Anti-Aging Skin Care
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Each season has its special impact on your skin — both good and bad. Summer’s no different. While you’re outdoors and active in the heat and sun, your skin is exposed to some pretty harsh conditions. Keep it healthy and looking great with some simple changes in your skin care.
Thick, rough and cracked feet: Walking barefoot or in sandals leaves feet thick, rough and cracked. Keep them soft with exfoliation. My ’step by step’ instructions to keep your feet soft and attractive this summer: Dermatologist’s 3 Simple Steps For Sandal Ready Feet By Spring
Athlete’s foot: sweaty athletic shoes and public showers breed fungus. If your feet are scaly, itchy and cracked you may well have picked up this highly contagious problem. Get rid of the fungus before it gets worse by following my instructions: Dermatologist’s Tips For Athlete’s Foot Fungus Treatment.
Chapped and sunburned lips: Sun and wind chap and burn lips fast. You need good sun protection when you’re outdoors, and mineral sunscreen products designed specifically for the lips, such as Lip Cotz, are the best. Some colored lipsticks can also give your lips good sun protection.
For moist, healthy lips you also need constant applications of a really good lip balm like Ceralip or pure shea butter. I recommend avoiding lip balms with a lot of medicated or herbal ingredients because I see so many people whose severely chapped lips are actually due to allergic reactions to these ingredients. I recommend using just the hydrating ointment base in lip balms and skipping all the dicey ‘extras.’
Gardener’s Hands: chapped, rough and cracked hands are a part of summer for you if you’re a gardener (like me). Good hand care is essential to keeping your hands looking even remotely presentable outside of the garden. The same hand care that I outlined in the winter for all the folks with chapped hands from hand sanitizers will fix your gardener-worn hands too.
“Embarrassing” arms and legs!: I can’t tell you how many people are embarrassed to show off their arms and legs; like it or not, summer fashions show more skin. After about our mid-twenties, just about everybody has to put a little work into keeping their arm and leg skin looking good. My recommendations:
At a minimum, moisturizing will help control the dry, flaky scale and give your skin an attractive, dewy look.
Adding sun protection plus alpha hydroxy acid hydration combined with physical exfoliation keeps the age spots from darkening. I give you instructions in my post: Stop The Summer Darkening of Your Age Spots.
On top of that, if you add a sunless tanner, you’ll have evenly bronzed, dewy hydrated skin with a buffed and polished glow! I tell you how in: Use Self Tanners Like A Pro.
Stressed facial skin: In the summer, facial skin care is all about survival; summer sun and environmental exposure will cause permanent damage to your facial skin unless you protect it every day. Sunscreen and antioxidant skin care products are essential for anyone seriously concerned about facial wrinkles and age spots (not to mention skin cancer). The best sunscreens are the mineral-based products. The best antioxidant protection comes from products with high concentrations of vitamin C and products that combine green tea and caffeine. Every day there are new ‘miracle’ antioxidants and sunscreens hitting the skin care market, but in my opinion, the mineral sunscreens and vitamin C and green tea/caffeine antioxidant products have the best scientific evidence proving their benefits; they’re what I personally use and recommend for my patients.
With good skin care you can have soft, healthy and fabulous-looking skin all summer long.
If you found this information helpful, you may also want to read:
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Anti Aging Skin Care
5 Steps For Smart Sun Protection
Photo: Thanks and gratitude to Dystopian
0 comments Sunday 22 Aug 2010 | Cynthia | Anti-Aging Skin Care, Miscellaneous, Skin Problems & Advice, Sun Protection Advice
Age spots on the skin really darken up from summer sun exposure. They tan better than normal skin and really stand out, even after the briefest sun exposure. There are three things I tell my patients to do to help keep their age spots from getting darker during the summer. People who do all three get the best results.
1. How to best keep the sun off your skin to prevent age spot darkening:
The best way to keep the sun off of your age spots is by covering them with clothing. For areas of your skin that you can’t cover (eg. your face), wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher that contains 5% or more micro zinc oxide. I give extensive recommendations on sun protection in some of my recent posts:
Are Your Summer Clothes Good Enough To Be Sun Protective Clothing
How To Apply Sunscreen & Have Healthy, Fabulous Skin Forever
2. Exfoliation to lighten age spots:
Exfoliating lightens your age spots because the dead skin cell layers above them are extra thick and the brown color is carried up through every layer. Because of this, age spots are sort of like little speed bumps and regular exfoliation of the dead skin really lightens up the dark color because they sit slightly higher than the rest of the skin. The best way to do this is with my Anti Aging Body Skin Care Kit that includes both physical exfoliation and strong AHA glycolic acid exfoliation. Over the years, I’ve had many thousands of my patients using this kit and it works beautifully to lighten age spots. I’ve used it myself for at least 10 years and have watched my age spots actually go away just because I’m using these products; I created the kit for my 40th birthday when I got my first age spot on my arm — it went away in a few months after using my new kit, which was a great ‘happy birthday to me’ !
