IDS Skincare

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Is everyone all prepped up to usher in the Year of the Rooster?

It’s not difficult to know that Chinese New Year is around the corner: we see festive, colourful decorations being put up everywhere and huge groups of people flooding Chinatown to shop for CNY goodies. I’m sure many of you are looking forward to the house visitations and the giving/receiving of angbaos (red packets).

For today’s post, we have an angbao to give away to you readers too — an angbao of 7 skincare tips A to G for you to keep your skin looking its best during this festive season!

A. Ample Hydration

If you find it hard to resist a can of beer or a good glass of wine, make sure you have a glass or two of water as well. That’ll balance out the alcohol, flush out the toxins from the body and keep your skin well-hydrated. 

On top of that, our skin requires hydration too! Don’t forget to moisturize your skin at least twice a day (morning and night), or more frequently if you have dry skin. For those of you who have chosen to travel over this holiday to winter countries, your skin is probably not accustomed to the cold and dry climate. Moisturize more frequently than you do regularly, as changes in weather and the stress from travelling can cause breakouts, rashes and fine lines to appear.

B. Block Out The Sun

Sun protection is a must. As the home visiting keeps you on the move, don’t forget to apply sunscreen on your face and neck to wrap up your skincare routine. Generally, we advocate patients to use sunscreen with SPF 30 and above to help your skin fight free radicals from sun damage and keep pigmentation at bay. One of my favorites is the IDS S2 Non-Tinted Sunscreen (SPF 50). It contains powerful ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to screen out harmful UV rays.

If you wish to further improve your skin tone on top of sun protection, you can try out IDS Lyco-White. These innovative oral whitening supplements consist of a key ingredient, Polypodium Leucotomos, which acts as an oral sunscreen to protect your skin from the inside, resulting in the lightening and evening of the skin tone. 

C. C-Plus

Topical Vitamin C provides potent antioxidant protection. It is the perfect ingredient to shield the skin from the Reactive Oxygen Species (“ROS”) that are harmful to our skin. Research has shown that topical Vitamin C possesses a variety of other benefits to our skin including photoprotection from UV A & B, stimulation of skin collagen formation, reversal of sun damage, and lightening of pigment spots. In addition, it has anti-irritation and anti-inflammatory properties, enhancing skin’s recovery after damage. I would strongly recommend everyone to use the IDS C-Plus. For younger patients, this product helps to reduce inflammation and control acne, while in older patients, its antioxidant effect helps to reduce pigmentation, smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, giving you a major boost in your fight against aging.

D. Diet 

It might sound like cruel advice to ask you to watch your diet during this festive season, but what I’m recommending is to keep the consumption of certain foods in control. Avoid an over dosage of fried food as it may lead to weight gain and dull looking skin. Do take more vegetables and fruits that are a good source of antioxidants. Avoid dairy products and CNY goodies that are high in refined sugars as recent studies have shown that these may cause higher incidences of acne breakouts due to higher levels of pimple-causing hormones such as androgens and insulin.

E. Extinguish The Cigarette

For those of you who feel the urge to light up a cigarette during a gathering or parties, please think again. I’m sure all of you know that Nicotine itself is harmful to our body, but do you also know that tobacco smoke consists of thousands of substances that damage the skin too? Tobacco smoke causes oxidative stress to the skin resulting in accelerated skin damage and aging skin. It breaks down elastin fibres in the skin and revs up the enzyme responsible for breaking down collagen. In short, smoking will cause accelerated aging! On top of that, a recent study has also found a significant dose dependent association between smoking and acne severity. Do your skin a favour and snub out that cigarette!

F. Fix Last Minute Spots

Pimples have an annoying habit of popping out before an important gathering, don’t they? Instead of worrying how you can conceal the pimples with make-up, we can easily fix them with our IDS Spot Control. Its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties will effectively deal with the breakouts. For more serious outbreaks, I suggest that you make a trip down to IDS Clinic for consultation. In some cases, you may require oral medication.

G. Good Skincare Habits

Healthy radiant skin doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of many factors including good skincare habits and using the right skincare products diligently. Cleansing your skin twice a day is an acceptable standard. Even if you have family gatherings and parties into the wee hours of the morning, always remember to remove all traces of make-up and cleanse your skin before going to bed. I know it may be tempting to head straight to bed, but please don’t neglect this important step! Residual make-up often causes breakouts, and can leave your skin dull and even wrinkled over time. I shall touch more about other bad skincare habits to kick in my next post. 

I hope you have found my angbao of skin care tips helpful. Follow these simple yet essential tips to look glamorous and confident with your glowing skin this festive season. If you are still unhappy with your skin, pick up the phone and make an appointment with IDS Clinic for a friendly consultation. Wishing you a prosperous, bountiful Lunar New Year from the IDS team!

Post content contributed by Dr Ian Tan from IDS Clinic