“Graceful ageing”: Shabana Azmi

Multitasking is fine, but that should include me-time as well, believes beauty expert Vandana Luthra, the force behind the VLCC beauty and slimming chain. “From manning the home front to managing relationships to being efficient on the workfront, women are great managers. But there has to be enough effort to manage oneself as well. Skin, hair, nails, nutrition, fitness and beauty…. The system needs to be a complete concept of wellness.” In town for a day, Vandana spoke to t2 about the increasing awareness about beauty, and her future plans.

Breaking free…

“Twenty years ago, women were not as empowered as they are now. Today there is a great change in the way she thinks. For women above 30 too, beauty and wellness are necessities,” she says. Age brings with it problems of menopause and life changes that are often difficult to deal with.

“The imbalances need to be taken care of through professional guidance. Today, middle-aged women are more positive about such solutions.” About 35 per cent of VLCC’s footfall is ladies between 30 and 40, signing up for weight-loss, skin tightening, and anti-ageing packages. Vandana’s role model for graceful ageing is Shabana Azmi. “I like her new look. And why not? We have given it to her!” she smiles.

Anti-artificiality…

Vandana confesses to Botox being “in demand” at VLCC, but she is personally not for it. “One gets the wrinkles removed, only to get them back in three or four months. One should rather look at early prevention. For someone 30 or above, two facials a month with the right products and home care should do the trick.”

Instead of surgery, Vandana recommends the natural route to looking good. She is all for “food rich in fibre, less in sugar and low in fat”. A proper diet is “nutrition to body and skin”. Here are some of her recommendations:

Drink 12-15 glasses of water a day.

Tea should be restricted to two cups.

A glass of milk is a must.

Never skip meals. Have four meals a day.

Avoid red meat and alcohol. Wine is acceptable.

Home care is easy and fuss free. Post-menopause, 95 per cent women suffer from dry skin. Almond paste is a good scrub for dry skin.

A sandalwood pack freshens and tones the skin.

Vitamin E oil under-eye application takes care of dark circles and puffiness.

Over-ripe papaya need not be thrown away. It is rich in enzymes. Apply it on the face.

Massage hair with oil 20 minutes before a shampoo.

Never treat a skin ailment at home.

Future plans

Currently VLCC has 110 centres in 52 cities in India. Vandana plans to raise the figures to 200. Calcutta will soon have two training centres from the VLCC stable — at Sarat Bose Road and Kankurgachhi.

Sachin Varma, consultant dermatologist, answers your skin queries

My acne has settled down leaving behind ugly pitted marks on my face. How can I remove them?

Name withheld

Acne is double punishment. First you had to deal with pimples and now there are scars as a reminder! Acne scars are treated based on depth and severity. Mild scars are softened by peels and microdermabrasions. For more severe pitted scars, subcision in which the scar adhesions are broken from beneath, or punch elevation/ excision are performed. For very severe scars, there is whole face dermabrasion. Seek expert opinion about the treatment best suited for you acne scars.

Shoot your skin queries to t2@abpmail.com