Skin Care to Protect your Skin
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Monica Kiel of Appleton is doing all she can to protect her skin.
She wears a moisturizer with an SPF, has yearly skin checks by a dermatologist and monitors any moles that appear on the skin.
All this came from learning the hard way how easily the skin can be damaged.
As a teenager, Kiel, 33, was caught up in “looking good.”
“The media has bombarded us with information in regards to youth,” said Dr. Michele Holder, a dermatologist with Affinity Medical Group. “Our society is very youth oriented.”
Therefore, anything to reverse the process “appeals to individuals who want the confidence that the aging process can take away,” Holder said.
Proper care and prevention can keep skin healthy and youthful looking. Steps such as basic facial care, using moisturizer, sun protection, avoiding smoking and alcohol and being aware of skin changes are some ways to keep skin healthy.
When it comes to basic facial care, maintain a routine year-round, said Dr. Carrie Blanc, a family physician with ThedaCare and one of the medical directors of Refine MD, a medical spa in Menasha.
A different moisturizer may be needed each season, said Blanc, noting the skin changes determine what to use.
“That doesn’t mean in the summertime, when its oilier, you give up your moisturizer,” she said, noting there are oil-free moisturizers available.
Wearing a moisturizer with an SPF is important, even for quick jaunts out, Blanc said.
“Ideally, you should be sun-screened every day,” she said, noting that the face is the most crucial area because the skin is thinner.
But don’t be tricked into thinking a moisturizer with an SPF is enough, Holder said.
“You’re not applying your moisturizer as heavily as you are applying a sunscreen,” she said.
For prolonged periods in the sun, use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, ideally with both UVA and UVB protection, and always re-apply.
“If in the water, be reapplying that sunscreen every couple hours,” Blanc said. “There is nothing that is water-proof. Many are water resistant.”
Avoid the sun during peak hours between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tanning beds should be avoided, Holder said.
“There is no safe tanning bed,” she said. “Tanning beds will damage the skin over time just as natural tanning will damage the skin.”
Instead, consider artificial tanning products or misting tans.
“Those are safe for the skin,” she said.
However, always use an additional sunscreen product, said Holder, adding that artificial tanning products offer no benefit in regards to sun protection.
Should sun damage occur, see a doctor. Dermatologists advocate a monthly self-skin exam to look for changes in moles such as growth, boarder change, coloring changes, surface changes and diameter changes.
“New moles that develop after the age of 35 should be paid attention to,” Holder said.
Those looking to reduce the effects of skin damage and aging have turned to treatments such as chemical peels, laser peels, broadband light, micro-derm abrasion and others.
“We’ve come a long way in that we have technology now in medical spas that can give skin back a more youthful appearance,” Blanc said.
She said people of all ages are seeking medical spa treatments.
“It’s become mainstream,” Blanc said. “People want to look healthy. It’s not that they want to look 20; they just want to look healthy.”
Kiel said it may be difficult to think about skin care, but it is important.
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