Wellness Inside Out Part 1: Beauty from Within with Dr. Reema in Conversation with Payal Sen

By Nmami Life Editorial 03-Aug 2020 Reading Time: 13 Mins

As a part of our Nmami Life wellness series, we assure you to bring the best of health & wellness experts to help you gain the maximum wellness. Our sole motto is to bridge the gap of awareness when it comes to your health & wellbeing.

Wellness Inside Out with Payal Sen

Wellness inside out is a weekly series that is hosted by Nmami Life Expert Payal Sen. She holds an MBA in international business and Marketing & is Delhi’s active entrepreneur, influencer & lifestyle brand curator. She is a muse and dear friend to many Indian designers & has been curating exclusive pop-ups & shows for them along with international brands that she draws in. She is a full-time mom to her 2 sons aged 12 & 8 and has supported many causes such as the angel’s network. She’s a fitness addict having practiced power yoga over the past 8 years and is a self-taught nutritionist to her family with her own trial and errors over the years!

Guest of the week: Dr. Reema Arora

Dr. Reema Arora is a dermatologist and has been a national and international trainer in BOTOX® and Fillers for the past 14 years. She has worked with Allergan India Pvt Ltd. as Medical Head- Facial Aesthetics and has the credit of training over 1500 Dermatologists and Plastic surgeons in the art of facial rejuvenation with injectables.

Dr. Arora has single handily revolutionized the use of Botox and dermal fillers in India with new innovations and focus on Indian faces. She has perfected the art of using Botox, Juvederm, and Voluma amongst other injectables to rejuvenate, enhance and treat the whole face including -facial asymmetries, defining various facial features like the nose, jaw, lips and resolving excessive sweating.

Excerpts from the Session

The very first session of Wellness Inside Out was held on 30 June at 6 PM. You can watch the entire video here- https://www.instagram.com/tv/CCD2VreH_Uw/?igshid=s2h1mxrx5qmy

But, for those who like to read or keep a note of the expert’s opinion, we bring the entire excerpt of the session so that you don’t miss out on anything. Here are the points that were covered in the live session:

Skin’s Best Foods

The way our skin looks has got a lot to do with what we eat and prevention is better than cure. Vitamin C is a great nutrient to boost antioxidant levels. Vitamin C is easily available from various citrus fruits and he recommended dose can be obtained from about one and a half lemon a day. But, if you are not comfortable with that much, you can take an oral supplement of Vitamin C. You should aim to get at least a gram of Vitamin C from the supplements/ foods you consume.

Another popular antioxidant is glutathione. It’s not only for skin whitening but it’s also extensively used for cancer patients in chemotherapy because it helps to build immunity and it subsides free radicals. The only issue with glutathione is that when you ingest it, you don’t absorb it that well. So, you can either take IV (in the clinic) or you can take soluble (oral) glutathione. Glutathione is not easily available in foods- mushrooms and pomegranate are a good source but don’t have that much of a level to offer protection. Glutathione can lead to skin whitening, which is great for people with melasma or pigmentation. It imparts a healthy glow to your skin.

Foods to Eat

You should first assess your skin whether you have oily, dry, or acne-prone skin or normal skin type.

Pomegranate is an excellent fruit loaded with antioxidants that help to fight off free radicals. Free radicals are harmful substances that can give rise to dull and tired skin along with causing premature skin aging. It is also rich in magnesium.
Avocado- It is loaded with healthy fats that provide suppleness and subtle glow to the skin. One avocado per day is a great choice for healthy skin.
Staying hydrated most important. Divide your weight in kilograms by 23 to get the number of litres of water you should consume every day. For example, if your weight is 60 kilograms (60/23), your water intake should be at least 2.6 litres per day.
Smoothie made with spinach, celery, and bell peppers is a great drink to have. Bell peppers are rich in nutrients that can make your skin glow. Green, red or yellow bell peppers are great. For smoothies, you can blend in whatever base you like – say water, almond milk. If you are acne-prone, avoid dairy milk as it can stimulate acne

Effect of Dairy on Skin

Dairy products can play a little havoc with your hormones especially in women with PCOD. In such cases, switching to almond milk or soy milk is a good idea. The fat load is also generally high in dairy especially full-cream milk which can be bad for your skin.

Stress & Skin’s Response

Stress plays a role in everything – how you feel inside out. Stress increases the levels of cortisol hormone which in turn leads to more sebum/ oil production in the skin that can further cause acne or oily scalp. Stress plays a huge role in determining the health of your skin, nails, and hair.

With oily hair- you must comb your hair twice. Use a mild cleanser to wash your hair at least twice a week. Don’t overuse dry shampoos. A quick fix is to use apple cider vinegar as a final rinse for hair as it can cleanse the extra oil from your hair and give a natural sheen.

For skin, if you have oily skin- use cleansers with tea tree oil. Turmeric and honey are excellent for oily skin. Turmeric is antibacterial. A lot of people with oily skin don’t moisturize their skin well. It can lead to a vicious cycle of more oil production. You can use a gel-based moisturizer.

Basic Skincare Routine

The daily routine involves cleansing, Toning, Sunscreen, and Night Serum. These 4 should be in everyone’s skincare routine.

Morning Skincare Routine

Cleansing- When you are using a cleanser, take a pea-sized amount. Don’t massage it in your hands because that would lead to wastage of the product. Just dab it on your face and massage it for at least 60 seconds before you take it off. The cleanser has to be skin appropriate. Vitamin C based cleansers are good for normal skin. Acne-prone skin can use tea-tree based cleansers. Tweak your cleanser according to the season.
Vitamin C Serum- Pat dry your face after cleansing and take about 2-3 drops of vitamin C serum. It takes about 20-30 seconds to dry off completely.
Sunscreen – You must use sunscreen at home too. The lights from the mobile, laptop can also harm your skin, so sunscreen is a must. There are IR sunscreens available which are especially designed to protect from the blue light that comes from electronic devices.

Night Skincare Routine

After using a cleanser, just switch your sunscreen with serums like retinol serum. And top it with a moisturizer.

Acne-Prone Skincare

Most of the time acne-prone skin is associated with other hormonal disorders like PCOD, thyroid disorders. So, you must assess that first. Also, make sure you are exercising daily because it increases the production of endorphins and leads to weight loss also which can help make the skin better. But ensure the moment you finish working out, you should wash your face.

Eat foods that are low in glycaemic index. Eat a lot of celery, and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables. These will help in improving skin conditions by improving your blood sugar.

Supplements for Skin

Vitamin C
Glutathione
Collagen- good for skin, hair, bones. Look for hydrolyzed collagen
Zinc- it helps in the production of collagen and is excellent for acne-prone skin.
Hyaluronic Acid- Oral or IV
Calcium
Biotin- It can help with hair fall. Your hair fall is often the very first sign of nutrient deficiency.