HOW TO LIGHTEN FACIAL PIGMENTATION

Wow, so am I really ready to debate this issue?

Although not everyone, whether in the Philippines or some place in the world, wants to change the color of their skin, we must accept that a lot of women wants to have a "white" skin, or fair skin.  Some says that the whiter the skin, the prettier they feel.  And mind you, this is not only a "want" by the Pinays or filipinas, but also from ladies worldwide.  In some parts in Africa, they will smuggle these whitening creams or potions just so they could use it to whiten their skins.  When I was doing my research on lightening products, it led me to these videos on how, men and women from the African countries, will crush border control just to have these creams in their hands.  Firstly, they don't care about labelling laws as long as it would say" whitens your skin".

Before we go any further, do you believe you can lighten your skin or change the color of your skin from, say, naturally darker pigmented you, to a "caucasian" whiter skin?

Now, it is not as basic as skin care your retailer tells you. It is your sitting down in one of my skin care classes to know the "realities" of these truths.  I am not saying that "all" those who are selling skin care products needs to study the skin, for all we know, these people are doctors, be it they are dermatologists, plastic surgeons, your baby's physician, or even your gynecologist,  dental people who are joining the bandwagon in this culture of beauty, massage therapists, and the John Doe or Deer, in your retail cosmetic counters or someone sitting next to you in the bus or subway, in the MLM or Direct Selling business. Selling skin care products is now managed by almost everyone who wants to be beautiful, either it is their full time jobs or they want to earn extra income by selling them.

And of course, all promises one thing you want to hear. If it is to whiten dark spots or you want to "whiten" your skin,  they will tell you it will.  Sorry guys in the counter, maybe you are not one of them.  You don't promise that, but you know you will not be able to sell your product.


Now, the lesson.

Simple.  The color of our skin is directly related to the genes or blood line that we are born with.  If your ancentral bloodline has brown/black pigment, you have the genes of a brown/black pigmented cells. If you are 100% caucasian, you have the pheomelanin pigment, or red pigment.

OK, resting time. We will have part 2 of this.  Just so you have something to think about.

To peel or not to peel?

                        SO. . . . . YOU WANT TO HAVE A KOREAN OR JAPANESE SKIN.

I have been hearing these things from a lot of ladies I come in contact with; how they love to have the skins of the Koreans or the Japanese.  Of course, I don't blame them. When you see a Korean or a Japanese lady, they do have really beautiful skin, generally. They have this smooth, flawless, fair skin that one can really appreciate.

As an aesthetician for a long time, sometimes it is a lifetime for some, I have seen almost all skin types, conditions and issues.  My clients comes from all walks of life, from all over the world. It is amazing to see the different skin types and conditions. Because of the length of time that I see skin, day in and day out for the past 35 years, I can almost say where the person comes from or the blood line of these people.  Who your family is and where they come from, will almost tell you about them thru their skin.  I can tell if their bloodline comes from Ireland, Germany, Russia, or parts of Asia, or if they are African American ( because they were born in the United States) or they come from the African continent. And in addition to this, our Latin friends does not have the same skin color or depth of color to their skins. The Mexican, Puerto Rican, Peruvian, Spanish in Spain, Columbian, Equadorians, have different skin tones and conditions.

The skin has a distinctive color, depth of color, shine, dryness, oiliness, thickness or thinness, the blood vessels in the skin, sensitivity, durability and all. Like our DNA,  it is true to its origin.  Your bloodline shows in your skin.   I have asked myself a hundred times, why can I tell the bloodline of the client. To test my own knowledge and understanding,  I have to let my new clients fill out a form without asking them their parents' bloodline or nationality. And believe me,  I can say,  98 % of the times,  I am correct.

So to defend my "thesis" on this subject, the question on will you be able to achieve the kind of skin, say a Korean or Japanese has? 

 Issues in the skin will have varying reasons why they are so. Of course, lifestyle will take a big part on this.  Including what you eat and whether you are a lover of nature or the sea.

