QuestionHello, Dear and Respected Elaine Stamatatos!
I am called LEN living in Cambodia and please read my details below so that you can remember the current problems to me.
Excuse me, please! Before I used to ask you about my facial problem to you and you were trying to reply to me much and much more but it's still not the right command to me because the products you introduced to me were not sold here, so I kept asking you to give me others and you said you would do researches for me but till now I haven't got it yet (15 days ago). Be very sure that I decided to write this to you because I just felt you probably clean forgot it or so busy that you haven't enough time to do researches. If so, please let me know and then I will still be waiting for your replies and researches without wondering and with hopes. No matter how long you will reply to me, I will be very pleased and surprised to get all your replies and I am very certain you are too busy with not only me and others but also yourself.
Sorry...sorry...sorry... if I inform s.th unconvenient to you and make you feel uncomfortable. If so, please make it easy.
Hope you feel very free to me, dear Elaine Stamatatos.
Best wishes to you and may you succeed in whatever you are going to and live in peace.
Take good care and see you!
Yours sincerely,
LEN
I am a girl who is 25 years old with a white enough skin. Before my face was good, white, and smooth enough. I live in Cambodia. I am having a problem with the Tanned and Medium Brown and Dark spots on Face. The detail is I stay out and sit under the umbrella to get shade from the sun every full day and always take a shower only twice a day in the morning and in the night. Please let me know what kind of foods/drinks I must not have and what are the big causes to my face? Every day I apply only less products such as Sunscreen and UV Whitening Lotion, but they seem not to help to get better results and can only stop my face from getting darker than now. I mean my face remains tanned, brown, and dark though I apply the products as above. Could you please tell me what kind of better products I must apply to cure my tanned, medium dark, and brown spots of the face? What are the names of products and brand names of them?
Sorry for long questions and very complex to you. I, however, hope very much you will feel free to answer my questions.
I am looking forward to your great and experienced answers.
Hope you will be able to explain to me in details as I asked you to answer.
I am very very grateful to you and please thank you very much for giving me the best ideas.
Best wishes and good luck!
Yours sincerely,
LEN
ANSWER: Hello my dear Len,
I apoligize for the delayed answer- I was having problems getting into this site.
As I read your question, I can feel that this is upsetting you so I will do my best to help you :) I don't mind how long your letter is.. I like more information. It helps me.
If I may, I'd like to ask a few questions to further understand your situation.
When you lay out in the sun, are you under the umbrella the whole time? What is the number of the sunscreen you are using? If you are still tanning with a sunscreen you may need to go to a higher number sunscreen. When you apply your sunscreen - do you go swimming? After you go swimming, do you re apply sunscreen? Sunscreens are not waterproof.
You asked about foods that can help with your skin. Please know that you should have up to 8 glasses of water daily, to keep your skin hydrated, eat assorted bright colored vegetables and fruits, eat salmon and a variety of nuts. Avoiding sugar and salt is a good idea too.
If you like chocolate, chose dark chocolate - the higher the cocao the better :) It has antioxidants which are good for your skin.
I understand how nice it is to enjoy the sun's warmth but if you want to have no discoloration or browning on your skin, you have to be careful how much time you spend out in the sun.
Anytime spent in the sun, will affect your skin. Also, note: apply sunscreen to the rest of your body as well.
As I am not familiar with stores in Cambodia, may I ask for you to send me the main chain stores you have in your country? This way I can suggest products for you.
I look forward to your reply as I am very concerned about you.
Take good care until we chat again and smile... all will be ok :)
Warmly
Elaine :)
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hello, dear Elaine Stamatatos!
In fact, every day I sit under the umbrella to get shade from the sun the whole day to be a receptionist, not a relax laying. I sit out from 8:00 AM till 4:00 Pm every day. I rarely go swimming and apply the sunscreen only once a day-in the morning just before 8:00 AM. I read the Suncreen as "SUN CONTROL CREAM SPF 48 - PA++ UVA/UVB". Is it the 48 degree suncreen cream? Please help to let me know. I would like to ask you how long the sunscreen is effective, please.
I realized that the Tanned, Medium Brown and Dark spots affect only my face and other parts of my body isn't affected too seriously. As you felt with your valuable answers, I really got upset and disappointed.
The main chain stores in Cambodia are Revlon, Nivea, U-care, and Unilever Products.
I am not sure whether the information here is enough for you or not. Though, please let me know if you need further information and details.
Please you help to tell me what names and kinds of products I must apply so that I can cure my face and keep it as beautiful as it could as before.
Please attend the product images if possible and don't mind.
I feel very grateful and surprised that you were very interested in my cases and recommend me what I must do. Now I feel relieved and smile with hopes after I got the answers.
I please thank you very much for trying your utmost to help me as well as to make myself much more confident.
I am looking forward to your helps and experienced answers.
Sorry for many phrase written to you and s.th waisted your valuable time.
May you live in peace, happiness, and success in whatever you are doing or going to as well as get healthier and wealthier!
Yours sincerely,
LEN
ANSWER: My dearest Len,
Please know that my desire in life as an Esthetician and Makeup Artist is to help as many people as I can. I am blessed to be on this site because I live in the U.S and I can get questions around the world :)
Don't ever feel as though you are wasting my time. The more information - the better :)
As it may be difficult through email , I do my very best to understand all my questions and I keep email such as yours CLOSE to my heart. Most times the answers I give are good, sometimes it's what people are looking for - I strive to help as I understand skin concerns as I have also gone through many myself :)
That being said on to your concerns :)
The primary function of a sunscreen is to reduce the dose of UV rays that the skin will receive.
With the sun being such an essential part of life and helps with a person's psyche, it can be easy to forget that the sun is skin's enemy :( UVA rays penetrate the skin deeper into the skin that UVB rays - even on a cloudy day - this is still true.
The sunscreen you are using is good. Are you applying 2 layers on your skin daily? Also, sorry to write this but if you also sweat, the sunscreen may need to be reapplied.
As you work outside as a Receptionist ( lucky ) and you are protected by your umbrella, I need to understand why you may still be getting tanned.
If your skin is developing darker spots, this could be hypopigmentation. It's normal, it happens to us all.
I was surprised to have it as I avoid the sun. But, because the sun's rays can penetrate through a car window, my left side of my face developed hypopigmentation. I started using Retinol.
You could also try this - I use ROC's Retinol Correction Deep Wrinkle Daily Moisturizer.
It has 'deep wrinkle' in it but it's the Retinol that helps with the hypopigmentation :)
In the meantime, if you can't find the ROC let me know and I will research another product for you.
Look forward to your reply and until then you also keep happy by smiling, have great faith in God, and keep positive thoughts as this also helps with your skin's health :)
Warmly,
Elaine :)
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Good Morning, my dear and grateful Elaine Stamatatos!
How are you? I hope very much you are very well and in all good conditions.
Sorry for asking after you because here isn't allowed to ask personal questions. I, however, think you won't keep in it mind.
Below is s.th related to my own problems.
I apply 2 layers (UVA/UVB) daily, just only in the morning before I leave home or getting exposed from the sun. In fact, my face remains the same. I mean before I never used any products at all, so my face has got tanned and now I just start applying (UVA/UVB) to my face to prevent it from getting worse and worse. What I must inform you is that my face remains tanned and brown after I apply (UVA/UVB), and it has no acnes at all. It is that I can only prevent my face from getting worse and worse, but can't cure it.
I was trying to find your product but couldn't here. I am very sure there is no "ROC Brand" here. I wish I would have been happier and kept smiling if I could find it here because I trusted and believed you completely.
Please help...help...help...to give the other products' names. There are "Revlon, Nivea, U-care, and Unilever Products" here. I thought most of them are Thailand Products.
Please help to tell me the Full Name of Products and what brands those are and what country those are when you send me the product names so that I will be able to find it here as well as easier and quickly.
To inform you, it's really very hard to find and buy s.th here because most products are available only in a few Super Markets. It's the reason why I was asking you to give more details.
Anyway, every day I also apply the facial foam in the morning before applying UVA/UVB. Will it be better to appy the facial foam? If so, could you recommend me what kinds of facial foam must I apply to help the face to get healthier?
I am looking forward to your happy and smiling answers and also get happier whenever I get and know s.th from your experiences. May God be with you and bless you!
Please try to reply to me only when you have enough time for me because you really spent quite a lot of time and ideas. I am very grateful to what you have done to me and others in the world.
Yours sincerely,
Len
Answer: My dearest sweet Len,
I need to do some research on the products before I suggest them to you. I will get back to you soon.
In the meantime, THANK you for your wonderful and kind words!
All will be ok :) :)
Warmly
Elaine
Take good care!!
Elaine :)
AnswerHello my dearest Len,
I must apoligize that you didn't receive my last reply to you. I am not sure what may have happened so very sorry that you have been waiting.
From what I can remember when I did reply is that natural remedies may be best in your case for now. As hyper pigmentation didn't happen over night please know that these remedies will help to reduce the look. ( forgive me for an error,, the correct term is hyper pigmentation not hypo pigmentation as I wrote in previous emails )
Try the following:
Lemon skin lightener: 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (AHA and bleaching action); 1 small potato - peeled (enzyme action); 1/2 small cucumber (cooling agent); 1 tablespoon organic yogurt (lactic acid and bleaching action)
Age spot cranberry crush: Apply juice of crushed fresh cranberries to age spots, and let them dry overnight. Wash off in the morning and note the lighter skin tone :) It smells nice too.
I did research on the products such as Nivea and Revlon and none of them have ingredients that can help - I'm so very sorry to report that.
Please know my sweet Len that when it is possible for you to invest in a visit with a dermatologist in your country as it sounds it may be difficult for you to stay out of the sun due to your employment.
I use the lemon and cranberry methods and I am pleased by the results. Please write back in a couple of weeks so I can read your skin's progress.
You can apply lemon twice a week band the cranberries the other days. Follow with dabbing some moisturizer that has a high sunscreen to really protect your skin :)
Also, detoxifying your liver is another way to reduce spots on your skin. Milk Thistle helps to detoxify so you can probably find this in any drugstore or pharmacy :)
Again, this will take some time so be patient with it :)
Hope this helps and take good care of yourself. Enjoy the rest of the week feeling happy and drinking 8-10 glasses of water daily - this helps your skin look healthy :)
My absolute warmest regards to you
Elaine :)
