by Melanie Buckley PA-C<\/p>\n
As a practicing Physician Assistant (PA) specializing in dermatology, I educate patients
\nevery day on how to achieve and maintain the healthiest skin possible, both medically
\nand cosmetically. Here are my top 10 tips for healthy skin:<\/p>\n
Wear sunscreen daily
\nThe most important and simplest key to protecting yourself from skin cancer and aging
\nof the skin is to wear sunscreen every day of the year. Put it on each morning. It should
\nbe as fundamental as brushing your teeth. Even on cloudy dark days, we are exposed to
\nultra violet radiation (UVR) coming through the windows of our offices, homes, and cars.
\nIncidental damage adds up, and this cumulative UV exposure is responsible for increased
\nrisk of skin cancer, as well as the aesthetic downfalls such as wrinkling and discoloration
\nof the skin.<\/p>\n
For daily use, apply a SPF 15 or higher every morning on sun-exposed areas. If you
\nare planning to be outdoors, I recommend using a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher,
\ncontaining zinc or titanium, and reapplying this every two hours. In addition to wearing
\nsunscreen while enjoying the outdoors, take other measures to be sun smart: find shade,
\nand wear a hat and sun protective clothing.<\/p>\n
Avoid tanning beds
\nSince we are taking the above precautions to avoid UVR, it would be crazy to use tanning
\nbeds. Avoid these, as there are no health benefits to their use. Tanning beds use primarily
\nUV-A radiation, which is known to be responsible for skin cancer development and aging
\nof the skin. Safe ways to achieve a tan are spray tans and self-tanning lotions.<\/p>\n
Have a skin cancer screening
\nEveryone should have a skin cancer screening performed by a dermatology PA, nurse
\npractitioner, or dermatologist. Depending on your individual risks and health history,
\na skin exam should be done once a year, or more frequently as recommended by your
\nprovider. In addition, once a month, examine your own skin so you can become familiar
\nwith your own moles and other lesions. If you see new or changing spots, have them
\nexamined by your dermatology provider.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t smoke
\nSmoking causes premature aging and yellowing of the teeth and skin. The tobacco that is
\nreleased into the air also dries out your skin. The smoke you inhale constricts the flow of
\nblood to blood vessels, which restricts the amount of essential nutrients that your body is
\nsupplying to your skin.<\/p>\n
Use a Vitamin A cream
\nUse a Vitamin A cream several nights a week. These topical medications exfoliate the<\/p>\n
skin. Vitamin A creams can prevent pre-skin cancer, reverse sun damage and stimulate
\ncollagen to help smooth out wrinkles. These also help lighten brown sun spots. Retin-
\nA, Renova, Differin, and Tazorac, are Vitamin A creams available by prescription. I also
\nrecommend the Epionce skin care line, which contains a lytic medication that has the
\nsame benefits.<\/p>\n
Use an antioxidant
\nReverse inflammation of the skin with an antioxidant. Free radicals are normal by-
\nproducts of skin metabolism, UV exposure, and pollution, and they are damaging to
\nthe skin. Antioxidants remove free radicals. This can help reduce redness and help to
\neven skin tone. Antioxidants are found in green tea, alpha lipoic acid, Coenzyme Q10,
\nmany sunscreens, and soy, to name a few sources. I recommend Obagi Vitamin C serum
\napplied once or twice a day.<\/p>\n
Take Vitamin D
\nI recommend patients take Vitamin D as a supplement. New research has shown that
\nwe need 1,000 units daily. It is possible to get this through your diet alone, but the vast
\nmajority of us aren\u2019t able to do so. It also is possible to get Vitamin D from sunning, but
\nthis is not easily done and can lead to sun damaged skin and an increased risk of skin
\ncancer.<\/p>\n
Drink lots of water
\nTry to drink eight glasses of water a day. This helps your skin stay hydrated, which keeps
\nit feeling and looking refreshed and supple. This, in turn, can help fight off developing
\nwrinkles.<\/p>\n
Sleep
\nMaintain a regular sleep schedule. Sleep is the body\u2019s time to restore itself and to
\nreenergize its organs and skin. Here are some tips to help you sleep well: Go to bed and
\nget up at the same time every day; keep the bedroom quiet, dark, and comfortable; avoid
\ncaffeine at least six hours before bed; and avoid exercise four hours before bed.<\/p>\n
Use a soap-free cleanser
\nWash your skin with a gentle soap-free cleanser. These clean even oily skin and help
\nprevent rebound oiliness that can occur with harsh cleansers. Some recommendations are
\nEpionce cleansers, Cetaphil, and Cereve. Do not scrub or wash too hard; wash lightly in
\na circular motion. This helps to keep the blood flow in your skin and does not allow the
\nessential oils to escape.<\/p>\n
Melanie Buckley, PA-C Dermatology Specialist, sees patients at EPHC\u2019S Portola Clinic. Call for informationor to schedule an appointment: 530.832.6600.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Melanie Buckley PA-C As a practicing Physician Assistant (PA) specializing in dermatology, I educate patients every day on how to achieve and maintain the healthiest skin possible, both medically and cosmetically. Here are my top 10 tips for healthy skin: Wear sunscreen daily The most important and simplest key to protecting yourself from skin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ephc.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}