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By Katie Keel – Cosmetic Nurse Practitioner
February! The season of love! I wanted to start by giving you a few reasons to love your skin that you probably weren’t familiar with, and probably didn’t think you could “love” as they involve blood vessels, bacteria, and your sweat!
The blood vessels in your skin alone equate to over twice the height of Mount Everest. Your skin is home to about 1,000 species of bacteria which help you heal, reduce inflammation, and fight infection. Believe it or not your sweat is a love potion. Smells can be very seductive—and expensive perfumes are not the only answer. Oxytocin is a brain chemical which, when sniffed in the name of science, made people appear more attractive to each other. Sweat, meanwhile, is your body’s natural “perfume” and, remarkably, we’re wired to prefer the sweat of genetically dissimilar people (which helps in reproduction). Top dating tip this Valentine’s season—smell his/her sweat?
The top layer of your skin (the epidermis) renews and regenerates itself! This process of skin cycling can take anywhere from 14-90+ days. Why the large variability in time? – well yet another thing we can blame on age. Once the skin cell reaches the top layer, it fully matures and then becomes rough and dry. As the “mature” skin cells sit and wait for new skin cells to arrive, your complexion becomes dull, uneven and flaky. Children have the fastest cell turnover rate as they are in the stage of rapid growth. Their skin cell turnover rate is two to three times as fast as adults – hence they constantly have new, bright, healthy skin resurfacing. As we age, our cell turnover rate slows down. The older skin – dead skin – sits on the uppermost layer 20-60 days longer. That’s why aging skin don’t look quite as smooth, soft and luminous as it once did.
Here is a general guide to skin turnover rate at different ages.
We cannot blame our lackluster skin on age alone – our hormones, overall skin health, weather such as sun/wind/pollution and stress level can affect the skin cycle as well.
Now, you know I wouldn’t leave you hanging without an answer how to get your skin back to being as bright and smooth as a baby’s bottom! The answer lies in medical grade retinol and in office energy based/laser procedures.
My favorite retinoid is Skin Better Alpha Ret Overnight Cream. It improves the appearance of lines, wrinkles, uneven tone and texture. It does this by increasing skin cell production, proliferation, and thus increasing cellular turnover speed (which as discussed above slows significantly as we get older). It helps unclog pores, exfoliates your skin and increases collagen production, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, giving your skin a fresher, plump appearance. In clinical trials Skin Better Alpha Ret Overnight Cream was as effective as prescription tretinoin (Retin-A) with better tolerability since it contains moisturizing ingredients as well. Added benefit – Skin Better Alpha Ret Overnight is also free of nasties such as parabens (a preservative), fragrance, sulfates, dyes, etc. and is cruelty free.
The packaging your products come in is important at maintaining the potency. Airless pumps are best as they keep the product away from light and air and of course Skin Better Alpha Ret Overnight comes in an airless pump. If you already have a retinol and you like it, check the packaging. Is it in a jar, dropper/vial, tube or a pump you can open and look inside? Keep in mind that the active ingredient that induces a change in your skin (and arguably the main ingredient you are paying for) breaks down quite easily with exposure to air and light. Every time you open the jar/bottle and use the product the active ingredient is degrading and you are not getting your monies worth out of the product and will see less of a change in your skin.
My favorite in office energy based laser treatment is Moxi. Moxi is a non-ablative fractionated laser, meaning it puts small areas of heat into the skin but does not break the skin’s surface. Moxi treats superficial texture and pigmentation concerns, delivering tonal and textural improvements to your skin while correcting the initial signs of sun damage and aging. It is safe to use on all skin tones and even patients with melasma. It can be done year round, summer included! You can wear makeup the day after your treatment. It is a minimal to low downtime procedure that biopsy proven and in clinical trials was shown to induce a positive change in the skin.
When you think about it, your skin is truly amazing. There’s no better way to love your skin than to protect it and keep it healthy. Two of the best ways to do this is to make regular dermatology appointments for routine skin checks and to wear sun protection – i.e. mineral based/zinc oxide sunscreen, hats, sunshirts etc. And consider giving your skin a well-deserved treat with some medical grade skincare and/or an in office laser/energy based procedure.
MidState Skin Institute Services:
MidState Skin Institute
Medical Dermatology
The science of treating the skin, hair, and nails to relieve or cure skin disorders.
Surgical Dermatology
The practice of dermatology that specializes in surgical procedures & minimally invasive techniques to treat skin cancer.
Cosmetic Dermatology
The practice of improving the look and health of one’s skin through medical or surgical procedures, to help patients look and feel their best.
Aesthetics
Treatment for the skin, hair or body that is meant to enhance the appearance of patients through minimally invasive techniques & personalized topical skin care recommendations.