Shamcey Supsup wins third runner-up in Miss Universe

Philippine representative Shamcey Supsup brings pride to the country as she was crowned third runner-up in the 60th Miss Universe pageant held in Brazil today.

The beautiful Filipina was asked ""Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person that you love? Why or why not?"

To which she replied,

"If I had to change my religious beliefs, I would not marry the person that I love because the first person I love is God, who created me. I have my faith and my principles, and this is what makes me who I am. And if that person loves me, he should love my God, too."

Wooow.

I like her answer because it is concise and straight to the point and it shows her strong spiritual conviction.

Today (and will probably be so in the next days and weeks), there have been numerous comments about the question asked by the judge, Vivica A. Fox, and Shamcey's answers.

Some say that Shamcey should have elaborated more, her answer was too short, and some applaud her for being direct and true. Honestly, I think that the question is a sensitive one, and one that cannot be judged without even a little bit of bias, as people almost always have a solid say on religion or lack thereof.

In the end, even though she did not win the grand title for Miss Universe 2011, Shamcey Supsup made women and her kababayans proud as well as her fellow University of the Philippines schoolmates, and Christians.

Pastel colors nail art

Must-read reminders before doing a TCA cross

 Here are a few reminders if you plan to do a TCA cross:

• If you want to try this, I suggest that you start at a lower concentration (15-25%) and leave the 100% TCA to professionals.

Even if the TCA cross method is simple, remember that TCA is still an acid and can do further damage to your skin when used improperly or when accidentally applied to healthy skin. You want to be on the safe side and do safer applications.

• Make sure to buy from a trusted seller. Are you getting the right percentage you ordered? Where do the supplies of TCA come from? Is the manufacturer reliable and follows standards and local regulation? These are very important questions. Buy only from trusted sellers.

• When expired, the TCA's concentration strengthens. Ask your seller for the expiration date of the solution. Otherwise, you might be using one with a higher concentration than the one you opt for and not know it.

•  TCA cross is not for removing raised or keloidal scars. It is also more effective on scars that are deep and narrow rather than shallow.

• Consult your dermatologist first if you are taking any medication or antibiotics. Some medications can affect skin sensitivity, which may cause bad reaction, or thin the blood, thus spoiling proper coagulation of the blood.

• As with other treatments, there are potential complications for the TCA cross method, such as hypo/hyperpigmentation and formation of keloids, although these are unlikely to occur. Skin types are important in determining the risk for potential pigmentation.

• The TCA cross method is not recommended if you have active acne on the area to be treated, as well as cold sores, dermatitis, or psoriasis, and if you are prone to keloid scarring. Smokers should also be cautioned, as smoking affects the body's ability to produce new collagen. 

•  As far as I know, the TCA cross method still requires much research in the part of the medical community, meaning, it is still in the experimental stage. Also, from what I've read, doctors have different views in certain areas of this procedure (e.g., to use vaseline/moisturize, effectivity of collagen-inducing creams or products after the cross, pressing firmly with the toothpick or pressing repeatedly, etc.). Further studies are needed, so do this at your own risk.

One last thing: please read everything, every material you can find before doing this treatment including the scientific basis and explanations and precautions because the worst thing that you can do is to start without a clear view of how this process works.

Performing the TCA cross method

The TCA cross method is simple but should be done with extreme precaution. I cannot emphasize this further. Like all other procedures, you might achieve negative results, i.e., further damage to your skin, widened pitted scar, when done improperly. So read everything first and be patient.

A sample of TCA peel solution

Thus saying, if you feel like you cannot carry this out, then seek out a professional to do this for you.


What you need: TCA, anti-bacterial ointment, a steady hand








Steps:

1. Prep you skin by washing with soap or gentle cleanser. Cleanse with alcohol and air dry. 
2. Dip a toothpick in the TCA solution and pressed firmly (not too hard or too soft) on the depressed area until frosting appears. This will only take, literally, a few seconds. There will be mild and temporary stinging, but this is tolerable. No local anesthetic is required, and TCA is self-neutralizing. Remember to treat only the depressed part; you do not want to affect the normal skin surrounding it.

   

   Photo credit to Bhardwaj and Khunger, on their study on the efficacy and safety of TCA cross

3. After treatment, use an ointment-based antibiotic until scabs form. You can go to any generic drugstore and ask for a triple anti-bacterial ointment. Others suggest Vaseline petroleum jelly for the same moisturizing effect.
4.  Scabs will form a few days after. This will naturally fall off, so be careful not to prematurely detached the scabs. You can also use emollient ointments (such as Vaseline) until the scabs fall off.
5. Use a facial sunscreen daily thereafter. This is an important after care to avoid damage caused by sun exposure.
6. After the scabs have fallen off, you may wash your face with a gentle cleanser and resume your daily routine for skin care as well as use make-up.

Wait for at least a month to allow skin reconstruction. Production of collagen is slow and on-going. Multiple sessions of the TCA cross method are required before you can see significant improvement.


As long as you follow the protocol and take precautions, you should be fine.

Also, don't forget to read a few reminders before doing this.

