Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Mistakes you're making with your skin (that you might not know about!)
Despite our efforts to achieve glowing, flawless skin, many of us are making mistakes that stand in the way of the finest potions and lotions. Here, the 14 biggest mistakes women are making with their skin, and the fixes to set things right. Gorgeousness, here we come!
Mistake: You're not wearing sunscreen every single day
We are all sick of hearing this advice (it gets more play than Lady Gaga!), but dermatologists are probably just as tired of repeating it. This is the single biggest mistake most of us are making with our skin, and there's no need: it's an easy gaffe to fix.
The Fix: You know it already: Wear an SPF lotion or cream with broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection every single day. But why every day? While UVB rays are strong in summer, UVA rays stay the same year-round. "If you go outside to shovel shovel snow on the most overcast day of the year, you're getting the same amount of UVA as if you were on the beach during the summer," says Dr. Jeannette Graf, a Board certified, clinical and research dermatologist. Slather up, whether or not the sun's out.
Mistake: You think the SPF in your makeup is good enough.
We love a time-saving double duty product as much as the next lady, but this kind of two-fer just doesn't cut it. Why? Because dotting foundation on to even out skin tone or sweeping a powder across the t-zone simply isn't a generous enough application to offer real sun protection.
The Fix: "You really need to use an SPF cream or lotion," says Dr. Graf. In the winter, wear a moisturizer with SPF, but "during the summer you really need to bump it up and use a real sunblock that doesn't have any other ingredients but sunscreen and antioxidants," advises Dr. Graf. "You need that extra protection."
Mistake: You pick and squeeze.
We've all been there––it's just so hard not to!––but it's a habit that's not doing anything to help. "When you have a pimple under the skin, there is absolutely no way that you are going to be able to do anything about it in terms of squeezing," says Dr. Graf. "Nothing will come out and nothing good will come of it if you touch it." That is, unless you call scarring a good thing. (Nope!) Another mistake? Using a warm compress to draw out whatever is in there. That just expands the irritation even more, explains Dr. Graf.
The Fix: "If you start to feel a blind pimple under the skin, take it to the dermatologist's office for a shot." Can't make it to the doctor? Apply an ice pack, suggests Dr. Graf. The cold will help constrict the blood vessel and could help make the blemish smaller.
Mistake: You over-dry your skin.
It's the battle of the blemish, and we're all just trying to use our strongest artillery. But this plan of attack actually backfires. Over-drying the skin creates irritation and redness, and what's worse, dry skin leads to clogged pores. Keep this up, warns Dr. Graf, and "you're actually going to get more breakouts and more clogging."
The Fix: Take the path of moderation and lay off the full-on product offensive. You might need to try using your acne treatments every other evening or only a few times a week.
Mistake: You treat your entire face like it's a problem area.
It's like trying to use a chainsaw to shape your eyebrows. While you might have a few oily areas, like across your t-zone, you don't need to treat your entire face with products formulated for oily skin. When you treat combination skin like an oil slick it leads to irritation. And you know where irritation gets you––more clogging and more blemishes.
The Fix: As adolescence turns into adulthood, what was once oily skin is more often combination skin, explains Dr. Graf. Evaluate your skin type and treat it accordingly, whether you're dry, oily, or somewhere in between.
Mistake: You only protect your face from the sun.
Since we're trying to protect ourselves from the signs of aging, it makes sense that we'd focus on putting our best face forward. But as Dr. Graf warns, "one of the biggest places I see aging is on the chest." Also scary: covering up with clothing isn't much help. "A white t-shirt gives you an SPF of about 5," explains Dr. Graf.
The Fix: Any day you're going to be outside for a prolonged period of time, apply sunblock from head to toe, not just on your face and exposed arms and legs. Don't forget your ears!
Mistake: You're religious about using oil-free or non-comedogenic products.
Women with oily or blemish-prone skin have been taught that these words are the preventative gold standard for a break-out. In fact, many of us won't buy products that don't boast these terms on the bottle. But we might want to think again. "The terms non-comedogenic and oil-free are not FDA-approved terms. That's really just a selling point," explains Dr. Graf. The terms date back to the 1950s when beauty products used industrial-grade mineral oil that could break you out. "Today's mineral oil is a totally different cosmetic grade and is not going to break you out."
