Cream conundrum

By Rinky Kumar

Diamonds might be a girl's best friend but cosmetics and makeup come in a close second, thanks to our vanity insanity. All of us nurture a desire to have smooth, radiant baby soft skin.
Apart from the daily cleansing, toning and moisturising regime, we are often advised to use a variety of creams to pamper ourselves. If you are confused about the various creams available in the market, thanks to the commercials that hound you on television, here's some help.

Here's our guide to the most commonly used creams and how they work wonders on your skin.

Day cream

Day cream, as the name suggests, is a cream meant to be applied in the day. According to cosmetic dermatologist and laser surgeon Dr Apratim Goel, its sunscreen ingredients work as a sun protection as well as moisturise the top layers of the skin. Some day creams also contain vitamins as well as alpha hydroxy acids or AHA which are skin rejuvenators.

Night cream

You can now wake up with refreshed skin, thanks to the night cream. It's a much needed vitamin for tired, stressed skin. "The metabolic activity of skin cells is highest at night and so is the absorption of the active ingredients. In other words, when we are sleeping, our body is repairing itself," says Dr Goel. A good night cream should contain collagen, elastin and essential lipids to help refresh your face while you sleep. Night creams are also essential to keep your skin moisturised.

Moisturiser

Moisturiser is a product that hydrates the skin, and/or protects the skin from dehydration. It not only replaces the water lost from the skin but also prevents its loss to the surroundings. It also protects the skin against the drying influences of the environment such as the effects of the sun, cold and heat. Lack of use of moisturiser can make your skin rough. It can also lead to premature ageing, explains Dr Goel.

Sunscreen

Your once flawless complexion can get sunburnt or tanned, due to the harmful ultra-violet rays of the sun. Sunscreens protect the skin against the damage of UV rays. According to Dr Goel, the effectiveness of a sunscreen is graded by a numerical factor called sun protection factor or SPF.

"It can range from 5-100 and above but for Indian weather conditions as well as Indian skin types, anything from 25-50 is good for use." Sun protection products can be classified as UVB blockers, UVA blockers, and physical blockers. A broad-spectrum sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB light. Sunscreens can act either by:

• Chemical absorption of radiation energy.
• Physically blocking by deflecting or scattering UV radiation away from skin.

Under eye creams

These are special formulations that reduce the pigmentation, dark circles and lines under the eyes. "Look for skin creams that contain Vitamin C or K, elastin, collagen, Vitamin E, AHA and kinetin. An under eye cream is necessary because the under eye skin is devoid of any oil glands. So it has to be moisturised daily," suggests Dr Goel.

An eye cream prevents further moisture loss, assists the skin in absorbing moisture from the air and stimulates blood circulation.

Now that you know the real meaning of creams, take your pick and look your radiant best.