FAQs
The change in season brings about different skin problems. We answer some of them
My skin has suddenly become drier now that autumn is here. Is there a specific reason for this?
Skin becomes drier than normal for various reasons but in your case it is probably nothing more than the fact that the weather is not as hot as it was, when our skin perspires and is oilier. This tricks us into thinking our skin is fairly oily. Use a moisturiser that is slightly richer than the one you were using in the summer and change other skincare products accordingly.
I am confused about which eyebrow shape is fashionable and have noticed very thin eyebrows in some glossy magazines.
One of the many trends at the moment is the twenties or thirties screen siren look. Ignore this, as, for one thing, you probably don’t float around in full Bette Davies costume and if you pluck your eyebrows thin, you’ll have problems getting them to ever grow back. A foolproof shape is to leave your eyebrows in their natural state and just pluck stragglers from under the ‘tail’, or, if your eyebrows are very thick or too heavy for your face, to take one or two layers of hairs from under the body of the eyebrow and follow through to the tail part to balance. Never pluck or wax above the brows, it rarely flatters bone structure.
I want to start a decent skin care regime now that the severe heat has gone, but can’t spend a fortune. Are expensive products better for anti-ageing purposes?
Expensive products are not necessarily better, especially if you keep buying ones that are not perfectly suited to your skin, although cheap products usually contain mainly cheap fillers. Your basics should be a cleanser and toner or face wash, a good quality moisturiser or two to cater for your skin’s different ‘moods’ or levels of dryness on different areas of the face, a mask to cleanse oilier zones and another that is hydrating for drier areas, in addition to a serum to boost cellular activity and fight signs of ageing. Add a facial scrub or exfoliant for use once a week in the winter. Good brands that don’t cost a fortune are Korres and Apivita, which you will find in good pharmacies.
I am getting married in a couple of months and feel very self conscious about my face. It is bumpy and spotty and I look red and flushed. My wife to be has lovely skin and I don’t want to look like an ogre next to her in our wedding photos.
To address the red flushed face, cut right down on alcohol, spicy food and stress! Do things that relax you. Swimming, cycling or a non violent sport will burn up stress hormones. Purchase a non-oily, anti-redness cream, Guinot’s Cr?me Anti Rougers is very good (Tel: 22 879006 or 99 548338 for nearest stockist). To address the bumpy, spotty skin, purchase a good facial wash and use instead of soap. Try Rosveda’s Margosa wash (99 548338), Avene from your pharmacy, Lancome’s Clarte wash or Christian Dior wash for combination skin. Visit a Guinot therapist (call 22 87006 for nearest one) and ask for some Hydradermie treatments, which will really help clear and smooth the skin. Don’t touch or fiddle with your face AT ALL unless you are washing it or applying cream.
I want to keep my tan throughout the winter but because I am a man, am a bit dubious about fake tan, as I don’t want to look orange and have my friends laugh at me. Any ideas?
The best colour in fake tan I have ever come across is St. Tropez, which can be found in the UK or online. Clinique has a fake tan in its men’s range but again is not available in Cyprus, although their fake tans that are available here are a very good, believable colour. Guerlain has a very good bronzing powder called Terracotta For Men, which you can use to give your face a temporary healthy colour.
My big toenail looks yellow at the tip and the line where it joins the nail bed looks crooked on one side and seems to be moving in towards the cuticle, leaving a bigger gap under the nail. Why does this happen?
You need to hot foot it to your dermatologist. It sounds like you may have a fungal infection of the nail. Don’t ignore this or delay seeking treatment, because the longer this extremely annoying and hard to shift condition is left untreated the harder it will be to shift and it takes months to get rid of! If you ignore it, it will probably get worse, till your whole nail is affected and it will produce an unpleasant odour. When you are prescribed special lotions, use them diligently every single day without fail. Keep that nail short and don’t use nail files or implements on healthy nails after using them on infected nail, to avoid spreading the fngus. Avoid using nail varnish and do not have pedicures in a beauty salon till it has been clear of fungus for two months.
