I got the blues for you

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Every Fall/Winter season a ‘new black’ emerges, which is funny when you think about it because black is always the ‘new black’, no exceptions.

Still, marketing is marketing and clothing must sell so we always pretend that something can actually replace black. Grey / gray is still considered to be a stretch for the all-black monogamists, and, just like all Fall fashion that has gone before, it’s big for the season. Surprise. Still, however exciting “Winter Grey” and “Winter White” is for some folks, there is nothing like a pop of a deep, jewel tone to add a welcomed contrast, and dare I say, a ray of proverbial sunshine to an otherwise dreary- blah scene. A fail-safe colour for the more daring among during the Fall season is always plum/ purple/ violet/ mauve.

However, if you really want to bust that envelope wide open, the colour of the moment is blue. Not just any blue – Cobalt blue.

The artist Van Gogh wrote:

“The cobalt blue is a divine color and there is nothing more beautiful to create an atmosphere“

I couldn’t agree more. It’s like winter’s “yellow”.

If you want to step out in daring style, done a Cobalt blue ensemble – frock, blouse, skirt, pantsuit – go bold!.

Makeup/ Accessories

If you aren’t so secure in your ability to wear full colour, opt then for accessories – cobalt blue scarf, ring, bangle(s), earrings and/or of course shoes, but please, don’t do both clothing and accessories – Too much of a good thing is good for nothing. You don’t want to look like a block of blue soap.

With such a strong statement that is a Cobalt blue ‘fit, strive to keep the details of everything else that you are donning simple.

- Simple but elegant makeup in neutral tones – you don’t need anything else competing with a colour as bold as this

- Easy-going, no fuss hair hair, and

- a confident “Yes, I was sober when I chose my kit, were you?” smile

is all that you need to pair wit this look. NO fuss and frills necessary. a la the actress, Kerry Washington, in a feminine and fancy Jason Wu, design.

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Proof that you don’t have to over do, or over expose to make a statement. I’ll refrain from any name calling.

If you couldn’t have told before, Cobalt blue is my bestest and favorite colour in the whole world. Fall/ Winter 2010 is mine. *snicker*

Freakin’Fabulous.

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Sexilicious Summer

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Yah. So I was relieved of my World Cup watching duties for the last couple days just long enough to get back to work. These last couple weeks have been a blurr. Who knew so many things can happen in one month of June? Shout out to all my peeps who saw it fit to celebrate my existence on this earth with a birthday week to remember, not that I really do remember anything seeing that there were oh so many cocktail bombs involved. At least I have the pictures to jog my memory. ***ooooh for reals??? We did THAAAAAAAT?!! ***

Anyways, in the meantime, between all this World Cup and Wimbeldon action and all, summer is in full swing y’alls! Gotta enjoy it because blink 3 times and it’s over man, specifically referring to Canada and it’s rationed SIX WEEKS of ‘Summer’; 2 nights ago and I was already freezing. Still, gotta love the long days – 8pm and ya still sweating cause it’s 12 o’clock hot sun beating down your back, sandal season, chance to let your skin breathe and actually see real live human beings. Get in where you fit in because summer ain’t waiting on nobody. Who would have thought that there are so many beautiful people in Toronto? I certainly couldn’t have guessed that during the ghost town that is the winter season. My word the place is empty. Me likey this current situation a looooot.

Summer – Boat rides, cooler fetes, beach parties, BBQ’s, pool parties, patio brunches, lunches and dinners, all things Crop over – for my Caribbean peeps and of course Caribana for my North American posse –  There is always an excuse to unapologetically bring the Freakin’Fabulous-ness; My kind of vibes.

Regardless of what you choose to don in the dance, however expensive or not, your biggest accessory this summer is your skin.

Show as much of it as you can get away with, without looking like someone’s jump off. This means no exposed butt cheeks; no fall-out boobies. Be well aware of your body type when choosing your kit and size, and most of all, wear it well.

Face

The summer heat can bring on the slick, so keep pores breathing with a skin treatment that involves a deep cleanse, exfoliation and skin rehydration least once a month to keep the slick at bay and reveal fresh, healthy, supple skin.

Exfoliate skin at home at least once weekly (preferably evenings rather than mornings) to keep skin cells refreshed, and use hydrating moisturizers; mattifying ones if your skin is oily and/ or acne prone. Blotting paper can assist in keeping the shine at bay during the day.

