From The Straits Times    |

Quick, try this. Take your (clean!) fingers and use ‘em to caress the contours of your face. Tell me: Do certain “hot spots” of your topography – think treacherous terrain like your nose and cheeks – feel craggier and coarser than the surrounding skin?

That “bumpiness”, my friend, is what beauty brands are alluding to when they tout this toner or other as being terrific for “re-texturising” your skin. Uneven texture and tone (the latter refers to freckles and other brown blotches, FYI) are the consequence of dead cell buildup, and can be exacerbated by excessive sun exposure or aggressive acne meds.

Happily, there are a ton of things to try if you’re gunning for the perfectly porcelain and preternaturally poreless complexion of your dreams. Bookmark this story and have fun ticking off this laundry list of skin-perfecting treatments.

1. See the light with a lunchtime lift. I’m obsessed with IDS Clinic’s cutting-edge (and catchily monikered!) Laser Lift ($1,250 for a single session excl. GST). What’s so special about this non-invasive treatment? Well, it’s performed “intraorally”, for starters – and yes, that means through your gaping maw.

Your trusty doctor will blast beams of a non-ablative laser (derm-speak for procedures that don’t “break” your skin) straight into your mouth; the heat generated is supposed to crank up collagen production. And no, in case you’re wondering: This step doesn’t hurt, at least for me; with any luck, you’ll feel as if you’re swirling around a bit of warm water under your tongue.

This is supplemented by the somewhat more conventional approach of firing lasers of various wavelengths onto the surface of your skin (fair warning – this does sting a little), which is supposed to smooth out imperfections and forestall signs of facial slackening. Best bit? You’ll be in and out of the office in under 45 minutes flat.

2. Apply ascorbic acid. Better known as good ol’ vitamin C, this turbo-charged superhero is a firm favourite for its ability to fend off environmental aggressors. The result? Smoother and more supple skin with a lit-from-within luminescence.

Want to get in on the antioxidative action? Besides being a brilliant skin brightener in its own right, topical vitamin C also makes for a useful adjunct to your daily dose of sunscreen. “I recommend layering vitamin C products under your sunscreen during the day,” suggests celebrity makeup artist Larry Yeo. “Its antioxidative properties help to maximise sun protection and prevent roughness and brown blotches at the same time.

3. Scrub it out. If you have rough and reactive skin, using a scrub to scour off debris and dead cells can actually help to purge your pores of gunk and grease. The trick is in finding products that are effective yet gentle enough for all skin types. Massage into your skin, then rinse off for a visibly smoother visage. Magic!

Still leery of loofah-ing your face with an abrasive paste? Try treating yourself to a Clarisonic brush or similar; these cool cleansing contraptions claim to calm your complexion and purge pores like no other, with minimal elbow grease on your part to boot. These “electric toothbrushes” for your face are incredibly intuitive to use: Simply slap on a cleanser, activate your appliance, press to face, rinse off and you’re done. The visage that greets you in your bathroom mirror should be delightfully dewy and primed for the potions and poultices to follow.

4. Keep your skin peeled. Conventional scrubs not cutting it for you? May I suggest at-home peels (preferably containing gentle glycolic acids), which make for a perfect midway point between milder everyday scrubs and mysteriously long “lunch appointments” with an aesthetician. As always, crucial caveat: Spot-test on the nook of your elbow and start slow; once a week should suffice.

5. Lube up, baby! Finally, seal in all of the goodness of your newly smooth skin with a light face oil, which serves as a “top coat” to prevent us water babies from drying out like prunes. What to try? If you’re a drugstore diva, you’ll love Palmer’s Multi-Effect Perfecting Facial Oil, $23.90, a seriously nourishing amber ambrosia composed of nine skin-perfecting botanical oils. Oh, and this particular potion doesn’t feel greasy and gross in the least, which should help to take the fear factor out of the equation somewhat.

Think of targeted oil treatments as adhering to the Chinese proverb of fighting poison with poison: Using an oil product (especially on rougher regions like say, the sides of your nose) may actually reduce the amount your skin produces by tricking the sebaceous glands into cutting back on overproduction.

Ready to give oils a shot? Just make sure to layer it properly. Use very sparingly – just one or two drops are plenty – and pat into cleansed skin on top of your serums and under your sunscreen. Right, then. Try all five tricks tonight, and three cheers to softer skin!

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