Just before school got out for summer, the lovely team at Fair & Lovely and Pond’s Arabia hosted a Girls’ Night Out event for the fashionistas of Jeddah. The ladies not only got to indulge in an expert skin analysis, customized facials, one-on-one consultations with renowned dermatologist & brand expert for Pond’s Arabia, Dr. Lillian Khan, but we also got pampered with a professional make-up application and hair styling. Needless to say, my favorite indulgence was the uncensorsed gossip that comes with having bold fashionistas and bloggers all in the same room. It was seriously totes amaze (which in fashion jargon translates to “totally amazing”)!

Dr. Lillian Khan – Pond’s Arabia

Of course, being the social media butterfly that I am, I tweeted, Facebooked, and instagramed the entire nights’ events, injecting justifiable envy into the girls of Riyadh and Dammam. I decided it wasn’t fair–or lovely, for us Jeddah girls to have all the fun. So I tweeted and posted that I was going to treat my followers with full access to the expertise of Dr. Lillian, who also happens to be a social media junkie herself. Having been one of the first doctors to conduct online Q&A’s, Dr. Lillian (or @DrLillian) has a legion of loyal followers, who trust their skin in her virtual hands.

Below are five questions from various users via social media platforms, tweeter and Facebook.

1. With Ramadan in full swing and most of us fasting, how do we prevent our skin from becoming dehydrated? (via @Mahoosha)
When we talk about skin hydration we are actually talking about its moisture level that is regulated by the oil glands. The balance between oil productions of these glands along with keeping the integrity of the natural fatty layer that protects the outer part of our skin is what distinguishes between a dry and not so dry complexion. Now we do need water in order for our skin cells to function normally and with sweating not only do we lose water content but also minerals, that all has to be replenished in order for us not to get dry, dull, and tired looking skin.
Fasting is good to detoxify the body and skin, and it has been observed that with healthy fasting some skin conditions get better like acne and eczema. The problem arises with unhealthy fasting in which there is not enough water intake after breaking of the fast and consuming a diet of culturally bad Ramadan eating habits with excessive intake of sugar, fat, and caffeine. This kind of diet causes more breakouts, and destruction of collagen and you will end up with dull unhealthy looking skin by the end of the month.
Two quick skin care tips to maintain hydrated glowing skin during the fasting hours: Choose a well-balanced moisturizing cleanser for dry skin types and a foam cleanser for oily skin types that is not abrasive, pat dry your skin after, apply an antioxidant rich serum and then top it off with a rich antioxidant moisturizer like Pond’s age defense multi-benefit illuminating face cream to lock in moisture. During the peak times of sun and heat in Jeddah, spray mineral water mist to hydrate and cool down the skin.
There are also the options of hydrating facials in medical SPAs you can pop in for, have them at least twice during the month if you feel that you have not been able to keep up with your skin care during the month.

2. Do Saudis get enough sun? (via Nourah S on Fb)
With our lifestyle, which is mainly focused indoors by most Saudis then I would say… No, we don’t get enough sun… But then I am also having the problem of a new trend among young Jeddah women that spend weekends on the beach and getting too much harmful amount of unprotected sun exposure, which isn’t right too. Vitamin D deficiency is becoming a problem and everyday there are newly diagnosed men and women. I think before it was under diagnosed in our region and now we are focusing more on detecting these cases.
There have been many conflicting reports in trying to decide between should we or shouldn’t we expose our skin to the sun and its benefit in Vitamin D deficiency and its prevention. In these situation I will have to quote the American Academy of Dermatology  “The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) does not recommend getting vitamin D from sun exposure (natural) or indoor tanning (artificial) because ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and tanning beds can lead to the development of skin cancer. ”
I suggest that you can obtain a good amount of Vitamin D from a healthy diet, and there are supplements too.Try as much as you can to avoid the sun peak hours which are between 10 am and 4 pm.

3. What is the most common problem you witness among people living in Saudi? (via @Randa_B)
I always say my clinic patients are divided into 3 categories: A third come for acne and acne-related problems, another third for pigmentation problems and the last third come in for hair fall complaints. Saudi women have beautiful hair so they work hard to maintain it. Now since I am a cosmetic medicine oriented dermatologist the rest of my patients come to seek treatments for anti aging, aging, and rejuvenating skin solutions.

4. All these products, can men use them too? (via Hosam E on FB)
Yes, men can use all these products too, yet they are formulated to accommodate female skin specifically. Men and women skin is not the same in structure and the way it functions. Men have thicker skin with more collagen and elastin, which makes it harder and firmer. They produce more oil from their oil glands, have wider pores, sweat more, and they have facial hair which makes the bacteria content on their face more. They shave, which causes the top layer of their skin to be sloughed off frequently and they are prone to shave bumps and ingrown hair.
All the above differences are taken into consideration when companies formulate products catering to men. Including their daily habits in which are men tend to spend more time outdoors, don’t like applying shiny products, and they don’t like applying feminine fragranced creams, which companies add to make it more appealing to women.

5. I’m obsessed with Gold Radiance Day Cream! Besides making me glow, what are the benefits of its daily use? (Ok, I confess @shoesanddrama is me!)
Gold has been around since ancient times and was used then to maintain youthful skin; it is thought that Cleopatra has used pure gold on her skin to keep its beauty. Romans and ancient China used it to rejuvenate the skin, and heal wounds faster. It has been used in medicine to treat Rheumatic diseases. Now it’s making a comeback in skin care as always we are trying to find the secrets and benefits of ancient medicine in modern times. Gold containing products has been observed to hydrate, moisture, rejuvenate, and firm skin. Reducing wrinkles, and fine lines. Pond’s labs clinical testing and consumer reports have shown that Gold radiance creams improved skin radiance, glow, elasticity, and moisture. I use this product personally and I love it! I have acne prone skin and it’s the first day cream that hasn’t caused me any breakouts.

Have a good safe summer, drink good amount of water in the heat, don’t forget your sunscreen, and stay away from unhealthy tanning! What you damage now you will pay for it later believe me.

Article by Marriam Mossalli | What’s Up Jeddah