Bring In The Youthful Glow Of 2008 And Discard The Haggard Face Of 2007
January 5, 2008
Many skin experts recommend practical steps to maintain skin as it ages and to mitigate external factors like sun exposure and chronic stress that could accelerate changes. These eight skincare resolutions for 2008 are simple and inexpensive. Research in medical journals supports some of them. Others are based on the experience of skin doctors.
1) Discard Old, Used Beauty Products: This is because many people may transfer bacteria from their fingers to pots of face cream, possibly leading to the growth of micro-organisms. Some dermatologists recommend discarding products a year after opening them. Micro-organisms may also grow in mascara tubes, creating the risk of eye infection, experts recommend replacing mascara three months after opening it, according to the Food and Drug Administration website.
2) Stop Smoking: According to some dermatologists non-smokers among their patients generally had younger-looking skin than smokers whose skin appeared to have aged prematurely. According to Dr. Hema A Sundaram, a dermatologist in Rockville, Maryland and Fairfax Virginia, “You often see more vertical wrinkles above the lip where smokers pucker and lines around the eyes because smokers tend to squint to keep the smoke out. Smokers sometimes have sallower skin.”
3) Unhand Those Pimples: For those who can’t help squeezing their pimples, think again. “People think that are squeezing something bad out, but they could actually be pushing bacteria deeper into their skin, creating an infection,” said Dr. Bradford R Katchen, a dermatologist in Manhattan. Subsequent inflammation could cause pigmentary changes or worse. “It could scar your face,” said Katchen. The same goes for your zit popping beautician.
4) More Sleep, Less Stress: Psychological stress may impair the skin’s barrier function which keeps bacteria out and water in. In one study, for example, researchers used tape to strip a small patch of skin from 25 women who volunteered to participate in mock interviews and 11 women who volunteered for one night of sleep deprivation. Such temporary stress caused the volunteers’ skin to recover more slowly than without stress, according to the study, published in 2001 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. In humans, stress can contribute to flare-ups of alopecia areata, a form of hair loss and skin diseases like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, a form of eczema, Dr Ladan Mostaghimi, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
5) Wear Sunscreen: Clinical studies show that using sunscreen regularly can impede the development of squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Less conclusive evidence suggests that sunscreen might also hamper basal cell carcinoma and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. But dermatologists encourage patients to make sunscreen a habit for another purpose: vanity. Sunscreen use may inhibit sun induced changes to the skin’s pigment and texture.
6) Simplify Your Beauty: Some dermatologists advise their patients to restrict skincare regimens to no more than three or four products daily. “People use too many acidic things at once-vitamin A, lactic acid, ascorbic acid, salicylic acid-and then they wonder why their faces are inflamed,” Dr Katchen said. “I am against poly-pharmacy at home because you can over-treat yourself, leading to irritation.
7) Wash Your Face: Doctors say that skin picks up environmental debris during the day. Washing off minute dirt particles along with makeup, every evening gives the skin a rest from exposure to possible irritants. “As a general hygiene principle, it’s good to wash your face at night,” Sundaram said. “But if you apply a greasy night cream after that, it is just going to clog your pores.” Those about to undergo magnetic resonance imaging test should also remember to remove makeup. Imaging devices can mistake metal particles used in some mascaras for ocular diseases, according to reports in medical journals.
8) Rethink Products That Cost More Than $30: The Food and Drug administration which regulates cosmetics in the US does not require beauty manufacturers to publish the rigorous studies on the efficacy of their products. So consumers do not have a proven, objective method by which to determine whether more expensive beauty products work better than less-expensive items containing similar ingredients.
Source: NYT News Service
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