Dr. Alex's Blog: Importance of Washing Your Face

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Importance of Washing Your Face

Washing your face is the first step in any skin care regimen and its importance can not be understated. It should be performed twice daily. Washing removes oil, dirt, debris, makeup, sunscreen, and anything else that may accumulate on the surface during the day or at night. Impurities on the skin surface will block the absorption of skin care products. They can also induce or exacerbate breakouts. In addition, face washing provides hydration to dry skin, particularly in climates with low humidity. For these reasons I always say clean skin is healthy skin.

Gentle cleansers work for most people while gels work especially well for those with oily skin. Find one that works well for you and does not irritate your skin. The product should be in contact with the skin for at least 30 seconds for an effective wash. Products such as the Clarisonic Pro brush are excellent because they provide a gentle yet thorough rubbing of the product with the skin surface for a full minute. Ensure that your face is completely dry by using a towel and even a blow dryer before applying subsequent products. Washing your face twice daily will lead to clean, healthy skin. Make it a routine, just like brushing your teeth.

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Alex Eshaghian, MD, PhD was raised in Los Angeles, CA. He attended UCLA for college and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Biology in 1998. He received many accolades including Phi Beta Kappa, College Honors, Departmental Honors, Goldenkey International Honour Society, and Mortar Board National Honors Society.

In 2000, Dr. Alex moved to Nashville, TN to attend the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s distinguished Medical Scientist Training Program. With scholarships from the National Institutes of Health and the Canby Robinson Society, he graduated with an MD and a PhD. Dr. Alex completed his post-graduate training in Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Alex has had clinical training in dermatology at Vanderbilt University, UC Irvine, USC, UCLA, University of New Mexico, Veteran’s Affairs Hospitals in Nashville, TN, Albuquerque, NM, Long Beach, CA, and Los Angeles, CA, as well as in various private clinics in southern California. He is also certified in the injection of Botulinum toxin and dermal fillers as well as in the use of lasers for cosmetic applications.

Dr. Alex has done research for over a decade. His interest in research was sparked early in college when he worked in a nephrology lab. He then spent four years in a molecular biology lab in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA under the direction of Harold G. Martinson, PhD. His dissertation in graduate school was in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology in the laboratory of James E. Sligh, MD, PhD where he studied genetic factors involved in photo-aging of the skin and in non-melanoma skin cancer. He has given oral and poster presentations at numerous conferences including the American Academy of Dermatology, Society for Investigative Dermatology, and American Society for Human Genetics. He has publications in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Free Radical Biology and Medicine, and Cardiovascular Toxicology. He is also a contributing author for the Textbook of Aging Skin.

Dr. Alex has held a number of leadership positions including University of New Mexico School of Medicine Resident Voice committee member, Committee of Interns and Residents member, Dermatology Interest Group Association president and founding member, Executive Board member of Vanderbilt Hillel, Vanderbilt University MSTP Physician Scientist Speaker Series Committee member, Vanderbilt University Careers in Medicine Interest Group member, Vanderbilt University MSTP Student Advisory Committee member, and Vanderbilt University Dermatology Interest Group president. He has also participated in numerous service activities including Miles for Melanoma, Sun Protection Project, Camp Discovery, Links for Locks, and the Shade Tree Clinic.

At Alex Eshaghian Medical, Dr. Alex is translating his research in photo-aging to his clinical practice. His passion is to prevent signs of aging in the skin to make patients look and feel their best.