There's so much to love about the holiday season... but puffiness, dehydrated skin, and kitchen accidents are not on our list! Dr. Suzman shares his take on treating those pesky skin concerns that pop up over the holidays.
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Your Top Holiday Skin Concerns: Why They Happen + How To Treat Them
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Skincare
Q: I over-indulged and woke up with puffy, dehydrated skin! Is there a quick fix for this?
A: Swelling and puffiness can occur from poor diet, excessive salt or changes in hydration. Cool compresses or cryo rollers, head elevation, and drinking plenty of fluids will slowly make a difference. Getting back to a healthy diet that eliminates high inflammatory foods such as significant sugars, starches, high dairy content, and alcohol, will surely help as well.
Using a good moisturizer can also help the appearance of dehydrated skin. Our blend of dimethicone, allantoin and glycerine in our DNA Repair Complex provide moisturizing, soothing, and skin-softening benefits.
Seeing an expert aesthetician can also be helpful; a focused facial and topical facial massage with cooling treatments can certainly add to your recovery.
Q. I had one too many slices of pie and now I’m breaking out! Do you know why this happens and is there a way to treat these diet-related breakouts and minimize the skin damage?
A: Diet-related sensitivities to the skin are very common and can certainly make breakouts and acne flourish. Once breakouts occur, the resolution can be frustratingly slow but improvements in your skin condition can be sped up and reduce the chance of long-term redness or scarring with some simple skin management. A gentle cleanser or facial wash, including those with salicylic acid are useful twice a day. Calming the skin and enhancing recovery with DNA Repair Complex has shown dramatic improvement in many people.
I always recommend seeing your dermatologist or aesthetician if your breakout is particularly bothersome. Prescription strength antibiotics and topicals are sometimes needed, particularly for cystic or more severe breakout lesions.
Q. I always ski over the holidays. After hitting the slopes, my face looks super red and blotchy and has rough dry patches. It will last for days (weeks at times)! Why does that happen and how can I treat this and minimize skin damage from outdoor activities going forward?
A: Outdoor activities in the winter are one of the best ways to make the short winter days tolerable — your mood and health will certainly improve overall. But unfortunately the elements can be harsh on our skin. Sun exposure and cold, dry climates can certainly have a strong effect on our skin’s hydration, texture and wrinkles and can speed up the aging process. A gentle moisturizing cleanser can help, a daily moisturizer with SPF is essential, and skin recovery with the DNA Repair Complex has shown some near miraculous improvements.
A good regimen for particularly dry, sensitized skin exposed to harsh winter weather would be as follows.
Step 1: Gently cleanse skin and pat dry
Step 2: Apply 1-2 pumps of DNA Repair Complex, pat into face until absorbed
Step 3: Apply a rich cream moisturizer
Step 4: Apply your favorite SPF (I recommend 50+)
Next time you plan to ski, don’t forget to add your additional ‘skincare layers’ before stepping out into the cold.
Q. I usually have pretty clear skin, but I’m hosting my family and in-laws for the first time this year and am majorly freaking/breaking out! Can stress cause skin issues? How can I treat it and reduce any long term scarring or pigmentation?
A: Yes, stress can bring about all sorts of aches, pains and even skin breakouts. Our immune systems become less effective in a stressed out state. Calming activities such as exercise, meditation, and stretching can really help.
Skin breakouts can take a couple of weeks to resolve but treating the source (stress) will help prevent new breakouts. A gentle cleanser and an anti-inflammatory skin treatment such as a toner containing salicylic acid can be beneficial. I’d also recommend reducing your intake of inflammatory foods (think foods with high sugar, carbohydrates, and dairy content) and reaching for anti-inflammatory and nutrient dense, whole foods instead.
Treating the breakouts with over-the-counter or prescription strength products might help speed fading of the lesions, and we have seen dramatic improvements in breakouts and scar prevention with our DNA Repair Complex and its recovery ingredients. And remember, don’t pick at your skin! Attempting to pop pimples may actually make it worse, create more acne, cause scarring, and can even lead to an infection. Leave your extractions to the pros and visit your dermatologist or aesthetician.
