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Advanced Dermatology Associates, Skin Care, Tips & Awareness

Renewing Skin Beauty – Springing Forward

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Renewing Skin Beauty: Springing Forward

 

Technically speaking, spring begins this year on March 20th. Although for some of us in the northeast who are continuing to dig out from the remnants of winter storm Stella; the rest of nature is beginning to awaken from winter’s hibernation. Renewing Skin Beauty – Springing Forward.

Lawrence Jaeger of Advanced Dermatology Associates provides tips to renew your beauty – spring forward to younger, healthier skin.

Spring Forward – Renewing Your Skin Beauty

“Winter’s end is here. The last few month have been cold, dry winter air, which is harsh on the skin. As the temperatures start to rise, removing dead cells can renew and refresh your skin for spring and the summer months ahead” – Lawrence Jaeger, NYC Dermatologist.

Seek out a dermatologist: Advanced Dermatology treatments.

A dermatologist can help you understand how your skin is aging and help guide you to the best ingredients, products and procedures to keep your skin looking and feeling it’s healthiest best for years to come.

Also, if you have any risk factors for skin cancer, or if you have a high degree of sun exposure, you should see your dermatologist regularly. A dermatologist will be able to perform screenings and tests that can diagnose any problems, and the dermatologist can help recommend treatment to maximize your skin health.

Microdermabrasion was developed to treat acne and minimize acne scarring, as well as to minimize pox marks, wrinkles, age spots, or other scarring. During the procedure, a dermatologist uses a small, handheld tool to exfoliate your skin, revealing the newer, smoother layer of skin beneath. It is a safe and painless treatment with minimal side effects.

  • Microdermabrasion can improve the appearance of dull skin, uneven skin tone, fine lines and wrinkles, blackheads, and even sun damage.

Dermal fillers help to diminish facial lines & restore volume or fullness in the face. Therefore injections and fillers are also highly encouraged during this spring period.

Chemical peels, botox, or laser skin treatments – all additional dermal treatments which can be used help to slow down the effects of aging. These advanced dermatological injections provide long-lasting results and can be administered in your dermatology office, including in one single visit.


Daily use of sunscreen is a priority.

Sunscreen is still your best resource in the next months.

Even in the spring, the sun’s rays can be harmful. In fact, ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight is the greatest in North America during the late spring and early summer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally all skin has been covered up by clothing or materials which have shielded it from the skin. Therefore, you skin is even more susceptible to sun damage during the warmer and sunnier months.

Remember most moisturizers with sunscreen aren’t water-resistant, so you can’t rely on them to protect your face or body if you swim or sweat. Some aren’t broad spectrum sunscreens either, so they don’t shield you from ultraviolet A rays, the kind that can cause aging and skin damage. The bottom line is that everyone, even those with darker skin, should use sunscreen when they’re out in the sun for any length of time.

  • When you go out, dress appropriately. Sunscreen is just one part of a smart sun protection program. Cover up with a long-sleeved shirt or light jacket to protect your arms and a hat to protect your face and neck.
  • Remember sunscreen on cool and overcast days. Clouds expose a lot of UV rays; up to 80 percent of them reach the earth.
  • Be Prepared. Apply sunscreen to exposed areas—face, ears, back of the neck, and hands—15 to 30 minutes before you go out to give it time to start working. And reapply sunscreen every two hours, if you’ll be outside that long.

Don’t forget to moisturize: Hydration.

During the spring and summer, you need hydration. Higher temperatures result in oilier skin for everyone. Since there’s humidity in the air, a heavy moisturizer isn’t necessary. Therefore, use a lighter moisturizer during spring and summer months.

Lotion Up: While your skin does get a dose of hydration from the warmer climate, sweat and sun exposure actually dehydrate the skin, so lotion is still necessary.

Remember to apply the cream to your hands and nails as well as the rest of your body – these areas are often easily overlooked!

Re-fresh the medicine cabinet: Update old skin care products.

Toss and purge old cosmetics and skin care products. These products have a shelf life. Old, outdated products can harbor bacteria and lose their effectiveness.

Check the dates on your products. You may want to toss the following:

  • Anything past the expiration date
  • Products that appear dry or crusty
  • Anything that has changed consistency, color, or smell
  • Anything with an SPF older than one year (SPF loses its effectiveness over time and it’s just not worth the risk.)
  • Mascara older than three months. (Always toss it after three months, regardless of how much there is remaining.)
  • Old, dirty makeup brushes and sponges

Cleanse your makeup brushes.

