Archives: Answers

Great question! My patients ask me about this also. I always tell them that if your moisturizer has SPF in it, you do not need to wear sunscreen, too. The SPF in a moisturizer is just as effective. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to wear one if you would like to! Just remember to reapply avery 3-4 hours and after swimming or sweating.

Hi Ellen, thanks for your question. I absolutely do! There are a few things I recommend that all of my patients do on both their face and chest/neck area. First, wear sunscreen every day, even cloudy days, no exceptions! It’s the best way to prevent future damage to your skin. Second, I suggest that my patients exfoliate every evening. Glycolic Acid is the gold standard of exfoliants. Products like my Progressive Peel remove all the dead skin cells sitting on the surface of your skin, which can make your skin look dull or uneven. Next, I tell my patients to use an antioxidant after exfoliating like BeautyRx’s Triple Vitamin C Serum. Vitamin C is the single most effective antioxidant, and can help brighten, smooth, and soften the appearance of skin, making you look younger!

The reason for pinkness is that your body is still bringing nutrients to the area for more repair (since the nutrients are in the blood, and the body is bringing extra red blood to the area, you see the extra blood as a pink color). This pinkness can persist for up to six months, after which it’s probably not helping anymore. If the pink hasn’t disappeared after six months, then it can be removed by a painless laser treatment by your dermatologist. One thing that’s very important while the pink is gradually fading is strict sun protection (best with chem free sunscreens) because the sun can easily turn the pink into a brown color and then you would have to bleach the brown spot.

In regards to a general skin care routine, I recommend treating your face twice a day. In the morning, use a cleanser, toner, and then exfoliant (I prefer glycolic products). In the evening, also use a cleanser and then toner, but finish it up with an antioxidant product (I prefer vitamin C, which must be applied during the evening). I also highly recommend that everyone uses a sunscreen even during the winter, and a moisturizer only if necessary. Note: Your sunscreen should always go on after your cleanser and toner and before everything else. Finally, make sure that all products that you use are skin type specific (e.g., oil-free products for oily or acne skin, etc.).

There isn’t a clear-cut solution for treating dark circles under your eyes because they can be caused by seven different issues. For further information about the issues and potential treatments, please see my DermTV episode: How to Eliminate Under Eye Dark Circles. Ultimately, however, it may require a trip to your dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment.

To my knowledge, taking fish oil internally has no helpful role in acne but it also is not harmful and does not make your skin oilier. Of course if you have acne you should not apply fish oil (or any other) to your skin.

The symptoms you are describing are usually a result of dandruff. To effectively control dandruff, please refer to the DermTV episode on the topic: How to Soothe and Repair an Itchy and Flaky Scalp. In regards to your hair-loss, if it is due to this condition, it can take three to four months for the hair loss to stop, but rest assured that it’s normal to lose 100 to 150 hairs per day and to also grow back the same number. The issue then is whether you are thinning (i.e., losing more than you are growing). If you see more scalp or your hairline is receding, then to treat that there are over the counter topical treatments like Minoxidil as well as prescription-only medications such as Propecia, which you can get prescribed for you by your dermatologist. (Note: Propecia can only be prescribed for men.)

What a fun question! To begin, yes, nature usually has an answer because most of our medicines and treatments are ultimately based on nature. Two additional thoughts: (1) The antibacterial potency of honey depends on it’s source and because there are so many different sources, quality control ad assurance can be an issue. In fact, the failure to take into account the large variance in the antibacterial potency of different honeys may contribute in part to the large discrepancy in results of antibacterial efficacy reported between different researchers who used honey in similar ways in their studies. (2) on DermTV, the topical antibiotics mentioned are Bacitracin ointment and Polysporin ointment (both derived from natural bacteria), not neosporin. Neosporin contains neomycin which has a greater potential to cause contact dermatitis than Bacitracin or Polysporin. For more information on treating cuts and abrasions, please visit this DermTV episode: The Best Way to Heal Cuts and Abrasions.

Since one can’t easily decrease oil production (especially without the use of prescription-only antibiotics like Accutane), it would make more sense to instead try to remove the existing oil. One can accomplish this with oil-removing cleansers and toners, used two to three times per day. When choosing a cleanser, find one labeled for oily or acne prone skin, preferably with 1-2% salicylic acid (Note: if you have sensitive skin, you shouldn’t be using a cleanser with salicylic acid). Just as important as cleansing is following your cleansing by wiping your face with a cotton pad with toner (a.k.a., astringent) on it. The toner should contain less that 10% alcohol (if you have sensitive skin, then choose an alcohol free toner). Lastly, apply oil free moisturizer to cheeks only if needed. Also, one should consider carrying pre-moistened toner pads during the day to remove additional oil as it’s made (i.e., in-between washing).

Pregnency stretch marks can only be helped by products if they are fresh (meaning still pink colored), but you have to wait until after pregnancy to treat them because one of the ingredients, tretinoin cream, can’t be used during pregnancy. (Note: Tretinoin products such as Retin-A are only available by prescription in the U.S.) Older white and skin-colored stretch marks can be helped with cosmetic laser treatments (e.g., Fraxel) for which you’ll need to see a dermatologist. So while I understand you might not be happy with stretch marks from pregnancy, the good news it that they can be treated!