Graduating to Healthier Skin: Do’s and Don’ts

By Teresa Zawada, Licensed Aesthetician

Ah, graduation…whether it’s High School or College, it’s a time of celebration…and why not?! No more oppressive rule of teachers or professors. For many, it’s a first taste freedom from parents or freedom to become (gasp) an adult!  But wait, being free and an adult means responsibility. Responsibility means accountability for oneself. What you do today will somehow find its way into tomorrow and either help you or hinder you. Seems like this calls for a plan.

Let’s take a quick look at Hollywood. Remember that certain double-initialed starlet, who has spent her nights drinking, and smoking, and her days in a courtroom, and how she has aged beyond her years? This is the poster child of my DON’T List.  It goes as follows:

DON’T smoke.  Smoking robs your skin of crucial oxygen.  Without the O2, your skin starts breaking down collagen and elastin.  Broken down collagen and elastin = dull prematurely crinkly skin.  Not to mention the vertical lip lines. Even if you quit smoking, they will pop up to remind you later in life of your not so glamorous youthful rebellion.

DON'T go into tanning beds. A deeper, clearer complexion, with whiter teeth and eyes, is only temporary. The long term effects include not only aging of the skin, but invasive cancers. Micrographic surgery can save your life if skin cancer is caught early, but many times, it’s left undiagnosed.

DON'T over-tweeze. Subconsciously, we assume the age of a person without even knowing. As a person ages, hair not only recedes in some places, but also overgrows in others.  Eyebrows, which can frame the face, when over-tweezed, fail to return as you get older and yen for a fuller shape.  The “thin” eyebrows can register as “thinning” eyebrows and cause others to believe that you are older than your chronological age.  It's best to have them professionally framed, starting at a young age, so that thoughts of permanent tattooing don't seduce your mind.

DON'T pick!!!!!!  Very important!  Picking is not only a habit, but can become an addiction. Some people even find it to be a stress relief. Aestheticians and derms, however, find it to be "post inflammatory hyperpigmentation."  If you're lucky enough to only have a few dark marks, then you went easy on your skin. Some people, however, find that picking has led to ice pick scars, pock marks, and also nail marks.  I see many clients who come in and tell me that they had acne as teenagers, and with one glance at their skin texture, I can tell if they were pickers or not.  Picking, not only makes bacteria more mobile, but also semi-permanently to permanently, it leaves an impression on your skin.  My advice:  leave it up to a professional. They know how to pick without leaving evidence.

DON'T overtone!!!! Yes, the slick feeling feels nice if you're oily, but, in the long run, stripped skin is like a table you bought at a flea market and tried to repair, but lost all of its luster.  Alcohol based products literally strip your skin of oils and essential barriers, leaving it prone to dehydration and infection; not to mention that taking off oil without replenishing will propel you to an endless cycle of oiliness and breakouts.

Back to Hollywood, let's now take a look at, yes a pale, but crease free award winning songstress/actress.  How does one who doesn’t have Hollywood’s secrets at their disposal achieve this look?  This takes me to my DO List:

 

DO drink water.  This is not a myth.  Just as your body requires oxygen, water is essential to replenish your cells.  Take a look at a potted plant. If you let it dry out, it will begin to look dull, the

leaves will crease, and flowers will shrivel. However, if you water it regularly, it will live up to its full potential.

DO eat your fruits and vegetables. As an infant, one of the first tastes we get of baby food are of the fruit and vegetable variety. Just as it nourished us then, it nourishes us now and delivers essential vitamins and nutrients that can act as antioxidants and fight off skin damaging pollutants and free radicals.

DO use a sunscreen. Any dermatologist will tell you this is key to young looking skin.  What most people don’t know is that most sunscreens only protect from the UVB rays, which are the burning rays. It’s the UVA rays that age the skin, but most ingredients don’t fight these rays. End result: a sunscreen-wearing beachgoer will spend extra hours soaking up the aging rays because they’re not getting burned by the sun. Make sure any sunscreen you are using is broad spectrum UVA/UVB or opt for the sunblock for complete protection.

DO exfoliate…in moderation. Young skin is usually exfoliates properly on its own. That’s the “youthful glow.” It’s when you get older and the exfoliation slows down that skin begins to look dull.  Look for a cleanser with a mild AHA, or glycolic acid, in it.  If scrubs are more your cup of tea, keep it to a maximum of 2-3 times per week.

