Because of all the years I have spent in the sun as a child with no sunscreen, my face is now 3 to 4 shades darker than the rest of my body, something that I find really annoying. That permanent skin darkening is called "permatan" since your skin cells have already been damaged and are no longer producing your original skin color, but a darker skin color in order to protect that part of your skin from future sun damage.
I just want to even out the color of my face so it matches the rest of my body. That's why I have decided to remove my permatan.
Fortunately, all sun damage is -to some extent- reversible. The most widely used product is Retin-A or any tretinoin based product. That alone can reverse a lot of sun damage. But in order to achieve an even skin color, you must follow a set of rules.
I have done tons of research about this topic and I have found what are the keys for getting rid of a permatan.
1) Exfoliate with a good AHA exfoliant, such as a weekly peel of lactic acid or glycolic acid (percentages should be between 40-50%). Lactic acid is actually better since it works best for people with sensitive skin and it has moisturizing properties. It also inhibits melanin protection and helps prepare the skin so it can absorb better all the products you're putting in. No whitening serum or cream will work if your skin isn't well exfoliated. Of course, using any tretinoin product is great too for exfoliation.
Product recommendations: Retin-A, Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid, MUA Lactic Acid 40%
2) Whiten your skin with a good serum or cream that has proven whitening ingredients. Some ingredients that have shown to work are arbutin, kojic acid, licorice, niacinamide, vitamin c, tranexamic acid, glutathione, sepiwhite, alpha arbutin, gigawhite, azelaic acid... etc.
Product recommendations: Naruko Derma Pro Multi Peptide Brightening Serum, UNT Ex White Serum, Skinfood Omija Whitening Serum.
3) Protect your skin always with a good sunscreen (preferably zinc oxide based). Zinc oxide protects skin for both UVA and UVB, so it is one of the more reliable ingredients. You have to use sunscreen every single day, even if it is cloudy or rainy.
Product recommendations: Biotherma Mineral Sunscreen SPF50+++, Ducray Melascreen Lotion SPF50++
I am gonna start this regimen soon. Will keep updating~!
Tuesday 26 March 2013
Wednesday 20 March 2013
Asian Beauty vs Western Beauty
This entry is not supposed to offend anyone. It is just my view on Asian and Western concepts of beauty, and why they are so different.
So, what are the main differences between Asian and Western concepts of beauty and why?
1) Skin: white vs tanned
We all know Westerners love to bake in the sun, to the point where most of them look orange and strange. I never understood that "healthy glow" that the sun is supposed to give you; if anything, I think being tanned makes you look older and weird. Plus, it promotes wrinkles and premature aging. And if that wasn't enough, baking in the sun can increase your chances of getting skin cancer or melanoma.
Whereas in Asia it's quite the opposite. They aim to be as white as possible. And the most common missunderstanding among Westerners is that they do that in order to achieve a "Caucasian" look. That doesn't make any sense at all. That's like saying that all White people that bake in the sun are aiming to be like black people. Probably no one would claim that. And yet, they insist Asians want to be white like Westerners... like if all Westerners were white! There's all sorts of colors in the Western, ranging from pasty white to light olive.
So, what is the reason behind that quest for pale skin? Until not so long time ago, both European and Asian cultures coveted pale skin as it was an indicator of high social status (people that didn't have to work outside so their skin remained pale). The only difference is that in the 20th century, with most people starting to work indoors, having tanned skin started to become associated with being able to afford vacations, and thus, higher status. That only happened in the West though. In Asia, the old standard of "pale skin= higher status" prevailed. So it has nothing to do with wanting to be Caucasian, it's more about social status. Also, there's the fact that Asians tend to get sun spots easily and are prone to melasma, so the wise thing would be to avoid the sun as much as possible. And that's what they do.
2) Eyebrows: straight vs arched
Having straight natural eyebrows is a trend that started in Korea. Its main goal is to make eyebrows look as natural as possible. They are often thick and a bit bushy and have this characteristic straight shape, and they are shaped with some scissors and a tiny razor. Koreans think straight eyebows give you a clean and cute look.
In the West you can see all kinds of eyebrows, but one of the most popular shapes is having them arched. They are supposed to emphasize the eyes and give you a sexy look. Personally, I was into this kind of eyebrow some years ago, but now I find it a bit too bold. Plus, eyebrows that are too thin or too arched can actually make you look older.
3. Makeup: minimal vs bold
Westerners like to use tons of makeup, and they often overdo it. I just get shocked every time I see Western girls wearing some heavy foundation 3 shades darker than their skin color, their eyes covered in some sparkly eyeshadow all over their lids up to the eyebrow, with tons of shimmering blush and bronzer on their faces, and, if that wasn't horrible enough, with some unflattering lipstick that is rather too bright or too light (kinda like the girl in the pic). Of course there's Westerners that do a more subtle and natural makeup, but I see girls like the one in the pic everyday, and they are just disturbing :s
I feel Asians are more on the soft side: they prefer a more natural look that often consists of light foundation or BB cream, black eyeliner, mascara and some natural lipstick. And of course I have seen Asians overdoing their makeup too (like some Japanese girls wearing tons of blush and 2 layers of fake eyelashes that were too obvious and too bad glued) but, in general, I have the sensation they prefer to go for a "no-makeup" makeup.
