Practicing social distancing? Don’t let your skin care regimen take a back seat

When you aren’t going into the office or leaving the comfort of your home, you might be neglecting your regular beauty routine.

“Not only is it important to practice for your personal hygiene, but taking care of your skin and hair helps you to stay put-together and motivated throughout the day,” explained Marmur

Remember to put on sunscreen

You may be spending most of your time practicing social distancing, but Marmur stresses the importance of getting some fresh air when you can — and wearing sunscreen.

Invisible Shield Full Physical Sunscreen

This broad-spectrum sunscreen defends against environmental aggressors like harmful rays and pollution, which can lead to premature aging. It absorbs quickly and has a weightless feel, meaning you can wear it without feeling that sticky residue

Use gentle products

“Being indoors can actually be a new environment for your skin, so you’re probably breaking out,” noted Marmur. “So make sure you hydrate, that’s really good for your body in general — and then use products that are really gentle on your skin.”

 

How to Get Rid of Acne: Skin Care Tips from Dermatologists

It can take years — and dozens of trips to the dermatologist — to discover how to get rid of acne on your unique skin. Everyone has unique skin types, skin tones, lifestyles, and genetic histories that make it impossible to have a single piece of one-size-fits-all advice. But here at Teen Vogue, we’ve pretty much made it our life mission to figure out the best tips from the pros to point you in the right direction. We’ve seen it all and won’t recommend skincare products or acne treatments unless they’re backed up by experience and science.

Wash Your Face Daily

The first and most important rule isn’t groundbreaking: Remember to wash your face! Cleansing and treating your skin twice a day is the best way to keep breakouts away. For those emergencies when you’re just too tired to wash your face, keep a stash of face wipes in the drawer of your nightstand. This way if you get home super late and don’t feel like going all the way to the sink, you can still go to bed with clean skin!

Use the Right Face Cleanser

Buying a generic face wash won’t necessarily improve your complexion. For a cleanser to be most effective, you have to pay attention to your skin’s needs and pick the ingredients accordingly. If your skin tends to be oily, choose products with salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or glycolic acid. For sensitive skin, look for gentle cleansers with lactic acid or hydrating ingredients like glycerin, which aren’t as drying as those made for oilier types.

Don’t Over-Exfoliate Your Skin

Scrubbing your face daily with grainy cleansers and exfoliating products can do more harm than good. When done too often, it can cause redness, inflammation, and irritation. “Exfoliating a pimple can pull away healthy skin cells and create an open wound and higher risk for scarring,” says Jessica Weiser, MD, from New York Dermatology Group. “Exfoliation should be done with caution, and not more than 2-3 times a week maximum.”

Regularly Change Your Face Towel

When you think about it, consistently reaching for your go-to face towel every day is like reusing a dinner napkin over and over again. Using dirty towels can harbor bacteria, and they can even introduce new bacteria to your skin, which may lead to more pimples. Thankfully, this doesn’t mean you need to reach for a new towel every single time you wash your face, according to Dr. Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, board-certified NYC dermatologist and clinical instructor at NYU Langone and Mount Sinai Hospital. As long as you’re truly washing off all of your makeup, you can stick to switching out your towels on a weekly basis

 

QualDerm-affiliated Dermatologist Discusses Team Building Tips in the Dermatology Times

“I think, as is the case with any line of work, [the team] has to run smoothly or the simplest tasks become difficult,” says Kevin Stein, M.D., of Winston-Salem, N.C. “If things are running smoothly, I can see 40 patients. It’s a fantastic day, I get out on time and the patients are well served and pleased. If we’re not running efficiently and doing our jobs effectively, I think most doctors can agree, we might see 25 patients and have a difficult day. It just makes our lives and our patients’ care more effective if things do run smoothly, and we work as a team.”

DOCTORS, PAS, AND NPS NEED TO SEE EYE TO EYE.

The PA or NP needs to be, to some degree, a clone of the doctor, in terms of how the doctor manages and treats patients, according to Dr. Pariser.

STAY CONNECTED — EVEN IF THEY’RE AT ANOTHER OFFICE.

Dr. Stein says his PAs are typically in outlying clinics seeing patients. “The physician assistants see mostly the ‘bread and butter’ of dermatology: rashes, they do skin cancer checks,” he says. “But I review all the charts. I know that’s not a requirement but it’s something I like to do to oversee the care of the patient.”

EACH TEAM MEMBER SHOULD BE CHARGED WITH WHAT HE OR SHE DOES BEST.

“The goal of the care team should be to allow the dermatologist to do what she or he does best, which is make a diagnosis and establish treatment plans,” Dr. Pariser says. “Then, somebody else can do the minor procedures that might be needed—the biopsy, specimen collection, patch test, etc. Somebody else can give the patient the explanation, do the hand holding and have the face time, which patients appreciate in order to get the best results of their treatment.”

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF MEDICAL ASSISTANTS.

“We use medical assistants very rigorously. We have trained, what we call ‘dermatology technicians,’ who are above and beyond the average medical assistant. Ours have had two years’ of training in our practice and who we delegate very specific tasks,” Dr. Pariser says.

 

STUDY TIPS

All of the most commonly used general dermatology texts start out with the basic science of skin, with good reason.

Understanding the function of important molecules and molecular structures is key to understanding many dermatologic disorders.  For that reason, the correlation between pathophysiology and clinical findings make this topic a favorite for second and third-order questions on the boards.

If you are looking for additional study resources and have not done so already, visit Next Steps in Derm’s sister site – Derm In-Review.  Derm In-Review is a complete collection of board study materials – and one of the top choices for Derm residents!

Studying for the upcoming Board exam? As we all know, it’s a stressful task that can feel daunting at times. However, residents need not fear; with the proper resources and good study habits you can feel well-prepared for this exam

 

Tips for Taking Care of Your Skin

Sometimes it may seem like your skin is impossible to manage, especially when you wake up and find a huge zit on your nose or a cold sore at the corner of your mouth. The good news is that there are ways to prevent and treat common skin problems

Acne

A pimple starts when the pores in the skin become clogged with a type of oil called sebum, which normally lubricates the skin and hair. Acne is common during puberty when hormones go into overdrive, causing the skin to overproduce sebum. Because many oil-producing glands are on the forehead, nose, and chin, this area — the T-zone — is where a person is most prone to pimples.

Wash your face twice a day (no more) with warm water and a mild soap made for people with acne. Gently massage your face with circular motions. Don’t scrub. Overwashing and scrubbing can cause skin to become irritated. After cleansing, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends applying an over-the-counter (no prescription needed) lotion containing benzoyl peroxide.

Don’t pop pimples. It’s tempting, but here’s why you shouldn’t: Popping pimples can push infected material further into the skin, leading to more swelling and redness, and even scarring. If you notice a pimple coming before a big event, like the prom, a dermatologist can often treat it for you with less risk of scarring or infection.

Avoid touching your face with your fingers or leaning your face on objects that collect sebum and skin residue like your phone. Touching your face can spread the bacteria that cause pores to become inflamed and irritated. To keep bacteria at bay, wash your hands before applying anything to your face, such as treatment creams or makeup.

If you wear glasses or sunglasses, make sure you clean them frequently to keep oil from clogging the pores around your eyes and nose