fine lines – That Madras Mom

When it’s summer we know that temperatures soar up high, your skin needs that extra care and hydration to keep itself glowing. None other than cucumber can be your best friend to help you out.

When we say cucumber for skin, the vivid picture that comes to our mind is a woman who has a towel wrapped on her head at a spa, having cucumber slices over her eyes and all masked up. But is it only on screen and does cucumber really help your skin. The answer is definitely yes.

Swelling, puffing, dark circles or whatever concerns the area around your eyes your inexpensive go to treatment was and is cucumbers.

So let’s see how it helps skin.

Cleanses skin

Cucumber helps in eliminating toxins from deep down the pores. Its a natural cleanser. Due to high water content it can be used as a toner that offers instant freshness when used on skin. Cucumber juice is an excellent alternative to alcoholic toners which comprises of harsh chemicals which can harm your skin.

Reduce dark circles

With abundance of antioxidants and silica , cucumbers help in lightening the dark areas around the eyes making it a successful home remedy for treating dark circles.

Treats fine lines and wrinkles

Though cucumbers contain higher water content they are also good agents for moisturising skin. Applying cucumber slices on the eyes and surrounding areas help in increasing the moisture there by reducing wrinkles and fine lines.

Reduce puffiness

Ascorbic acid and caffeine help in controlling water retention levels. Cucumbers have these in abundance and hence a great ingredient to help you deal with puffiness of eyes. Controlling water retention levels in turn helps in reducing swelling and puffiness around the eyes and surrounding areas.

Cooling agent

The cooling property of cucumber is the main reason that cucumbers are part of many skincare products that concern soothing inflamed skin. The cooling property helps in soothing the inflammated area and helps in faster healing. Products that have cucumber or simply using cucumbers for after sun skin problems will help in faster healing.

Here are some DIY eye pads that can help heal dark circles and puffiness

You need cotton pads and cucumber juice as main ingredients.

Cucumber and sandal

Sandalwood has skin brightening properties and hence when mixed with cucumber juice it makes a great face pack to lighten pigmentation.

Add 2-3 tbsp of cucumber juice to 2 tbsp of sandalwood powder. Apply on face and wash of when it dries off.

Cucumber and potato juice

Potato juice is another best ingredient in treating pigmentation. Imagine how the combination of potato and cucumber will work then.

Use juice of one cucumber and one potato. Dip cotton pads and place over eye. Remove after ten minutes. Do this on a regular basis to see amazing results.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.’

Retinol or retinoid is a derivative of vitamin A. Known for its ability to boost cell turnover, it is one of the widely used ingredients incorporated into daily skincare routine.

Whether you want to maintain a fine glow or shoo away the fine lines and signs of ageing, this is one ingredient that you should be reaching to. Though it is not very tough to source it as its readily availble over the counters in departmental stores, drug stores or over ecommerce websites, it is the ingredient that s often misinterpreted or misused.

One most important factor to take care is to use it during the nights as sunlight decreases the efficacy of the product. And also that using it makes skin more sensitive to UV rays, it is advised to use sunscreen in the day and retinols at night.

HOW TO START?

Thirties are termed to be banner age for retinoids however the mid twenties would be much better to start off with. It has to be incorporated slowly into your routine, say about twice in a week and peas sized amount to start off. In earlier stages make sure to wash it off post two hours.

The side effects are mild with redness, itching, dryness and sensitivityduring the course of time the normal skin gets adjusted to the ingredient. However the sensitive skin reacts triggering acne and rosacea so people with highly sensitive skin can stay away from using this and have many alternatives to choose from to incorporate into their routine.

When you’re getting started you can wash face, wait for sometime for the natural facial oils to set in and then apply retinols. Or in other ways you can incorporate the sandwich technique wherein you can dab the moisturizer, apply retinol and then seal it with moisturizer again.

Start with a lower strength like 0.75% and then proceed to 1%. While the retinols that are available over the counter are for fighting the signs of ageing, The ones that are given in prescription are for treating acne.

When you are using retinold it is best prefered to use cream base under the eyes and for the face use a serum followed by moisturizer.

CONDITIONS BEST TREATED BY RETINOLS

acne
fine lines
wrinkles
age (sun) spots, freckles, and other signs of sun damage, sometimes called photoaging
uneven skin texture
melasma and other types of hyperpigmentation
large pores caused by acne, oily skin, or collagen loss

WHY IS IT BENEFICIAL?

Unlike other anti-ageing products , this ingredient does not just stop with removing dead skin cells, they also penetrate deep into the epidermis.

They help in neutralising the free radicals and help in boosting production collagen and elastin. This creates a plumping effect and helps in reducing fine lines, dark spots and wrinkles. Since it also helps in exfoliating the skin the texture is improved to a greater extent.

It is very helpful in clearing out acne, it unclogs pore by forming comedolytic agents to prevent forming blemishes and comedones. If acne is very severe the retinol is prescribed along with antibitoics. It doesn not show results instantaneously, it takes upto six weeks minimum to show visible results.

PRODUCTS IN INDIA

Olay Night Cream: Regenerist Retinol 24 Moisturiser

The cream promises 24 hour potency and hydration on skin. Suited for dry, normal and combination skin. Proven to penetrate 10 layers deep. The formulation works in combination with niacinamide.

The same formulation is available as a serum as well. But it is best to use either one of them and not together since they are of high potency.

The reason the formulation includes niacinamide is to reduce the redness upon using the product.

Price: 379 Quantity: 8gms
Click here to buy :

Dot & Key Glow Night Reset Retinol + Ceramide Cream

The formulation includes provitamin B5 and vitamin E along with hyaluronic acid to improve hydration. The other ingredients include hibiscus because of presence of AHAs, seabuck thorn oil, evening primrose oil which help in acne prevention and keeping skin moisturized.

Price: 531 Quantity: 25ml
Click here to buy:

The Derma Co. 0.3% Retinol Face Serum For Spotless Skin

The formulation works in combination with vitamin C to fight signs of ageing and alter the aged cells. Also contains glycerine to act as a humectant. Advised to do a patch test before application , especially people with sensitive skin.

Price: 719 quantity: 30ml
Click here to buy:

Nykaa SKINRX 2% Advanced Retinol Anti-Aging Face Serum for Wrinkles & Fine Lines

The formulation consists of 2% retinol , along with 2% lactic acid that stimulates collagen renewal and 1% Australian caviar lime extract for it being a rich source of AHA and gentle exfoliant.

Suited for normal, dry , combination and oily skin but no mention about sensitive skin.

Price: 899 quantity: 30ml
Click here to buy: