Our skin is the biggest organ of the body. It is meant to protect your body from harmful things in the outside world. Your skin tells a story regarding a person’s age and overall health status.
Here are some simple tips that you can do to keep your skin healthy and looking its best.
- Gentle skin care: For changes in weather, specifically colder and dryer weather coming our way, it is important to protect the hands and nails by wearing gloves when washing dishes or cleaning the house, in addition to moisturizing at bedtime with a thicker emollient. Hands and nails can become very dry and brittle from repeated washing and using hand sanitizers. Using a moisturizer like petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline or Aquaphor) on the skin, cuticles, and nails can prevent dryness and brittle nails.
- Reduce wrinkles: The biggest contributors to wrinkles are sun damage and age. Part of an anti-aging skin care regimen includes Vitamin C and retinol/retinoid. Retinol can help improve skin texture and pigmentation with regular use. You will minimize irritated skin when you begin a regimen that includes a retinoid. When you first start to use a retinol or retinoid, your skin may become excessively dry or irritated. It is important to only use the retinol two to three times weekly until your skin has become more tolerant to the product. Make sure you are using a good moisturizer with a retinol to offset the dry skin. Sunscreen needs to be used daily along with retinols, which make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Also, if you are trying to prevent visible signs of aging, sunscreen should be used on the face daily.
- Wear sunscreen daily: It is important for sunscreen to be worn on any exposed skin. The sunscreen should be at least SPF 30. Broad-spectrum sunscreen covers both UVA and UVB rays. A wide-brim hat and sun-protective clothing are helpful when spending many hours outside. Sun protection is the best way to prevent skin cancer and signs of aging.
Skin cancer is not always symptomatic and can be treated easily when caught in a timely manner. Some things that can indicate skin cancer include:
- Spots with unusual shapes or colors.
- New moles that do not look like other moles on the skin.
- New bumps that are painful, firm, or bleed easily.
- Sores that don’t heal in an appropriate timeframe.
To keep your skin looking and feeling its best this winter (and all year round), we offer a variety of different skincare products for all skin types. Click here to learn more.
- Anna Snowden, PA-C