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.

Guide To: Under-Eye Care

If you want to stay looking younger longer it’s vital to take extra special care of the skin around your eyes. The eye area can be a big giveaway of aging, lack of sleep, overindulgence of food and alcohol, and your overall wellness.  I cannot stress to you enough how important it is to be diligent and consistent with under eye care. No matter what your concerns are with the area around your eyes we’re here to help!

Is the skin around your eyes feeling dry?

This is an issue you want to address right away because the skin around your eyes is so thin and sensitive, having it be dry as well can increase the likelihood of wrinkles! So be sure to look for products that will hydrate as well as build collagen. One of our favorite products for this issue would be SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair. This product will help improve the smoothness and hydration around the eyes, which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Also be sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day to keep your skin-hydrated form the inside out!

Are you noticing an increase in fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area?

Diminishing wrinkles around the eyes can really take years off of your appearance. A favorite here in the office for this issue would be IS Clinical Youth Eye Complex. This product is great for improving hydration, firmness, and elasticity around the eye area, which will give you smooth tighter looking skin around the eyes. It also helps strengthen/thicken the delicate skin and offers immediate and long-term results.

Are you suffering from the dreaded dark circles?

Sometimes no matter how much sleep you get some people can’t shake the dreaded under eye circles. Having dark under-eye circles cannot only age you, but it can make you appear tired and under the weather even when you’re completely rested and healthy.  IS Clinical C Eye gel is a miracle in a bottle. It not only reverses signs of aging, but it works to brighten those unwanted dark under-eye circles. It is the perfect product for toning, brightening, and anti-aging when it comes to under-eye care.

Feel like your eye area is becoming hollow with age?

For those of you suffering from eyes that look sunken and hollow we have the perfect fix for you. Fillers can be used to reverse this issue. The filler will give you a much fuller, tight, wrinkle free eye area, which will not only take years off but it will brighten and open up your entire face with the slightest amount. Come in for a consultation to determine which filler would be best for you. 

Guide to bringing Sexy Back

Acne is never any fun, but when it’s on your face you at least have the option of covering it up. When it comes to acne in other areas, such as your back it’s not that easy. These are a few of our favorite products and services that can help you achieve that sexy back you’ve always wanted! Bacne and back fat are the worst, so let us help you get rid of both!

 The Product:

Glytone Back Spray is a saving grace when it comes to keeping the back acne-free. The 2% salicylic acid sloughs away dead skin cells and deeply cleanses the pores for healing and prevention of current and future breakouts. It can even be sprayed upside down so you can get all the hard-to-reach spots!

The Tool:

We absolutely love the Clairsonic Pro already, but with the Clairsonic Body Brush Extension Handle we love it even more! The Clairsonic pro leaves your face feeling clean and silky-smooth, and now your back can feel the same with the addition of the extension handle. The handle helps you access all of those hard-to-reach areas and thoroughly clears out pores.

The Back Facial:

The ultimate back deep pore treatment will honestly do wonders for you. Let our master esthetician, Murrissa, clean out all of those clogged pores that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach. Having a treatment like this done once a month can really improve any bacne issues you’ve been struggling with. 

Reshape your back:
No one likes to have extra bulges where they shouldn’t be. Back fat or what we like to call “bra fat” is a big concern. It is one of those areas that are extremely stubborn and hard to get rid of, but with CoolSculpting you can kiss that extra-unwanted fat goodbye for good!  CoolSculpting can permanently rid you of unwanted fat without surgery or downtime.Come in for a consult and see our amazing back transformations.

Follow these steps and you’re on your way to bringing sexy BACK!

Morning Vs. Night Skincare

The Morning

You’re morning routine should revolve around protecting your skin for the day ahead of you. You want to make sure your skin is clean, hydrated and protected.

Our favorite products for the morning are IS Clinical’s Pro Heal and Elta MD’s Sunscreen. The IS Clinical’s Pro Heal is a great source of antioxidants and vitamin C for your skin. Allowing not only for hydration, but also anti aging. You should apply this product in the morning to a clean face. The Elta MD sunscreens are a client favorite here at Mclean Derm. Whether you’re looking for a sunscreen for acne prone, dry skin, or even a sunblock with a slight tint Elta MD has you covered and fully protected! Even though summer is over make sure you are protecting your skin whenever you will be exposed to the sun. Just because the weather is no longer warm doesn’t mean those UV rays can’t get to you. 

The Night

While you’re sleeping is the best time to focus on repairing your skin! You want to make sure you are taking advantage of those 8 hours to get the most out of growth factors, peptides, and hydration.

Our favorite products for nighttime are TNS Essential Serum and Epionce Intensive Nourishing Cream.  The TNS Essential serum is ultra hydrating without being too heavy or oily and contains growth factors to help build collagen. You should apply this to a clean face before you apply your moisturizer. Hydration is vital overnight! The Epionce Intensive Nourishing Cream works wonders on extremely dry skin and helps repair damaged areas of the skin while reversing the signs of aging.

Lashes Lashes Lashes!

There is one accessory that you don’t want to forget to bring with you to all your upcoming holiday events…beautiful lashes. Whether you’re looking for volume, length, curl, or definition we’ve got you covered at Mclean Derm!

“I want full thick lashes fast!”

Our Minky’s eyelash extensions are exactly what you’re looking for. We can get your lashes to exactly where you want them in just a matter of an hour and a half. Each lash is placed on individually so that they truly blend in with your natural lashes giving you the look of thicker-beautiful lashes instantly without them appearing over done! No mascara needed!

“ I want longer natural lashes!”

Latisse is the perfect product for you! The Latisse solution is applied once nightly to the base of your upper eyelashes. It’s extremely simple to use and you will start to notice results in as little as 4 weeks!  Not only does this product work wonders on your lashes, but it can also help with sparse brows. Show up to your holiday parties with longer lashes and thicker brows! 

“ I have stick straight lashes, help!”

Having to go through the hassle of curling your lashes every morning is no fun. We have the perfect solution…Let’s perm your lashes! Having curled lashes can really accentuate your eyes making them appear bigger and brighter. A lash perm only takes about 20 minutes, but lasts for 4-6weeks.

“I’m tired of using mascara!”

When you have very fair lashes, mascara is a must, and it can be quite tiresome and tricky’ to apply layer after layer of mascara to achieve the dark lashes you wish you always had. Lash tinting is the answer to all of your prayers! Lash tinting takes about 20 minutes and lasts for 4-6weeks. Once your lashes are tinted there is no need for mascara, for the next six weeks you will have dark defined lashes absolutely effortlessly.

Halloween Makeup 101

To avoid allergic reactions and breakouts from thick Halloween makeup be sure to follow these steps. 

• What kind are you using? 

You’ll want stay away from thick white/colored makeup on the skin. Go for thin waterproof makeup instead. 

• Ingredients to Avoid: Silicon & Dimethicone 

• Do a skin patch test! 

Before you cover your entire face in makeup test the products on a small area of skin. In this case it is much better to be safe rather than sorry later. Just like any new product you’re trying out face paint/makeup is no different; there could be irritants in the products that just don’t agree with your skin. 

• Watch out for your Eyes!

Make sure any product you plan on using around or near your eyes will not irritate or harm them. This is where reading a label is absolutely necessary.

• Clean it off!

Be sure to wash it off with makeup remover right after! You do not want to let the makeup simmer on your skin and block pores.