Given that the skin is our largest organ and certainly the most visible one, most of us would agree that taking care of it properly is important. In fact, the skin-care industry estimated that Indians alone spend over $12 billion per year on topical creams, cosmetic enhancements such as Botox, and spa treatments.

Dr 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. Dr 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.

Ageing in women has a great impact on their self-confidence. It is often believed that women’s skin has a tendency to lose its glow post-pregnancy or in their early 30s. Inline to this, Dr Shuba Dharmana talks about skincare to tackle ageing signs.

Skin ageing in Indian skin manifests as lacklustre skin, dry skin, open pores, fine lines, wrinkles, shadows with loss of light reflection and pigmentation. These changes occur from not only the genetic makeup but also environmental factors such as pollution, sunlight, and lifestyle factors such as poor diet, smoking, alcohol. Intrinsic factors like the bone structure which is the foundation on which everything else is based plays an important role. If the bone structure is not sufficient enough to support the soft tissue and skin on top, the ageing effect will be profound as the tissues will droop and sag more.

Similarly, the thickness of the skin, the bulk of the fat pads underneath the skin also determine how fast one age. The skin which has more melanin has a protective effect on skin ageing. This skin type ages slower than Caucasian skin that has little or no melanin.

Repetitive expressions that we all make over the lifetime makes muscles contract that will leave dynamic and then permanent lines and wrinkles on the facial skin. Using skincare products that may not be right for your skin type won’t benefit your skin but may also worsen the condition in some cases causing the skin to age or break out more.

The anti-ageing treatments for skin that work are therefore the treatments that address these intrinsic factors of ageing. The world is going after non-surgical techniques more and more as these procedures become more reliable, safe and come with little or no downtime.

The loss of collagen and inadequate bone structure, the descent of fat pads can be tackled with hyaluronic acid-based fillers that give structure, can lift and volumize areas where there are shadows.

This filling of areas brings back a light reflection to the high points of the face that is the hallmark of a youthful face with all its curves and nuances. The hyaluronic acid fillers last between 6-18 months depending on the type of product chosen and can be used mostly all over the face such as cheeks, temples, under eye, chin, jawline, lips, neck, décolleté and hands.

The repetitive facial expressions that leave lines and wrinkles on the skin are tackled with botulinum toxin injections which still remains the single most popular cosmetic treatment worldwide. The effect of these injections is smooth rejuvenated skin with little or no wrinkles. The effect of the injections can last up to 4 months.

The environmental and lifestyle factors initialise oxidative stress and free radicals which destroys the cellular structure in the DNA proteins. This needs to be minimised hence avoiding smoking, reducing alcohol intake, taking care to minimise sun exposure, pollution along with avoiding bad diet of processed food, sugar helps to keep the skin looking its best.

Choosing the right skincare products as per your skin type that adds to the skin texture and quality is important to ensure glowing skin. Skincare products with concentrated actives are termed cosmeceuticals and these actives aim to change something about the texture of your skin. Actives such as glycolic acid, retinol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid provide different benefits such as anti-ageing, tackling fine lines, pigmentation or improving skin hydration.

A good sunscreen is the single most important skincare item that will save you from a lot of trouble and has the biggest impact on skin ageing and pigmentation. Hence it is suggested that you visit a dermatologist before choosing your skin products.

In order to keep skin looking radiant and for skincare products to be more effective, one can indulge in skin treatments in a derma clinic such as medi-facials, peels, microdermabrasion, micro-needling and laser photo facials.

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. She is also going to soon launch a range of skincare beauty devices which one can use safely at home along with the serums for better absorption and effectiveness. The range combines certain natural and cosmeceutical actives for optimal effect utilising the power of modern medicine and technology along with ancient traditional knowledge.