Makeup

Well contoured, layered, and expertly applied makeup has its place, and it’s definitely not at summer events. Let your skin breathe Louise, it’s an oven out there. Heat does not befriend makeup convincingly.

When it comes to summer makeup, less is definitely more, for the more makeup you wear, the more makeup will slip – off your face and onto the shoulder of your friend’s crisp white shirt dress after that rehearsed “OMG!!!!…Hiiiiiiiiii! <<Grin>>” embrace. Interestingly enough, the less you wear, the less you’d have to fidget with your face and the more time you’d have to enjoy the intoxicating vibes. Sounds like a recipe for good times. 

The key is to let your skin radiate through your makeup, so opt for sheer colour. To achieve a dewy glowing look, use a tinted moisturizer mixed with bronzer rather than just plain old pressed powder. If you must wear foundation, opt for a light coverage formulation. Apply bronzer under your go to blush to boost your ‘natural’ glow, and choose golden or coral translucent lip colours for a most natural pout. Soft pinks or pale purples also work well on lighter and darker skin tones, respectively. For an unexpected pop of colour, use coloured eyeliner such as teal, which works well on most skin tones. Apply a coat or two of waterproof mascara and finish with a smile.

Body

It would stand to reason that, as clothing is minimal, hair removal is tantamount to being a prerequisite. No hairy peek-a-boo surprises please. Not only is it unpleasant for one to witness, but also it is also (or should be) pretty awkward for one to experience. Save yourself and everyone else the terrifically uncomfortable visual, and organize the line up/ removal of the hair situation pronto. Be sure to include scheduled visits for further upkeep. Anyone with a cell phone can easily turn paparazzi these days, so before your fluffy muffy ends up plastered over the Internet, consider hair removal a must.

Like the face, exfoliate your body at least once a week. Exfoliation is recommended at night time as this gives your skin some time to recoup and regenerate during sleep, which helps the newly revealed skin to be less susceptible to sunburn the next day.

Shoulders are dead sexy. Even if you didn’t get to do those handstand presses that you meant to do earlier this year, still expose your shoulders and collect your no-brainer, instant sexy points.

Feet

Please. Three words – Well. Groomed. Feet.

Manicures are necessary yes, but the condition of jacked up feet is an entirely higher, inexcusable level of unfab. Goodness.

Whether it involves a DIY or hitting the nail salon, feet need to be addressed. I know, it does seem like the feet are all the way down there but, don’t believe the hype, everyone still sees them.

Maintain your heels by giving them some gentle foot file action in the shower either daily or every other day and follow up with a thick moisturizer at night before bed. If the polish on your toes has a tendency to chip often, or become dull from walking in the sand, refresh polish every 2-3 days by applying a layer of top coat and your pedicure will last, as is, at least a couple of weeks longer.

The same goes for your hands. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Invest in some cuticle oil, or alternatively apply olive oil, jojoba oil or vitamin E, whatever you have, to your cuticles (hands and feet) every night before bed.

Long sandal wearing day? Pack a tiny bottle with oil (one with a polish applicator type top is helpful) in your bag and apply to cuticles as necessary – after washing hands or to refresh the toes. Really, it is just oil so you can never apply too much. In the event that your heels get ashy, apply the oil to the heels and rub in. I’ve found that a touch of one of the aforementioned oils work much better at concealing the ash than does a go to hand cream and, for my people who have a tendency to have sweaty palms after the application of certain creams, it’s much lighter and isn’t nearly as greasy.

For a no nonsense jolt of colour, try nail polish in one of the season’s various fluorescent hues. Haute!

Sunscreen

And of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t plug the use of sunscreen.

It will not only save your skin but you will appreciate that you took the extra 5 minutes to slather it on somewhere around 10 years from now. Sunscreen also helps prevent against pre-mature aging and pigmentation disorders, like darkening of the skin, especially in darker skin tones and Asian skin. You’re welcome. You can thank me later.

With the various different packaging of sunscreens out there – lotions, powders, sprays, wipes, and your old fashion lotions, available in two different formulations – chemical (for most skin conditions) and physical (for sensitive skin conditions), there is absolutely no excuse to expose your skin to potentially irreversible damage, unless you are dead set on looking like the grandparent in the bunch.