The Fix: If you're someone with oily skin who lives in fear of a break-out, you should use a pH-balanced foaming cleanser on your face, and you might want to add in a silicone-based powder or gel, suggests Dr. Graf. But you don't need to rely solely on products billed as oil-free or non-comedogenic. Seek out products you like, regardless of meaningless marketing terms.
Mistake: You're over-exfoliating.
Quick science lesson: Over the course of 28 days, the bottom layer of your skin––the basal layer––migrates toward the surface of your skin. When it gets there, it dies. Enzymes in the dead skin cells then cause the dead layer to fall off. That natural process is called exfoliation. Got it?
"If you see a 3-year-old child, that process is working perfectly. As we get older, that's not working as well. Why? Because the enzymes in our skin require hydration and moisture in order to be activated. When we lose that natural moisture over the years, our enzymes don't work. We have that dead skin cell layer that hangs on, and we need to remove it. That's why we use exfoliators."
But exfoliation needs to be gentle in order to be effective. "I've seen doctors on television talking about exfoliating. 'If it burns, great.' I see this, and I want to cringe."
The Fix: Steer clear of harsh scrubs and exfoliators like BuffPuffs, which can break blood vessels, and apricot scrubs, whose needle-sharp pits will break your skin and cause redness. At home, "using a peel kit or microdermabrasion kit is great. Using it every single day is not," says Dr. Graf. Any deeper exfoliation should be done in the care of a skin care professional, she says.
Mistake: You're using the right products at the wrong time.
You've got an all-star line-up of retinols, sunblock, and microdermabrasion kits in your medicine cabinet. Butwhen you use your products is as important as what you're using. "Everybody's using the kitchen sink in the morning," complains Dr. Graf. Retinols are light-sensitive, so using them during the day isn't such a bright idea.
The Fix: "You want to use protective products in the daytime," says Dr. Graf, so slather on sunscreen twenty minutes before you leave the house. At bedtime, bring out the big guns, like exfoliators and retinols, "when your skin's natural circadian rhythms renew themselves," explains Dr. Graf.
Mistake: You use products with gold or metal in them.
It might seem super luxe to use creams flecked with gold, but you're better off keeping your money in your pocket. "They can cause contact dermatitis and there's no evidence that they do anything except drain your wallet."
The Fix: Invest your money in gold you can wear around your neck. And when you feel like splurging on a rich potion, pick something that smells divine or has a luxurious texture––but is free from any precious metals.
Mistake: You go to sleep with your makeup on.
We've all been there: You get home late and can't quite muster the energy to wash off the day or your makeup. (And waking up looking as "done" as Kim Kardashian can seem kind of screen goddessy.) "A lot of people will go to bed with makeup on. And a lot of people who don't go to bed with makeup on won't wash their face in the morning," says Dr. Graf. Both are big mistakes.
The Fix: Wash your face morning and night. But doctors sympathize with real life; they just want us to be prepared. "You go out on a Friday night and come home at 2am––it's going to happen. At the very least, have those pre-moistened makeup removers at your bedside. I'd rather you do that than not do it at all."
Mistake: You don't give your skincare products a chance.
We live in a quick fix world, so when we don't immediately see results from a new skin care regimen, we can get frustrated and give up. We then bounce from product to product, trying to find the magic potion.
The Fix: Exercise some patience. We take multivitamins, Dr Graf explains, knowing they're good for us, even when we don't see results. Sometimes you have to give your products the same measure of faith. "When you're using a skincare product, don't be so hard on the product. Understand that it's doing something for you." And that means waiting more than two days to see a difference––more like four to six weeks.
Mistake: You smoke.
If your health isn't motivation enough to quit, let vanity convince you. The toxins in cigarettes cause decreased oxygen flow to the skin, resulting in a dull complexion, explains Dr. Amy S. Pappert, assistant professor of dermatology at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Repeatedly contracting your muscles to inhale, or squinting to protect your eyes from smoke can deep, premature wrinkles around the mouth, frown lines, and crow's feet.
