I don’t know about you, but I feel like every day
I’m bombarded with TV and infomercials with new tips and techniques to make my
skin look “flawless” or “perfect.” Truth
is, nothing in this world can make your skin look like the airbrushed
supermodels in your monthly Cosmo. And,
like all of you, I am tired of companies trying to persuade me to purchase
their very expensive products in order to attain this so-called
“perfection.” So here is a list of
things that you’ve probably not heard that are relatively easy (and cheap) to
do. While they won’t make your skin
perfect, they will definitely help to improve!
1.
Even the cheapest lotion will work.
Afraid to use that
lotion from your hotel room? Don’t
be. Any emollient will not only
temporarily plump up fine lines but also help prevent skin aging. Any lotion containing glycerin, Shea butter,
or any other basic hydrator will help your skin by moisturizing it, increasing
elasticity, and helping to decrease flakiness.
That being said, do you want to use your hotel lotion every day? Probably not.
For everyday use, Dr. Fanny recommends a cream or lotion that contain
ingredients such as glycolic (to help with cell turnover), peptides (to
stimulate collagen growth), or antioxidants (to fight against DNA-damaging free
radicals.
2.
Relax your
face while working out.
Everyone
knows that exercising regularly is great for your skin. But are you conscience of the facial
expressions you’re making when you lift those weights? Clenching your teeth, clenching your jaw and
throat can make the cords in their neck pop out and become more prominent, as
well as pull down the face. Instead, try
to relax your face as much as possible.
3.
When
we say wear a daily sunscreen, we really mean daily.
I can’t tell you how many patients have told me they don’t
wear a daily sunscreen. Why? Because “it’s dark when I leave for work, and
it’s dark when I get home.” Don’t assume you aren’t going to have ANY exposure
to the sun on a daily basis. Unlike UVB light, UVA rays travel through windows
in the office, home, and car. UVA rays
are the long, aging rays, and have been discovered to be carcinogenic. SPF 30 in a broad-spectrum sunscreen needs to
be worn daily in order to protect your skin.
No ifs, ands, or buts.
4.
Don’t sit
too close to that space heater.
With
winter and cooler weather coming, women (even on our office) are breaking out
the space heathers! All the SPF and sun
avoidance in the world can't protect you from the space heater next to your
desk or the fireplace in your living room.
Redness, flushing, broken capillaries, and breakdown of collagen are all
caused from sitting to close to direct heat.
So what’s too close? Experts
advise sitting at least 10 feet away from the heat source.
5.
Don’t
over-fill.
Women are
beginning to realize that fuller faces look younger, and have started getting
filler injections to help reverse the years.
Radiesse, Juvéderm, Sculptra, and other volume fillers are more widely
available than ever. But don’t overdo
it. Eyes, mouths, and jawlines can
become dwarfed by filling in the cheeks and naso-labial folds to the
extremes. Instead, ask your doctor to
just fill in the places where the fat had gone away with age – the temples,
front of the ears, and chin. By making
your face fuller from the outside, the softness of your face increases without
looking overdone or unnatural.
6.
Banish those
straws!
Water,
water, water. We all know water is one
secret to great skin. However, how you
drink the water can also have an effect.
Women who drink from straws or out of plastic water bottles with small
openings are the most common to suffer from unwanted peri-oral wrinkles and
fine lines. The constant pursing can
aggravate the current lines, as well as even create new ones! When drinking your water, opt to drink from a
glass or carry a reusable bottle with a spout so you can squirt the water
in. New reusable water bottles have been
designed with large openings to prevent this as well.
When we
sleep on our sides or stomach as night, the skin on our face is pressed into a
pillowcase all night. There are two
potential problems with this. First,
pillow cases need to be washed once a week.
Oil and dirt, as well as makeup (if you don’t wash your face at night)
can get trapped in the pillowcase and transfer onto your skin as you sleep,
causing acne and blackheads. Keeping the
case clean protects against this.
Second, the smoother the pillowcase, the better. The skin in pressed against the wrinkles of
your pillowcase as you sleep, causing them to transfer. The best way to avoid this is sleeping on
your back. However, if this is not an option, we recommend satin or silky
pillowcases, or if you prefer cotton, the highest thread count available.
-Rebecca
