Malaysian Dermatologist And Local Celebrities Share Skincare Tips For Your Beauty Regimen

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According to the Cetaphil Skin Health Survey 2021, there are five types of skin sensitivities that Malaysians face. These problems include a weakened skin barrier, dryness, irritation, roughness, and tightness after cleansing.

While it may sound daunting, these skin issues are easily rectified by having a simple and dermatologically-approved skincare regimen. In a recent livestream, Cetaphil Malaysia invited Dr Liyana Dhamirah Aminuddin, a clinical dermatologist from the Faculty of Medicine Hospital UiTM, to create awareness and shed some light on this topic.

Hosted by Lisa Surihani and Lizz Chloe, local Cetaphil Ambassadors, consumers and skincare enthusiasts got to tune in to the live session on 10 November to learn more.

According to Dr Liyana, all you need is the right skin regimen, which tends to feature skincare basics — a gentle cleanser, moisturiser, and sun protection.

There is such a thing as overwashing your face too, which can strip your skin of its natural oils. Washing your face once in the morning when you wake up, and again before you go to bed usually suffices.

So, how do you combat dryness? Moisturise as often as you can, especially once you start feeling dryness. It's okay to reapply moisturiser, unless you have oily skin. The rule of thumb is to use the moisturiser that suits your skin.

Another tip is to shorten your shower time to avoid dryness. And apply proper bath and moisturising products to your body, the same way you would with your face.

To combat this, again, the whole idea is to use a gentle skincare regimen that will not irritate your skin, but soothe it. Moisturising also really works.

When your skin is irritated, you may experience the dreaded itch-scratch cycle. Whenever you feel an itch coming up, fight the urge to scratch it because scratching can cause more damage to your skin and irritate it further with abrasions.

A tip from the experts? Put some ice or a cold patch on the area where there's irritation, and the itch will lessen because your attention is diverted to the cold sensation.

There are a few reasons why roughness occurs — there may be an underlying disease, blackhead and whitehead growths, dead skin that causes dullness, or just plain dryness.

According to the experts, our skin naturally sheds dead skin cells every 30 days, but that's only if it's healthy. So, if you're stressed or sick, your skin turnover rate might be longer, which is why exfoliation is a super important step in your beauty regime!

Another question that the experts helped answer, is whether foaming cleansers clean the skin properly. The answer — if a cleanser makes your skin feel tight after cleansing, no, it's best to avoid.

You just want your face to be clean, not feel tight, which is what the extra foam causes. Harsh chemicals that strip off the natural oils on your face can over-clean and cause tightness; so use a gentle cleanser, which is usually less foaming, but kinder to your skin.

Your skin barrier is like the shield that protects your face and body. A damaged skin barrier can stem from overwashing to using harsh products that cause your face to feel tight.

It may also lead to dry and dehydrated skin, as well as the other skin issues mentioned earlier, such as roughness and uneven texture. The good news is, you can typically improve a damaged skin barrier by religiously moisturising — and consistency here is key.

Through its Skin Health Awareness activities, consumers will be able to get even more resources, so if you didn't catch the live stream, don't worry. ;)

You can head to this website for more information about the five signs of skin sensitivities or look out for weekly "Ask A Derm" postings on their Instagram page for more handy skincare tips.