Once again I’m amazed at how helpful a short cleansing diet is for me. I’ve had a wonderful summer that’s included ‘wining and dining’ my way through vacation and numerous events with family and friends. Well, the result is more aches, pains and just feeling out of sorts for me. As many of you who know me are aware, this is an ongoing issue for me. Patients who are interested in using dietary modifications to address their own health issues ask me about what I do for mine, so this post is a short description of this summer’s dietary cleanse. I’m on day four and it’s really doing the trick!

A quick recap of my story: A few years ago, my aches and pains reached a point where I couldn’t ignore them anymore and I had 2 choices: 1. Take medicine forever and modify my life, or 2. Try to figure out if there was a cause that I could identify and avoid. At the suggestion of a non-medical person I tried a cleanse (see my winter detox cleanse post) and it was like a miracle; by day five I had no aches, pains, arthritis etc. and surprisingly, I felt invigorated. I’ve since worked to figure out what’s with my diet that ‘poisons’ my system and it’s pretty much what’s in the ‘wining and dining’ life that’s such a part of my wine country existence; the more ‘wining and dining’, the more pain and the more ‘out of sorts’ I feel. Just a little and I can recover quickly when I’m back to eating simply, but after two months this summer I’m pretty sore and stiff. I just feel off, and to be honest I think it shows in how I look; my skin’s a little sallow, there are subtle bags under my eyes and I’m packing some unwanted belly fat on my 50-something year old frame. Time to reset my system with a cleanse!

A Gentle Summer Cleansing Diet:

I’m using the same format that I posted in the winter (Martha’s Vineyard Detox) but modified:

• I’m using the cleansing support herbs, aloe vera juice at night and one or two green drinks during the day but I’m not doing the supportive therapies mentioned in the book this time around.
• I’m eating instead of drinking my meals. This means eating an entirely alkaline diet of only veggies and fruit (my garden is kicking them out by the buckets!) I’m eating all I want and all through the day. Everything I’m eating is organic.
• I’m not adding any oil to my food (a biggie for me because I love olive oil).
• I’m eating no sugar at all in anything (no agave or honey either).
• I’m still having flax seeds and slivered almonds every morning and occasional quinoa (a somewhat alkaline grain) with my veggies.
• I allow myself unsweetened soy milk in my tea, and occasional tofu with my veggies.
• I’m avoiding coffee and drinking tea only (coffee makes me hungry and sets up cravings).
• I’m using salt, herbs and spices.
• I’m drinking a lot of water and at least a full bottle of Pellegrino each day (sparkling mineral water is alkalinizing to the body).
• I’ve started drinking a bottle of water with a tsp of chia seeds shaken up in it (surprisingly satisfying and loaded with omega 3’s. I got this great idea from the Healthy Librarian’s blog called Happy Healthy Long Life. (Boy, I love social media!)
• I’m still having 4 oz of kefir in goat milk at bedtime for my probiotics (this is the only animal food I’m eating and I may make my kefir in soy milk on the next batch I prepare).

After two wonderful months of ‘wining and dining,’ it’s now wonderful to have simplicity, to eat from the garden I work in and to feel refreshed and pain free. I’m thankful that I’ve found a path that works for me. I’d love to hear your stories. Any good or bad experiences with detox diet cleanses? Any dietary triggers to your health problems? Please send them to me as comments or using the ‘Contact Dr. Bailey’ page button on the top left side of this page.

If you found this information useful, you may want to read:

4 Diet Changes That Can Improve Your Acne

Natural Skin Health: Dermatologist’s Diet Recommendations For Healthy Skin

Skip The Tan And Eat Your Veggies For Beautiful Skin Color

Thanks and gratitude to Jill Clardy for the beautiful photo.

I love being creative and fashionable with sun protective clothing and hats and I’m always looking for new ideas.

Every UV ray that missed its direct hit on your skin is a good thing. Think of UV rays as little missiles; use shade, awnings, umbrellas, hats, sunglasses, clothing and what ever else you can think of to cut down on the direct UV hits to your skin. Apply sunscreen to the skin you can’t, or won’t, cover. I prefer the mineral sunscreens (with micro-sized zinc oxide in 5% or higher concentration) that coat your skin with a shield of little particles to deflect, instead of absorb, the UV rays. The Sun Protection category of my blog is filled with dermatologically sound, scientific and practical sun protection information.