Alcohol, which increases the degree of a wicked dread sunburn or at the very least ‘tan’ for my chocolate peeps, will almost undoubtedly be the system so protect your skin accordingly. Get it. Wear it. Love it.

b Freakin’Fabulous

Photo: m_bartosch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Choosing the right hairstyle for you is dependent on many things – your lifestyle, your face structure, your skin tone, the texture of your hair etc. (more…)

She got it from her mama

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Humans are an interesting bunch. 

We are so technologically advanced at times, yet at the same time it’s amazing the things we accept as truth. “Anti-Aging” for example, must be one of the most overused words this decade, yet when you really think about is, is ‘anti-aging’ possible? 

No. 

A perfect example of marketing at it’s finest. 

Truth is, although aging (an alteration in structure, appearance and function of skin as taken in this context) cannot be prevented, it can be accelerated.

Aging is a continuous process that starts the day that you were born. It is one of life’s harshest realities; the degree of harshness of course, is dependent on many factors including both Skin Type (genetics) and Lifestyle (how you choose to live your life) – just how much you didn’t care about your skin in your 20s shows up in your 40s, if you’ve paced yourself socially, earlier if thought then that life was running away from you.

As you can imagine, there are many factors that influence how a person ages. These factors may be classified as being either Intrinsic or Extrinsic in nature. 

Intrinsic Aging refers to that which may be naturally expected to happen with time. It is said that 10% of our aging is intrinsic i.e. 10% of how we age is beyond our control and is affected by:

1. good old Father Time and

2. Genetics, that which your parents were so kind enough to give to you, like those allergies, and those toes.

A whooping 90% of our aging however, is extrinsic, meaning that it is under our control. Can you imagine that? Ninety percent.

What we eat, what we do, where we go and how we go there, as well as what we don’t eat, what we don’t do, where we don’t go and how we don’t go there can determine how well or how dreadfully awful we age. 

Extrinsic factors would include:

- Diet, nutrition and overall health

- Lifestyle

- Exposure to UVA and UVB radiation, like the sun’s rays)
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
-  Stress
- Medication

- Environment, or other such external factors, for example if you injured yourself or otherwise did some damage to your skin. Or for example, if you live day in day out in metropolitan smog or if you live your life breathing in the fresh Caribbean breeze in some laid back tropical paradise. 

- Hormonal

As you may, or may not, imagine, a significant amount of extrinsic aging may be attributed to aging as a result of the damage that is done to the skin as a result of the over exposure to UV radiation, which is otherwise referred to as ‘photo-aging’, a state where the skin is irreparably damaged.

Photo-aging may occur on it’s own or as a result of other ‘lifestyle’ factors. For example, the heightened sensitivity to the sun’s UV rays that occurs within the skin when something like alcohol is ingested. Smoking, quite a few over the counter medications as well as poor nutrition can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun’s rays aka burn more easily when you are outdoors. 

So yes, she may have got it from her mama, but if she’s over 35 and can still get carded, best believe that there are a whole lot of other things that she, and her mama for that matter, have been doing right, like using a cleanser that’s an upgrade from soap perhaps, or using sunscreen… for starters.

be FiercelyFabulous.

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Trend Alert | Shocking “Brights”

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If ‘Prints’ are too exotic for you, and ‘Safari’ is waaaay too laid back to hold your multiple personalities, an alternative for Spring/ Summer 2010 is ‘Brights’. 

Not make-believe, wanna be brights, we’re talking about NEON brights, a statement that is most effective when it’s the only statement that’s being made. 

Keep accessories either minimal or muted, and makeup beautiful and ‘naturally’ flawless. A little goes a long way when comporting a neon look. 

Simple silhouettes work best with Bright pieces, it’s also best when you use just one colour, rather than trying to mix two neons, and, unless you are a tween, I wouldn’t recommend neon leggings. Period. 

As a twist on brights, and following from the embellishment trend for Fall/ Winter ’09 you can also do shine. Just remember that when donning shine, do opt for matted leggings/ tights if you choose to pair something with shiny and short look.

Just one shiny piece is all that you need; remember, it is Spring, not the Holiday Season.

