Has your skin become tight, dry
and maybe itchy? Yep, your skin
is under attack.
Welcome to winter, where the temperature
outside drops and the heating
goes up in our homes, offices, stores,
restaurants, cars — everywhere! This
then causes the moisture to evaporate
from the air and our skin. Add in the
abundance of sunshine here in San
Antonio, always the No. 1 culprit for drying
and damaging our skin.
SO, WHAT DO WE DO
TO FIGHT BACK?
According to dermatologist Elizabeth
Loudon-Calderon, M.D., the two most
important approaches are replacing the
moisture and using sunscreen. She cautions
us not to use soaps because they
wash away important lipids from ourskin. If you feel you need to use soap,
choose a moisturizing product like
Cetaphil or Dove, then apply a moisturizer
on your still damp skin.
Over-the-counter moisturizers you
might try include Lubriderm, Cetaphil
or Keri. Creams are better than
lotions, since they stay on longer, contain
less water and seal in the moisture
better. Because water dehydrates the
skin, rather than hydrating, as you
might think, Dr. Loudon-Calderon’s
mantra for bathing in the shower or
the tub is: Not too long. Not too hot.
Not too often.
If you do not require a prescription for
your particular skin needs, you might
want to consider some of Dr. Loudon-
Calderon’s own extensive line of skin care
products, which contain collagen, algae
peptides, vitamin C, glycolic acid and
many other proven ingredients. Her lipid
drops are very popular. You can learn all
about her products at her Web site,
www.TheSkinMD.com.
Dermatologist Elizabeth Tichy, M.D.,
has a three-minute rule … you need to
apply your moisturizer within three
minutes after getting out of the shower.
A few more over-the-counter moisturizers
to try are Eucerin and Nivea
creams and Aveeno lotion (because it’s
thicker than most lotions). Look for
alpha hydroxy acids like lactic acid or
urea in the list of ingredients.
Dr. Tichy doesn’t recommend the
use of products with fragrances and a
high water content. The alcohol in fragrances
can cause dryness, and the
water dilutes the lotions, preventing
them from staying on as long. Be sure
to use products containing SPF-15 or
higher, she cautions, particularly if you
snow ski. Your lips and skin must be
protected even more with higher SPFs
because of the high altitude and the
sun reflecting off the snow.
If your dry skin itches daily or keeps
you up at night, or if you develop a
rash, please see a doctor. There are prescription
medicines available to give
you relief and help heal your skin.
Jutta Beck of Jutta Beck Skin Care
Institute has been a professional in the
skin care business for many years — as a
matter of fact; she’s now providing skin
care for the grandchildren of some of her
clients! She agrees that soap and water
are drying to the skin, and damage from
the sun can absolutely be our skin’s worst
enemy. She wants us to remember how
important our genes are in our overall
skin condition.
Jutta uses only products containing
natural ingredients. These include
algae, seaweed, vitamins, seed extracts
and fatty acids. The products are made
by Janssen Cosmeceuticals of Germany
and are sold only in professional skin
care salons. They have no preservatives
and are germ-free. Her husband,Edmond, is the regional distributor of
Janssen Cosmeceuticals. Jutta says her
little green heart-shaped packets containing
natural moisturizers are perfect
for traveling — no broken containers or
leakage. Just slip a few in your pocket
to use during your trip. After all, skin
care is forever.
TRY A SPA
If you like to take advantage of more
than one service in a spa-like atmosphere,
the Skin Renewal Center in New
Braunfels can accommodate you. There
you will find the Image skin care line,made in Houston. These products arebroken down into three product groups.
One is for aging and sun-damaged skin.Another is for dry and sensitive skin.
The last is for oily and acne-prone skin.
Also offered are La Bella Donna cosmetics.
These are described as mineralsthat behave like makeup, and they contain
SPF-15 nonchemical sun block and
are free of FD&C dyes, oil, talc, alcohol
or fragrance.
In addition to laser treatments, Skin
Concepts and ReGeneration and others
in San Antonio offer hydrating facials.
Licensed aestheticians perform a deep
cleansing or microdermabrasion to rid
the skin of dead cells, followed by a
facial massage and ending with a
super-moisturizing hydrating mask. Of
course, many local day spas offer a
selection of facial and skin treatments
as well.
Patricia Garcia, owner of Pipa’s Skin
Essentials, recently relocated from
Chicago, so she knows cold weather.