These beautiful masterpieces capture bygone fashions that would have provided good sun protection and kept these people’s skin looking young and fabulous. Only in the last century has it been trendy to tan — and we’re learning our lesson quickly. Sun protection inspiration from history (minus the corsets):

I’d love to know what creative sun protection ideas have you found helpful. Please add them as comments or send them to me using the ‘Contact Dr. Bailey’ form in the top left margin of my blog page.

For More on Sun Protection And Skin Care:

How To Apply Sunscreen and Have Fabulous Skin Forever

Are Your Summer Clothes Good Enough To Be Sun Protective Clothing?

Skip The Tan And Eat Your Veggies For Beautiful Skin Color

Stop The Summer Darkening Of Your Age Spots

Photos: Freeparking Nrico

You can predict that your acne will get worse after the first month of being back in school.  Start treating your acne now before school starts and keep your skin as acne free as possible throughout the school year.

In my dermatology practice, my teen and college aged patients come rushing in after school starts because their acne is getting bad again. Typically, acne clears up nicely during the summer when people are outdoors and under less stress, but a month after school starts- whammo- they start getting pimples and blackheads again.  Using acne treatment products now, before acne gets worse, will help keep skin clear. This means using products that treat the acne causing germ p. acnes, and that help to to prevent clogged pores.  The result: fewer pimples and blackheads once school starts.

I developed a complete acne treatment system to clear acne fast.  As a dermatologist, I know that the best acne treatment includes the right balance of treatment medicines, exfoliators and oil controllers; too much and skin gets irritated, not enough and acne doesn’t go away.

To maximize results, I’ve figured out just how much treatment most people’s skin can tolerate. I’ve treated thousands of acne patients over my 25 years practicing dermatology and I developed my acne treatment system to treat my patients with acne and give them quick and sustained control of their skin.

My OTB SKIN Acne Treatment Kits have everything needed to clear acne fast. There are two levels: one for sensitive skin or first time acne treatment, and one for tolerant skin.  My kits come with my complete instructions and treatment advice.  When combined with a Facial Buf Puf Sponge or a Clarisonic brush (Clarisonic Pro is available by calling my office) I’ve found them to be the absolute best acne treatment available-including better than most all prescription skin care products.

My OTB SKIN acne treatment systems contain:

• foaming cleansers that go deep into pores to deliver glycolic acid and salicylic acid to help cleanse and prevent clogged pores,
• oil controlling skin wipes that contain powerful oil removing ingredients and that also deliver the pore cleaning ingredients salicylic acid and glycolic acid,
• medicine that kills the acne causing bacteria p. acnes- medicated benzoyl peroxide, which has been shown in scientific studies to be more effective than topical prescription antibiotics.

Again, because my acne treatment system is so strong, I’ve created 2 levels: one for people with sensitive skin or who have never used strong levels of the active ingredients before and so who need to test their skin’s tolerance.  The second is for tolerant skin.  I recommend using the cleanser with a Facial Buf Puf or the Clarisonic Pro to add physical exfoliation and help the medicines penetrate even deeper into the skin where they’re needed.  OTB Skin Acne Treatment Kit and a Facial Buf Puf or Clarisonic Pro is, in my 25 years of experience as a dermatologist, the best topical acne treatment system and get’s the best results.

Purchase the OTB Skin Acne Treatment Kit for Sensitive Skin or OTB Skin Acne Treatment Kit for Tolerant Skin.

Start your acne treatment now, before school starts and have clearer skin throughout the school year.

If you found this acne information helpful, you may also want to read:

How To Unclog Your Clogged Pores

Back And Chest Acne; Will They Ruin Your Summer?

4 Diet Changes That Can Improve Your Acne; Dermatologist’s Advice

Photo: foundphotoslj flickr

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.

3 Easy Steps You Can Take to Help Prevent Darkening of Age Spots:

1. Keep the sun off of your skin
2. Exfoliate regularly
   
3. Use skin lightening products to ‘turn down’ your skin’s ability to tan

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

Use Self Tanners Like A Pro

Skip The Tan And Eat Your Veggies For Beautiful Skin Color

Photo Mik Hartwell Flickr

News flash: refined carbs are linked to acne!

