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It's the midst of summer yet how many of us still do not protect our skin. "I'll only be out for a few minutes l've got to get those weeds." Two hours later, our skin is burnt. How many times do we have to repeat this scenario before we get serious about protecting our skin from the sun? Knowing what we should do is not enough - actually doing it is the key. |
| 1) Put sunscreen on every morning so that you
are ready for any incidental or planned sun exposure. Sunscreen needs to
contain Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium Dioxide to be the most effective. There
are physical blocks that reflect the CV rays off of our skin. They are
made with smaller particles now, so that they will not leave a visible
white covering on your skin.
2) Conduct outdoor activities before l0 am and after 4 pm when ever you have a choice. 3) Cover your skin with clothing. 4) Wear a hat with a big brim to cover your ears, neck, forehead, and face. 5) Wear gloves (or sunscreen). 6) Stay in the shade or under an umbrella. Why’ should we do this? It’s simple! The sun’s rays cause skin cancer and early aging. Do you really want either of these? If you are a young adult or have children, protective measures now will make a difference. If you are an older adult with skin cancer or aged skin, you have some options to correct the damage. Start the protective measures now to prevent further damage. Visit your dermatologist. Do a complete skin exam. Do you have any skin cancers or precancers? If so, these need to be treated. If you have no precancers or cancers, or after you have them treated, you can take measures to correct the damage you already have. Ask your dermatologist about your options to correct sun damage. They range from sunscreen to laser resurfacing. There are products with retinols and alpha hydroxy acids (like glycolic acid) to improve texture and bleaching gels to help lighten brown spots. These are products you can use at home. Peels are procedures that can be done in office. They produce better results than microdermabrasion. Laser resurfacing gives the most dramatic results, hut with the most down time and complication rate. The newest procedure incorporates nonablative" methods. They do not remove all the epidermis, but instead stimulate the cells in the dermis to make more collagen (we lose 1% each year). This is a slower, gradual, subtle process, but there is no pain and no down time. There is also a brand new machine that can treat previously damaged skin or help prevent the lines and brown spots of sun damage. The treatment results in what I like to call an Ultra Sonic Facial. After extensive research and wonderful patient response, I now offer this new treatment, which is offered in no other office in New Mexico. Do to popular demand, I will go into detail about this treatment by this new machine in the next issue.
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