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Dear Betsy, I have been having acne problems on the back of my body for a very long time now.
It comes and goes very fast but leaves these horrid black marks behind. I've tried all sorts of natural beauty tips to get rid of them but to no avail.
Being an Indian, I attend a lot of traditional functions where I have to wear a sari and these marks embarrass me to a horrible extent.
I've heard laser treatment can help this but I have no idea about the cost.
Elizabeth.
Dear Elizabeth,
There are several solutions. It is best to use some sort of exfoliation method on a daily basis to stop any build up of dead cells, discourage pigmentation and encourage a supply of fresh oxygenated blood to the skin to keep it healthier and promote renewal.
This may not be easy to do yourself on your back. Try buying those long thin loofah strips with straps attached and a cactus bristle brush with long handle (both easily available from good pharmacies).
Use the cactus brush on DRY skin every morning over your back, shoulders, neck and down along your arms. Brush with firm strokes towards the direction of your under arms.
So on your arms brush from the wrist upwards to your under arm and on your back you can brush from your neck down across your shoulders and under your shoulder blades ending up in the under arm region. This will help encourage lymphatic drainage and have a cleansing, detox effect.
Do this every morning if possible followed by a hot shower with your loofah strip soaked with a non-detergent shower gel to which you can add two or three drops of tea tree essential oil which is a very powerful natural antiseptic, antifungal and antiviral agent. You can also buy some shower gels that already contain tea tree but I would still recommend adding one or two drops to your loofah.
Rinse the loofah well and hang up to dry. Don't share it with any family members. After bathing you can apply some simple antiseptic cream or a tea tree based antiseptic cream from the pharmacy or Nature Valley in Juffair.
It is important to wear natural fibers such as pure cotton to allow your skin to breath and wear clean clothes everyday.
Your bed sheets and sleep-wear should also be pure cotton.
As for the pigmentation marks you have had for some time, there are several non-invasive professional treatments that may help.
I would recommend that you first try Microdermabrasion which feels rather like a vacuum cleaner filled with sand being sucked across your skin. A course of six treatments at five to seven day intervals will usually produce good results.
Microdermabrasion can be combined with LED Photo Light using a combination of red and blue lights at very specific wavelengths to cure the acne and lighten the pigmentation.
Additionally, Oxygen Fusion treatments can be added to these treatments to oxygenate the skin and intensify the results.
Another option would be to treat the pigmentation using Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) but this is likely to be much more expensive and needs more healing time and you should be prepared for the pigmentation to darken first before it begins to lighten.
Variations of these treatments can easily be found at several beauty spas on the island but finding a properly qualified and experienced therapist to carry out the treatments safely and successfully is more of a challenge. You could also consult a dermatologist who may offer you other options such as medication or laser treatments. Of course, a healthy balanced diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables is a must.
If you fail to find a good skin therapist then email me again and I will personally recommend a proven professional to you.
These treatments are in the range of BD30 to BD50 each with IPL varying from BD100 to BD600 per session depending on the type of equipment used.
Dear Betsy,
AS a Bahraini, I was happy to read your page last week. Thank you for focusing on the truest importance of February 14 for us in Bahrain.
Your thoughts on everyone being responsible for our future are just so correct and I wish that everyone who reads them passes them on to others and it will make them think of their actions.
All the bad things happening in our country come from parents not teaching their offspring basic good manners and simple respect. My grandmother gets upset when she sees the behaviour of children and adults today.
I wish you could visit our schools and teach your ideas to the mothers, teachers and children. I do not want to think of how Bahrain will be in another 10 years if we do not change back to our traditional ways.
Nader
Dear Nader,
Thank you for the feedback. I think that most Bahrainis feel like you, wanting only the best for their country, but as usual it is the small minority who spoil it for others.
I believe that 'courtesy is contagious' and if we all tried to show others some courtesy and good manners each day then it would soon become an epidemic!
Most people learn by example, whether good or bad, so parents and teachers need to set the very best examples for our young people.
It is easy to show a child the correct way to behave. It is not so easy with adults. Some of them do not like to be shown the error of their ways.
Just look at the reported incidents of our traffic police being abused and assaulted when they try to point out wrong-doing and law breaking by some drivers!
Dear Betsy,
I wish more people could adopt your ideals of a caring, respectful world. The reality is that human beings mostly show anger, resentment and disrespect for others and that is not just in Bahrain but everywhere in the world now.
I am from Belgium and we used to have one of the most conservative respectful countries in Europe but now when I go home it is full of drunken young people who fight and steal and cause problems for other good citizens.
I have been to Bahrain once before in 1983 and left with a positive picture of happy and polite citizens and then I came again in 2007 to have a big surprise. It has become so different with the goodness of the old Bahrain of 25 years ago almost disappearing, just like in Belgium.
In many material ways it is better with sky-high buildings and shops but the ways of the people are not like before. Fewer smiles and everyone moving fast. I hope the MPs read your column about giving back as they need to promote this to citizens.
V. de B.
Dear V. de B,
I always like to try look for the positive in everything so I feel that all this urgent energy could be channelled into more positive purposes and young people just need to be guided and motivated in the right direction.
BETSY SAYS RELAX ...
Can't get to sleep? Try eating a handful of skinned almonds an hour before bedtime, have some pasta for dinner and leave the TV in the sitting room. All designed to help you have a good night's sleep.
If you only do one thing this week
Visit the Country Mall in Budaiya for some pristine, stress free family shopping. It won't remain a peaceful secret for long.
