The face is the part of the body which is visible to other people in almost all persons.
The result is that there is a huge obsession to make the face look healthy and beautiful so that it gives a similar picture for the whole persona.
We are normally born with prefect skin, unless there is some sort of disease process present from birth, which happens in a very small percentage of babies.
However, as age progresses certain problems commonly arise on the skin of the face which leads to loss of the perfect picture of the facial skin.
If adequate preventive and corrective action is taken in time, these problems can be beaten or at least kept in check so that the condition of the facial skin can remain as perfect as possible.
The problems related to the facial skin can be broken down into pre-adolescence, adolescence, adult and middle/old age categories.
Pre-adolescence
In the pre-adolescence days, the main problem arises due to dryness of the skin. At this age the natural oil secretion by the oil-producing glands is deficient in most babies.
This results in dry skin on the face that when exposed to sunlight – as is common in this part of the world – can give rise to white patches known as Pityriasis Alba. This is more common in children who have coloured skin and live in sunny, warm places like the Middle East. It is not related to stomach/intestinal worms.
The treatment or prevention for this entails applying a moisturising cream at night and a sunscreen cream in the daytime when exposed to sunlight. There is also need for some medications, especially for the bigger patches, which should be applied only after consultation with a dermatologist.
Atopic dermatitis or eczema on the facial skin can arise at any age but it normally happens by the age of two years. The severity of eczema can vary from mild to very severe; regular consultation and follow up with your dermatologist is essential to keep it in check.
The eczema normally disappears by adolescence but in a small percentage of persons can linger on till adult life.
Problems in adolescence
As a boy or girl enters into adolescence there are certain hormonal changes that take place in them. Due to these, the amount of oil (sebum) secretion increases in certain areas of the body like the face. This phenomenon in some individuals gives rise to blocking of the pores producing the sebum, resulting in pimples or acne.
It is by far the biggest skin problem of the face in the adolescence years. Excessive use of make-up and continuous exposure to hot and sweaty surroundings can also give rise to pimples. The easiest possible way to stop acne from happening is to wash your face with anti-acne face wash at least twice daily, especially after coming back home from outside.
In this regard, facial make-up needs to be removed as quickly and thoroughly as possible with a deep-clean cleanser. If, in spite of these measures, acne keeps on coming, then the individual should see a dermatologist in order to avoid possible physical as well as mental scarring in the future.
Numerous effective treatments for acne are available, including creams, various types of tablets, peeling and laser/IPL, to resolve the problem without causing complications. But all the treatments should be done under the supervision of a trained dermatologist as each individual with acne has different characteristics, which determine the treatment of choice for that individual.
Entering adulthood
As individuals, especially women, enter into adulthood, the primary problem affecting their face is melasma or black/brown discol-ouration. The cause for this can be pregnancy, sun exposure or use of oral contraception.
Regular use of sunscreen in the daytime is essential to keep melasma at bay. Melasma rarely goes away only with creams; some variety of peeling with the possible addition of laser/IPL is required to get rid of it. Also, in some individuals acne tends to persist into adulthood and such cases normally req-uire aggressive treatment with Roaccutane tablets and/or laser/IPL.
Middle and old age
As an individual goes into middle age, the elas-ticity of the skin tends to diminish due to various natural biological factors, giving rise to lines or wrinkles.
These first appear around the mouth and eyes and then spread to other parts of the face such as the forehead and cheeks. Regular use of anti-wrinkle creams containing retinol may help in delaying the appearance of wrinkles.
However, formed wrinkles need medical intervention to be resolved. Various types of skin rejuvenation techniques include laser/IPL and peeling, to help remove fine lines. Injections like Botox and fillers help to resolve deeper lines.
All these treatments should be repeated at regular intervals in order to keep the signs of ageing at bay. Some women develop melasma mostly near their forehead as they approach the menopause due to hormonal disturbances. It should also be treated in the same manner as previously described.
If all the preventive as well as corrective measures are taken at the right time, then the facial skin can remain nearly as youthful and blemish-free as the individual desi-res it to be – or as close as possible to the skin you are born with.
Dermatologist Dr Anindya Choudhury practises at Hatat Polyclinic; telephone 24563641, email health@apexstuff.com
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