DO use an eye cream.  Don’t run to the department store and buy the most expensive brand. An over- the-counter hydrating cream is all young eyes need.  Most people like to place their daily moisturizer around their eyes, and for many, that’s ok, but eye skin is the thinnest and most sensitive, so many face moisturizers can actually irritate that delicate skin.

DO wear sunglasses and/or hats.  Not only are they fashionable, but sunglasses prevent you from squinting and in return, less crow’s feet will develop. Hats will be your saving grace during outdoor activities ESPECIALLY if you forget the sunscreen!

DO find a dermatologist and aesthetician that you are comfortable with. Just like with any other specialist, such as your dentist, you want someone to develop a relationship with that will keep you abreast of new treatments and also specialize in any afflictions your skin may have.

Following these steps will nearly guarantee that people will not believe your age later in life!

Check out our aesthetician services to see how you can take your skincare a step further.

5 Facts About Skin Cancer You May Not Know

By Matthew Halpern, MD

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and we’re doing our best to make sure New Jersey residents are armed with the facts about this widespread and serious disease. Test your knowledge!

1.  Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. More than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed each year.  Each year, there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.  This means that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. 

2.  Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, with an estimated 2.8 million cases diagnosed each year in the United States. This form of skin cancer, which is rarely fatal, can be highly disfiguring if left untreated.  

3.  Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of skin cancer. Approximately 700,000 new cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma are diagnosed each year in the United States.  It is estimated that 65 percent of all squamous cell carcinomas arise from precancerous lesions called actinic keratoses.  

An example of melanoma.

4.  Melanoma, which is one of the most serious types of skin cancer, is on the rise.  Over the past 10 years, the incidence of melanoma has increased at 1.9% percent per year. Over the past 40 years, the incidence of melanoma has increased by 800 percent in young women and 400 percent in young men. It is estimated that 76,690 new cases of invasive melanoma will be diagnosed in the US in 2013. Melanoma is the fifth most common type of cancer for males and the seventh most common for females.  The risk of melanoma doubles in someone with a history of more than five sunburns in their lifetime.  Just one or more blistering sunburns also doubles the risk of developing a melanoma over the course of a lifetime.  

5.  Skin cancers can affect people of all ages.  Although the average age of someone diagnosed with skin cancer is over 50, the number of women under the age of 40 diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma has doubled in the last 30 years.  Similarly the number of squamous cell carcinomas in this age group has increased by over 700 percent.  Anecdotally, I see several patients in their 20s and 30s each year who have developed non melanoma skin cancers.

Watch for our next newsletter for tips on how to prevent skin cancer, as well as how skin cancer can be detected and treated. Past issues can be accessed on our website.

Top Female Dermatological Concerns

By Dr. Wendy Myers

At Windsor dermatology, we see women of all ages with concerns often varying by age group. While many of these are applicable to all age groups, there is a particular focus in these age brackets and a variety of treatment options available.

In Your 20s: Acne

Women in their 20s often come in seeking treatment of acne, although unfortunately acne can affect many age ranges.

In Your 30s and 40s: Skin Cancer Concerns and Pregnancy Changes

Often in the 30s and 40s, there is increasing awareness and concern regarding prevention of photodamage, early detection of skin cancer, as well as pregnancy related changes. Pregnancy can bring many changes that are most commonly due to hormonal fluctuations. There is an increase in pigmentation, often seen on the face as melasma, or the body, commonly on the breasts or abdomen. Increased vascularity is frequent as well, presenting with small blood vessels on the skin called telangectasia, or varicose veins involving the legs. Common skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis may also change during pregnancy. Lastly, specific rashes, one called PUPPP (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy) can develop later in pregnancy that often can improve after delivery, but need to be monitored.

In Your 50s and Beyond: Repairing Skin Damage

As women progress into their 50s and later, concerns turn more to repair of sun damage already obtained as well as reversal of signs of aging. Cumulative effects of repeated sun exposure also become more prevalent and need treatment including actinic keratoses, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and the most deadly, melanoma. The unifying goal of all of female patients though is achieving and maintaining healthy skin, at any age.

While women are very proactive about seeking help for their skin, male patients are also becoming more aware of the importance of skin health and protection. Windsor Dermatology is composed of an all Board-certified staff of physicians able to assist patients with all dermatologic needs and concerns.

Stop by our booth at next weekend’s Head to Toe Women’s Expo, Saturday, May 11 starting at 9:00 am at Robbinsville High School in Robbinsville, New Jersey. More details are available at www.mercercountywoman.com/.