Scientists have found that people who eat lots of highly refined carbs are more likely to get acne.  Our modern western diet is loaded with highly refined carbs: cookies, chips, white bread, crackers, cereals, donuts, candy bars, pasta, pizza etc.  This means acne should be common, and it is.

It’s high glycemic index foods that are linked to acne. Highly refined carbs have a high glycemic index. Cut down on high glycemic foods and your acne should improve. To understand this, you need to know:

• what the ‘glycemic index’ is,
• how the glycemic index differs from carbohydrates,
• what effect high glycemic foods have on your body’s insulin levels and why that matters (yes this is a lot of science, but it’s important for understanding the carb/acne connection).

In simple terms, the glycemic index measures a foods ability to quickly increase your blood sugar, which in turn tells your body to make insulin:

• Foods with a higher glycemic index number increase your blood sugar faster than foods with the same amount of carbohydrates but a lower glycemic index number.
• Refined carbohydrate foods have a higher glycemic index number than complex/non-refined carbohydrate foods and raise your blood sugar faster (because you digest them faster).  For example, white flour bread raises your blood sugar faster than whole grain bread, the same is true for white rice versus brown rice.  Fruit juice raises your blood sugar faster than a piece of fruit.
• When your blood sugar rises fast your body responds by producing a lot of insulin, which lowers your blood sugar by sending the sugar into your cells for storage.  It’s this high blood sugar/ high insulin situation that’s linked to acne!

When your body has to produce tons of insulin because you ate tons of refined carbs (white flour, sugary foods etc.) then complex things happen with your hormones-including hormones that affect your pores. These hormones are your androgens, (like testosterone), and ‘insulin-like growth factor’. They cause your pores to make blackheads and secrete more oil.  They even change what’s in your skin oil, making it more ‘pimple forming’.  Basically, eating refined carbs causes your hormones to go crazy, your pores go crazy and you get zits.

Frankly, it’s an amazing example of how complex the body is.  Who but a scientist could unravel the connection between you eating a douhnut, increasing testosterone and a growth factor, the end result of which is your skin forming blackheads and pimples.

The bottom line: modern teens, and many adults, eat a lot of highly refined/ high glycemic load carbs -and this causes acne.

The solution: eat foods with a lower glycemic index value:

• Eat complex carbs like whole grains (whole wheat flour instead of white, brown rice instead of white etc.)
• Choose sweets with honey or agave, which have lower glycemic index values than refined white sugar
• Grab a piece of refreshing fresh fruit, instead of fruit juice and sugary fruit drinks
• Drink water or sparkling mineral water instead of sugary soft drinks
• Fill up on veggies-all day and all that you want, because they have really low glycemic index values
• Eat moderate amounts of healthy protein including fish, lean meats, tofu, eggs and some dairy

Good guidelines include my Alkaline Mediterranean Diet.

To help you convert to a lower glycemic diet, there are web sites that list the glycemic values of foods. For a more step-by-step guide you could use The South Beach Diet, which is easy to follow.  I’ve done The South Beach Diet before, and I found it balanced and healthy, so long as I ate a lot of veggies when I was on it. It’s a classic example of a low glycemic diet and the book is an easy read.  Lastly, there are apps for your smart phone that give you the glycemic value of foods.

If you’ve been eating a ‘normal’ American diet, then starting to eat more veggies, fruit, lean protein and whole grains will probably help your acne. The added bonus is that these are great foods for your overall health and I’ll bet you feel great too!

So, which snack food should you chose:

OR

Please note that scientists are just beginning to understand the connection between high glycemic foods and acne.   I expect we’ll be getting even more recommendations in the coming years.

Reference: Whitney P. Bowe, MD et. al. Diet and Acne, J of the Am Acad Dermatol 2010;63:124-41

If you found this information helpful, you may want to read:

4 Diet Changes That Can Improve Your Acne; Dermatologist’s Advice

Common Reasons Why Your Acne Treatment Might Not Be Working; new ideas to treat your acne from a dermatologist

Back And Chest Acne; Will They Ruin Your Summer

Natural Skin Health: Dermatologist’s Diet Recommendations for Healthy Skin

Photo Attributions:

Qfamily Greencolander s58