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Suggest Home Remedies To Improve Complexion Of Skin

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Posted on Mon, 13 Oct 2014
Question: Hi Doctor. I am a 24 years old guy. Though my birth skin color was very light, it has gradually become darker and dull over 5-6 years. I have tried some some home remedies which help improving it a bit but the moment I stop them, my skin again becomes dull and dark. I have an oily skin and recently since an year, it has got prone to the acne as well. Could you tell me what could be the reason or root cause to these problems and suggest an appropriate remedy for a parmanent solution. Also, I do not get exposed to the sun much, but whatever I am, I think it does good amount of damage to the skin, so please suggest some good sunscreen as well. Thanks!
doctor
Answered by Dr. Johny Chacko (54 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Delayed tanning and acne

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Welcome to healthcare magic.
Welcome to healthcare magic.

Your skin tone is determined at the time of your birth itself and it is decided by the concentration of melanocytes ( colour producing cells) and blood circulation. Therefore any treatment or procedures can never make you fairer than what you were at the time of birth.

But most of the people will acquire more pigmentation as age increases, we call it facultative pigmentation. Lot of factors determine it, most important being sunlight, others include dust, pollution, smoking, less hydration, intrinsic ageing and free radical damage, stress etc.
XXXXXXX skin is easily prone for tanning as compared to the skin of caucassians which is more prone for redness. Infact, tanning is a defense mechanism against skin cancers. Though you are not exposed to sunlight for a long time like, for example, a sportsperson, you can still undergo tanning with 15- 30 minutes of sun exposure on a regular basis. This could lead to skin darkening.

Acne is caused by an interplay of factors like oil gland secretion, hormonal influence and bacterial overgrowth. This starts around puberty and could go on till around 30-35 years of age. Adult acne is becoming common due to stress, lifestyle factors and pollution.

You could follow the following suggestions-

1. Use a broad spectrum sunscreen covering both UV-A and UV- B rays and reapply every 4 hours. The effect of a sunscreen lasts only for 3- 4 hours and hence reapplication is very important. Use a sunscreen even in cloudy weather and even when it is raining as UV rays can still filter through the clouds.
You could use sunscreens like Loreal and Neutrogena ultrasheer dry touch sunscreen which are good ones and do not make the skin more oily.

2. For your acne, apply a gel containing 1% Clindamycin in the morning. Apply a gel containing a combination of 2.5% Benzoyl peroxide and 0.1 % Adapelene at bedtime.

3. Use a facewash containing 2 % salicylic acid once or twice a day. Do not wash your face more than 3 times a day.

4. Have a healthy diet containing fruits and vegetables. Drink upto 2 liters of water per day.

5. You could also get salicylic acid based chemical peels done by a dermatologist.

Hope these suggestions help you.

If you have any more queries, I will be glad to answer.

Take care.

Regards,
Dr. Johny Chacko

Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Johny Chacko

Dermatologist

Practicing since :2005

Answered : 1916 Questions

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Suggest Home Remedies To Improve Complexion Of Skin

Brief Answer: Delayed tanning and acne Detailed Answer: Hello, Welcome to healthcare magic. Welcome to healthcare magic. Your skin tone is determined at the time of your birth itself and it is decided by the concentration of melanocytes ( colour producing cells) and blood circulation. Therefore any treatment or procedures can never make you fairer than what you were at the time of birth. But most of the people will acquire more pigmentation as age increases, we call it facultative pigmentation. Lot of factors determine it, most important being sunlight, others include dust, pollution, smoking, less hydration, intrinsic ageing and free radical damage, stress etc. XXXXXXX skin is easily prone for tanning as compared to the skin of caucassians which is more prone for redness. Infact, tanning is a defense mechanism against skin cancers. Though you are not exposed to sunlight for a long time like, for example, a sportsperson, you can still undergo tanning with 15- 30 minutes of sun exposure on a regular basis. This could lead to skin darkening. Acne is caused by an interplay of factors like oil gland secretion, hormonal influence and bacterial overgrowth. This starts around puberty and could go on till around 30-35 years of age. Adult acne is becoming common due to stress, lifestyle factors and pollution. You could follow the following suggestions- 1. Use a broad spectrum sunscreen covering both UV-A and UV- B rays and reapply every 4 hours. The effect of a sunscreen lasts only for 3- 4 hours and hence reapplication is very important. Use a sunscreen even in cloudy weather and even when it is raining as UV rays can still filter through the clouds. You could use sunscreens like Loreal and Neutrogena ultrasheer dry touch sunscreen which are good ones and do not make the skin more oily. 2. For your acne, apply a gel containing 1% Clindamycin in the morning. Apply a gel containing a combination of 2.5% Benzoyl peroxide and 0.1 % Adapelene at bedtime. 3. Use a facewash containing 2 % salicylic acid once or twice a day. Do not wash your face more than 3 times a day. 4. Have a healthy diet containing fruits and vegetables. Drink upto 2 liters of water per day. 5. You could also get salicylic acid based chemical peels done by a dermatologist. Hope these suggestions help you. If you have any more queries, I will be glad to answer. Take care. Regards, Dr. Johny Chacko