Renewing-Skin-Beauty - Understanding-Makeup-Expiration-Dates

Think that having a bad pimple is painful? Ever considered that you could possible become infected by a deadly form of a staph infection known as MRSA as a result of your make-overs, particularly dirty brushes.

Therefore, washing your makeup brushes is extremely important and sanitary for your cosmetic & beauty health. Because oil and bacteria can get caught in the bristles and cause clogged pores, breakouts, general skin irritations and other disorders. It’s necessary to wash your brushes.

So, stop procrastinating and give them a good clean soaking.

Natural wash: Fill a glass with warm water and add one tablespoon of a gentle, clarifying shampoo or gel cleanser, then swish brushes in the glass to create a lather. Rinse well and use a comb to detangle the bristles and get them back in their original shape. Let brushes dry in an upright glass out in the sun — this can/will help destroy bacteria and cuts dry time.

Renewing Skin Beauty – Springing Forward

Again these are just some general skin care tips on how to maintain salon-quality skin, hair & nails for the spring and summer months. In order to achieve your optimum skin health – schedule an appointment with your local dermatologist office to develop a personal regimen based on your needs. Renewing Skin Beauty – Springing Forward

 

Acne, Tips & Awareness

Three Expert Tips To Clearer, Cleaner, Brighter Skin

Three Expert Tips To Clearer Cleaner Brighter SkinNYC Dermatologist Lawrence Jaeger, Medical Director of Advanced Dermatology Associates in New York provides useful health & medical tips on achieving your optimum health.

As the season slowly changes from summer to fall, the onset of skin rashes and acne becomes more prevalent due to the associated weather, heating or moisture changes. To avoid the “red itchy syndrome” or potential skin irritation to your face, here are our skin care tips to having clearer and cleaner skin.

It’s simple. The more you take into consideration of what touches your face – i.e. pillow, cell phone & hands — becomes the basis for establishing healthier skin.

Three Expert Tips To Clearer, Cleaner, Brighter Skin:

1. Leave Your Face Alone.

It’s hard to realize this, but throughout the day we touch our faces too much. That wouldn’t really be a problem, except for the fact that we’re constantly touching tons of other surfaces, making our hands a Petri dish for germs and other unwanted bacteria. That subway pole you held on to…or the infamous amounts of buttons, bells or door-knobs touched.

  • Did you know that there could be over 332,000 bacteria on the human hand?…basically over 4,700 different strains too.

Therefore…

    • Wash your hands more, especially during the fall/winter months when germs are more abundant. It’s suggested that to wash your hands for 20 seconds (singing the tunes of “Mary had a little lamb” or “Happy Birthday”  TWICE –  can rid your hands of over 200 germs).
    • Keeping hand sanitizer in your bag can be another great option. Not sure or confused about the different hand sanitizers available? 

2. Clean Your Smartphone.

Another big but unnoticeable way your skin could be sprouting rashes, blemishes and breakouts is related to your cell phone. Considering that it’s always in your hands; placed down or left on many types of surfaces, and then it touches directly your face. Yes, your cell phone is a major germ center.

    • Did you realize that the average cell phone has 18 times more bacteria than a toilet?! Even worse is our phones are breeding grounds for bacteria.
    • Not only are they overloaded with germs, they are harboring bacteria that we should not be in contact with, such as E. coli,MRSA and the flu.  In other words, your toilet is cleaner than your iPhone or Android.

However, the amount of germs on a phone solely isn’t the  problem — it’s the sharing of phones between other people.

So basically strive to keep your dirty expensive germ ridden phone in a cover/wrap and use antibacterial wipes and even buying headphones with a mic. Always use your own phone.

3. Cleaner Pillow Talk.

Ever went to bed with your skin looking just fine but woke up with a big red blemish or nasty pimple outbreak?

Another culprit in the struggle for clear skin could be where you rest your head every night. Just consider what is in the pillow you lay your face on night after night… everything from dirt, oil and dead skin cells get trapped there, which may lead to acne. Often times, people always raise comments about grimy sheets, but they forget to change the pillows on their beds. Which is just as worse, as dirty pillows can harbor a host of critters and debris.

