Dermatologists’ Beauty Secrets
Because it’s our life’s work to help people take care of the body’s largest and most visible organ – the skin – you’d think we dermatologists would be trumpeting our know-how from the rooftops. And you’d be right to some extent. Sharing what we’ve learned is what we do, but we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t have a few favorites. And that applies to the realm of beauty secrets, too.
For dermatologists, “favorites” means personal favorites. After all, it’s part of our job to present a good example, and where would we be if our own skin did not look like something our patients would like to emulate? What are the beauty tips that we don’t just recommend, but actually use ourselves?
Beginning in the Bedroom
Right off the bat, the most basic beauty tips are not from the lavatory or the vanity table, but rather the bedroom. Two come to mind right away.
First, never hit the sheets without a thorough, gentle cleansing of the face. Whatever is on your skin when you go to bed will be in your skin when you wake up. Preventing blemishes begins with a wash before bedtime. Products with some form of salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide are particularly good for purging the pores before sleep. Even just the simple stimulation of washing your face improves circulation of nutrients through the bloodstream and assists the cleansing flow of the lymphatic system. Simple tip, but powerful.
Second is simply sleep. Get enough of it. Puffy eyes and sallow, tired-looking skin are just two of the paybacks you get for shorting your body’s need to restore itself at night. The difference in appearance between sleep-deprived and rested can look like decades.
From the Inside Out
Another tip that gets beneath the surface is hydration. When your body is low on water, your skin is the first place to show it. Remember, it’s the last organ to get anything (except sunlight). Drinking plenty of water is one of those tips that might sound off the subject, but truly qualifies as a beauty secret for that very reason.
Are you seeing a theme, here? The “secrets” of beauty among dermatologists start way before we get to the skin’s surface.
Night and Day
A basic paradigm espoused by some dermatologist is to care for our skin at night and protect it during the day. When we’ve hydrated, cleansed before bedtime, and then slept enough to restore, it’s time to rise and shine.
Let that old saying remind us that “shine” is the first thing from which we must protect ourselves. The sun’s UV rays can be cruel now and even deadly later, unless we take steps to protect our skin. That’s why sunscreen is basic today. And it’s an easy step, too, because more and more it’s being added to makeup. Whether you wear makeup or not, though, a preparation with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or 50 is no secret, and it’s not just for beauty.
Sunscreen is simple intelligence today, and if it’s not routine yet, let’s make it routine. As you can see, we’re happy to take the mystery out of beauty. Let Dermatology Consultants be your guide. Just contact us to get started.