She's Style

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Rescue Your Troubled Skin

Breakouts
Should a major blemish suddenly appear, call your dermatologist. A cortisone injection will shrink it within 24 hours. Is your doctor AWOL? Arielle Kauvar, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in New York City, recommends Neutrogena's On-the-Spot Acne Patch; worn overnight, it visibly reduces any redness or swelling.

Under-eye circles
Consult your doctor to determine the best way to lighten them, says Dr. Kauvar. If pigmentation is causing the problem, bleaching creams can help, but even prescription-strength medicines take at least six weeks to work. A quicker fix—but considerably more expensive—is laser treatment; one visit alone can produce a 70 percent improvement, says Dr. Kauvar.

Cold sores
Always have a five-day course of oral antibiotics on hand for this recurring viral condition (pay attention to any localized tingling—a sign that a sore is on the way). Start taking the medication the moment you feel this sensation, and the sore may never emerge, says Kauvar. If it does, dry it out with over-the-counter Domeboro tablets or powder dissolved in water.

Sunburn
Lobster skin? Treat the condition like any acute burn, says Dr. Kauvar: Apply cold compresses, take aspirin or ibuprofen to relieve pain and reduce swelling, and smooth on a gentle moisturizer like Lubriderm Skin Therapy Moisturizing Lotion to help prevent peeling.

Sun spots
Fat freckles and beauty marks will fade quickly with in-office chemical peels, says Dr. Kauvar. Any irritation should clear within a week or two. For lighter discoloration, use acid-based toners and moisturizers that gradually lighten skin over several weeks. And always wear sun block. Editor's pick: Peter Thomas Roth's Glycolic Acid 10% Moisturizer.

Skincare Basics

With new creams and ingredients being launched seemingly every day, it's easy to get confused by all the options. And unless you're willing to spend hours on your skin care routine every day by incorporating all of these different lotions, you'll need to pick and choose which basics are right for you. Here, the bare minimum that you need:

Sunscreen: It's a must, essential for preventing sun damage and lowering your risk of developing skin cancer. Many skin care lines have facial moisturizers with SPF already included; they offer a more luxurious, makeup-friendly texture than traditional sunscreens. If you use only one product, sunscreen should be it. A lotion like Neutrogena's Healthy Skin Lotion with SPF 15 moisturizes, protects with SPF, and smoothes skin with alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and vitamin C -- practically the perfect all-purpose face lotion.
Eye cream: The skin under your eyes is more delicate and dry than the skin on the rest of your face. It's wise to invest in an eye cream, which treats the eye area with more emollient moisturizers. Some eye creams even claim to minimize dark circles and temporarily tighten fine lines.
Retinols: If you're concerned with wrinkles and pigmentation spots, a face cream with retinol (a derivative of vitamin A) can help. Use it in place of your daytime, SPF moisturizer after you wash your face at night.
Body lotion with alpha-hydroxy acids: A lotion with skin-sloughing AHAs smoothes your whole body, including hands, feet, arms, and legs. For tough dry spots, apply extra lotion before bed and let it soak in while you sleep.

How To Get Gorgeous Skin

Don't go to bed with makeup on. Makeup left on overnight seeps into your pores, clogs them, and congests your skin. Make sure that you wash your face twice at the end of the day. Once to get the makeup off. A second time to wash the skin itself.
Exfoliate daily. After washing your face at night, be sure to exfoliate. Use a delicate scrub. If you don't have one on hand, a tablespoon of sugar or oatmeal will work just fine.
Use facial masks regularly. If possible, everyday is ideal. Again, if you don't have one on hand, make your own. Mashed banana or avocado is good. Plain yogurt also works well.
Keep a treatment and moisturizer on your face, day or night. Put your skin first. After you wash it at night, put on some kind of skin treatment, whether it's alpha hydroxyl acids, vitamin A or C, or any kind of special cocktail treatment. Let that sink in, then put a moisturizer over that. In the morning, do the same.
Don't use the cheapest or most expensive cosmetics. Mom tells me that moderately priced cosmetics are the best. They get the job done, and the ingredients are usually pretty good. You have to keep trying various brands until you find something that works well for you.
Hydrate your face throughout the day. Whether it's a commercial product, or one you make yourself (fill a spray bottle with distilled water, add a few drops of chamomile or rose essential oil, shake it gently before each use, and spray it on) hydrate your face, even over makeup, frequently throughout the day.
Treat your face gently. Never pull, tug, or scrub your facial skin. Be very gentle when you clean it, moisturize it or makeup on it. This will lessen the chance that you'll damage your skin and get wrinkles.
Keep your face covered when you're in the sun. As beautiful as she is, my mom never lets anyone see her face when she's in the sun. She'll slather on a high factor sunscreen, put on sunglasses, and a wide brimmed hat.
Eat fresh foods and drink lots of water. My mom tells me to stay away from "dead food" food that's basically not fresh. She always eat lots of veggies, fruits, nuts, and drinks tons of water.
Let go of stress. Stress can show up on your face, no matter how well you take care of your skin. Do something your enjoy everyday, whether it's watching TV or going shopping. Your face reflects what's going on inside of your mind.

Keep Skin Fresh and Healthy

Protect yourself from the sun -- use sunscreen and avoid direct sunlight between the hours of 10 and 2.
Don't -- I repeat -- don't smoke. Your skin is a large organ and it needs a lot of circulation. Smoking impairs that dramatically. That's why smokers' skin looks dull and gray. Instead of having oxy-generated blood delivered to the surface of the skin, they're getting poisons and oxidants.
Get adequate rest and nutrition.
Protect yourself from stress -- both emotional and environmental stress.
Wash your face twice a day and put on the proper treatment product. I'm amazed when women tell me they don't wash their face in the morning. A lot of icky stuff collects overnight -- dead skin cells, dirt, and dust!
Don't neglect certain areas of the skin. Elbows, heels, neck, and décolletage need moisturizing, and your scalp and the tops of your feet need sun protection.
Touch your face less and wash your hands more! Don't get too surgical on yourself. It's very tempting to pick, poke, squeeze, and scratch in front of the mirror. But the more you traumatize the skin, the greater your risk of scarring. Apply treatment products and let them work.
Keep your makeup clean. Replace the sponges in your compact on a regular basis. Now and then, toss the whole works and start fresh -- the average shelf life for cosmetics is 6 to 12 months. Don't buy products so expensive that you'll be heartbroken if you have to throw them away.
Exercise moderation. More is not always better. Moisturizer, for example, is the most overused product in America. We've been bamboozled by cosmetic companies into thinking every square inch of our body has to be slathered. And it's simply not true. Exfoliators are another thing to be careful with. Used too often, they over acidify and irritate your skin.
Beware of counter girls. If it were up to them, you'd be in the bathroom for two and a half hours each morning -- putting 80 layers on your face. Keep your regimen simple. And when you do add a new product, do it gradually so your skin has time to adjust. Each skincare or makeup product has an average of 20 to 40 ingredients -- you're introducing 20 to 40 potential allergens to your face every time you try something new.