Achieving clear, even-toned, bright and radiant skin usually ranks right at the top of most people’s wish list. However, the ravages of time, unhealthy lifestyle habits and your environment can turn your skin dull and lifeless.

While we can’t turn back the clock for you, we can help you identify some of the unknown causes of your damaged skin, as well as solutions to getting that glowing, healthy skin.

#1: Loss Of Moisture

Frequent travels (think dry cabin air) and cold, dry climatic conditions can take a toll on your skin. Whether it’s a week of harsh winter weather condition or 20 hours of air-conditioning each day in the office and at home, these can cause your skin to lose its moisture easily and quickly. As such, water passes through the layers of skin and evaporates from its surface at a much higher rate than usual, leaving skin flaky and ashen.

This is where moisturizers come in to help fill in those fissures by adding lipids (the natural fats of the skin), sealing up the gaps between the skin cells, leaving skin looking and feeling smooth.

IDS Moisture Boost (MB), our “ultimate moisturizer”, restores and maintains the natural protective capability of the skin’s barrier function. If your skin looks dull from dehydration, this is the product for you.

#2: Accumulated Dead Skin

Your skin sheds dead skin cells and renews itself every 27 days. However, as time passes, your body will slow down its skin regeneration process, leaving you with lackluster skin.

This is where scrubs or facial exfoliators come in handy. Look for scrubs that contain micro crystals, fine granules or natural beads that remove surface dead skin cells when massaged onto the skin.

If you are afraid of using scrubs for fear of it being too harsh and abrasive, consider IDS Facial Scrub (FS) which contains spherical, ultra-fine microbeads. Due to its smooth edges, it prevents microscopic tears on the skin’s surface, making it so gentle that it can even be used on sensitive skin. A one-stop wonder, this exfoliator is perfect for regular use without fear of causing any redness or irritation.

#3: Sun Exposure

For those of us who live in sunny Singapore, we get an average of six hours of sunlight per day. This means that even on an ordinary day, we are exposed to high levels of UV rays with a scale of 6-9 out of 11 on the UV Index, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Natural sunlight produces UV rays, which we are exposed to as soon as we walk out of the door. When skin is exposed to UV radiation, free radicals (toxic by-products of oxygen metabolism that can cause significant damage to living cells and tissues) not only break down the skin’s collagen and elastin, but also causes hyperpigmentation in the form of freckles and dark spots.

For that alone, daily sun protection is a must. If you don’t like the thick white texture of a sunblock, IDS Non-Tinted Sunscreen (S2) is a lightweight, fluid formula with a sheer, oil-free matte finish that has added anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Ideal for any skin type, it’s a handy product to have around at all times.

#4: Pollution

Air pollution is inevitable for the urban dwellers. In particular, Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5, which refers to hazardous fine particles in the air that can affect our health and penetrate through the skin layers, causing lasting damage such as dark spots and skin dullness.

It’s no longer enough to just protect your skin from UV rays. IDS DermaShield Serum (DS) and DermaShield Mask (DM) are developed specifically to help you fight the damages pollution causes with key active ingredients that reduce PM2.5 adhesions onto the skin, preventing fine particles from entering and damaging the skin layers.

Psst! Our DermaShield range also helps to filter High-Energy Visible or Blue Light which is emitted in all electronics and light, another culprit that you can count for wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Consider this your next daily skin defense must-have.

#5: Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

Can’t resist popping a pimple even knowing that you may end up with a blemish mark or scar?

What most don’t realize is that the squeezing action can cause “trauma” to the skin, resulting in dark scarring. These unsightly pigmentation marks are caused by pigments leaking into the deeper layer of the dermis, making them more treatment resistant – taking from three months to two years to heal, depending on what the skin is exposed to.

Other forms of hyperpigmentation like melasma, sun spots, and/or freckles are also all part of the “warning signs” produced by your body to inform you that it is injured or under attack, whether internal or external. As a result of these dark spots, your complexion appears unevenly toned or mottled.

At IDS, we believe in not just corrective, but also preventive action. One of our star products C-Plus (C+), a potent serum loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, can do many things including lightening acne scars, evening out skin tone, shielding skin from the visible impact of pollution, improving hydration and keeping skin brighter and healthier.

Beyond these causes, there may be other underlying causes for dull or hyperpigmented skin such as hormones or contact with skin allergens.

To learn more on how to achieve brighter skin, head on down to IDS Aesthetics for a free consultation.

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