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Winter Skincare Tips

Winter Skincare Tips

It’s no secret that colder temps and the winter season wreak havoc on your skin. The heat you turn up to stay warm and toasty significantly dries out your skin and the frigid temperatures outside cause more dryness and cracking. To save your skin until you can crawl out of another wintery season, here are some tips to ensure you have happy and healthy skin heading into the spring and summer. dry skin treated in Kent Island, Glen Burnie, Annapolis, Leonardtown, Prince Frederick, MD

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize. It’s imperative that you find a moisturizing product that adds a protective layer to help keep the moisture in your skin. Be sure to apply lotion and moisturizers regularly to any part of your body that may interact with cold air. For a facial moisturizer, ensure you choose a non-pore clogging (noncomedogenic) product so as not to cause breakouts.

Helping Hands. The skin on your hands is thinner and therefore more susceptible to dryness and cracking. Ensure you cover them up when heading outside with gloves or mittens and keep them well-moisturized.

Invest in a Humidifier. A humidifier rehydrates the air within your home and helps to keep your skin from drying out by redistributing the moisture evenly. Humidifiers are typically inexpensive and help to keep you and your skin healthy during the winter months.

Cut Showers Short. Long, hot showers, though relaxing and enjoyable, strip your skin of the natural oils that maintain your skin’s moisture. Help keep your skin’s natural defenses in check by shortening your showers and turning down the hot water.

The winter months are also a great opportunity to make an appointment with your dermatologist for an annual skin check-up.

Winter Skin Conditions

Spring weather may be on the way, but warmer days could be a long time coming which is especially difficult our skin. The consistent dryness of our indoor heat coupled with the coolness in the air can be exhausting on our skin. The two most inflamed skin conditions during the winter months are psoriasis and eczema. The cold weather tends to strengthen itchy, irritated patches. Here are a few facts about each:

Psoriasis causes severe skin inflammation due to overly active inflammatory pathways. Psoriatic skin cells are produced and mature too quickly. This tends to appear on the hairline, elbows and kneecaps.

Eczema and psoriasis can look very similar, but there are many differences. Eczema includes a decreased effectiveness of the skin’s ability to heal from external elements. Additionally, skin with eczema tends to lose hydration and become dry easily.

If you suspect you may have eczema, psoriasis, or just very dry skin, call Knoxville Dermatology Group at (865)690-9467 to schedule an appointment with a practitioner.

Exfoliation Tips for Brighter, Healthier Skin

Skincare in your 20s

After reading about hydration in our previous post, we’re actively taking steps for healthy, resilient skin. Adding a weekly exfoliation into your routine helps your skin maintain that radiant glow.

Your skin naturally sheds dead skin cells. This helps skin absorb moisture and nutrients easier, and this cell turnover keeps skin looking fresh. But that natural process slows down as you age. The accumulation of dry, dead skin cells can cause skin to develop lines and wrinkles. Acne-prone skin tends to shed more skin cells, but without exfoliation they tend to cling to skin and clog pores. Exfoliation encourages this natural process of rejuvenation.

There are several methods of exfoliation. You can seek professional methods like a microdermabrasion or chemical peels, all of which are available at our MediSpa. You can also do tamer forms of exfoliation from the comfort of your home. At-home exfoliation scrubs shouldn’t be abrasive on your skin. To avoid this, watch out for natural, grainy scrubs. Everyone’s skin type is different, so do a little fun research to determine which techniques will work best for you. We’re happy to provide you with some helpful resources and information, so call one of our certified dermatologists to discuss the best skincare and exfoliation methods for your skin.

 

Stress & Your Skin

Stress affects more than just your work and social life. Your body and your skin can give you telltale signs of stress. So what are these signs?

Skin can appear more aged. Research has linked work-related stress to the accelerated aging of your skin. The cells involved in the regeneration of skin become damaged, hindering skin turnover. Dead skin cells begin to buildup and look dry and dull. Stressed facial expressions such as furrowed brows and frowning cause wrinkles and lines which, combined with decreased cell turnover, become more and more noticeable.

If you’re prone to unhealthy eating during stressful times and not getting adequate sleep, then you’re robbing your skin of its vibrancy. Your body’s energy is maxed out with breaking down the fast food and trying to function on little sleep. The cortisol from the unhealthy eating remains in your skin and breaks down your skin’s barrier. So you’re harming your skin on the inside and the outside.

Stress can also cause brittle nails, increased acne and even hair loss. Your body needs a break every now and then, so push the pause button and relax! Go get a manicure, prepare a bubble bath or book a full-body massage. It’s okay to treat yourself every now and then. Your skin will thank you.

How to Get Luscious Lips

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Dry, cracked lips are never a good look, and it’s an uncomfortable predicament. They hurt and bleed and spoil the fun of the bold lipstick colors you love. So how can you prevent or treat them?

Your lips only have a thin layer of skin to serve as a barrier. There are no oil or sweat glands to react to any dryness they feel. So all the salty snacks, carbonated drinks and weather elements directly impact the integrity of your lips’ anatomy. Speaking of salty snacks and soda, your diet can compromise your lips’ appearance. Acidic foods can absorb all the moisture that otherwise would help plump your lips. Drinking the recommended amount of water and maintaining a diet rich in vitamins and high water content helps balance out the acidic foods you consume.

If you’re currently experiencing chapped lips, try exfoliating and applying a rich balm right before bed. This, along with drinking water and eating a vitamin-rich diet, will help you have soft, healthy and luscious lips throughout the season.

If you have any questions about your lips or about changes in your skin, please call us today at 865-690-9467. Skin health is an important part of total body wellness. Schedule an appointment with one of our board certified physicians to get your skin the care it needs so it can reach its fullest, healthiest potential.

