For now, all is fair in skin and tone

Treatments are customised to needs of the client, who is also taught skin maintenance

Beauty is only skin-deep. Maybe, but the surface does matter. The rush is for that fair look, as both women and men head to parlours for for skin-polishing and toning.

Gone are the days of the routine ‘facial’ to get rid of the harsh effects of the scorching summer.

No sooner the first monsoon clouds gathered in the sky this year, than Mulund resident Swati Nagarajan, 25, rushed to the nearest - and ubiquitous — skin clinic to get rid of her tan.

“My skin had become pigmented and blotchy. I am looking for an even skin tone,” says Nagarajan, a stock analyst.

“Demand for skin-lightening treatments rises at the end of summer and during wedding season,” says cosmetic surgeon Purnima Mhatre of Gorgeous Skin Clinic in Bandra.

“Everyone wants a fairer, better complexion,” she says. “Clients from 15 to 50 years, including a significant number of men, come here.”

Skin clinics offer the most advanced skin-lightening treatment like laser photofacial, and chemical peels, microderm abrasion and skin-polishing.

How are these ‘treatments’ different from the creams and lotions available in the market that claim to make the skin fairer?

“These treatments are customised according to the client’s needs. An expert takes into consideration the skin type, the problem and the age of the client before recommending the treatment. There are lesser chances of side-effects and better results,” says a dermatologist attached to a leading skin care chain.

The client is also taught skin maintenance, which is a must following any of these treatments, she warns.

“At least two to three clients - men too — have been coming every day seeking skin lightening treatments to get rid of their summer tan since the beginning of June,” agrees Dr Meenakshi Agarwal, who runs Face ‘n Figure, a skin clinic in Mahim. Most treatments involve four to six sittings, one every 15 days, she adds.

Skin pigmentation disorders occur because the body produces either too much or too little melanin. “The most common cause of darkened skin, brown spots or areas of discolouration is heavy exposure to the sun,” says dermatologist Dr Anuja
Ramchander.
s_deepa@dnaindia.net