Looking Your Best: Tips for Mothers of the Bride and Groom

By Teresa Zawada
Licensed Aesthetician

Mothers of the bride and groom also need to look their best. Though the risk of waking up to a blemish is low, mothers have their own stressors that can manifest on the skin. Not to outshine their daughters, here are a few tips on the road of radiance for any skin.

1. MOISTURIZE!  Ever notice how dry skin is chapped and crinkly? Same thing happens on the face. Majority of fine lines are dehydration. Using the correct AM and PM moisturizer will ensure a more taught supple look. 
2. 5 letters "B-O-T-O-X." Who wouldn’t want a smooth, wrinkle-free forehead or crow’s feet area? When done properly and in moderation, Botox can erase years off a face without a hardened look. Once again, follow the one week rule, if not more. Bruising can occur in some patients, and Botox takes at least a week to take full effect; One month prior is ideal. 
3. Glycolic peels. By “ungluing” the dead skin from each other, skin is instantly exfoliated revealing fresh, brighter skin. A series of 6, scheduled 2-4 weeks apart, helps boost collagen production and diminishes unwanted fine lines and wrinkles. Talk to your aesthetician about a proper treatment protocol for your skin type.
4. For a day-of plumping, skip the products containing collagen spheres. Instead, opt for micronized Hylauronic Acid such as Avene Retrinal HAF. Serving as double duty, the micronized HA with not only add temporary volume, but will also “super-moisturize” the skin.
5. Lastly, make up is a necessity. Local makeup artist Erin Root recommends “making sure to use as little foundation as possible. Make sure you get a foundation that’s professionally matched to your skin and only use as needed. Start in the T-Zone and feather the foundation out across the face. Moms’ skin also tends to be a bit drier, so they don’t need as much powder. They should also use a cream blush (try and play with it for a few weeks before the wedding to make sure you’re comfortable with it). Also, avoid heavy eyeliner. Try a thin line on top and use a powder shadow if you must as a liner underneath the eye. This keeps eyes a bit softer and most importantly, YOUNGER! Finally, after all your makeup is applied, set it with a finishing spray such as MAC’s Fix + Spray-just spritz on and viola!” This will ensure a dewy healthy glow on all of your photos!

How to Look Your Best On Your Wedding Day

By Teresa Zawada
Licensed Aesthetician

Wedding memories last a lifetime, and so do the photos! From teeth whitening to personal training, rarely is an expense spared to help a bride look her dazzling best on her wedding day. Although planning is extremely important, one thing a bride cannot plan on is a skin emergency! So what’s a girl to do when it’s two days before the wedding and an uninvited guest appears front and center on an otherwise flawless face? Follow these next tips and the word “airbrushed” will never be brought up when choosing your photos. 

1. Have an emergency backup plan. You know your wedding date months in advance, so make a dermatologist appointment two days before. It’s easier to call and cancel (with prior notice) than to call and try get squeezed in at an inopportune time. This way, should you have a blemish make an appearance, your derm can inject it with a cortisone shot and within hours the inflammation should go down; 24 hours later, nearly gone. 
2. De-stress. Yes, you are going to be the go-to if ANYBODY has a question, but find your happy place. Stress can not only cause a surge of hormones that will trigger excessive sebum, thus creating pustules, but it can also hinder the body’s natural healing process. 
3. Having facial treatments such as microdermabrasions and chemical peels will leave you glowing, but NEVER have one within a week of your big day. If an unexpected reaction were to occur, there may not be sufficient time to heal the skin and you may look red or blotchy. This is also true for extractions on the skin (so don’t pick) and waxing. 
   
4. Keep an arsenal on hand. Hopefully, if you are prone to breakouts, and even if you aren’t, a healthy skin regimen instated months in advance should ensure a clear complexion. Having a sulfur based spot treatment (to dry and shed dead skin off a blemish without over drying) or tea tree oil (a natural alternative for acne) are both gentle enough to improve the look of a blemish without scabbing. But please, test an inconspicuous area for allergies before you apply to the face and treat with the mind set “less is more.”
5. IF all else fails, make up will be your saving grace. Local makeup artist Erin Root recommends NOT piling on concealer. She states “try and use as little concealer as possible that is as close to your skins natural color. Apply a thin layer to the blemish and then set with loose powder. If more coverage is needed, try and add another thin layer to the blemish and again set with loose powder. Then, go ahead and apply your foundation as needed."

Does Using a Tanning Bed Help Treat Psoriasis?

Dr. Jerry Bagel

Have you ever wondered how light therapy can help psoriasis patients? Phototherapy involves exposing the skin to ultraviolet light on a regular basis. It is one of the most effective and safest treatments for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis.

Essentially, the skin, or epidermis, of a psoriasis patient grows too quickly. A normal epidermis takes 28 days to grow. For those with psoriasis, it takes only four days. 

Narrowband ultraviolet B (UVB) rays at 311 nanometers is the wave length of a UVB ray that maximizes the benefit and reduces the risk of skin cancer in the treatment of psoriasis. Narrowband UVB decreases the growth rate of the epidermis allowing the skin to become normal. Also, narrowband UVB rays decrease the proliferation of T cells (immune cells) in the dermis, which is elevated in psoriatic skin and is one of the causes of the increased growth rate of the epidermis.

While light is beneficial for psoriasis, don’t assume that the lamps of a tanning bed and the phototherapy provided at a medical dermatologist’s office are the same thing.