Nature’s Gift – Salicylic Acid

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Taking care of your skin can be overwhelming with all the new products boasting B vitamins and acids, as well as the latest in dermal planning techniques and trends. What’s the difference between hydroxyl and salicylic acids? Is one better than the other? We can answer all of these questions, but let’s focus for now on salicylic acid. For those of you who don’t speak chemist, here are a few highlights.

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxyl acid (different from glycolic and lactic acids) that penetrates deeper into your skin to exfoliate pores. This makes it much more effective at treating acne, oily skin build-up and black heads. Salicylic acid also reduces hyperpigmentation and improves skin’s texture. Depending on your skin’s needs, you may want to introduce a salicylic acid treatment into your skincare routine. Like many topical acne treatments, it requires continuous use to reap long-lasting benefits. It makes picking the right products that much more important!

Before doing so, talk to one of our certified dermatologists. We can go over products and treatments that best fit your needs. Call us today at (865) 690-9467 to schedule an appointment!

Turn Back the Skincare Clock with Glycolic Acid

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It’s so easy to look back at the mistakes we’ve made and see how we could have avoided them. While preventative steps are always our first recommendation, there’s still hope for some of the skin damage that resulted from that summer you lived on a boat. Certain cosmetic treatments like chemical peels use glycolic or salicylic acid and can help erase the evidence of your past skin blunders.

Glycolic acid, part of a group of alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) that are found in foods, is derived from sugar cane. When applied to skin, products with glycolic acid help moisturize and remove dead skin cells. It has been shown to help firm, smooth, and improve the appearance of acne scars and aging skin. When compared to other chemical exfoliations, glycolic acid is the best choice for treating fine lines. Other benefits include increasing the natural moisturizers in your skin and improving your skin’s water barrier properties.

Your skin needs exfoliation in its routine, and glycolic acid is a great method! You can incorporate it into your nightly ritual or splurge on a chemical peel at the MediSpa. But before you take the plunge, be sure to consult one of our certified dermatologists to determine the best skincare method for your needs. Call us today at (865) 690-9467 and schedule an appointment.

Dandruff – the White Flakes You Don’t Want to See this Winter

 

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos

Winter brings a lot of woes our way – colds and sore throats, escalated heating bills and snow-pocalypses. But one woe that hits even closer to home is dandruff. These flakes unfortunately don’t bring a day off of work, but they are easy to treat.

Dandruff is actually a common condition characterized by an itchy scalp and white, oily-looking flakes. The condition can worsen during the winter months because of the lack of humidity in the air and indoor heating. Dandruff can occur any time of the year, depending on a variety of factors, so getting it taken care of this winter will have you ready when spring blooms begin to appear.

It’s typically associated with dry skin, but irritated and oily skin encourages dandruff more by creating a buildup of dirt, oil and dead skin cells. Buildup can be caused by excessive product usage or even infrequent washing. Diet and age can have a major influence on dandruff’s severity as well. Adding more zinc and vitamin B to your diet should help. Our physicians are a great source for feedback when dealing with skincare changes. With proper treatment, the only white flakes you’ll see this winter are the ones outside for making snow angels.

Is Your Skin too Clean?

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Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So you’ve got your resolutions in check – exercising, eating healthier foods, managing your budget and being on time. But there are mornings when you just want to flush those resolutions down the drain and sleep in for just five – wait – ten more minutes. Well, recent studies about showering may give you a scientific reason to do just that!

Dr. Joshua Zeicher, assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, and Boston dermatologist Dr. Ranella Hirsch suggest that we shower way too frequently. “We over bathe in this country and that’s really important to realize,” says Hirsch. “A lot of the reason we do it is because of societal norms.” According to Zeichner and Hirsche, frequent hot-water showers can cause dry, irritated skin and wash away good, beneficial bacteria that naturally exists on your skin. Too much exposure to hot water can also cause small cracks in your skin, making you more susceptible to infection.

Factors like exercise and weather may affect when or if you want to shower. But overall, a daily full-body shower isn’t necessarily healthy. If you must, you can take a washcloth to the parts of your body that tend to sweat more or emit body odor. Zeichner suggests cleansing your “face, underarms, under the breasts, genitals and rear end.” That advice can have a dynamic impact on your daily routine. So, go ahead and push that snooze button a couple more times.

If you have any questions about changes in your skin, please call us today at 865-690-9467. Skin health is an important part of total body wellness. Schedule an appointment with one of our board certified physicians to get your skin the care it needs so it can reach its fullest, healthiest potential.

The Aftermath of a Sleeping in Makeup

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A night out with the girls or just a long day at work can result in a no-fuss b-line to the bed – no changing or cleansing, just a quick crash into recovery. Under normal circumstances, it’s easy to follow a skincare routine. But crazy schedules and late nights can tempt us to skip the very things that we know we should do – and cleansing the skin is often at the top of that list. So what does occasionally sleeping in your makeup cost your skin?

Your pores collect dirt and oil from the environment and your skin’s normal oil production, along with the foundation, blush, etc. you apply on your face. So when you forget to wash your face at night, your skin doesn’t get a chance to breathe and renew itself. Leaving makeup on your skin all day and night can premature your skin – both in appearance and performance.

Your skin may produce more oil than normal to try to get rid of the dirt. The leftover makeup can increase the look of lines and wrinkles and make you look tired or even splotchy. Eyelashes become dry and brittle, causing them to fall out more frequently. Your eyes may become puffy and red from the excess oil around them. Overall, day-old makeup is just not a good look.

Cleansing wipes are a simple and great alternative to the full nightly skin treatment. Before purchasing any, please consult with your dermatologist about the products best suited for your skin. With an easy alternative cleansing routine, no one has to know you were out late the night before!