Kiss your dry, chapped lips goodbye!

Dear Lucy,

My friends say I am pretty but I have extremely dry lips. Can you help me please? It is so bad that sometimes, my lips bleed when I laugh or smile.

Mariana

That is terrible, Mariana! No matter how pretty you are, it is a turnoff if you have dry, chapped lips! Please use a lip balm religiously, many, many times in one day. It is as simple as that. Use it as a base even when you put on lipgloss or lipcolor. I like Kiehl’s lip balm No. 1 (available at Greenbelt 5, Makati) and Smith’s Rosebud Salve (available at Iora, Glorietta, Makati and Libis, Quezon City). They keep my lips plump, soft, and very smooth. Nice, healthy lips make for a youthful appearance so don’t take your kissers for granted. Always bring a lip balm with you and reapply often and much. You will be much prettier than you already are, I guarantee you that. 

Lucy

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Afraid To Dye

Dear Rissa,

I just turned 30 this year and I’m starting to notice that grey hairs are appearing more often. Which one would you advise  to help prevent the greying — plucking or hair dyeing? My mom used to tell me not to pluck grey hairs because all the more they will grow and my officemates tell me not to color either. What’s the best solution?

Wexy

I wouldn’t recommend plucking your grey hair. You see how the hair on our grandmothers’ eyebrows didn’t grow back after years of repeated plucking? That same thing can happen to you, but on your scalp. I think it’s enough that you’re dealing with grey hair at a young age. Let’s not add balding or hair thinning on your list.

It’s understandable that your officemates are dissuading you from coloring your hair. For anyone — whether they have grey hair or not — hair coloring and hair dyeing can have their downsides. They contain ammonia and peroxide which dry out the hair, make it dull, weak, and even break hair. Studies show that in most cases, even one application can decrease hair resilience by about 50 percent. Also, colored hair tends to change color after a few shampoos or exposure to the sun.

When I recently hit the mall, I stumbled upon the hair spa JF Lazartigue. They offer Colouring Emulsion for grey hair. This non-damaging permanent color does not contain ammonia or peroxide and covers 100 percent of grey hair. This process also coats the hair shaft to protect and enhance it so that colored hair is shiny and bouncy. Plus, color doesn’t change even after many washings or after sunbathing. If you also have a sensitive scalp, this coloring process won’t give you a burning or irritating sensation on the scalp. The interesting thing about it is Colouring Emulsion doesn’t prevent you from perming or straightening your hair. You can still style your hair the way you want. 

JF Lazartigue is located at Level R2 of the Power Plant Mall, Rockwell. Their products and services are also available at selected salons like Studio 546 Shangri-La Mall, Basement Salon in Power Plant and Shangri-La Mall, Hair Watch in Manila Polo Club Makati, Palms Country Club Salon in Alabang, and Salon de Ayala in Alabang Country Club. Good luck!

Rissa

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Facing Aging

Hi, Tingting!

I’m afraid of a face-lift. Are there other alternatives I can take to look young again?

Myrna

Surgical face-lifts are gaining favor, such as those newer, injectable, “soft-option” ways to hold back the signs of aging. Injectables that plump up hollows and fill in marionette lines (those deep grooves from the nose to the mouth that appear as we age). Fillers are tremendous tools in replacing the volume lost to aging, from the face to the neck and even the breasts. Some create lumps, some are short-acting, some last for up to two years. Dermal fillers are a gentler alternative to surgery. They are reversible (most last six to nine months) and much cheaper, depending on the areas to be filled and to what depth.

Restylane, invented by Q-Med in Sweden in 1995, is currently the most widely used dermal filler. It is made from especially bioengineered bacteria with different formulations for different areas of the face. Restylane Touch is for superficial lines and wrinkles, such as paper cuts above the lips and smile lines. Restylane Perlane is for the vertical lines between the eyebrows, the body of the lips, and for contouring the neck and chin.  Restylane SubQ is used to sculpt high cheekbones and a more defined chin. Hylaform and Hylaform Plus are good for moderate wrinkles and lip augmentation; they are used for deep lines and creases.

If you want to know who does those things, Dr. Val Herbosa at Makati Medical does as well as her husband Dr. Benny Herbosa. Also, Dr. Buse of Belo Medical.

Tingting

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Send e-mail to tingtingcojuangco@yahoo.com, ltg@pldtdsl.com, and rissa_samson@yahoo.com.