Dr. Denise Wexler’s daily skin care regime is simple: use a gentle soap, apply moisturizer and protect her skin from the sun. It’s a tried-and-tested formula, but it’s only the starting point for a strategy for taking care of the skin, the body’s largest organ. As a dermatologist and president of the Canadian Dermatology Association, Dr. Wexler emphasizes the important role of skin in the body’s overall health..
“There are lots of things we can do to have healthy skin,” she says. Based on advice from Dr. Wexler, the Canadian Skin Patient Alliance and Health Canada, here’s a 10-point checklist for getting it done.
1. Wear sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or more Ultraviolet rays damage your skin, causing deep wrinkles, dry roughness, liver spots and more serious disorders such as benign or cancerous skin tumours. Sometimes we blame age for these skin problems when we should have just stayed out of the sun. Everyone should use a sunscreen with a minimum 30 SPF and protection from both UVA and UVB rays every day – not just at the beach. As a guideline, use half a teaspoon for the face and neck area and six teaspoons for the whole body. How do you know whether you have applied enough sunscreen? Apply a thin white coat covering your whole body, and then rub it in – this is the recommended minimum.
Sunscreen is available in a number of different formats: special sticks for around the eyes, sprays for people who don’t like cream and very light sunscreens for anyone who has skin problems such as acne or for men who are unaccustomed to applying a moisturizer. The skin on lips is thinner than most other skin and has less pigment, so lips can dry out and crack unless they get special protection. There is information at www.dermatology.ca/sunscreens on products that are recognized by the CDA.
2. Stay out of the sun - and off tanning beds Just because you have slathered on a layer of sunscreen does not mean you can go out and bake. Even if you are wearing sunscreen, you still run the risk of premature aging and skin cancer from sun exposure. This means avoiding sun exposure in many ways – avoid outdoor activities between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., wear protective clothing, put on a hat with a wide brim and stay in the shade. Take your cue from golfers in Asia, where playing night golf is becoming increasingly popular as a way to avoid the heat and damaging rays of the sun.
Some people use an indoor tanning bed before going on holiday in the mistaken belief that tanned skin will be protected from sunlight or burning. Such a tan has been found to be equivalent to a sunscreen with just 2 to 4 SPF – not enough to be considered safe. In fact, indoor tanning before age 30 is associated with premature aging and an increased risk of malignant melanoma. UV-emitting tanning devices (sun-tanning beds) have been moved up to the highest cancer risk category – “carcinogenic to humans” (Group 1) – by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
3. No smoking! There is good data to show that smoking aggravates the aging process. It dries the skin and constricts the tiny blood vessels in the outer layers of the skin. Blood flow is reduced, so skin does not receive the oxygen and nutrients it needs. As a result, smokers often appear more wrinkled, especially around the eyes, and the skin can have a sallow appearance. The Canadian Skin Patient Alliance (www.skinpatientalliance.ca), a resource and community for dealing with skin diseases and disorders, warns that just 10 years of smoking can produce noticeable changes in the skin of young adults.
4. Keep skin clean Unclean skin is prone to a number of problems, including an increased risk of infections. Makeup should be removed every night. Use a gentle soap and warm – not hot – water. Strong soaps, hot water and long baths or showers strip oils from your skin. Soaps that contain perfumes or dyes should be avoided because these cause irritation or allergic responses. Avoid over-drying your skin – instead of rubbing it dry, pat it with the towel so that some moisture remains. While it is still damp, moisturize your skin with an oil or cream.