Dry Skin / Winter Itch
Minimize dry skin this winter, by minimizing water loss and rehydrating your skin.
Who gets dry skin and why?
Anyone can get dry skin. Skin becomes dry when it loses too much water or oil. Some people are more likely to have dry skin. Some causes of dry skin are:
- Age: As we age, our skin becomes thinner and drier. By our 40s, many people need to use a good moisturizer every day.
- Climate: Living in a dry climate such as a desert.
- Skin disease: People who had atopic dermatitis (also called eczema) as a child tend to have dry skin as adults. Psoriasis also causes very dry skin.
- Job: Nurses, hair stylists, and people in other occupations often immerse their skin in water throughout the day. This can cause the skin to become dry, raw, and cracked.
- Swimming: Some pools have high levels of chlorine, which can dry the skin.
Here are tips that can prevent dry skin or keep it from getting worse.
- Do not use hot water. Hot water removes your natural skin oils more quickly. Warm water is best for bathing.
- Use a gentle cleanser. Soaps can strip oils from the skin. Stop using deodorant bars, antibacterial soaps, perfumed soaps, and skin care products containing alcohol, like hand sanitizers. Look for either a mild, fragrance-free soap or a soap substitute that moisturizes.
- Limit time in the bathtub or shower. A 5- to 10-minute bath or shower adds moisture to the skin. Spending more time in the water often leaves your skin less hydrated than before you started. Do not bathe more often than once a day.
- Moisturize right after baths and showers. To lock in moisture from a bath or shower, apply a moisturizer within 3 minutes while the skin is still damp.
- Before you shave, soften skin. It is best to shave right after bathing, when hairs are soft. To lessen the irritating effects of shaving your face or legs, use a shaving cream or gel. Leave the product on your skin about 3 minutes before starting to shave. Shave in the direction that the hair grows.
- Change razor blades after 5 to 7 shaves. A dull blade bothers dry skin.
- Use a humidifier. Keep the air in your home moist with a humidifier.
- Apply cool cloths to itchy dry skin.
- Soothe chapped lips. At bedtime, apply a lip balm that contains petrolatum. Other names for this ingredient are petroleum jelly and mineral oil.
- Cover up outdoors in winter. In the cold, wear a scarf and gloves to help prevent chapped lips and hands.
- Be good to your face. If you have very dry skin, cleanse your face just once a day, at night. In the morning, rinse your face with cool water.
- For more info on dry skin …
- See your dermatologist if your skin continues to be dry, cracks or red, itchy rashes persist for therapeutic moisturizers and prescriptions if needed.
- Don’t forget that outdoor winter sports and activities add to sun damage. Use sunblocks to any exposed skin area during outdoor activities.
- For info on Elta MD Sunscreen Products. Click here…
New Products for the New Year
Elta MD Moisturizers |
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NEW EltaMD AM Therapy Facial Moisturizer
EltaMD AM Therapy Facial Moisturizer provides all-day moisturizing in a very lightweight, oil-free moisturizer base.
Willow bark extract gently stimulates cell turnover for smoother skin without causing irritation. Niacinamide (vitamin B3) enhances skin color and tone. EltaMD AM Therapy is oil-free, fragrance-free, noncomedogenic and safe for sensitive skin.
NEW EltaMD PM Therapy Facial Moisturizer
EltaMD PM Therapy Facial Moisturizer works to moisturize, restore and repair skin while you rest.
Ceramides strengthen the skin’s natural moisture barrier. Niacinamide and antioxidants improve skin color and tone and speed the metabolism to maximize the nightly skin repair process. Small rice protein peptides penetrate to stimulate cell growth and collagen formation, resulting in more skin elasticity. As it nurtures, revitalizes and oxygenates the skin, wrinkles fade and skin tone improves, resulting in smoother, fresher appearance.
NEW EltaMD Renew Eye Gel
- Oil-free formula helps eliminate under-eye puffiness, dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles while generating brighter, healthier skin.
- Peptides and natural extracts stimulate collagen synthesis and hyaluronic acid production within the dermis to rebuild the skin matrix and prevent the appearance of skin aging.
- For information on EltaMD Renew Eye Gel, Click here.
EltaMD Moisturizer Creme
- Unique crème that melts quickly and spreads easily
- Soothes irritation, redness and flaking
- Safe to use around the eyes
- Non-comedogenic, sensitivity and fragrance free
- Ideal for hand and foot eczema or extremely dry skin
Too many choices to improve your skin? Where can you get answers? Start here... Check out our patient education room that you can visit anytime; no appointment necessary. This room has lots of helpful information including power point presentation and videos educating you on all the services that DSC offers to improve your skin. This is a great way to learn about all your options. When you are ready, set up an appointment with our esthetician. She will evaluate your skin in an informative consultation with Reveal Imaging and recommend the optimal regimen to achieve your goals. Don’t delay if you want to complete your treatment prior to summer.