You get the Prints/ Stripes/ Cut-out-esq/ Strong-shoulders look all wrapped into one with this look.

 

 

How very efficient.

You can do easy breezy day Brights

 

 

Turquoise is the ‘it’ colour of the season by the way.

You can work your tie-die looks as well with the Bright Trend…

 

Whoa. That’s major wattage right there.

 You can be stripey and Bright…

 

Boho-chic and Bright – Fringe and Gladiators et al…

 

You can blind everyone but yourself at night too.

 

Shades optional.

 

Brights are pretty much like the “Exotic Prints” Trend, in terms of the shock factor, but it’s less of a muddled, “Look.At.Me” statement and more of a razor sharp “I.Am.Here” one.

 

All  very simple silhouettes. You wouldn’t want to do Bright AND Voluminous.

Yup you guessed it, Brights look super sick on darker skin shades. 

 

Werq.

If wearing neon colours is not your thing, you can still get into the trend by wearing neon nail polish. Corporate/ conservative job? Wear neon on your (sandal ready) toes!

So which Trend appeals most to you? Stripes, Cut Outs, Exotic Prints, Safari Trends,  or Brights?

Still haven’t decided? You must be a young ‘un. I’ll sum up the rest of the trends – all denim everything/ hot shorts/ feathers/ clogs et. al. in the last post.

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Red Carpet Recap

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There’s a reason why I don’t watch TV anymore, but moms was talking to me about the Oscar Red Carpet and I decided to dust off the tube and see what statements were being made by everybody’s favorite people. I soon remembered just why I don’t watch TV anymore; Within 10 minutes (max) of watching the Red Carpet fashion I vowed to myself that I’d never eat again, ever. 

Anyways I woke up this morning and I’m back to myself again, breakfast and all.

So Oscar Red Carpet recap, what can we say, old school Hollywood glam kinda, sorta made an appearance. Almost everyone cleaned up pretty well, some took a little more time in the mirror than others. 

Congrats to all the winners. Special shout out to:

Katheryn Bigelow, director of the Iraq war thriller “The Hurt Locker,” for being the first woman to win an Oscar for best director. Pretty safe look, but when you’re holding two Oscars and just made history, who really cares.

Mo’nique girl, congrats. Best supporting actress for “Precious”, you’ve come a long way baby. Proud of you. Safe fashion look for Mo’nique, though the blue was outstanding on her skin. I have my reservations on flowers in the hair. 

Sandra Bullock,  named best actress for “The Blind Side”. It’s about time isn’t it Sandie? I’ve been watching you for a bit. But no, congrats. Well deserved. Her dress has been done before, but once you can rock it like it’s the first time it’s been worn? Go right ahead.

Now about the fashion. Enjoy the pics now before I need to take ‘em down.

Men

What can I say, it takes a lot of skill to screw up a tux. The secret? Get one that’s tailored to fit you, and seek styling assistance to find the right bow-tie/ slim neck tie (for the younger among you). Take a shower, and a shave and step out the building. End of story.

If you can’t at least decently rock a tux that was tailored to fit you, then there’s probably not much else that you can rock, period. Unfortunately for men, how hot you look in a tux has less to do with what/ who you are wearing and more to do with your level of sex appeal; It’s that simple. 

The usual suspects who can rock a tux were in fine form and fashion. George Clooney, Samuel L. Jackson, even Morgan Freeman, Ryan Renolds looked pretty dapper too. Tyler Perry did look quite slim in his Prada, and so did Gerald Butler. Oh my gaawwwd, the sexiness that is Lenny Kravitz. Can I get an amen. *Amen*

 

 

 

and now for a close up:

 

Noice. 

 

Sleek look. The bow-tie is a bit on the large side, Maybe Lenny can give him some tips, or perhaps Anthony Mackie can. Congrats to him on the ‘Best Picture” Oscar btw. 

 

I see Keanu Reeves and his Matrix steeze was there, nice sleek look. In my opinion he could have eaten something, not much, perhaps half a sandwich would have done it. I understand where he was trying to go with the stubble look, but it was a bit more than 5 0′clock shadow.

 

perhaps he can take a few tips on how to successfully pull this off from Jake Gyllenhaal.

 

 

What do you guys think, No-carb diet or male spanks?