The Fix: There's no better time to quit than now. Talk to your doctor about a game plan, and comb online resources like the Mayo Clinic, the American Cancer Society, and the American Lung Association. Your skin, not to mention your family and your friends, will thank you.
Mistake: You're not wearing sunscreen every single day
We are all sick of hearing this advice (it gets more play than Lady Gaga!), but dermatologists are probably just as tired of repeating it. This is the single biggest mistake most of us are making with our skin, and there's no need: it's an easy gaffe to fix.
The Fix: You know it already: Wear an SPF lotion or cream with broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection every single day. But why every day? While UVB rays are strong in summer, UVA rays stay the same year-round. "If you go outside to shovel shovel snow on the most overcast day of the year, you're getting the same amount of UVA as if you were on the beach during the summer," says Dr. Jeannette Graf, a Board certified, clinical and research dermatologist. Slather up, whether or not the sun's out.
Mistake: You think the SPF in your makeup is good enough.
We love a time-saving double duty product as much as the next lady, but this kind of two-fer just doesn't cut it. Why? Because dotting foundation on to even out skin tone or sweeping a powder across the t-zone simply isn't a generous enough application to offer real sun protection.
The Fix: "You really need to use an SPF cream or lotion," says Dr. Graf. In the winter, wear a moisturizer with SPF, but "during the summer you really need to bump it up and use a real sunblock that doesn't have any other ingredients but sunscreen and antioxidants," advises Dr. Graf. "You need that extra protection."
Mistake: You pick and squeeze.
We've all been there––it's just so hard not to!––but it's a habit that's not doing anything to help. "When you have a pimple under the skin, there is absolutely no way that you are going to be able to do anything about it in terms of squeezing," says Dr. Graf. "Nothing will come out and nothing good will come of it if you touch it." That is, unless you call scarring a good thing. (Nope!) Another mistake? Using a warm compress to draw out whatever is in there. That just expands the irritation even more, explains Dr. Graf.
The Fix: "If you start to feel a blind pimple under the skin, take it to the dermatologist's office for a shot." Can't make it to the doctor? Apply an ice pack, suggests Dr. Graf. The cold will help constrict the blood vessel and could help make the blemish smaller.
Mistake: You over-dry your skin.
It's the battle of the blemish, and we're all just trying to use our strongest artillery. But this plan of attack actually backfires. Over-drying the skin creates irritation and redness, and what's worse, dry skin leads to clogged pores. Keep this up, warns Dr. Graf, and "you're actually going to get more breakouts and more clogging."
The Fix: Take the path of moderation and lay off the full-on product offensive. You might need to try using your acne treatments every other evening or only a few times a week.
Mistake: You treat your entire face like it's a problem area.
It's like trying to use a chainsaw to shape your eyebrows. While you might have a few oily areas, like across your t-zone, you don't need to treat your entire face with products formulated for oily skin. When you treat combination skin like an oil slick it leads to irritation. And you know where irritation gets you––more clogging and more blemishes.
The Fix: As adolescence turns into adulthood, what was once oily skin is more often combination skin, explains Dr. Graf. Evaluate your skin type and treat it accordingly, whether you're dry, oily, or somewhere in between.
Mistake: You only protect your face from the sun.
Since we're trying to protect ourselves from the signs of aging, it makes sense that we'd focus on putting our best face forward. But as Dr. Graf warns, "one of the biggest places I see aging is on the chest." Also scary: covering up with clothing isn't much help. "A white t-shirt gives you an SPF of about 5," explains Dr. Graf.
The Fix: Any day you're going to be outside for a prolonged period of time, apply sunblock from head to toe, not just on your face and exposed arms and legs. Don't forget your ears!
Mistake: You're religious about using oil-free or non-comedogenic products.
