Essentials of a skin care regimen

Great skin does not occur on its own. An appropriate skin care regimen is required for healthy and beautiful skin. A skin care regimen should be performed twice daily. The regimen starts with washing the face. Clean skin is healthy skin. Brushes like the Clarisonic Pro can be used to more effectively remove oil, dirt, debris, or makeup. Next is a toner, which helps close pores and prepares the pH of the skin for the subsequent steps. After this, vitamins, nutrients, and growth factors are added, for example vitamin C serum or Skin Medica's TNS Essential serum. Eye creams are also applied here. The following step is when a variety of other products can be added, prescription or non-prescription. These include exfoliants such as salicylic acid, acne products such as benzoyl peroxide, steroid creams, antibiotic creams, bleaching agents such as hydroquinone, kojic acid, or licorice extract, and retinoids (nighttime only). The regimen concludes with a moisturizer followed by sunscreen with SPF of at least 30 and UVA and UVB protection (daytime only). Determine the best regimen for you, stick to it, and look forward to looking and feeling your best!

Summer Skin Care Tips

Skin care during the summer months is extremely important. Sunlight can cause a lot of damage to the skin including fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and skin cancer so it is important to protect yourself every day. Wear a sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater with UVA and UVB protection (this should be written on the container). Apply a liberal amount of sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside. Don't forget areas below the neck which may be exposed such as the chest, back, arms, and legs. Those areas can get sunburned too. Try to stay out of the sun between 10 AM and 4 PM when the sun's rays are strongest. If outside stay in shady areas if possible and when outside for more than two hours, re-apply sunscreen every couple of hours. Wear protective clothing such as hats, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirts, and pants. Finally, be sure to stay hydrated by drinking 6 to 8 cups of water each day.

Causes of Wrinkles

There are multiple different causes of wrinkles, each with its own treatment. As we age, the outer layer of our skin becomes thinner and retains water less effectively. Moisturizers help with dryness. Additionally, with age our skin produces less collagen and it is broken down more quickly, leading to laxity. Creams such as tretinoin help to counteract these effects. Over time sun exposure and other insults such as air pollution and cigarette smoking cause damage to the skin. The best protection from this is preventive by using sunscreens and anti-oxidants such as vitamin C. Chemical peels and laser resurfacing procedures also treat such damage. Gravity and shrinkage of fat lead to the descent of the cheek fat pad, laugh lines, and jowls. Fillers such as Juvederm and laser skin tightening procedures are effective treatments for these conditions. Finally, the use of muscles of facial expression cause wrinkles overlying those muscles. These wrinkles are treated with Botox.