Fighting Dryness

KATHMANDU, April 5: Spring, summer, monsoon, autumn or winter- we in Nepal are fortunate to enjoy all the seasons of the nature unlike few countries where people have to be content with two or three of the extremes. However, along with these ever changing seasons, we face our own problems. We need different sets of clothes to match different weather conditions. There is the possibility of getting sick at every weather change. And we face different skin problems too, mainly skin dryness which leaves us with dull and parched skin and an irritation as you try to smile, grump or make face. [break]

For some, adapting skin to weather and moving to another right after three months could be an awful experience. With every season arises a different skin related problem. Some even spend thousands of rupees buying cosmetics to gain the fresh look and remove the parched feeling. Few succeed and others invite more problems because of the incompatibility of the skin and its tone with the chemicals used in the cosmetics.

Everyday hundreds of customers visit the Suraj Arcade searching for an appropriate facial cream. “As we are going through dry weather, some 20 to 25 people of different age groups come asking for specific creams to get rid of their dry skin,” says Manjay Tuladhar who runs a cosmetic shop in the complex.

Veteran beauty therapist and cosmetologist, Bina Vaidya whose clientele spreads over all age groups, mostly seek solution to their skin dryness problems. She believes that Nepali skin is easy to maintain. “Nepalis have healthy skin compared to foreigners but dryness has always been a major issue,” she says.

Vaidya has been in the beauty industry for past forty years and runs a 35-year old beauty club and training institute. She has seen a lot of changes in the pattern of skin problems faced by the Nepalis. She says, “Treating dry skin was a lot easier in early days of my career. Pollution and the over population has further deteriorated the health, and has severe negative effect on skin.”

Over population in the capital has seen massive depletion of natural resources. Cities and towns elsewhere in the country are also witnessing fast transformation into urban townships. All this contributes to the weakening of the ozone layer letting direct ultraviolet rays in our environment, which has hazardous effect on our health, more visibly on the skin.

“Air pollution dries the skin. Dirt and dust blocks the sweat and oil glands. So if the glands are not cleansed properly, they stop functioning permanently,” Vaidya adds.

Then, washing face with just normal water will not help. Cleansing with facial cream is essential to remove the dust and dirt and open up the glands every day as the skin needs to sweat and secrete oil for a healthy condition.

Nepal’s humidity level is usually low and it goes down further during windy season leaving the skin dehydrated and dry. Nepal’s water also consist hard mineral compositions which add to the negative effects on the skin.

Dry skin is not just a problem to adults. Children can experience a form of dry skin as well. More so, because of their vulnerability of their skin as children spend most of their time in open space at school or playgrounds. While parents tend to be more focused in children’s studies than their food and health habits, Vaidya points out that their food and liquid intake habits are not monitored by the parents leading to further dehydration of the skin and body.

Vaidya advises children to use water based creams and oil based creams for adults.

Pollution and the degrading environment contribute to dry skin. However, some are dry-skinned by birth. Archana Nakarmi who uses mixture of two creams on the recommendation of her beautician to maintain her facial skin is by birth dry skinned. Vaidya remarks, “Reason for this may be Nakarmi’s mother did not take proper diet while she was pregnant. So to avoid the complications regarding the skin of a child, a mother should always take well care of her diet during and post pregnancy.”

Vaidya’s clients are even advised to drink plenty of water and get enough sleep along with regular skin cleansing and facials, once in a while. “If the dry skin problem deteriorates one should always consult their beauty therapist for further treatment,” she adds

Further, dermatologists advise never itch the dry skin, or to use hot water or strong soaps on a dry skin. Facial oil or moisturizers on the specialists’ recommendation is suggested.

(All photos by Bikash Karki.)