Archives: Answers

I am happy to tell you that I am not aware of any peer reviewed research that demonstrates any relationship between high amounts of refined sugar intake and wrinkles. But as discussed in DermTV.com episode on the effects of weight gain and loss on your facial skin, excess caloric intake, whether from refined sugar or any other source will result in weight gain which decreases the appearance of facial wrinkles.

The bottom line is that you can not increase your skin’s natural resistance without also causing damage. This is because while a tan actually increases resistance (that’s it’s function), it also indicates meaningful sun damage. And that is true even if you get the tan by gradually exposing your skin to more sun. And that’s also only if your skin can tan; most redheads can’t tan just on the basis of the genetics of their skin. On the other hand, of course you can enjoy yourself safely in the sun by using sunscreen. You can learn more about the proper use of sunscreen by visiting the sunscreen episodes on DermTV.

Since the nail plate is dead tissue, you can’t strengthen it from the inside; it’s natural strength is determined by genetics just like your height. You can only strengthen it by products that coat and protect it, and equally importantly, by minimizing exposure of the nails (i.e., avoiding over-use) to products that weaken the nail plate (e.g., nail polish remover). Of course you’ll need to use nail polish remover from time to time, but using it every day or several times a week can begin to cause problems, depending upon your nail’s natural strength.

Acne on your back, arms, chest and shoulders, etc. is caused the same way that facial acne is. However, it can also be aggravated by rubbing by, for example, your clothes. So in addition to following the same advice that I provide for facial acne in Acne Treatment in Three Easy Steps, you can also try to cut down on excessive rubbing of your back, arms, check, shoulder, etc. skin.

Sun damage from unprotected sun exposure only takes one to two decades to show up, so beginning in anyone’s 20s and early 30s you can start to see the effects of unprotected sun exposure from childhood. Regardless, it’s very important to get in the routine of wearing sunscreen on a daily basis to minimize these effects going forward.

While I know of no way to prevent stretch marks from weight gain, there are certain non-ablative resurfacing lasers such as the Fraxel, that when used in combination with Microdermabrasion, after 4-5 treatments, can be helpful in reducing the appearance of mature, skin-colored stretch marks. When stretch marks are new and pink, they are often helped with retinoids like Retin-A but should never be used during pregnancy.

There is no age that you have to be to have your acne scars removed. However, I do recommend that people wait until their acne is under control, otherwise you risk removing your scars, and then having new ones appear as your acne continues to break out. For more information, please view How to Remove Acne Scars.

Any facial roller, even those with needles on them, to some extent, is going to stimulate collagen production and enhance product penetration. That’s one of the reasons that the new cosmetics with roller ball technology for delivery are so effective. One just has to be careful that the tiny needles on the rollers that have them do not cause scratches or break the skin which can then predispose you to infection.

This is a very important question that is often asked. Ideally, for maximum protection, sunscreen should be re-applied every three-to-four hours and yes, this would require you to remove and reapply your makeup. However, to be more realistic, if you’re not participating in sports or sitting in the sun and thus not perspiring, then your make-up will most likely be intact and your sunscreen still on your face, and in that case, you probably do not need to re-apply sunscreen. It’s really under the circumstances where you’re doing sports, sitting in the sun, and/or perspiring that the re-application of sunscreen every two-to-four hours is so very important.

Yellow skin discolorations around the eyes are often the result of fat or cholesterol deposits in the skin (not related to the level of fat in your blood) and can even be hereditary. It is unusual for them to be around the corners of your mouth although little yellow dots or white dots can appear on the actual lip which are enlarged oil glands. Fat deposits around the eyes are treated with topical acids to dissolve them but normal oil glands on lips should not be destroyed. It would be best that you be examined by a dermatologist to determine the causes and treatments of your skin discolorations.