getting it done just for your furrows it will cost around ₹4,000 and a full face Botox will cost between ₹10,000- ₹15,000 and it will last for 6 months
It helps in removing moderate to sever lines, wrinkles and furrows
It can be used by anyone between the age of 25-65
Dermal fillers includes giving hyaluronic acid externally which helps in ironing out the wrinkles and fine lines
These are a little more expensive than Botox
It volumises your faces and makes it look fuller and 10-15 years younger
The points/ areas where we age and where the products and procedures/ treatments can be used to reduce ageing are- forehead, frown line, cheek lines, upper lip, lower lip, augmentation lines, lips, jowls.
Laser is a beam of light which is used to deliver intense intensity to specific areas of the skin. It is a very versatile tool which can be used to remove your hair, remove your wrinkles, fine lines, tattoo removal, seborrhoric dermatitis and cystitis.
Laser can be of 2 types
- Ablative: this will destroy the superficial layer/ surface of your skin
- Non ablative
