The Key to Healthy Skin – Treat it Well!

The old saying goes “you get what you pay for,” but not always. Expensive skin creams do not necessarily translate into healthier skin. Remember, the basics hold true for everyone. First, always be gentle on the skin in the following ways.

In the shower: Use lukewarm water in the shower, not hot water which irritates the skin. Longer showers or better yet, lukewarm baths are best, so the epidermis can absorb more water and become more hydrated.

Toweling off: This can be followed by the gentle absorption of water with a towel, being careful not to be too rough.

Always moisturize: Make sure you use a moisturizer lotion, or if the skin is extremely dry (especially in the winter months when the ambient humidity tends to be low and forced heat dries the skin out), apply moisturizer cream while the skin is still damp to help trap the moisture, making skin plumper. This ultimately gives it a more youthful appearance and more importantly allows the cells to be maintained in their proper pH to mature. Normally the moisturizers I recommend patients apply once or twice a day are Cetaphil, Eucerin, acid mantle cream and Neostrata, but it depends upon the dryness or oiliness of the skin.

Sun protection: Sunscreen is essential for prevention of chronic solar damage and skin cancer prevention. Most of our sun exposure is before the age of 20 hence we must apply and advocate sunscreen utilization in children. It is necessary to use a sunscreen that blocks ultraviolet (UV) rays (the most harmful are classified as UVA and UVB) and has an SPF greater than 30. It should be applied 20 minutes prior to sun exposure to give the sunscreen time to penetrate throughout the epidermis and prevent UVA and UVB rays from being absorbed by pigment producing cells called melanocytes, which can result in life threatening melanoma. Even non-aggressive types of melanoma destroy collagen and elastin fibrin in the dermis, which results in chronic skin damage in the form of wrinkling.

So think twice before buying into expensive creams and treatments that don’t finish the job. Treat your skin well everyday and keep your skin healthy!

Jerry Bagel, M.D.
David Nieves, M.D.