Her main goal is to educate people
about skin care. She believes parents
should start training their children to
wear sun block from a very young age.
Since skin is the largest organ in the
body, Patricia believes in drinking lots of
water to hydrate the skin from the
inside, in addition to moisturizing the
outer layers. (Coffee does not count as
part of the daily intake of water.)
She reminds us to be sure to use eye
cream to hydrate the area around the eyes, since there are no oil glands there.
Sampar skin products, made in France
and containing both shea butter and
almond oil for ultra hydration, are available
at Pipa’s.
Continuing with the theme of
threes, Clinique, a division of Estee
Lauder, also offers three different formulas
for three skin types. Literature
for the Super Defense Triple Action
Moisturizer with SPF-25 claims it will
moisturize, protect from UV rays and
neutralize the effects of sun damage
and pollution from the environment
with antioxidants. When introduced in
1968, Clinique products were the first
cosmetics to be dermatologist-guided,
allergy-tested and fragrance-free.
Another division of Estee Lauder,
Origins, has teamed up with Dr.
Andrew Weil to create skin care products
that bear his name on their label.
Weil, a holistic health expert, best-selling
author and professor of medicine at
the University of Arizona, advocates
eating foods like nuts and wild Alaskan
salmon containing wonderful Omega3 fatty acids and blueberries loaded
with antioxidants for your skin and
health in general.
Some of us simply like the names of
products. For example, Philosophy,
whose philosophy is this: Where there is
hope, there can be faith. Where there is
faith, miracles can occur. So you’ll find
labels like Hope in a jar, When Hope is
not enough and Hope and a Prayer.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a
product from the sea that still causes a
buzz among its many longtime users —
Crème de La Mer moisturizing cream.
This legendary cream was created by an
aerospace physicist over 40 years ago
and today is found in high-end department
stores.
And wouldn’t we all like to have
delicious, delightful, sensuous and soft
LIPS? Dry air and cold, windy weather
affect our lips, maybe even more so
than other areas. After all, they’re just
hanging out there, unprotected. We
are responsible for their protection.
Whether you use a balm, salve or
cream, make sure it contains a highnumbered
SPF. Again, this becomes
even more important if you snow ski,
because of the high altitude and the
sun reflecting off the snow.
GO NATURAL
Some herbal remedies for dry skin,
provided by Reader’s Digest at
www.rd.com, include the use of fresh
gel from the aloe vera plant and a facial
mask made from pureed avocado pulp.
Just pat it on your face and leave it on for
20-30 minutes.
Home remedies include Vaseline for
your lips and sleeping in socks and
gloves on your moisturized feet and
hands. Instead of washing your face,
try cleaning it with Omega-3 oil or pure
almond oil, found in health food stores,
mixed with a little warm water in your
hands. Massage your face, and then
wipe with a clean cloth. And then —
you guessed it — smooth on moisturizer.
You could also steam your face
over hot water, draping a towel over
the sides of your head to contain the
steam. And consider placing a humidifier
in your room.
To get the most bang for your buck
when shopping for over-the-counter
moisturizers, be sure water is not listed
first because ingredients are listed first
to last to show the highest to lowest
percentage in a product. Look for high
content of alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs),
including glycolic and lactic acids; a
sunscreen of SPF-15 or higher; and perhaps
retinol if your skin is not too sensitive.
Remember, creams are thicker
and richer than lotions.
Hey, what about exfoliation? While
loofahs do a good job on the body, they
tend to collect bacteria because they’re
hard to clean. Then there are those “net” balls and “rough” gloves that can
be tossed into the washing machine
along with your towels. As for exfoliating
the face, skin care professionals have different
opinions. Some say using the liquid
or soap bar exfoliants is OK. Others
say they are not really necessary and that
they can actually tear the skin if they
contain hard granules.
According to the National Institute on
Aging, the loss of sweat and oil glands as
we age (who knew?) may worsen dry
skin, along with dehydration, sun exposure,
smoking and stress. Dry skin can be
blamed for sleep disturbances and irritability.
It can even be a sign of diabetes
or kidney disease. As if that were not
enough, ibuprofen and some prescription
medicines can make the itching
worse. Again, if your skin is very dry and
itchy, see a doctor.
Meanwhile, moisturize, moisturize,
moisturize.
