Do I need a moisturizer if I have oily skin?

You need to apply moisturizers irrespective of your type of skin. However, the type of moisturizer that you use needs to be different. As funny as it might sound, dehydrating the skin will only lead to an increased production of oil. Look for water based moisturizers and try to stay away from the oil based ones. Ideally, you should choose a moisturizer that also offers you with broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30.

Why do I need different moisturizers during the day and night?

The main goal of moisturizers is of course, to moisturize your skin. But moisturizers have come a long way since they were created and many now offer a wide range of benefits including protecting your skin from environmental stressors, providing sun protection and offering anti-aging benefits. The daytime requires you to concentrate on protecting your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun without compromising on moisturizing your skin. Therefore, you need a moisturizer that offers you the broad spectrum sun protection of SPF 30. Because it is strongly advised that SPF be worn all day, a day time moisturizer containing sunscreen is a great choice. It will protect you skin from the harmful rays of the sun while making your morning routine easier.

On the other hand, the nighttime is the time to treat your body and allow it to repair itself. This is the time when ingredients penetrate the most into your skin without the risk of being damaged by environmental factors. You need to use moisture locking cream at night to give your skin extra protection. Night cream is also a great time to use moisturizers which offer other benefits like anti-aging and skin lightening. Not only may some of these moisturizers make your skin more sensitive to the sun, but they are more effective during our body’s repair cycle, making them best suited for night use.

What are the main differences between chemical and physical sunblocks?

Chemical sunblocks contain ingredients that absorb the harmful UV rays of the sun. This process usually takes place in the skin where the chemical sunblock interacts with the harmful rays of the sun and transforms them into heat. On the other hand, a physical sunblock acts as a shield that prevents the UV rays from penetrating your skin. The sunscreen is the most common example of a chemical sunblock whereas your sunglasses are the most common examples of a physical sunblock. There are also sunscreens which act as physical sunblocks because their active ingredients sit on top of skin and do not allow sun’s rays to penetrate.

Apart from being the largest and most visible organ of your body, your skin serves two other functions. It helps you to look beautiful and also acts as the first level of defense against exterior elements. The skin is an essential part of your body – it insulates your body, offers it with protection and also provides sensations. Moreover, the skin helps to regulate body temperature as well. It is very important to take care of your skin and protect it from weather extremities using a range of skin care treatments and solutions. This process of taking care of your skin is known as skin care. Men and women around the world have always been confused with the best type of skin care and the ideal skin care routine for their bodies. And it’s not their fault. With thousands of products and therapies to choose from, it is easy to go astray. This weekly Skin Care FAQ section has been entirely dedicated to answering all your problems about skin and skin care. So if you have any questions that you would like to ask us, fire away!

Is there a way to make the pores look smaller?

Even though the size of the pore is usually defined by genetics, they can begin to appear larger because of dead cell, dirt or oil build up. The best way to get rid of these things from the outer layer of your skin is by way of exfoliating. You should ideally be exfoliating your skin 2 – 4 times a week, depending on your type of skin. Using products that contain glycolic acids and/ or salicylic acids usually helps.

Why do I need to take special care of the area around the eyes?

The skin around your eyes is considered to be the thinnest compared to the rest of your body. As a result, it is among the first to show signs of aging. It is important for you to treat the skin around your eyes specially in order to delay these signs of aging. Using eye serums becomes very important once you cross into your thirties. You can also use power ingredients like Retinols or Resveratrol.

How can I take care of my fine lines and wrinkles?

Fine lines and wrinkles are common signs of aging. If you’re suffering from pre-mature aging, there are steps that can be taken to bring back your youthful glow. However, before you proceed, you need to understand that this process will take a lot of time and hard work. Miracle ingredients don’t exist. The best way to take care of fine lines is to improve your sleeping patterns, exercising for at least 30 minutes daily, maintaining a healthy diet, drinking at least 12 glasses of water every day, quitting smoking and reducing your stress levels. You can supplement these practices with skin care treatments and creams that help you with anti-aging. Look for products such as peptides, Resveratrol, Vitamin C and retinol.

Is red wine a decent antioxidant?

Red wine is not an antioxidant in itself. It contains a compound known as Resveratrol which is believed to be one of the best antioxidants in the world. Simply put, red wine acts as an antioxidant vehicle because of the fact that it is sealed and the antioxidants aren’t oxidized before you uncork the bottle. That being said, science has proved that the amount of Resveratrol found in red wine is not likely to lead to any dramatic results. Studies have confirmed that applying Resveratrol topically provides benefits to the skin.

Is the Resveratrol found in dietary sources adequate?

