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How To Take Care Of Your Skin

Our skin begins to sag and loosen as we age. There’s no getting around it.

In fact, it’s this loosening of the skin that often motivates my patients to come in for surgery. But, naturally, my patients, both men and women, want to do what they can to avoid or prolong the need for surgery in the first place.

Unfortunately, your genetics plays big a role, but there are simple, inexpensive things you can do to slow down the skin’s aging process. But with so many products on the market, claims and counter-claims, it can be confusing to unravel it all.

The truth is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to look after your skin. Frankly, most of what you need is at the local drugstore. In this post, we’ll take a deeper look so you know how best to take care of your skin.

How to take care of your skin

I think of basic skin care as four steps:

  1. CLEANING
  2. REJUVENATING
  3. MOISTURIZING
  4. SUN PROTECTION

I placed them here in the order they should be used. The confusing step is the rejuvenating part and this is where there are a million products that all sound different but use largely the same ingredients. I will try to give some clarity in that section.

Cleaning

Clean skin is healthier. Less dirt, less acne, less dead skin more fresh skin. I recommend patients experiment with the cleanser they like best. Avoid dyes, perfumes, astringents and alcohols as these are harsh on the skin. I have long been a fan of Neutrogena skin products which are Hypoallergenic. You want your skin to be clean but not oil free. Your skin’s natural oils are protective.

Rejuvenating

This is where every manufacturer of non-prescriptive skin care selects from the same group of over-the-counter ingredients and makes their own “Special Formulation” that will defy aging. Here is my humble attempt to explain what things most manufacturers use in these formulas. I am only including the best-studied ingredients:

1) Retinol and Retinyl Palmitate:
Think of this as a topical medication that exfoliates the outer layers of skin, retinol is like a controlled irritant that improves mottled pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, skin texture, and skin tone and color. It’s stronger brother, Retin-A is a prescription drug.

2) Antioxidant -Vitamin C ascorbic acid (or another antioxidant)
When sunlight hits the skin, the sun’s energy can disrupt electrons in our cells creating free radicals. There is strong evidence that free radicals damage our cells and promote aging. Sunblock blocks this process from outside the skin. Antioxidants like topical vitamin C block this process from the inside. Some people take oral antioxidants to protect other areas of the body as well. Vitamin C is a common additive because it is not only an antioxidant, but also a mild acid that helps exfoliate the skin and helps with fine lines and wrinkles. Alpha-lipoic acid is often added for the same reason.

3) Hyaluronic Acid:
This is a gelatinous substance that has made its name mainly as an injectable filler. It is normally found in the skin and other areas of the body. It is a lubricator for lack of a better word and is commonly added to products to diminish fine lines and wrinkles.

4) Copper Peptide:
There is laboratory evidence that this topical additive can increase the skin’s collagen production, improve lines and wrinkles and even boost the amount of hyaluronic acid and also act as an antioxidant. A kind of trifecta of desired goals if you will.

5) Hydroquinone:
Think of this as a skin bleach to help even out textures. Higher doses must be prescribed. Kojic acid is a similar product for bleaching skin.

6) Alpha and Beta Hydroxy acids:
These are the components of low-grade chemical peels. They exfoliate the outer layers of skin but can sometimes be irritating. Some rejuvenation potions have low doses of these.

Summary: The above six ingredients are the big players in the topical skin care rejuvenation market. They are sometimes sold individually but commonly combined into a “proprietary special formula”. I am a fan of the formulas, doing each one individually would be confusing and take forever.

Moisturizing

Gets simpler here again. There are many good moisturizers on the market. Choose the one that suits you best. I always recommend avoiding heavy perfumes and I favor hypoallergenic products.

Sun Protection

I can’t stress this one enough!

Pick a sunblock with UVA and UVB protection SF15 or more. Anything more than 15 doesn’t make a big difference. Apply and reapply as directed liberally. The more you adhere to sunblock the less likely you will need all the products above. I wish I knew that when I was a teenager!

Key point: It is much easier to maintain younger-looking skin than it is to make sun-damaged skin look younger.

August 9, 2023 10:33 am
Categories: Blog

Written by Dr. Adam Tattelbaum

Dr. Adam Tattelbaum is a highly skilled and compassionate plastic surgeon with over two decades of experience.

Double-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Tattelbaum believes in providing personalized patient care and customizes his treatment plans to suit the individual.

Dr. Tattelbaum's candid and realistic approach has earned him recognition, not only with his patients but in the Top Doctor lists of the Washingtonian and Bethesda magazines. He is also a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, a mark of distinction in the field of cosmetic surgery.

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