So I think these are the main differences between the Asian and the Western standards of beauty. While I truly like the Asian standard because it emphasizes being natural above all, I also dislike the fact that in Asia seems like there's just one standard of beauty. That would be someone with a small, oval-shaped face, big eyes, a well defined nose and a super thin body, with almost no shapes. In the West seems like there's more than just one standard of beauty, and that's good, but, again, media tends to idolize being skinny and tanned above all, and that makes tons of girls to choose unhealthy lifestyles, like starving themselves to achieve that super skinny body and going to tanning saloons every week to be as orange as their idols, given that having a pale complexion is viewed as "unhealthy". Some people are being insulted in the West for being too pale and never getting a tan; whereas in Asia that is viewed as pretty and desirable. Such a weird world, right? The grass is always greener on the other side.
So, what are the main differences between Asian and Western concepts of beauty and why?
1) Skin: white vs tanned
We all know Westerners love to bake in the sun, to the point where most of them look orange and strange. I never understood that "healthy glow" that the sun is supposed to give you; if anything, I think being tanned makes you look older and weird. Plus, it promotes wrinkles and premature aging. And if that wasn't enough, baking in the sun can increase your chances of getting skin cancer or melanoma.
Whereas in Asia it's quite the opposite. They aim to be as white as possible. And the most common missunderstanding among Westerners is that they do that in order to achieve a "Caucasian" look. That doesn't make any sense at all. That's like saying that all White people that bake in the sun are aiming to be like black people. Probably no one would claim that. And yet, they insist Asians want to be white like Westerners... like if all Westerners were white! There's all sorts of colors in the Western, ranging from pasty white to light olive.
So, what is the reason behind that quest for pale skin? Until not so long time ago, both European and Asian cultures coveted pale skin as it was an indicator of high social status (people that didn't have to work outside so their skin remained pale). The only difference is that in the 20th century, with most people starting to work indoors, having tanned skin started to become associated with being able to afford vacations, and thus, higher status. That only happened in the West though. In Asia, the old standard of "pale skin= higher status" prevailed. So it has nothing to do with wanting to be Caucasian, it's more about social status. Also, there's the fact that Asians tend to get sun spots easily and are prone to melasma, so the wise thing would be to avoid the sun as much as possible. And that's what they do.
2) Eyebrows: straight vs arched
Having straight natural eyebrows is a trend that started in Korea. Its main goal is to make eyebrows look as natural as possible. They are often thick and a bit bushy and have this characteristic straight shape, and they are shaped with some scissors and a tiny razor. Koreans think straight eyebows give you a clean and cute look.
In the West you can see all kinds of eyebrows, but one of the most popular shapes is having them arched. They are supposed to emphasize the eyes and give you a sexy look. Personally, I was into this kind of eyebrow some years ago, but now I find it a bit too bold. Plus, eyebrows that are too thin or too arched can actually make you look older.
3. Makeup: minimal vs bold
Westerners like to use tons of makeup, and they often overdo it. I just get shocked every time I see Western girls wearing some heavy foundation 3 shades darker than their skin color, their eyes covered in some sparkly eyeshadow all over their lids up to the eyebrow, with tons of shimmering blush and bronzer on their faces, and, if that wasn't horrible enough, with some unflattering lipstick that is rather too bright or too light (kinda like the girl in the pic). Of course there's Westerners that do a more subtle and natural makeup, but I see girls like the one in the pic everyday, and they are just disturbing :s
I feel Asians are more on the soft side: they prefer a more natural look that often consists of light foundation or BB cream, black eyeliner, mascara and some natural lipstick. And of course I have seen Asians overdoing their makeup too (like some Japanese girls wearing tons of blush and 2 layers of fake eyelashes that were too obvious and too bad glued) but, in general, I have the sensation they prefer to go for a "no-makeup" makeup.
***
So I think these are the main differences between the Asian and the Western standards of beauty. While I truly like the Asian standard because it emphasizes being natural above all, I also dislike the fact that in Asia seems like there's just one standard of beauty. That would be someone with a small, oval-shaped face, big eyes, a well defined nose and a super thin body, with almost no shapes. In the West seems like there's more than just one standard of beauty, and that's good, but, again, media tends to idolize being skinny and tanned above all, and that makes tons of girls to choose unhealthy lifestyles, like starving themselves to achieve that super skinny body and going to tanning saloons every week to be as orange as their idols, given that having a pale complexion is viewed as "unhealthy". Some people are being insulted in the West for being too pale and never getting a tan; whereas in Asia that is viewed as pretty and desirable. Such a weird world, right? The grass is always greener on the other side.
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