A 'skintillating' Eid

The celebration of Eid, after a long month of abstinence, is a big part of our faith. Besides having good food and wearing beautiful clothes, we all want to look our best on this joyous occasion. Throughout the year, we are somewhat negligent about our appearance and Eid can be a good time to start being beauty conscious. This week, we will discuss some simple procedures that can help you to look your best without much hassles.

The first thing towards looking good is to have good, glowing skin. Irrespective of your complexion, unless you have radiant skin, you will not make a good impression. To achieve this, all you need to do is follow some basic rules of skin care - cleansing, toning and moisturising...every day! 

The use of sunscreen on a day to day basis is also a must.  Even after taking care, at times, our skin can become rough and lose its natural glow. This is when you need to take some extra care.  

Microdermabrasion 
Exposure to the sun, along with aging, makes our skin prone to pigmentations like freckles, melasma, etc. It may also lead to post acne pits and darkening of scars. Sunlight and dehydration also makes our skin lose lustre and become rough. Microdermabrasion or MCD is a simple procedure by which the top layer of skin is polished using crystalline powder and the dead cells are suctioned off, leaving the skin soft and smooth. As the dead cells are gone new layer of fresh skin can regenerate. 

This procedure is very safe and non invasive and has to be repeated every 3 weeks for at least 3 to 4 sittings. This simple step along with proper medication, can improve dark spots and make the melasma lighter.

Facials
Medical facials are also a good option in rejuvenating rough, patchy skin. Nowadays, safe medical facials, suitable for all skin types, are available. It also tightens the skin and makes it lighter. This, however, needs to be done by an experienced cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist so that no complications develop. Medical facials can be repeated several times for a glowing and fresher appearance. 

Botox and fillers
Some of us look in the mirror and wistfully think of doing without the wrinkles developing on our foreheads; or the prominent laugh-lines around the eyes. For both these complaints botox is a good solution. The wrinkles are gone within 2 to 3 days, and it gives the skin a fresh, shiny appearance. 

Prominent nasolabial folds - folds on the sides of nose - can make you look older and so do small wrinkles appearing around the lips. These can be filled up by different fillers. They can also be used for depressions around the eyes and any other depressions in the body. The fillers are injected into the areas to elevate them and look smooth. 

Laser ablation
Thinking of getting rid of those freckles around the cheeks or the nose? You can get them removed by CO2 laser ablation. This procedure is very safe and gentle, and leaves no scar. Skin tags, whitish cysts, and warts around the neck area or on the face look very bad, these can easily be removed by CO2 laser.  Warts are usually viral in origin and tend to spread so, it's best to remove them as soon as possible. The procedure is painless and leaves no scar after healing.

Liposuction and blepharoplasty
Double chin makes a face look chubbier and older. It can be treated simply by liposuction, which is done under local anesthesia and there is no residual scar. A compressing band must be worn for a while only when patient is at home. Loose skin around the lower portion of the face can make a person look beyond their age. You can opt for a mini face-lift done under local anaesthesia. No hospital stay is needed.

Blepharoplasty is a good procedure to reduce baggy eyes. Baggy eyes can not only make you look older but also look ill. During the procedure, excess skin and fat from the upper or the lower eyelid are removed by a crease-line incision. The line heals very nicely and cannot be detected as it remains within normal crease lines. This is done under local anesthesia and no hospitalisation is needed.

Whatever the flaw that you feel needs correction, take the opportunity and make yourselves look more rejuvenated and fresh. Celebrate Eid looking glamorous in your beautiful outfit and makeover.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Model: Naznin
Make-up: Farzana Shakil
Styling: Azra Mahmood