Dapper none the less Mr. Butler. The secret can be all yours. 

 

Groovy baby’. I guess it’s a comedian thing.

But all in all, the men were a pleasure to look at. Oh Zac Efron needs to lay off the Body (at least the Face) Bronzer.

Women

A totally different ball game (or gown.. ha). You could be pretty as peach but the wrong dress you can crash and burn with the quickness.

Most of the women were lovely, some pushed the envelope a little too far and some just enough. Some played it safe, but especially when it’s their first time on the carpet, you can’t blame them.

Some trends that I noticed on the Red Carpet were:

Hair

1. Long flowing wavy hair, draped over one shoulder

ala Cameron Diaz and… Pretty. Glamourous.

 2. Messy buns. 

Only these were teased and hair-sprayed from all the hairline messy, ala Sarah Jessica Parker. What was that?

 

 

 

Too haaaaard, too haaaaard, too haaaaard, too haaaaaard to pull that off I think. Jenny from the block had the same sort of hairline going but 1. she’s has at least 5lbs more meat on her and 2. her Armani Prive gown was an absolute stunner, so what if it looked like bubble wrap. 

Which brings me to:

Gowns:

1. 3D

Perhaps as an ode to Avatar? Yes, there were the usual princess poof dresses, but more than that there were quite a few dresses with lots of structure and craftsmanship emanating from the gowns, costume style. Exciting times for fashion. 

Vera Farmiga in Marquesa, debatable, but I thought the concept and colour was great. This could be one of those situations where the dress may have outworn the wearer… maybe? Anyways next. 

 

 

 

2. Neutrals

Champagnes, rose whites, greys. Elizabeth Banks – gorgeous dress, not normally the colour you’d find on a red carpet but a great look on her none the less.

 

 

 

And how old is Demi Moore? Sure she’s had a few nips and tucks, but even though she looks better than most girls 1/4 her age, she still chose to keep it simple yet sophisticated and let her presence speak through her dress instead of her body. We can all learn a thing or two from this.

 

 

 

Lesson: Just cause you have it doesn’t mean that you need to flaunt it. 

3. Cold Shoulders & Embellishments

Tina Fey in Micheal Kors for example. It was a good look, for her. 

 

 

 

Lots of strapless gowns too, ala Jenny from the block again, Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz (loved her in that gown), Cameron Diaz, Amanda Seyfried , Mariska Hargitay, Anika Noni Rose, Zoe Saldana, Gabourey Sidibe (kinda ish)… plenty, plenty, people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How beautiful is Zoe Kravitz?

Zoe Saldana rocked something different. 

 

Beautiful woman, beautiful gown. I have a feeling this one one of the gowns that people will either love or hate though. It takes some getting used to.

There are a few gowns that were a bit iffy. Among them I’d have to say Charlize Theron and Queen Latifa share a similar issue for me as I’m just not a fan of gowns that crease easily and don’t appear to move. Still Queen Latifa’s gown has less issues than Charlize’s. Diane Kruger also left me with a lingering question mark and Paula Patton, beautiful woman, I just thought the dress was a bit mature for her. 

 

 

 

This is all kinds of inexcusable for Charlize. And with the red lipstick? Dudette, where’s your stylist?

 

Other than all the creases, it’s a good colour choice for the Queen. It’s not soooo bad.

 

Don’t know what it is, but it just reminds me of a sheep.

 

Awesome colour on her skin. Beautiful woman, I just think it may be a bit too mature for her. She’s normally pretty on point and fun with her gown choices.

Okay. That’s enough looking at beautiful people for me in one day.

Back to work I go.

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Mystery Fabric

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There are certain things in life that aren’t cool. Mystery fabric is one of those things, pardon the intended pun.

In the same way that purchasing that ‘yummy gumberry’ fluorescent purple drink, the hot pink ‘strawberry sorbet’ body wash and lotion combo, or that face cream that can double as a cologne probably aren’t the best purchasing decisions we’ve made thus far in life, so is that fabric that consists of not one component that we can either spell or pronounce.

Why? One word.

Artificial.

Why subject your skin to more, unnecessary, man-made stress?

You can still be groovy without going to the disco ‘baby. You can now look fresh without feeling like you just either just came out of the shower or need one.