Women with oily or blemish-prone skin have been taught that these words are the preventative gold standard for a break-out. In fact, many of us won't buy products that don't boast these terms on the bottle. But we might want to think again. "The terms non-comedogenic and oil-free are not FDA-approved terms. That's really just a selling point," explains Dr. Graf. The terms date back to the 1950s when beauty products used industrial-grade mineral oil that could break you out. "Today's mineral oil is a totally different cosmetic grade and is not going to break you out."
The Fix: If you're someone with oily skin who lives in fear of a break-out, you should use a pH-balanced foaming cleanser on your face, and you might want to add in a silicone-based powder or gel, suggests Dr. Graf. But you don't need to rely solely on products billed as oil-free or non-comedogenic. Seek out products you like, regardless of meaningless marketing terms.
Mistake: You're over-exfoliating.
Quick science lesson: Over the course of 28 days, the bottom layer of your skin––the basal layer––migrates toward the surface of your skin. When it gets there, it dies. Enzymes in the dead skin cells then cause the dead layer to fall off. That natural process is called exfoliation. Got it?
"If you see a 3-year-old child, that process is working perfectly. As we get older, that's not working as well. Why? Because the enzymes in our skin require hydration and moisture in order to be activated. When we lose that natural moisture over the years, our enzymes don't work. We have that dead skin cell layer that hangs on, and we need to remove it. That's why we use exfoliators."
But exfoliation needs to be gentle in order to be effective. "I've seen doctors on television talking about exfoliating. 'If it burns, great.' I see this, and I want to cringe."
The Fix: Steer clear of harsh scrubs and exfoliators like BuffPuffs, which can break blood vessels, and apricot scrubs, whose needle-sharp pits will break your skin and cause redness. At home, "using a peel kit or microdermabrasion kit is great. Using it every single day is not," says Dr. Graf. Any deeper exfoliation should be done in the care of a skin care professional, she says.
Mistake: You're using the right products at the wrong time.
You've got an all-star line-up of retinols, sunblock, and microdermabrasion kits in your medicine cabinet. Butwhen you use your products is as important as what you're using. "Everybody's using the kitchen sink in the morning," complains Dr. Graf. Retinols are light-sensitive, so using them during the day isn't such a bright idea.
The Fix: "You want to use protective products in the daytime," says Dr. Graf, so slather on sunscreen twenty minutes before you leave the house. At bedtime, bring out the big guns, like exfoliators and retinols, "when your skin's natural circadian rhythms renew themselves," explains Dr. Graf.
Mistake: You use products with gold or metal in them.
It might seem super luxe to use creams flecked with gold, but you're better off keeping your money in your pocket. "They can cause contact dermatitis and there's no evidence that they do anything except drain your wallet."
The Fix: Invest your money in gold you can wear around your neck. And when you feel like splurging on a rich potion, pick something that smells divine or has a luxurious texture––but is free from any precious metals.
Mistake: You go to sleep with your makeup on.
We've all been there: You get home late and can't quite muster the energy to wash off the day or your makeup. (And waking up looking as "done" as Kim Kardashian can seem kind of screen goddessy.) "A lot of people will go to bed with makeup on. And a lot of people who don't go to bed with makeup on won't wash their face in the morning," says Dr. Graf. Both are big mistakes.
The Fix: Wash your face morning and night. But doctors sympathize with real life; they just want us to be prepared. "You go out on a Friday night and come home at 2am––it's going to happen. At the very least, have those pre-moistened makeup removers at your bedside. I'd rather you do that than not do it at all."
Mistake: You don't give your skincare products a chance.
We live in a quick fix world, so when we don't immediately see results from a new skin care regimen, we can get frustrated and give up. We then bounce from product to product, trying to find the magic potion.
The Fix: Exercise some patience. We take multivitamins, Dr Graf explains, knowing they're good for us, even when we don't see results. Sometimes you have to give your products the same measure of faith. "When you're using a skincare product, don't be so hard on the product. Understand that it's doing something for you." And that means waiting more than two days to see a difference––more like four to six weeks.
Mistake: You smoke.
