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Skin Care 101

The 4 Game Changers to Healthier Skin

Natural beauty of course comes from within, but when we were young and thought we were invincible we abused our skin. We used baby oil, iodine, tanning accelerators, and the list goes on. Even though we did most of the damage to our skin when we were younger, the signs of aging aren’t present to the eye until our mid 30’s.

The four key products to maintain healthier skin and prevent damage are:

Retinoids – Vitamin A for the skin, when applied topically helps to improve apperance of fine lines, aging, sun-damaged skin, and increases exfoliation without visible peeling. Retinoids have been around for years. Within the last decade they have established a new track record for being less irritating with products like Skin Medica Tri– Retinol and Skin Medica Tri– Retinol ES, instead of Retin-A, Renova, and Refissa.

Growth Factors – These are naturally occurring proteins that make the skin act younger. If you have sensitive skin, Skin Medica’s TNS Recovery Complex is the perfect place to start. Otherwise Skin Medica’s TNS Essential Serum is the right choice for you. This product is an all-in-one treatment with over 110 Growth Factors and Cytokines, Antioxidants, as well as Matrix Proteins.

Antioxidants – When applied topically they help protect our skin from pollution, reverse the effects of sun damage, and protect against DNA damage. Antioxidants such as Vitamin C&E are derived from L-Ascorbic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THD). This potent combination has proven to be 5x greater for collagen production.

Sunscreen – Make sure your sunscreen is UVA/UVB broad spectrum, contains titanium dioxide and micronized zinc oxide. Don’t get caught up with the SPF rating on the tube, usually anything over an SPF 50 adds more chemical sunscreen ingredients. These extra ingredients can be irritating to the skin. Make sure your SPF is water resistant, if going to the pool or beach.

The best prevention should start at 6 months of age with daily application of sunscreen if outdoors at all. Most sun damage occurs with incidental sun exposure, ie: driving in the car, running errands, etc. SPF 15 should be applied daily to protect against incidental sun exposure, SPF 30 if you will be in the sun for an extended amount of time,be sure to reapply every 2 hours. Find a sunscreen that you like and will use daily this is the most important step of all.

If you already have sun damage, we recommend the four key products listed above and a Hydroquinone USP 4% such as EpiQuin Micro. Hydroquinone applied twice daily will slowly improve brown spots usually within 6-8 weeks. Peels are beneficial to speed this process along, as well as laser skin rejuvenation treatments. Some redness on the surface can be related to sun damage or rosacea. Skin Medica’s Redness Relief Calmplex is a breakthrough treatment moisturizer that is clinically shown to reduce visible redness while helping to restore the skin’s barrier and promote healthy skin.

I hope this helps you make better choices for your daily skin care regimen so everyone can be happy with the skin they are in. If you have questions our would like to a customized program for your skin type, call to make a complimentary consultation with one of our skin care experts.