Love Your Skin

By Dr. Charles Smith

Aren’t we all interested in trying out the latest skin care products and new high tech gadgets that make us look beautiful? However, we often take for granted what we can do for ourselves with basic home skin care. It is easy to become complacent when it comes to performing the skin care essentials day in and day out. Without becoming an active participant in a comprehensive home skin care program, the most expensive cosmetic products and procedures will be an exercise in futility.
All good skin care regimens will include several basic steps including cleansing, exfoliating, correcting, hydrating and protecting. It is important not to become lazy but to take each step seriously and not cut corners for time sake.
Cleansing your face is the foundation of every skin care regimen and should be part of your morning and evening routine. Many people do not realize that most bar soaps contain detergents and are quite harsh to the skin. Facial cleansers should be soap and fragrance free and effectively wash away oil, makeup and surface debris that clog pores. They should gently cleanse and help exfoliate the superficial skin cells without dehydrating the skin. Along with cleansing the skin, using a toner will help adjust the skin’s pH to prepare it for other products to follow.
Skin exfoliation with the use of a product containing alpha hydroxy acid such as a glycolic acid, for example, will help smooth out and eliminate the outer layer of dead skin cells. As we age, our cellular turnover slows due to the uneven skin texture created by a thickened outer layer called the stratum corneum. A smoother compact stratum corneum reflects light more evenly and creates a younger and healthier appearance.
Skin correction with the use of a Vitamin A derivative such as Tretinoin (Retin-A, Renova) or Retinol has been proven to reverse the effects of both intrinsic and extrinsic aging. Intrinsic aging is our natural chronologic aging process whereas extrinsic aging occurs from external sources such as cigarette smoking, excessive sun exposure, alcohol use, stress, lack of exercise and sleep and exposure to cold. Tretinoin stimulates increased cellular production in the dermis and increases epidermal thickness. It increases blood flow to the skin, reduces collagen breakdown and slows down the natural thinning of the dermis. Fine lines and wrinkles will be improved using these products. Hydroquinone, a skin lightening agent, is used to correct irregularity in skin pigment such as brown spots caused by sun exposure.
It is important that a good skin hydrator or moisturizer be utilized in your daily skin care routine. Moreover, moisturizers help bind water to the skin and aid in inhibiting evaporation of water from the skin. Allowing your skin to become chronically dehydrated will contribute to an unsightly weathered appearance.
Lastly, protecting your skin with a high quality sun screen is vital to preventing premature aging from harmful UV rays. The repeated overexposure of your skin to UV radiation from the sun causes photodamage to the skin which will lead to wrinkling from accelerated collagen breakdown.
The vast number of products on the market that profess to be good for your skin and “reverse aging” are mind boggling at the least and some are just snake oil! You typically get what you pay for with skin care products. There are reputable cosmaceutical companies that produce high quality skin care products and kits that are FDA approved and are backed by valid scientific studies. Some of these products contain active ingredients in strengths only available through a physician. If you find that the myriad of off-the-shelf skin care products has you frustrated, I would recommend consulting with a professional at Millennium Medi Spa for a complimentary analysis of your skin care needs. Our staff can recommend products and comprehensive skin care systems with proven results. Do not forget that the ultimate success of any cosmetic procedure that you do in the future may be affected by how you have cared for your skin in the past. It is never too late to begin improving your appearance and good skin care starts at home.