Thank God, with this gift or talent as you call it, it has helped me a thousand times, how to analyze the skin of my clients. I am able to address issues in their skin or give them what protocol to follow in their skin care regimen.

So my answer to this question?

Everyone can achieve a smooth, flawless, even toned skin, but one can never have the same quality, tone, condition, as someone who is Korean, Japanese, Italian or any other person she or he is not.  Unless your blood has a drop or two from other nationalities, of course not from blood donation, but from ancestral bloodline, you are one of a kind, one special someone, created in a special way by the Creator of All, the Father Almighty.

YOU ARE DISTINCTIVELY ONE OF A KIND, NO ONE ELSE IS LIKE YOU.

CELEBRATE YOUR UNIQUENESS, YOU SEARCH THE WORLD, AND IT IS ONLY 

                                                    YOU.

SPECIAL IN ALL WAYS, LET US CELEBRATE!

DO YOU NEED A MOISTURIZER?

On many conversations, I hear people asking this question. Do I need a moisturizer?

Do you?  Or don't you?

The debate is going on.  Some dermatologists will say, boldly, no, no one needs a moisturizer.  Some believe that what you need is not a moisturizer but a hydrating agent.

Before we go into a discussion,  let us first define what a moisturizer is and what is a hydrating agent.

First, let us define "moisturizer".  A moisturizer is a noun which means a lotion or a cream used to prevent dryness in the skin.  Its synonyms are lotion, cream, balm, emollient, salve, unguent, lubricant, technical humectant.  Wikipedia will give us "emollients" are cosmetic preparations used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the skin.  These functions are normally performed by sebum produced by the skin.  Cambridge English Dictionary says moisturizers help prevent flaking and dryness and may help delay the formation of wrinkles.

Now, what are hydrators or hydrating agents?   . . . . .

Firstly, many in the cosmetic industry believes that hydration and moisturization are interchangeable words describing the same thing, that both are one and the same. On a larger scale, they are really, because both serve the purpose of addressing the issue of giving the skin its smoothness, helping the skin in its dryness and dehydration.

My opinion as a skin care professional for the past 30 years, everyone would need a moisturizer and a hydrating agent. Why?

Oil and water is necessary for good skin care.  They are both necessary for all skin types. Hydrating agents are water based, while moisturizers tend to be oil/cream based.

We live in an imperfect world.  Imperfect environment, weather and seasons, wherever you are in the world. For people whose climate has four seasons, winter, summer, spring and fall, the skin goes through a lot of changes.  Imagine your skin experiencing these changes, you would need a double dose of skin care treatments. Even in the summer months, where your skin tends to be less dry or dehydrated, the skin would need a light cream to compensate for what it went through a couple of seasons back.  In the drier season, the skin would need layering of products. Layering would be applying a hydrator or hydrating agent, layered with a moisturizer on top. So, this goes to show that both a moisturizer and a hydrator is necessary to give the skin its nourishment.

For people in the tropical areas of the world, where the burst of sunshine expands itself to share its brilliance to all, where most people are more oily than dry, a moisturizer is still a necessity.  The sun, whether you are directly or indirectly exposed to it, dries out the skin.  In my experience in analyzing oily skin, almost all oily skin are dehydrated.  One of the reasons is that people with oily skin does not use any form of moisturizer fearing they would be more oily if they use one.  They tend to use drying products to balance their oiliness which in turn dehydrates their skin.  A light moisturizer is needed with a good direction in how to apply it. So, still, a moisturizer is needed.

A good skin care education is needed for everyone who wants flawless, youthful, even skin. How to apply a moisturizer and a hydrating agent makes the difference why I would say, everyone needs a moisturizer. Some would need both when guided accordingly by a skin care professional.

Read ingredient labels, and if you have time and resources, give yourself a break. Do your own research.

"I believe in the beauty of every creation". . . .rose alcido