There are a number of food items such as red wine, red grapes, mulberries and peanuts that contain Resveratrol. An Asian plant that goes by the name of Japanese Knotweed is also known to be an excellent source of Resveratrol. However, dietary sources of Resveratrol are not going to be enough because of the simple fact that they don’t act as reliable sources for the compound. According to certain studies, the most effective way of ensuring that Resveratrol works for your body is to apply it topically.

What is the role of an antioxidant?

Antioxidants are molecules that are stable with or without their necessary electrons. On the other hand, free radicals are molecules that become unstable when they lose an electron. The main role of an antioxidant is to donate one of its electrons to the free radical to prevent it from becoming unstable and ensuring that both molecules remain stable within the human body. Unstable free radicals damage the healthy cells by stealing an electron from them. This ultimately leads to aging, diseases and illness. Therefore, antioxidants are nature’s solutions to the free radical problem.

Are there any major risks involved with using Resveratrol?

Resveratrol doesn’t have any toxic reactions, even when it is consumed in large doses. However, it is known to increase the blood circulation and blood flow all throughout the body. Therefore, it is always advisable to consult your physicians before taking Resveratrol in significant quantities. Moreover, people on medications should also consult their physicians before using Resveratrol. Finally, pregnant women and children are advised to stay away from Resveratrol completely.

How much of Resveratrol is required?

As with everything else, too much of Resveratrol can prove to be harmful for your body. You should always consult a physician before taking Resveratrol and seek guidance on the amount of dosage that suits your body. Apart from that, Resveratrol is considered to be extremely safe. In fact, no problems have been reported by people consuming peanuts, cranberries, red wine, red grapes, peanuts or blueberries. And any problems that peanuts or red wine have brought about are completely unrelated to Resveratrol.  However, it is probably wise to stay away from Resveratrol supplements completely since there almost no regulations in place to ensure the quality of these supplements. It is recommended ways to get adequate amounts of Resveratrol are to use Resveratrol based moisturizers and add food items that contain Resveratrol into your daily diet.

What are the side effects of using Resveratrol?

Resveratrol is considered to be extremely safe when consumed by way of foods or topical applications. However, there still isn’t enough information available on the compound to predict the exact way it reacts with each and every body function. There are three conditions when people have been advised to stay away from Resveratrol.

1. Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
2. Hormone sensitive conditions such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, uterine fibroids and uterine cancer.
3. 2 weeks before or after a scheduled surgery.

Are there different types of Resveratrol?

There are two types of Resveratrol – Trans and Cis. Both are known to be quite powerful, but the magic of Resveratrol usually happens with the Trans type only. That being said, the Cis type is still known to be a powerful antioxidant, with the only exception that it does not influence the SIRT-1 gene.

Resveratrol – All Your Questions Answered

Resveratrol, a compound that is commonly found in red wine and in the skin of red grapes, is considered to be highly beneficial for the human body. It has emerged as the champion of the skin care industry because of its diverse benefits. As a result, it is found in all sorts of skin care creams and products. According to recent studies conducted by the Harvard Medical School, Resveratrol helps to activate the SIRT-1 gene which helps to prolong life. Most Resveratrol supplements are derived from Japanese Knotweed or red grapes. Other sources of Resveratrol include red wine, berries and nuts. We have been bombarded with questions pertaining to Resveratrol, its uses and its effects. To help you clear all your doubts about this wondrous compound, we have come up with this weekly Resveratrol FAQ Section where all your questions about Resveratrol are answered.

Why not just drink red wine for Resveratrol?

The effects of Resveratrol are considered to be dose related. Red wine might be a source of Resveratrol, but it does not contain a significant amount of the compound to bring about any noticeable changes. Moreover, the concentration varies tremendously from one wine to the other. As a result, it can be a very unreliable source of Resveratrol. According to a study conducted by David Sinclair, you would require about 100 glasses of red wine to get the wondrous benefits offered by Resveratrol and this is likely to cause you more harm than good.

What does Resveratrol exactly do?

Resveratrol helps in preventing age related deterioration. According to studies that have been performed on lab mice, Resveratrol is known to have a number of benefits such as preventing certain types of cancer, increasing bone health, aiding in weight loss, improving the collagen and elastin production ratio, preventing Type 2 diabetes and preventing heart diseases. Resveratrol is also known to be a powerful antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. Lastly, it helps in keeping blood vessels open and prevents blood clots.

How is Resveratrol metabolized in the body?

Once absorbed in your gut, Resveratrol passes through the liver and gets attached to thesulfate or glucuronate molecules, which help in prolonging its effect. Topical applications of Resveratrol help in preventing degradation and oxidation of Resveratrol into cis-Resveratrol, the inactive version of the compound.