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Click here to view our current
specials and promotions. |
Valentines Day
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Treat that special someone to a gift certificate for a cosmetic service of their choice
These can be redeemed for skin care products including Obagi, DSC private line and ELTA MD as well as cosmetic procedures, including Botox, Juvederm, Microdermabrasion, Chemical peels, and Sciton BBL, MicroLaserPeel and Profractional laser services. |
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Office News
Dr. Deborah Nixon brings her extensive experience to Blakeney. Our new address:
Dermatology Specialists of Charlotte
8936 Blakeney Professional Drive
Charlotte, NC 28277
704-943-3714
Check out our patient portal. Input all your medical information into our medical record system instead of filling out paperwork prior to your appointment. We ask all patients to do this at least once to make sure our records are up to date. Updates can be made by our office staff as needed. You will need a security code from our office to get started. Call for yours before your next appointment. Also, look out for email reminders of appointments that will contain your security code.
Recent Skin News
Sunless Tanning Product Use May Lead To Less UV Radiation Exposure.
HealthDay (12/20, Reinberg) reports, "Young women who get their tan out of a bottle may spend less time sunbathing or using tanning beds, two riskier behaviors," according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the Archives of Dermatology. "Using a sunless tanning product is a safe alternative to ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure, which is linked to skin cancer and premature aging, the researchers said."
"The survey of 415 young women in the Atlanta area indicated that, among those who reported using sunless tanning products as well as natural tanning, 37% said they had decreased their intentional sun exposure," MedPage Today (12/20, Gever) reports. "A similar percentage (38%) reported spending less time in tanning beds as a result of using the sunless tanning products."
WebMD (12/20, Doheny) explains, "The findings are a welcome relief from all the negative skin cancer news, such as increases in skin cancers among younger people, says" dermatologist Jeffrey S. Dover, MD, of Yale University and spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology. The study's findings are "an important message for dermatologists, Dover says. Instead of discouraging patients from tans altogether, he says, they can point to the good news. 'The positive message here is sunless tanning is safe; tanning beds and going to the beach is not.'" Reuters (12/20, Pittman) also covers the story.
Try our new DSC Sunless Tanner!!! Call for details.
More Black Women Not Straightening Their Hair
USA Today (12/22, Healy) reports, "The number of black women who say they do not use products to chemically relax or straighten their hair jumped to 36% in 2011, up from 26% in 2010, according to a report by Mintel, a consumer spending and market research firm. Sales of relaxer kits dropped by 17% between 2006 and 2011, according to Mintel." Women who have given up straightening their hair are noticing that their hair is healthier-looking. "According to the American Academy of Dermatology, highly textured, curly hair is, 'by its nature, more fragile than naturally straight hair,' and 'relaxers make curly hair more fragile.'"
Forbes (12/21, Walton) discussed cold-related "skin conditions triggered by extreme" weather, such as Raynaud's disease (when blood vessels spasm in the fingers), cold urticaria (hives), and rosacea. The article advised readers, "If you suffer from cold weather skin problems, it may be worth visiting your doctor just to rule out any serious underlying conditions. In many cases, these issues tend to clear up when the weather breaks; in the meantime, they can be frustrating and disturbing." Above all, "protecting your skin from the elements as much as possible is generally the way to go."
Tobacco Use Associated With Increased Skin Cancer Risk In Women.
HealthDay (12/16, Holohan) reports, "If you're a woman who smokes and you are looking for another reason to quit, consider this: A new study" published online in Cancer Causes Control "has found a link between tobacco use and skin cancer." Researchers "found that women who had squamous cell skin cancer were more likely to have smoked than those who were free from the disease." Women "who smoked at least 20 years were twice as likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer, a less aggressive form of skin cancer than melanoma."
Study Links Tanning Beds To Increased Cancer Risk.
In continuing coverage, Reuters (12/14) reports a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology finding that tanning bed users have a 69 percent increased chance of early-onset basal cell carcinoma. The researchers at the Yale School of Public Health also found that the risk increases with the amount the beds were used. Previous studies linked the tanning beds to an increased risk of melanoma.
Model Demonstrates Make-Up Tricks To Cover Acne.
The UK's Daily Mail (12/2, Dumas) shows how a 19-year-old model with severe acne uses clever make-up tricks to make her skin look "flawless." The young woman, "whose series of short tutorial videos" on YouTube "have been watched by over four million people...takes viewers on a step-by-step lesson as to applying a perfect foundation that covers skin blemishes."
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