If your health isn't motivation enough to quit, let vanity convince you. The toxins in cigarettes cause decreased oxygen flow to the skin, resulting in a dull complexion, explains Dr. Amy S. Pappert, assistant professor of dermatology at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Repeatedly contracting your muscles to inhale, or squinting to protect your eyes from smoke can deep, premature wrinkles around the mouth, frown lines, and crow's feet.
The Fix: There's no better time to quit than now. Talk to your doctor about a game plan, and comb online resources like the Mayo Clinic, the American Cancer Society, and the American Lung Association. Your skin, not to mention your family and your friends, will thank you.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Lowering your bad cholesterol level
YOU may have noticed that pork and eggs have become four-letter words. It's all because of cholesterol, a substance that's gotten a reputation for breaking hearts than your loved one.
But cholesterol isn't entirely bad. The human body actually needs it, and produces it, to help protect nerves and build new cells and hormones. In fact, our bodies get all the cholesterol they need by making it on their own. The trouble starts when we add to the cholesterol our bodies produce.
Excess cholesterol settles along arterial walls, and that excess can clog arteries and restrict blood flow, leading to angina pain, heart attack or stroke. (Cholesterol is also a leading cause of gallstones.)
Unfortunately, there's a lot of confusion surrounding this substance. And it's no wonder, with similar terms like serum cholesterol, dietary cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol being bandied around, you may have trouble telling the good from the bad and the ugly.
Serum cholesterol is the amount of this fatty substance in our bloodstream. Our serum cholesterol is what our doctor measures in a cholesterol test. A reading under 200 is desirable; a reading over 240 may be dangerous and is cause for concern.
Meanwhile, dietary cholesterol is what we eat. For instance, an egg has 213 milligrams; an apple has none. Experts recommend that we eat no more than 300 milligrams a day.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the bad cholesterol that clogs arteries. It simply means that if our LDL is lower, it is better. On the other hand, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the good cholesterol that scours artery walls and helps remove harmful LDL. The higher our HDL, experts say, the better.
To lower bad cholesterol, doctors usually prescribed simvastatin, atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin. All three belong to a class of drugs called the statins, which are very effective in lowering cholesterol levels.
In his book, How To Live Longer, Dr. Willie T. Ong shares this information: "For persons with total cholesterol of more than 280 mg/dl or an LDL cholesterol of greater than 190 mg/dl, drug treatment may be started after (a) an eight-week trial of diet and exercise and (b) confirmation of cholesterol levels beyond the above cut-offs.
"For those persons who have heart disease, hypertension or are heavy cigarette smokers, drug treatment is started at a much lower cholesterol level of 240 mg/dl and higher or an LDL cholesterol of more than 160 mg/dl.
"And for those who have diabetes or have already suffered a heart attack or stroke, they are the ones who would most benefit from the statin drugs, even if their cholesterol levels are just a shade over 200 mg/dl."
But before taking any drug, Dr. Ong urges that you should check the accuracy of the test. "First, cholesterol test results are notoriously inaccurate, unless it is taken from a reputable laboratory," writes the heart doctor. "Second, make sure the 12-hour fasting requirement is followed - no food and just a minimum of water before testing. For these reasons, a repeat test after 1-2 months of diet and exercise may save the patient money and needless worry."
Dr. Ong, who was named Outstanding Filipino Physician by the Department of Health in 2007, admits that drugs are "expensive and entails frequent monitoring for side effects." As such, he recommends that "lifestyle changes should be maximized."
For one, you must eat breakfast every morning. Breakfast skippers tend to have higher levels than those who start of their mornings with a bellyful, according to studies. One reason may be that breakfast skippers make up for missing the morning feast by munching on unhealthy snacks later on, suggests Dr. John L. Stanton, professor of food marketing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.
For another, don't depend on decaf. Decaffeinated coffee actually raises LDL levels more than regular brew, so it's the worst beverage selection if you have high cholesterol. That's according to David Jenkins, director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center at St. Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto.
It may be because the coffee beans used for decaf are stronger than "regular" beans. Frequent coffee drinkers (those who drink it daily) typically have a 7 percent cholesterol increase, as shown in a study at Stanford University in California.
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on March 30, 2011.
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