Sugar and Your Skin

Noticing more wrinkles, fine lines or sagging skin? It may be time to put down that ritual morning latte. While aging is a natural bodily process, sugar intake can make the signs of aging more visible. Once consumed, sugar undergoes a process in the body known as glycation, or the binding of sugar with other substances in the skin. Glycation causes inflammation that brings damage to the skin's building blocks: collagen and elastin. Accumulation of damage to these building blocks can give the skin a sallow and even discolored look. This process also generates free radicals that make the skin more susceptible to other types of damage, such as sun exposure and cigarette smoke.

If your skin is prone to acne or rosacea, flare-ups of these conditions can increase in frequency and severity with the consumption of sugar due to the inflammatory response that occurs in the skin. High levels of sugar also trigger the release of hormones that increase the production of oil that can feed the bacteria responsible for acne.

Keeping track of sugar intake is hard when you consider that sugar exists in most of the food and drinks that we consume. When we hear things like 'the amount of sugar in an Arizona Green Tea is equal to about 20 Hershey's Kisses,' we begin to question our perception of just how much sugar we intake on a  daily basis. While the idea of completely cutting out sugar is a task much easier said than done, there are ways to get started. Seeking out alternatives to the white stuff, such as date sugar or coconut sugar, provides the sweetness with more nutritional benefits. A variety of beauty products in the form of serums, make up, and sunscreens contain ingredients that work to fight glycation and encourage the production of collagen and elastin.

Dr. Lily can go over your diet with you in our new skin detox program!

Stop Treating Your Adult Acne Like a Teenager!

 Growing up isn’t just about getting a job, getting married, paying bills etc. It’s also about knowing how to take care of yourself. The breakouts you experienced when you were younger are much different than the breakouts you’re experiencing now. The products you use and how you treat your breakouts have to be suitable for your age.

No more Drying Products!

When you were younger you probably reached for products formulated to dry out those blemishes with antibacterial ingredients, and they probably worked. However, as we age acne tends to go away on it’s own, but in our minds we believe those drying products deserve all the credit, we are very wrong. As our skin ages those same acne products we were using in our teens will do more harm than good for us. They will dry out your skin leaving it in an unhealthy state and could accelerate the arrival of wrinkles!  What you want to be using is a cleanser with glycolic acid, which will act an exfoliator to destroy acne-causing bacteria from your skin without over drying. The IS Clinical Cleansing Complex is perfect for this.  It is effective, but not drying so even those with sensitive skin would love this product.

Forget about past skin concerns

Make sure you are treating your current skin concerns based on what’s going on in the present vs. what occurred in the past. Your acne now opposed to your acne when you were a teen is probably not as severe or wide spread, so instead of applying acne treatments to your entire face try applying it as a spot treatment instead. The Glytone Acne 3P Gel is great for this! Its non-irritating formula helps clear acne, blackheads, and white heads. It also helps keep your skin clear of new acne blemishes while allowing the skin to heal from past breakouts.

Exfoliate and Hydrate

One of the hardest parts of dealing with adult acne is that you are also dealing with aging skin. You don’t only want to keep the skin clear you want it to appear youthful and radiant as well. The key to this is exfoliating and moisturizing! The reason you need to exfoliate is to get rid of that dead layer of skin in order to unclog your pores and prevent breakouts. Exfoliating also encourages the production f new, healthy, fresher skin cells! The SkinKure microdermabrasion scrub is our go to product for this; it will leave your skin feeling fresh and smooth after every use, which will allow your skin to properly absorb your other products including your moisturizer. Staying moisturized is vital to keep your skin youthful. One of our favorite moisturizers is Epionce Renewal Facial Lotion; it’s perfect for normal to combination skin types. It is lightweight and moisturizes without leaving you feeling greasy, and makes your skin appear smoother and softer.

If you still aren’t sure what you should be using call and setup an appointment for a skincare consult with our Master Esthetician. She can help you get on a regimen based on your skin type and concerns.