The solution…

Basically you should change your pillows “Every three weeks for the outer cover, and every three months for the pillow itself”.

Everyone was the best of health but if you’re looking for healthier skin, nails, lip and hair, it’s accomplished through a better understanding of how the little things you’re doing can either make you better or break you. Establishing this mindset is no different with your skin, hair or nail care.

The better understanding that you have could be the difference. As you can be your own worst enemy when it comes to the root causes of your skin outbreaks or acne. But as with anything in life, it’s about focusing on the simple “little” things by applying three tips to reach your desired skin health.

Advanced Dermatology Associates, Skin Care, Tips & Awareness

Hand Sanitizer – Know the Differences | Best, FDA Approved

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Washing hands with soap and water is the best method for controlling germs. Regular hand-washing, particularly before and after certain activities, is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it can keep us all from healthier according to the CDC. hand sanitizer differences - best fda approved

However, access to water and soap aren’t always as convenient.

So, what does one do when there’s no soap or water?

The first step is understanding the different types of hand sanitizer . Then it’s realizing that some hand sanitizers may actually lower your resistance to diseases by killing good bacteria, which helps protect against the bad bacteria.

THREE TYPES OF SANITIZERS: KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

There are three categories of hand sanitizers in the current marketplace: alcohols, Quaternary ammonium compounds and triclosan.

  • The most common alcohol-based products contain ethanol, which are effective against gram positive, gram negative, and fungal organisms. It should be recognized that ethanol does not kill bacterial spores and some developed viruses. Ethanol purpose is to take away proteins in infectious organisms and no resistance to this type of hand sanitizer has been identified.
  • The second type of hand sanitizer is based on Quaternary ammonium compounds, such as benzaklonium chloride or benzethonium chloride. While the ethanol-based hand sanitizers are flammable, the Quaternary ammonium compounds are not. Quaternary ammonium compounds fungistatic, bacteriostatic against gram-positive bacteria, and bacteriostatic against some gram negative bacteria. Like ethanol, the Quaternary ammonium compounds are not active against non-enveloped viruses.

Some species of Staphylococcus aureus carry a gene that allows resistance to Quaternary ammonium compounds. These organisms are also more likely to be antibiotic resistant, as well. Quaternary ammonium compound hand sanitizers may not be the best choice due to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a concern. Quaternary ammonium compounds adsorb to the cytoplasmic membrane of microbes causing leakage of cytoplasmic contents.

  • The third type of hand sanitizers contains triclosan. Triclosan is a commonly used antibacterial in a wide variety of products including deodorant soaps, toothpastes and mouth washes. Triclosan kills organisms by damaging the cell membrane, but has weak activity against gram-negative bacteria, such as Pseudomonas.  However, the The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says triclosan could also carry unnecessary risks. Triclosan contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Overexposure to antibiotics or improper antibiotic use can lead to bacterial resistance, making it more difficult or even impossible to treat.

hand sanitizer differences, best, fda approved

Enter Toxic Chemicals:

If your hand sanitizer is scented, then it’s likely loaded with toxic chemicals. Companies aren’t required to disclose the ingredients that make up their secret scents, and therefore generally are made from dozens of chemicals.

  • Synthetic fragrances contain phthalates, which are endocrine disrupters that mimic hormones and could alter genital development.
  • You should also look out for parabens, which are in many skin care products. They are used to preserve other ingredients and extend a product’s shelf life.

When Is Hand Sanitizer the Preferred Choice?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol-based hand sanitizers are recommended as an acceptable alternative to soap and water in hospital and clinic-like settings because healthcare professionals often perform duties in sterile settings and are required to clean their hands constantly throughout day.

With all the many choices available, the ethanol based hand sanitizers are the most practical for the dermatologist to use on a daily basis. Due to the facts that the chance of organism resistance to ethanol based hand sanitizers is the lowest and they are very cost effective. However, the main problem is their tremendous drying effect on the skin resulting in hand dermatitis. This is a secondary problem that must treat in themselves and patients!

Your Best Choice.

To properly sanitize the hands, soap and water for 20 seconds (“Happy Birthday” repeated twice) should be the first method. A hand sanitizer can not and should not take the place of proper cleansing procedures with soap and water.

But when there’s no soap or water? Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

So, when you go to reach for your next drop of hand sanitizer, just consider that you may be doing more damage than good.