Tanning beds utilize ultraviolet A (UVA) light. UVA wave lengths do not decrease the growth rate of the epidermis. UVA rays promote tanning, but has very little therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of psoriasis.

The National Psoriasis Foundation does not support the use of tanning beds as a treatment option for psoriasis. The American Academy of Dermatology, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all discourage the use of tanning beds and sun lamps. The ultraviolet radiation from these devices can damage the skin, cause premature aging and increase the risk of skin cancer.

While phototherapy is an effective therapy and can keep people clear for six months or more, it only works 70% of the time. In other instances it may be more beneficial to speak with your dermatologist about biologic therapy.

Windsor Dermatology is the home of the Psoriasis Treatment Center of Central New Jersey, the state’s first complete facility for advanced psoriasis clinical research. Call us at (609) 443-4500 to schedule an appointment to find out more about treatment options to reduce your psoriasis symptoms.

Your Skin and Your Health

Dr. Brian Keegan

There is an intriguing connection between your skin and your overall health and wellness. Treating your body with healthy food and regular exercise can vastly increase the chances you will also maintain healthy, beautiful skin.

What triggers flare-ups of different skin conditions?

Many factors can contribute. For example, obesity exacerbates many skin diseases including psoriasis, hyperhidrosis and acne, so it’s important to maintain a healthy weight.  Furthermore, certain food and drinks can trigger skin conditions. For instance, spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine are among the many known triggers for Rosacea flares.

What alleviates flare-ups?

On the other hand, certain foods can alleviate symptoms of different types of skin conditions. Mild improvements with acne can occur by following a low glycemic index diet. Probiotics, such as the live cultures found in yogurt, can also help show mild improvement for those affected by eczema.

Foods that help show more moderate improvements include fish oil for psoriasis, as well as generally maintaining a low-calorie diet and integrating more Vitamin D. Antioxidants like ascorbic acid and green tea extract can reduce oxidation and have anti-aging properties.

How can the skin indicate something more serious?

While maintaining the appearance of skin can be important to some patients, nothing is more critical than their overall health and well-being. The skin can act as a surface indicator that can alert you to more serious health conditions.

Sometimes the skin can alert us to profound issues in the body, such as deficiencies of a certain vitamins. Scurvy, for example, will present with numerous small skin lesions across the body, which shows the patient has a Vitamin C deficiency. Pellagra, a disease that presents with extremely scaly skin patches, means there is a Vitamin B3 (niacin) deficiency. People who develop rough skin lesions with alopecia are showing possible signs of a zinc deficiency. Some rashes could even be a warning sign that a very serious malignancy has occurred within the body, signaling different types of cancer.

It’s important to alert your dermatologist as soon as unusual rashes present themselves, as they could mean you have a more serious health condition. Often these conditions can be treated with supplements or diet changes, however in the rare instance it is something more serious, catching it early on will increase the chances of successful treatment.

Call us at (609) 443-4500 to schedule an appointment to find out more about the connection between your skin and your overall health and well-being. You can also find more resources on our website, www.WindsorDermatology.com.

What is Contact Dermatitis?

Dr. David Nieves

What does the oil found in poison ivy plants, a woman’s perfume and preservatives found in deodorant have in common? All are possible agents triggering contact dermatitis.

Skin inflammation caused by contact with offending agents is called contact dermatitis. There are two forms of contact dermatitis: allergic and irritant. Allergic contact dermatitis is a reaction of the immune system to an allergen such as the three types of agents described above. It typically occurs 1-2 days after exposure.

Irritant dermatitis is inflammation of the skin caused by physical disruption brought on by contact with an outside substance. Examples include contact with acid or long-term exposure to wet diapers.

Contact dermatitis causes the areas of skin which came into contact with the inciting allergen or irritant to become red, dry and itchy. In many cases, contact dermatitis is a short-term phenomenon. Treatment includes moisturizer, topical steroid creams and avoidance of exposure to the source of the reaction.

Unfortunately, many times the source of the reaction is unknown, making it difficult to avoid future exposure. Even if the affected individual changes his or her personal care products, the problem may persist if an allergen is used as a common ingredient. Allergens causing allergic contact dermatitis can be identified with patch testing.

Patch testing is a noninvasive procedure in which a collection of allergen samples is applied to the patient’s back on a Monday, removed on Wednesday and with final interpretation of the application site on Friday. Windsor Dermatology uses a large inventory of allergen samples to perform testing, increasing the likelihood that the causative allergen or irritant can be found.

We have been able to help patients demystify what is causing their contact dermatitis over the years, helping them move on with their lives in comfort. In one memorable instance, a man had suffered from severe, chronic hand rashes for many years. Patch testing revealed he was allergic to a chemical used in the soap in the lavatory of his workplace. Now he brings his own supply of allergen-free soap to work and the problem has been solved.

In another case, a woman with chronic rashes on her eyelids had tried numerous brands of makeup, yet her rash persisted. Patch testing identified she was allergic to the rubber in her makeup removal sponge. Avoidance of this sponge helped to rapidly clear up the irritation.

Another woman suffered for years with itchy, dry lips despite frequently moisturizing with lip moisturizer. She was found to be allergic to a sunscreen used in the particular ChapStick product she was using. She switched to one which did not contain sunscreen and her inflammation disappeared.

Have you experienced repeated rashes on your skin? You can put an end to your discomfort by scheduling an appointment at Windsor Dermatology. Please call us at 609-443-4500.