Choose the more sophisticated blends of fabric that are readily available these days to go with the new and improved, sophisticated you that you wanna be. 

Top reasons to pass on the mystery fabric:

1. The 80s are over

Like 2 decades now. Recognize. 

There are far more sophisticated blends of easy-to-pronounce material out there that can allow your to breathe a minute AND yawn/ bend at the same time. Really.

You no longer have to sacrifice one for the other, a happy (s)medium can be had.

2. It makes you sweat

Mystery fabric is synthetic. Man-made, i.e. it doesn’t exist in that form anywhere in nature. 

Which brings me to synthetic underwear – what the what?????

Walk into the average female ‘intimates’ store and you are bombarded with mystery fabric everywhere, while the guys are comfy, snugly and hygienically wrapped in breathable fabric, usually some cotton blend or the other. Which isn’t surprising, just look at everything else they don – from their shoes to everything else that falls under Grown man’s swag ‘n style, fashion wise. Even if it’s stepping over the borders of the trendy line, and looks slightly unapproachable even though it makes them look so damn Sexy, it’s still comfortable, breathable fabric.

Ladies, how do the privates breathe in woven plastic?

And then as if that wasn’t bad enough, mystery fabric thongs? Wowzers.

Seriously, a line must be drawn somewhere (the English language I tell you), for dare I say that females are in more dire need of free flowing oxygen in certain areas than are males.

Man. Just eww.

Cotton or cotton blend undies my friends; Get familiar.

3. It’s cheap

Not even inexpensive, it’s cheap. Literally.

It costs like half a cent to manufacture a warehouse full of it, and when worn it looks half as expensive.

Sure, we aren’t all high rollers, but we don’t have to be one to look like one. Dressing like one can start as soon one chooses breathable textiles over odour inducing ones.

Regardless of the price point, unless they are eyeglasses frames, wearing plastic is not flattering, period. So next time, and when in doubt, walk far, far away.

4. It ages you

If you were born anytime before 1980, this is not the social statement that you’d like to make, as I’m sure you already possess something else – dance moves, offspring, a certain area code for your cell number – which already does this quite well.

Don’t let your choice of fabric be another tell-tale sign. 

No matter how fancy it looks, resist the urge.

5. It’s an environmental danger

If you don’t care about you, at least think about the environment. This ‘fabric’ will outlive you by an infinite amount of years and it’s toxic leaks will probably end up in your great, great, great, grandchild’s waterways.

Okay maybe that’s a little dramatic, but seriously if the earth doesn’t want to touch it, why should you?

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Vid | The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

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Talk about getting your point across. The possibilities are endless when your man smells like a man. 

How so? check the vid below.

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Thanks Lise!

Ladies, there’s another idea for V-day, some appropriately scented stuff for your bmf.

It may not turn him into a multi-millionaire Rico Swave, but at least he’ll smell like one.

Have a ‘manly’ smelling day fellas.

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What is it? | "Dry Scalp"

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In the Caribbean, we are familiar with ‘dry scalp’, a term that is used to explain almost any scalp condition that involves powdery flakes – on the scalp, in the hair, on someone’s back and on their clothing, which usually serves as a source of embarrassment. Some also use this state as an indication to shampoo their hair.

The term ‘dry scalp’ is also used to refer to another condition, also called dandruff – thick patches of scale that are caked to the scalp, that may also be associated with acne-like bumps on the head.

In it’s mildest form, ‘dry scalp’ is harmless, although it can do a number on your social life. 

Dr. Patricia Yap, a dermatologist who practices in Jamaica and specializes in black skin, states that:

The medical term for ‘dry scalp’ is Seborrheic Eczema/ Dermatitis. It is a condition that is usually accompanied by itching, redness or whitening of the scalp and face. Other parts of the body can also become involved, such as the hairline, eyebrows, and the sides of the nose, behind and in the ears, in the middle of the chest and back and in the groin. These areas have the highest concentration of sebaceous (oil) glands. It can also be found in infants and when present during infancy, is called cradle cap when present on the scalp but can affect the entire body of the enfant. 

Seborrheic eczema is a subdivision of eczema and is based solely on clinical grounds. The term “seborrheic” is thought to be misleading because seborrhoea (a medical term applied to describe an accumulation on the skin of the normal sebaceous secretion mixed with dirt and forming scales or a distinct incrustation) is not always present and is not required to make a diagnosis.

