Dr. Shefali Trasi Nerurkar, Consultant Dermatologist of Dr Trasi clinic and La Piel skin clinic, gives us some mandatory tips on ways to look after our skin, skin trends and some surgical and nonsurgical information in the beauty world.

With the world becoming more visual, the focus is now on looking good. Dr Shefali, what are the five mandatory things one must always do for one’s skin?
Skin is a very sensitive organ and needs constant pampering. When one wants to take care, think of these five mandatory steps-

1. Use products that suit your own skin type. Generally, the trend is we use products recommended by our friends and family and end up with some skin problems. Hence, visit a dermatologist to find out which product will suit the skin and use it for at least 3 months to see its effect on the skin.
2. Maintain a proper skincare routine- come rain or sunshine, one has to regularly use skincare products. Cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen should be applied daily. Depending on the weather, night creams can change.
3. Never sleep with makeup on-sleeping with makeup can clog the skin pores and cause acne and form eruptions. Always cleanse the face with a gentle cleanser to remove the makeup. Micellar water is an excellent cleanser for makeup removal.
4. Along with facial skin pay attention to body skin, hair and nails. Generally, everyone is worried about how the face looks and tends to ignore the rest of the body skin. Pay heed to that as well. A suitable body cleanser with a body cream can hydrate the skin. Body sunscreens can prevent the tan. Sulfate-free and paraben-free shampoos can maintain healthy hair. Oral biotin supplements can be consumed for good skin, hair and nails.
5. Maintain a good diet. Diet plays a very important role in good skin. Consume lots of fruits and vegetables, and drink 2-3 liters of water daily.

There are so many surgical and nonsurgical procedures to enhance one’s skin, which is the one trending in surgical and nonsurgical?
Surgical procedures consisting of facelifts, abdominoplasty, fat transfer and hair transplants are trending among people.

In nonsurgical or semi-surgical procedures, fillers, thread lifts, neurotoxin injections have always been popular. However, nowadays many patients prefer machine-based skin tightening with HIFU or radiofrequency technology. Vampire facials are also trending amongst patients. In body contouring, cryolipolysis and muscle toning are popular treatments. The small fat pouches which are resistant to disappear inspite of regular exercise can lessen or vanish with these body sculpting treatments.

A lot of youngsters are taking pills to block the melanin and become fairer, is it safe? Is there any other procedure for this?
Pills to convert dark melanin to white melanin are antioxidant pills. When the skin is exposed to light and pollution, it produces free radicals. These radicals damage the skin structure and cause early hyperpigmentation or aging of the skin. These antioxidants destroy the free radicals thus protecting the skin from damage. Patients can take these antioxidants orally or via the intravenous route. Iv drips are getting popular amongst patients. However one must remember that these drips won’t make the skin fairer. It just removes the tan and makes the skin glow.

What is the latest in skin technology?
Double-needle face lift with threads is the latest procedure in skin technology. It is a semi-surgical lunchtime procedure done under local anesthesia for jawline or malar reshaping. Cheek augmentation with floating threads can also be done to face uplift.

According to you, what should TheGlitz readers do to follow the perfect beauty regimen?
To follow a perfect beauty regimen, maintain the CMS routine of cleansing-moisturising-sunscreen routine. Use a night serum as per the skin type. Also, visit your dermatologist once in a while and undergo a treatment or procedure required for the skin.