3. Using skin pigment lighteners to fade age spots:
I also have my patients ‘turn down’ pigment production with prescription bleaching creams that contain 4% hydroquinone, and prescription Retin A (tretinoin). There are tricks to using these products and they have side effects so ask your doctor if these treatments would be appropriate for you. One of my favorite skin lightening programs is The Obagi Nu Derm System and I discussed it during a post that I wrote this winter:
Winter: Now Is The Time To Fix Your Unwanted Age Spots and Skin Pigmentation
The good news about age spots is that it really is possible to get through the summer without getting spottier and spottier. Using any one of these steps to prevent age spot darkening will help, and doing all three is even more effective. You might even see them get lighter than they are in the winter!
A final note on age spots:
Remember that not every brown spot is an age spot. Melanoma, a deadly cancer, can often start looking like one of your age spots. If you have age spots, you’ve probably also had a lot of sun exposure in your life and would be well served by getting an annual skin exam by your dermatologist. Early detection of skin cancer really does save lives, I see it every day.
If You Found This Information Helpful, You May Also Want To Read:
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Anti Aging Skin Care
Choosing The Right Make Up For Post Menopausal Skin
Skip The Tan And Eat Your Veggies For Beautiful Skin Color
Photo Mik Hartwell Flickr
comments off Friday 30 Jul 2010 | Cynthia | Anti-Aging Skin Care, Skin Problems & Advice, Sun Protection Advice
I just returned from a fabulous 3 weeks touring the hot and humid Southern Mediterranean and had to be pretty creative about keeping the sun off my skin. As a 50 something, fair skinned dermatologist I know that even a few weeks of sun exposure is going to really age my skin at this point in my life.
My wonderful vacation included touring ancient ruins on treeless hillsides, with the sun beating down from a cloudless sky and reflecting up off marble walls. It was humid and there was often only a slight breeze to dry the sweat. I was also on a cruise ship where the ‘culture’ is all about sun bathing. This meant that I had to improvise. Happily, I was able to totally enjoy myself, and I’ve returned with no tan line and only a faint darkening in my freckles (age spots). Here’s the tricks I used:
Boy it was hot in the Southern Mediterranean! But, in spite of my hats and clothing, I don’t think I was any hotter than the other tourists who were wearing sleeveless shirts, shorts and bathing suits in the direct sun. A lot of people were bringing sun damaged skin home as a vacation souvenir, and they could have avoided it with just a little creative sun protection. Sun screen’s not enough. You have to physically keep the sun rays from hitting your skin by using shade, clothing, hats, and umbrellas. Mix and match these tricks to suit your activities and the climate-and don’t bring sun damage home as your vacation souvenir.
What sun protection tricks have you found helpful? I’d love to add your experiences to my own, please send me your stories.
If you found this information helpful, you may also want to read:
5 Steps For Smart Sun Protection
Tanning Addiction; Dermatologist’s Personal Story
How To Apply Sunscreen And Have Healthy, Fabulous Skin Forever
comments off Wednesday 14 Jul 2010 | Cynthia | Anti-Aging Skin Care, Sun Protection Advice

Your nails don’t always stand up to the use you put them to, and when they don’t, they crack!
Just yesterday, an 80 year old patient asked me why his fingernails were dry, brittle and splitting on the ends. He’d always had strong nails. He wanted to know if I thought Knox Gelatin Capsules would work for him; it’s what his mother used when she had nail problem. They didn’t work for her, but he didn’t know what else to do.
Almost every day I’m asked by someone for advice to fix their brittle, splitting fingernails because the problem is so common. It can happen at any age, but it’s definitely one of those “as we age” stories. If your nails are splitting, there are things you can do to improve them, but there are also common ‘remedies’ that actually make the problem worse.
THE PROBLEM:
Your nails dry out as you age, losing their natural oils which act as a glue to hold the nail layers together. If you have thin fingernails and dry skin to begin with you can expect this to happen to you ‘sooner rather than later’. Exposing your hands to harsh soaps, cleaning products, solvents and rough work makes things worse. At first your nails begin to ‘fray’ on the edges, becoming brittle. Eventually the layers split. Nail hardeners make this worse because the alcohols, formaldehyde and other chemicals in the nail hardeners really dry out your natural oils. (Crazy fact: Nail hardeners actually contain more of these chemicals than nail polishes! It’s these chemicals that make the nails feel harder at first, but- whammo- after a few weeks the splitting is worse than ever.)