Effective way to improve your pitted scars: TCA cross method

I wrote this series of articles because (i) I have pitted scars myself and know how depressing this can be, (ii) I think this approach to improving pitted scars is effective and provides hope, and, (iii) to my knowledge, this is not widely known in the Philippines.

The TCA cross method is a hope for people wanting to improve pitted scars. The good thing about TCA cross is that, unlike other products or treatments, it completely focuses on the pitted scar and offers as much as 70% improvement (according to the original study which I will briefly discuss below). This, of course, still depends on your skin condition and the treatment itself.

I broke down this topic into several parts to make it simple and readable. There is a study and scientific explanations about the TCA cross method, and I will try to talk about them in layman's term. Okay, read on.

Dr. Jung Lee and the original study

A before-and-after TCA Cross treatment photo from acne.org

The TCA cross (chemical reconstruction of skin scars) method allows pitted scars to be filled in through new collagen production. The best result that you can achieve is for the scars to be barely noticeable unless you look closely or viewed in a certain angle or light.

The TCA cross method was discovered by a Korean doctor (surprise), Dr. Jung Bock Lee, and this study was published in 2001. All in all, 64 patients that have acne scarring were studied, and all of them showed significant improvement. The observed results were better when using a higher concentration of TCA (65% versus 100%).

Read the abstract of the study in Cosmetic Skin and Surgery Center. There's also a follow-up study regarding the efficacy and safety of using 100% TCA in NCBI.

TCA cross

Basically, the TCA cross method uses a high concentration of trichloroacetic acid (TCA), which is applied locally on pitted scars. Reported complications are rare because of the localized and focus treatment; unlike other kinds of treatment, only the pitted scars are treated and not the whole face, which means that you spare the healthy skin tissues.

The TCA cross method reconstructs acne scars by inducing new collagen production and dermal thickening. The scar is treated with TCA, a scab forms and will eventually fall off, and the weeks of collagen regeneration begins.

The TCA cross methods works best on ice pick scars. According to the study, the TCA Cross method can also normalize deep rolling and boxcar scars. However, I have yet to see a testimonial on its effectiveness on the latter scars mentioned.

How does it work?

The TCA causes cell death to several years of the skin cells. These layers will then slough off and new tissues will form. Dermal collagen remodeling then follows and will continue for several months. The TCA cross method results in cumulative effect; since the skin is filled in gradually in each treatment, result improves with the number of treatments.

This procedure is conducted by professionals but can also be done at home. This is because the steps are quite basic and simple.

Ready? Read the basic steps here.



PS: Once formed, pitted scars will be hard to remove; in fact, with the current technology that we have now on skin care, I think that it would be downright impossible to bring back the old smooth skin. But you’re thinking, “I saw this testimonial, this advertisement, this comment on a forum…” well, that's just marketing folks. You can, however, improve the scars and make them less noticeable to the point that it's only visible in certain angles and lighting condition.

Mercedes Cabral

Mercedes Cabral is one Filipina to be proud of.

Dubbed the "Princess of Independent Film of the Philippines," she has appeared in various indie films including Serbis, where she starred as the girlfriend of Coco Martin; Kinatay; and the latest 2011 indie films Ligo na U, Lapit na Me, where she played the main female lead, and Ang Babae sa Septic Tank.

She was also voted as the most beautiful woman in Cannes in 2008.



Unbeknownst to many, the model-turned actress is a Fine Arts student who majors in Sculpture in the University of the Philippines, Diliman.


What I like most about Mercedes Cabral is that she fully embraces her native Filipina look, that brown exotic color most Asians are famous for. She doesn't give in to the pressure from the show business, where most actresses are mestiza.


She's also excellent in acting (have you watched her in the South Korean film Thirst?) and definitely someone to watch out for, especially now that she is making her name in the mainstream television.

Digital perms: the current hottest hair trend

Have you always wanted that soft, natural-looking loose curls on you see on Hollywood actresses? Then digital perms are the treatment that you are looking for.

Digital perm before and after

Digital perms are just starting to make its name especially in the West. Also called the "hot perm," it was invented in Korea and is popular in southeast Asian countries. It gives more natural-looking waves on your hair. You have probably seen someone with beautiful soft curly tresses and wondered, "wow, her hair is so pretty, I wonder if it's natural?" Well, unless that person has been gifted with really beautiful hair, that is probably a digital perm.

Digital perm versus normal perm

Digital perm (left) versus normal perm (right)

• Digital perms are called a hot perm because the process requires perm solution and heat, whereas a normal perm, or a "cold perm" only requires perm solution.
• If you want looser and bouncier waves, digital perms are the way to go. Normal perms, meanwhile, brings out tighter curls.
• Digital perms are general a bit more expensive than normal perms. :p

Get that effortless feminine waves

A digital perm will give more volume to your hair and leave it softer and shinier. You can wear it simply with your hair down or in other hairstyles. My personal favorite style for a digital permed hair? A bun, with soft curls hanging loosely and elegantly!

If you are leaving in the US or in other western countries and your local salon does not offer this treatment, try looking for Japanese or Korean hair salons.