Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping and everything about spring is light and airy. The same should be true of your beauty routine. Yes it is a chore to clean anything but don’t you feel great once it is done? Here are a few quick beauty “chores” that will get your skin  ready for spring.

1)change your wardrobe, change your products. Skin produces more oil when the weather gets warmer so those heavy creams you were using for your winter dry skin will be too occlusive and heavy for you once you shed those winter clothes! Now is the time to pump and pour rather than scoop.

2)Push your beauty routine a bit. Living in Chicago where winters are harsh I am more conservative with procedures and facial products since the most skin is dry and sensitive due to the weather. This changes with warmer weather so we can push your routine a bit and use products and procedures with a bit more punch. If you are almost out of your medications, products this is a good time to visit your dermatologist so you can discuss your spring/summer regimen (get a mole check while you are there!!). Remember, many antiaging/beauty products may make you more sun sensitive which is why they are usually applied at night. sunblock in the morning is non negotiable!

3)Clean out your makeup bag/drawer and replace your old products: If you have had it since college or it is powder blue , it is time! Toss everything which is expired (medications, creams, products become less effective over time). To prevent harboring bacteria, replace products that should be replaced such as : mascara( every 3-4 months), disposable shower razor (every month), lipstick(every year), foundation( every 12-18 months)

4)Clean your beauty instruments:swipe your metal instruments such as tweezers with alcohol (hand gel if you have nothing else) and wash your makeup brushes in dilute soapy water or a makeup brush cleaner.

5)Buy some new sunprotection and have some fun: chances are if you are using the same bottle of sunscreen/sunblock from last summer you are not applying enough of it! Grab a facial sunscreen with some tint such as aveeno or add a drop of bronzer to the one you have to give your skin a bit of glow.

see– that wasnt so bad! now, on to the closets, the yard and the garage……. ugggggggggg

here is a recent article a wrote about showing your skin some love!  (which should not be limited to just this day , by the way).

enjoy

http://community.blackdoctor.org/5-ways-to-show-your-skin-a-little-v-day-love/p=513#more-513

I am honored to be a member of the Heart and Soul magazine team as a columnist.

Hot off the press– here is a link to my first column. stay tuned for lots of exciting ones to come!!!

enjoy

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.296049300449381.72962.105253199528993&type=1

french pharmacie

Bonjour,

I am attending the IMCAS meeting in Paris and, as I walk around the city (in between meetings, of course) and visit the conference exhibit hall looking at all of the products, devices, fillers and objects de beaute that are available in Europe and are not yet, or may never be,  available in the US due to our FDA process, I started to wonder, do the french know something about beauty that we don’t?

Let’s start with the obvious: despite the fact that the French smoke (alot) they also walk alot. I was impressed by the lack of obesity in Paris. We all know about the heart healthy benefits of red wine and dark chocolate ( my french fav is Maison du Chocolat) , both of which are in abundance here.  Ah the food…… French  food is  delicious and decadent but it is also farm fresh and proportions are not supersized. Moderation is key (we already know that too). We also know the health benefits of food which is not processed thus maintaining it’s nutrient value. Yes, starbucks and McDonalds have a presence here, but a small one.

We are a beauty obsessed society and the french are no different.  As in the US, the  french are obsessed with skin care. This is certainly obvious from the conference and exhibit hall  but also evident in  the local pharmacie where i spent quite a bit of time looking at the abundance of creams, lotions and potions in search of some beauty secret to share with you.  In effort to provide a balanced review I visit  three different pharmacies and two sephoras to see if there was any location variance. Despite having a wider variety of topicals to choose from here, the ingredients in these products  are basically very similar to those available in the US and include those which we know to be beneficial (antioxidants, retinoids, growth factors).  Interestingly, none of the Dr specific brands ( Dr Brandt, Perricone etc) so prominent  in the US had a presence in Paris. However one important part of the skin care regimen which was noticeably lacking in my search was sunprotection! Quelle dommage!

What did I learn from this meeting that I will bring back to my practice and share with my patients? While I cannot bring some of the fillers available to our European colleagues back to my patients due to the FDA, I did  purchase some new cannulas to make filler injections more comfortable. I also purchased a nifty little device to be used in conjunction with our microdermabrasion which will leave your skin unbelievably soft (tried it myself) and met new colleagues from other countries who invited me to give talks at future international  conferences.  Most importantly I was reminded that the French dont really have any beauty secrets or information  that we don’t already know about.   They may have a different approach but we have more sunprotection!

A bientot

Temperatures drop, heat goes on, skin dries out, cycle , repeat. That is a Chicago winter. Click the link below to view some great do-it-yourself at home dry skin saving tips recommended by top Chicago Dermatologist, Dr Brooke Jackson.

http://www.cltv.com/videobeta/1aec06a5-8273-4b0e-a4a4-0a3cc14f9a0a/Health/LHC-Money-Saving-Winter-Skin-Tips

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