Skin Specials: A Cooking Series with Sanjeev Kapoor

A few weeks ago, a dear friend and renowned chef - Sanjeev Kapoor suggested that we do a series dedicated to 'Skin'. Here's are some videos from our experimental attempt at sharing cooking techniques for a better complexion :)

Dedicated to Women

A woman dons many hats in her lifetime - a career woman, boss, mother, wife, daughter in law, daughter, and above all a home maker! All very successfully rolled into one!

But the stress and strain of such a multi-faceted lifestyle sometimes plays havoc with her health, skin and hair – sagging skin, lines & wrinkles, hair loss, thinning lips, cellulite, stretch marks, under-eye dark circles, wrinkly veiny hands - all of which leads to a search for solutions.

The most common queries raised by women are:

 How Do I Get Rid of Cellulite?

Cellulite is compacted pockets of fat that can create dimpled skin on the buttocks, hips, and thighs. Any amount of dieting or exercise does not reduce it. Cellulite creams with caffeine may offer short- term questionable improvements. Some cosmetic procedures like the Triactive laser, mesotherapy injections offer promising results in decreasing cellulite.

 Can Stretch Marks be reduced?

The skin gets stretched by pregnancy, weight gain, or extreme muscle bulking. Collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis tear and cause the scarring. Fresh stretch marks are usually red or purple, which fade with time to a glossy white. They generally occur on the belly, thighs, hips, breasts, or lower back. The marks can be reduced with chemical peels, laser and creams containing retinoids.

 Why Do My Nails Split and Fray?

If your hands are often exposed to water or strong soap, your nails may tend to split, peel, or become brittle. Using a moisturizer and protecting your hands from water may help. Biotin supplements are also good for nail health.

 Why Do I Sweat So Much?

The purpose of sweat is to cool your body. If you tend to sweat when that's not necessary – for example, while sitting calmly in a cool room -- you may have hyperhidrosis. This condition causes annoying but harmless excessive sweating under the arms and on the palms and soles of the feet. Injections of Botulinum toxin in the palms and underarms is a safe and an excellent treatment for embarrassing problems of excessive sweating.

 Why Am I losing My Hair?

The most common causes of hair fall are anaemia, thyroid problems, post-pregnancy, certain medications, hormonal imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. Severe hair loss may be treated with topical solutions to stimulate hair growth along with vitamin and nutritional supplements.

Antiandrogens can also be used in women if a hormonal cause is identified.

How Can I Regain My Youthful Looking Hands So I Can Wear My Rings Again?

With advancing age, fat gets depleted from certain specific areas of the body like cheeks and hands, which leads to sunken cheeks, crepy, veiny , and old looking hands. Moisturise your hands with shea butter or petroleum jelly at least twice daily. Injectable Fillers containing hyaluronic acid or calcium hydroxyapatite are excellent for volumising aging hands.

How Can I Tighten Up My Double Chin and Sagging Jawline?

Machines using Radiofrequency energy generate heat in the dermis to stimulate collagen production, which helps tighten the sagging skin.

How Do I Make My Thinned Lips Plumper?

The temporary lip plumpers containing cinnamon or wintergreen, which when applied externally to the lips cause an irritation of the skin which then causes a swelling, thereby temporary plumping the lips. Injectable fillers containing hyaluronic acid are an excellent option to plump up lips and define the lip margins for a more sensuous “look”.

These are some suggestions for the time being. Based on individual cases, solutions can differ. But remember that the only long term solution is to allow the inner beauty to surface.