It has been proven that pityrosporum, a type of yeast, plays an active role in Seborrheic eczema. These yeasts are oil-loving organisms, (lipophilic) and are normally found on the skin in areas where oil (sebaceous) glands are abundant. 

Findings

In her Jamaican practice, Dr. Yap has found that Seborrheic eczema:

- Exists in infants

- Is commonest in young adults, females more so than males

- Is common in patients with Parkinson’s disease and immuno-suppression.

Symptoms

Large quantities of these organisms can give rise to the following:

1. Inflammation, which results in redness, scaly or dry patches on skin, especially after washing face.

2. Itching and burning of the face when hot or after face is washed.

3. Hair loss when combing or even tugging on hair. This worsens after the hair is chemically processed, as often during chemical treatments, there is excessive burning, which causes acute damage to the scalp.

4. Uneven skin tone – whitening or darkening of the areas involved, especially those on the face. 

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Dr. Yap found it interesting that, in the the Jamaican culture, it is not uncommon for hairdressers to suggest oiling of the scalp for effective treatment of this condition. While oiling of the scalp makes the flakes less obvious (masking the flakes), it worsens the condition as the presence of this oil provides a rich breeding ground for the reproduction of the Pityrosporum yeasts, and so they remain. 

Some factors she highlights that contribute to the high incidence of Seborrheic eczema in Jamaica are:

1. Genetic

This condition is hereditary, i.e. the patient has a first degree relative e.g. a mother, father, daughter or son, with this condition. 

2. Cultural Practices

Because of certain hair styles and processes, it is not uncommon for many women to wash their hair no more than twice a month. This natural oil buildup, coupled with oiling of the scalp provides an ideal environment for multiplication of these yeasts. 

3. Environmental

Heat worsens this condition, and the tropical climate of Jamaica provides the ideal temperature for growth of these yeasts, which grow best between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius - the temperature of Jamaica in summer when the condition has been found to be most prevalent. 

4. Stress

During stress, oil glands are more active. It is then perhaps as a result of the increased production of oil, the yeasts multiply and conquer. It is then no coincidence that individuals who are often under stress, for example police officers, lawyers, accountants and students who are studying for exams for example, often are affected by this condition. 

5. Hormonal

Seborrheic eczema has been shown to be more active near menstruation as well as during pregnancy. 

6. The overuse of harsh cleansing soaps like blue soap, Protex and Lifebuoy.

The pH of the skin is about 5.5, which is the optimal pH needed for the skin to fight off infection, bacteria, yeasts and potential viruses. 

Using harsh soaps, which are alkaline in nature, alters the pH of the skin, leaving it susceptible to the invasion of the yeasts that perpetuate this condition.

The use of antibacterial soaps kill the normal bacterial flora needed to fight the growth of the yeast.

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In my view, many of Dr. Yap’s findings may be applied to the wider Caribbean, and possibly to other areas of the world where such conditions and/ or practices, as listed above, are found.

Seborrheic Eczema/ Dermatitis is a treatable condition, you do not have to live with its symptoms for the rest of your life.

When present on the scalp in it’s mildest form, this condition can be rectified by washing hair regularly, at least 2-3 times a week – not necessarily everyday because then you may develop other issues, especially if your hair is naturally dry. 

For other acute forms, or if for some reason you are unable to wash your hair that regularly, seek the advice of a dermatologist. Seborrheic Eczema/ Dermatitis shows up very differently in darker skins than it does in lighter skins, so if you fall in the former category, it would be in your best interest to seek the advice of a dermatologists who specializes in black skin.

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Source, (Reproduced with permission):

Pamphlet: “This Thing called Dry, Itchy, Scalp”, Dr. Patricia Yap -  MBBS, Dip. Derm.; F.A.A.D

Presentation: “Seborrheic Dermatitis: The Jamaican Experience”, – Dr. Patricia Yap -  MBBS, Dip. Derm.; F.A.A.D

Dr. Yap is a dermatologist practicing in Jamaica. She is a member of the Dermatology Association of Jamaica and a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.  She runs her own practice at:

Apex Skin and Laser Centre
2A Molynes Road
Kingston 10
Jamaica W.I.
 

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