Beauty with care

I spent most of my pocket money in the beauty parlour,'' says 16-year-old Radhika. She admits that she has to do this if she wants to keep...

8220;I spent most of my pocket money in the beauty parlour,8221; says 16-year-old Radhika. She admits that she has to do this if she wants to keep pace with her friends. So every month she gets her waxing done, she threads her upper lips, gets her blackheads removed, bleaches her face and throws in a facial every now and then.

Today8217;s teenagers have become extremely beauty conscious, and why not if spending a small amount of money on themselves can get them through one of the numerous beauty pageants taking place everywhere in the city. I can8217;t walk into college with unwaxed arms and legs and a disheveled look,8221; Radhika exclaims, 8220;I8217;d be the laughing stock of my class!8221;

Being beauty conscious may be an asset, for no one likes to look disheveled as Radhika says, but overdoing it can be dangerous. Teenagers need to be aware of the consequences of using various beauty products. What kind of skin do they have at this age? What chemicals are there in these products and what kind of effect will it have on their skin?

Answering all these questions in a workshop designed specially for teenagers, is Dr Bharti, a cosmetologist specialising in Thermolysis. 8220;I have many teenage patients coming to me for removal of hair from their faces. These teenagers have been waxing and threading their faces from a very young age,8221; she says. The rise in the number of such patients made her realise the need of such workshops.

8220;The skin of a teenager is in the development stage,8221; notes Bharti. So when the teenager waxes and bleaches her face, chemicals containing ammonia burn their newly developed sensitive skin. The oil secretion becomes unbalanced resulting into pimples and a pale and a dull look.The growing skin of the teenagers have an acid mantle level, which too is in a growing stage. When packs are applied, it causes loosening and tightening effect of the skin. 8220;By the time these teenagers are 18 to 19 years old, they lose the elasticity of their skin due to a imbalance in the acid mantel level,8221; she explains.

Just as skin care is important, so is hair care. Bharti notes an increase in greying of hair in teenagers and blames excessive perming as the cause. For perming, strong and harsh chemicals are used which change the condition of the hair, lending it the curl or the wave look. These chemicals affect the oil secreting glands and the colour pigmentation of the scalp, resulting in falling and greying of hair.

The solution to all these problems is basic daily care, which she emphasises in this workshop. She tells her students the right way to brush their hair thoroughly at least once a day so that they can comb out the dust and pollutants.

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Manisha and Prakriti are Bharti8217;s students who have been attending the workshop. Both agree that they have become more cautious about using various skin and hair products after attending the workshop. They check the labels at the back of each product before buying anything. They have stopped going to the parlour and are now more aware of the kind of daily care required to have healthy skin and hair.

8220;I used to do bleaching earlier but I have stopped now,8221; says Manisha who has been lending tips she has learnt in the workshop to her friends and relatives. 8220;Every time before going out I apply the moisturiser because it builds a layer on the skin where the dust settles. You can wash it off once you come home,8221; Prakriti offers some free advise. 8220;Stick to a healthy diet,8221; stresses Bharti, 8220;for if you are internally fit, it will reflect externally through your hair and skin.8221;