Cosmetic Dermatologist Shuba Dharmana Talks About 5 Major Skin Care Habits To Delay Aging Signs
Entrepreneur and Cosmetic Dermatologist Shuba Dharmana has spoken about the five habits one can inculcate to delay aging signs, especially in the youth.Shuba Dharmana
Skin ageing is dependant upon certain internal as well as external factors. Internal factors are the genetics and mechanisms that happen inside the body at a cellular level. Break down of collagen, poor signalling of the cells due to age, DNA damage, inflammation and many such factors are responsible for skin ageing. External factors are UV light exposure, sunbeds, radiation, pollution, smoking, alcohol, stress, processed food, unhealthy dietary habits and drugs.
Shuba Dharmana is a celebrity cosmetic dermatologist, hair transplant surgeon and the founder of LeJeune Medspa. Success comes to those who toil and work for it. Shuba Dharmana's life stands as a testimony to it. Crowned as the 'Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2012', 'Best Woman Dermatologist' and ranked as one of the top 10 Celebrity Dermatologists in India, Dr Shuba has taken the concept of “beauty” to greater heights.
Shuba has an aesthetic understanding of the face and a keen eye for beauty. Not only did she train under various specialists in the UK but she also worked for several years as an Aesthetic and a weight loss consultant for UK's national slimming & cosmetic centres. She ran her own clinic in the UK and even underwent Hair Transplantation surgery training in Poland. When she came to India in 2012, she decided to enhance the skin care services offered here. Dr Shuba treats only after a detailed analysis of patient's skin texture and designs programmes that ensure youthful, glowing and healthier looking skin.
Whilst there are certain factors that are beyond our control like genetics and age, the good news is that there are also things we can all do that will ensure optimal working of cells and rejuvenates them to their full potential. Here are 5 things you can do establish in your skin care routine right now to delay skin ageing.
1. Limiting UV exposure: The single most important factor that will determine how fast one ages is sunlight exposure. 80% of skin ageing is contributed to UV light exposure. The UV light causes oxidative damage in the cells by causing free radical formation. This leads to inflammation and DNA damage. What we can do then is to limit sun exposure by being sun aware and using sunscreen with SPF 30 or more that protects against UVA as well as UVB rays. Sun protective clothing, avoiding peak exposure times between 10 am and 3 pm, seeking shade, staying away from reflective surfaces like water and glass, using wide brimmed hats, shades etc will all help to minimize the harmful UV rays.
2. Benefits of Antioxidants: The role of antioxidants in skin ageing is established. They help to reduce inflammation and also help in collagen synthesis. Antioxidants also help fight free radicals created in the body by other agents such as drugs, pollution, smoking, UV rays etc. Antoxidants can be consumed in daily food by incorporating bright colored vegetables and fruit, green tea, berries but also applied topically through skin serums and creams containing Vit C, Vit E, ferulic acid, niacinamide and green tea extract.
3. Eating a diet low in sugar: The firmness and suppleness of the skin is because of the collagen and elastin fibres present in our skin. When there is excess sugar present in the body, this binds to the proteins and causes damage. This leads to collagen and elastin fibres forming abnormal cross links leading to the skin becoming stiffer. This is a process of glycation and this can be reduced by dietary and lifestyle modifications or with drugs like metformin.
4. Adding retinoid to your skin care regime: Adding a retinoid or a retinol to the night skin care routine has been proven to help skin ageing in several studies. They help to stimulate the skin cells keratinocytes and fibroblasts to produce collagen and elastin fibres. A prescription strength retinoid can be prescribed by your skin doctor. It may cause redness and scaling initially so it may have to be introduced gently along with a moisturiser or with a lower strength that can later be titrated to a higher strength to avoid side effects.
5. Indulge your skin with treatments: Treatments such as microneedling and skin peels stimulate growth factors and stem cells. These are important to trigger cell signals that have been weakened with age. Skin peels also reduce signs of photodamage, pigmentation and improves hydration of the skin by removing the outer damaged layers of the skin thereby increasing the cell renewal. Microneedling stimulates keratinocytes and fibroblasts for collagen synthesis and thus improves skin texture making it look smoother and radiant.
Dr Shuba Dharmana is actively developing a range of cosmeceutical skincare actives that will target skin ageing for all ages as per skin type and age for men and women. Also, Dr Shuba is the ambassador for the 'Bangalore Chapter' of 'Teach for Change' an NGO that supports government schools in education and leadership skills. She helps with fundraising activities every year for the NGO.
