CIGDEM GUNDUZBEY UREGEN:

‘SkIn texture needs care at every age'

Can you talk about yourself?

I was born in Ankara and finished primary and secondary education in Ankara. In 1999 I graduated with distinction from Hacettepe University Faculty of Science. I started a Master Degree in the same year in Department of Histology and Embryology at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine and I was awarded the title of Expert of Histology and Embryology Science in 2011. Having completed the necessary theoretical and practical trainings at the Infertility Unit of Ankara University Faculty of Medicine and IVF Unit of Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine between 2003 and 2010, I was entitled to receive the Embryology Professional Proficiency Certificates from the Turkish Ministry of Health. I received mandatory vocational training in the USA, Sweden, and Czech Republic between 2006 and 2011.

As of January 2012 I have worked as a cosmetic surgery coach and beauty counsellor and life coach in Este Club Clinic, a plastic surgery clinic, which we co- founded with my husband Dr Salih Emre Uregen who is a surgeon. In addition to various scientific reviews, translations, and publications I have presented and participated in national and international scientific congresses. En Gebeli Yollar is my first published book I wrote and compiled in 2014 and it combines my pregnancy memories with my scientific experience.

What comes to mind when hearing the word beauty is skincare. In your view, when should skin care practices begin?

Skin care practices remind people of detailed, time-consuming, and costly practices in beauty centres. However, basically skin care means practices that will ensure appropriate oil-moisture balance and cleanliness of the skin, our most valuable organ that covers our body. In this sense skin care practices should begin after birth when our skin encounters the outer world.

It will be appropriate to begin more detailed and professional care practices from adolescency. Sebaceous glands on face (on nose, forehead, and chin) function and secrete more in adolescency and this is a factor that triggers acne development. By providing professional skincare during this period and using water-based products and antiseptic tonics for oily skins, it is possible to go through this process easily and control acne development.

'Age management' is a contraversial issue in skincare.
What are your views?

Skin texture needs care at every age since it is affected from environmental conditions, sun, eating habits, stress, lifestyle, and sleeping pattern. Of course these factors are not the same for all ages; therefore, age-specific care is essential because skin requirements differ by aging. Although intense collagen that keeps skin glowing and vibrant at early ages is abundant, it decreases by aging and skin loses its flexibility. Thus, supplementary products would be a good idea.

What do you think about cosmetic surgeries? When should one have cosmetic surgery?

There are times when one suffers from physical exhaustion and needs professional hands to rally and recreate oneself. Actually this is when the cosmetic surgery and life coach steps in. However, we do not recommend plastic surgery for each client, who comes to our clinic.

A plastic surgery is a reasonable option in cases when;

• the client has not decided to have a surgery following a psychological trauma, and done research and knows well about the post-operative process.
• the client is found suitable for surgery physically following necessary examination like blood tests.
• the client has realistic expectations of the surgery since it would be wrong if the client believed that her/his life would change forever, she/he would be a brand new person, or her/his social and personal relationships would improve
• the client's aesthetic concerns are accompanied by physiological problems. For instance a client may desire to have rhinoplasty to avoid breathing problems and change her/his appearance as well.

What should we pay attention to when building skincare routines at home? What are some easy and homemade skin masks?

We don't always have to receive professional help for skincare. If we know our own skin type and choose appropriate products, we can clean and moisture our skin and apply homemade peeling masks and other masks and products containing collagen and vitamins. Besides, when natural products and substances are used, they also give positive results. However, I don't think it is a good idea to use or try all products, substances or products and masks that you see on social media or that are recommended by non-experts because our skin is special and we should pay attention to the products we use as much as we pay attention to the medication we take. Doctors give personalized treatments, so a treatment good for one may turn out bad for another. It is not right to prepare or buy products that have not been tested yet.

What are most frequent winter skin problems and what solutions do you offer?

It is necessary to protect our skin all year round from all kinds of environmental conditions. While protecting the skin from sun in summer we need a barrier to protect the skin in dry and windy weather conditions. The skin slows down blood circulation to maintain temperature against changing weather conditions and when blood circulation slows down, it is harder for the skin to take anti-oxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients. Moreover, sudoriferous glands and sebaceous glands start functioning more slowly. The protective layer we call lipid barrier becomes thinner. As a result of these skin dries, is dehydrated, peels off, and scratches redden. Too oily skins become less oily and normal skins become dry in winters, in which case we aim to take care of skin through a monthly peeling session to clean the dead skin and activate blood circulation, which in turn will activate oil barrier of our skin. Negative impacts of sun minimize in winter; thus, it is suitable for skin renewal and blemish treatment processes. Also, although we love it, taking a hot shower brings about stress on our skin because of affecting oil texture, which retains moisture, and hypodermis. For this reason, dry your skin immediately after shower and apply a product or massage with a natural aroma oil. You can apply on your face dry oils, which balance oil and are good for our lips -the most exposed part of the body to the sun. Especially people with less oily skins might use these products after bath. There is one more practice which I personally find wrong: cleaning the face with face washes day and night in both winter and summer. We should wash the face once before bed because the skin renews during sleep. Normal flora of our skin renews and when we wash our face in the morning, we unbalance our skin removing the barrier. Therefore, it is better to wash face with warm water, apply a water-based sun cream or a moisturising cream, and after some time put on make-up. Of course cleaning make-up before bed is a must. Maintaining oil-moisture balance applying appropriate products on clean skin, which is affected by cold weather outdoors and dry and hot weather indoors, is also necessary for protection in winter.