Do you have dark spots or irregular skin coloring on your face? Are you of Asian, Mediterranean and Olive ethnicity? Well it turns out if you are, your skin needs special attention– to get the skintone event through Oriki Skincare products, We turned to Dr. Tuan Nguyen for information on what AMO skin is; how it is different; why it reacts differently and most importantly, HOW to treat it effectively. Given the limited time of Dr Nguyen, he gave us an article!
American Board Certified dermatologist and biochemist, Dr. Tuan Nguyen, founder of ORIKI Cosmeceuticals, is devoted to developing superior skincare products for Asian, Mediterranean and Olive (AMO) skin tones.
Dr. Nguyen established himself as an authority in the treatment of AMO skin during his successful dermatological practice in the Los Angeles area. After treating tens of thousands of patients with AMO skin types and researching the available skincare lines, Dr. Nguyen realized a need for quality skincare products that embraced the uniqueness of such skin tones. Thus, ORIKI was created in 1984.
Inspired by Eastern philosophy, the ORIKI name is derived from two words:
ori, which means weaving and ki, which means life energy; ORIKI means “weaving life energy into your skin.”
Asian, Mediterranean, and Olive (AMO) skin types are more pigmented than fair skin. The pigment, melanin, is primarily responsible for our skin color. The more melanin present, the darker the skin.
Melanin is manufactured in pigment producing cells called melanocytes.
The main difference between AMO skin and fair skin is the manner in which melanin is distributed.
Moreover, melanin is metabolized more slowly in AMO skin, and consequently stays longer. This is the reason why after a minor injury or acne breakout, the affected area might turn a darker color. Once developed, this pigmentation problem will take longer to resolve and is more resistant to treatment in the AMO skin. Furthermore, inappropriate skin care might even aggravate this pigmentation problem.
AMO skin is also more prone to other common facial pigmentation problems such as melasma (dark patches) and lentigines (dark spots).
The complexion of AMO skin is more affected by the top layer of dead skin cells. The thicker this layer is, the duller your skin looks. These compacted dead skin cells, reflecting the light unevenly, cast a greyer hue on your natural skin color.
How to prevent premature aging skin and wrinkles
The main causes of premature aging skin and wrinkles are: sun, smoking, improper skin care.
The darker the skin color, the more protective effect there is against solar radiation damage. This accounts for the lower incidence of skin cancer in AMO skin. Although AMO skin is more protected against the sun, it is not exempt from the ravages of sun damage, which is the primary cause of skin cancers. Sun exposure may worsen certain common facial pigmentation such as melasma (dark patches) and lentigines (dark spots). Thus, it is important to protect your skin from sun exposure by using sunscreen, wearing hats when outdoors and avoid sun exposure between 10 AM-4 PM.
Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that shields your skin from both UVB (primary cause of sunburn which occurs in the top layer of the skin) and UVA (causing damage of deeper skin layers and consequently premature wrinkles and aging skin). Choose the sunscreen that is waterproof, fragrance-free.
If you smoke, you will subject your skin to premature aging skin and wrinkles, let alone more serious health issues later in life. Improper skin care can cause dryness, oiliness and acne. It can exacerbate pigmentation problems, make your skin look worse and cause your skin aging prematurely. In general, the principle is ” where it is dry, wet it; where it is wet, dry it.” Dryness results from overuse of toning lotion; you can minimize use of toning when your skin is dry and use more moisturizer. Vice versa, oiliness results from under use of toning lotion and overuse of moisturizer. You should calibrate this balance of moisturizer and toning lotion according to your skin condition.
In order to take care of your skin properly, you should learn the basic facts about your skin so you can modify your skin care regimen accordingly. You can learn the basics and more at our website: http://www.oriki.com/skin_basics.html
CONCERNS ABOUT DERMATOLOGICAL PROCEDURES FOR AMO SKIN
In the past decade, more and more AMO patients have sought invasive laser, light and other procedures to improve their skin. As a result, we see more pigmentation and scarring complications in this group of patients. These complications are very difficult to manage, especially when scars develop.
Because of the risk of darkening (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) any dermatological procedure in AMO skin patients should be carefully considered weighing the pros and cons. An effective and safe lightening regimen is recommended two months prior to any dermatological procedure to minimize this risk of pigmentation.
The AMO patients should request a small test area treated to determine the possible complications.
THE ORIKI APPROACH TO AMO SKIN CARE
It is imperative that any skincare formulation for AMO skin should use hypoallergenic ingredients and safe brightening ingredients. For example, ORIKI brightening formulation does not include hydroquinone, because hydroquinone has been reported to worsen the pigmentation problem in AMO skin. Hydroquinone has been banned in Europe and Japan because of carcinogenic concern.
Moreover, ORIKI formulations also incorporate potent antioxidants and powerful peptides.
All active ingredients in the ORIKI formula are used at optimal concentrations to be most effective. The concentration of active ingredients is a matter of confusion to the skin care consumer because they are not aware of the different concentrations used by various brands.
To further improve the texture of AMO skin, Dr. Nguyen advocates gentle, continuous exfoliation by using a glycolic acid formulation (ORIKI rejuvenating cream) your daily skin care regimen to diminish the dead skin layer. The more diminished the dead skin barrier, the better the absorption of active ingredients. The deeper the penetration of active ingredients, the more effective they are and the more benefits to your skin.
WHAT IS NEW AND WHAT IS REAL?
There are many new cosmetics touting the benefit of various antioxidants (such as idebenone, coenzyme Q, kinerase etc.). They do have some antioxidant activity as measured by the standard laboratory tests but, so far, none has replaced vitamin C as the antioxidant of choice for the skin.
Certain peptides (used in the ORIKI formulation) have been shown to slow down the degradation of collagen and might increase collagen formation resulting in firming of the skin.
There are cosmetic pills (nutri-cosmetics) available containing the common vitamins A, C and E minerals (found in multivitamin pills) and other ingredients (glucosamine, amino acids, coenzyme Q, lipoic acid, etc.). However, there have been no verified clinical studies to support the claims of the cosmetic companies that these pills are effective, since the FDA only requires dietary supplements to be tested for safety and not efficacy. The manufacturers themselves performed the small studies used in their marketing.
Thus, there is no credible oral supplemental pill for the skin exclusively. The skin, like the rest of the body, derives nourishment from the blood and a balanced diet and a multivitamin supplement is necessary for your beauty and general health.
Moreover, considering the digestion and metabolism of these nutri-cosmetics, topical delivery of nutrients (cream, lotion and serum) is much more reliable and desirable.
Dr. Nguyen and his team at ORIKI Cosmeceuticals continually seek the latest scientific discoveries to develop superior skin care formulations that directly address the challenges specific to AMO skin type.
For more information about ORIKI skincare products, visit www.oriki.com or call
1-800-88-ORIKI .
Thank you to Dr. Nguyen for providing such an indepth analysis of the mechanisms of AMO skin and how to treat it.
Stevie Wilson