THE FIX:
Gelatin capsules don’t work but vitamin supplements formulated specifically for nail growth may help. I’ve had patients who feel that their nails grew a lot faster and stronger once they started taking supplements. Nail supplement formulations appear to vary, though most contain biotin. I tell patients to go to their favorite high quality natural food store and ask the vitamin specialist for their best nail formula. It’s important to know that many of the ingredients in these supplements are lavishly present in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, natural oils, beans and fish. Eating a richly nutritious diet is key to supporting healthy nails and vitamin supplements should be used in addition to, not in place of a healthy diet.
Your fingernails grow slowly, about 1mm per month. As you age, the growth slows down even more. This means it will take several months for the dry and split portion of your nails to grow out. Depending on the condition of the rest of your existing nails, it could take as long as a year for proper nail care, good diet and your vitamin supplements to stop the nail splitting, so hang in there and don’t give up.
Lastly, there are internal diseases that can affect your nails, the most common being thyroid problems and anemia. Some skin diseases affect the nails as well and cause splitting. If your nails don’t improve, see your doctor.
I’d love to hear any tricks or products you’ve found to improve your brittle and splitting fingernails.
If you found this information helpful you may also want to read:
Pandemic Of Dry Hands; Hand Sanitizers, The Swine Flu And Tips To Save Your Hands
Natural Skin Health; Dermatologist’s Diet Recommendations For Healthy Skin
Dermatologist’s 3 Simple Steps For Sandal Ready Feet By Spring
Photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonythemisfit/2432720887/ Tony The Misfit
4 comments Friday 18 Jun 2010 | Cynthia | Anti-Aging Skin Care, Diet, Nutrition, & Natural Health, Skin Problems & Advice

It’s just been scientifically proven: A veggie and fruit diet gives you a better looking skin color that a sun tan. As a dermatologist and nutrition advocate, I’m thrilled!
You actually do look more beautiful to other people when your skin has the golden glow that comes from eating fruits and veggies. People find that color more appealing than the brown color that comes from a sun tan.
I’ve thought this for years and now it’s fact; in a scientific study, volunteers rated the golden skin of veggie eaters as more beautiful than the brown skin of sun tanners — and you can get your own ‘golden glow’ in as little as a month.
The take home message: If you want to look great, skip the sun tan and instead tank up on fruits and veggies!
Here’s the details:
Dr. Ian Stephen, an experimental psychologist at the University of Bristol in England, did a study where he showed volunteers a series of photographs of both men and women. Some were sun-tanned and others were on a prescribed fruit and veggie diet that was high in beta carotene. He asked the volunteers to rate the attractiveness of the people’s skin tone. The volunteers consistently preferred the skin tone of those people who were eating the fruit and veggie diet over the tone from people who were sun tanned.
To understand this, you need to know that skin color is produced by one of two skin pigments: melanin or beta carotene. Your skin’s melanin content is partly determined by your genes, but it also increases with sun exposure. Beta carotene is a yellow/orange pigment that you only get if you eat it. Foods with lots of beta carotene include certain fruits and veggies like carrots, winter squash, cantaloupe, and some green leafy veggies.
Beta carotene imparts warmth to skin color. Of course this shows up more in really fair-skinned people (Fitzpatrick skin types 1 to 3), but in my experience, even people with darker skin (Fitzpatrick 4 to 6) can warm up their skin color with a healthy diet. I’m a fair Fitz type 2 and I’ve always preferred my skin with the warmth of beta carotene instead of my natural color (a pasty and transparent blueish white). I eat a ton of veggies, which I’ve talked about in past blog posts. Now I’m going to make sure to always include the fruits and veggies with lots of beta carotene; heart attack, stroke, cancer, arthritis and weight control were motivating, but skin tone and beauty are real kickers! It’s undeniable, we are what we eat and everybody can see it in our skin.
Foods High In Beta Carotene
Good food sources of beta-carotene include:
My advice to help you get get the most beta carotene out of your foods:
To Sum It Up: You can get a great skin color without the wrinkles, liver spots and premature skin aging that comes from sun tanning. Instead, eat fruits and veggies that are high in beta carotene for the best skin color of all…..
Skip the sun, have a salad, and look fabulous forever!
References:
Facial Skin Coloration Affects Perceived Health of Human Faces, Stephen ID, et. al., Int J Primatol, 2009 Dec;30(6):845-857.
If You Found This Post Interesting, You May Want To Look At:
The Alkaline Mediterranean Diet-A Dietary Magic Wand For Overall Health And Beauty
Are You Really Getting Vitamin D From The Sun Or Just Nuking Your DNA?
Photo: Pink Sherbet
2 comments Monday 14 Jun 2010 | Cynthia | Anti-Aging Skin Care, Diet, Nutrition, & Natural Health
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