Posted by: Skin And Cancer Institute in Medical Dermatology
Let’s celebrate national healthy skin month this November with some ideas to keep your skin looking and feeling its best. Most of them center around avoiding the sun, which is responsible for 90 percent of visible signs of aging, like wrinkles. We’ll also talk about tips and tricks to help you maximize your moisture during these dry months. Plus, we’ll talk about some delicious foods you can eat to improve your skin health.
Protect Your Skin Outdoors
Your skin needs protection from the sun this month as much as it did last month and the month before. Sunscreen is a year-long necessity, no matter how cloudy the day. That’s because the sun can still damage your skin with harmful rays even when it’s overcast outside. And in the Fall, the sun is lower in the sky, so it hits you with plenty of direct sunlight, especially later in the day.
Say Yes to Healthy Skin
Skin cancer affects one in five adults. It’s the most common form of cancer. And the lips are the most common place on the face for skin cancer to develop. Do your best to protect your skin this Fall whether you’re outside, or indoors.
Protect Your Skin Indoors
Your skin needs protection indoors because the Fall sun can come in through windows at a sharp angle and cause skin damage. Also, you need sunscreen indoors because your skin needs protection from the blue light your computer and phone emit.
Spray Tan Instead
Our sunless spray tanning system is perfect for those of you who want to avoid the sun’s ultraviolet radiation but still get a tanned look. We use the same spray tanning system used by many red-carpet celebrities, the Infinity Sun Spray tanning system. It mixes treatment lotions into a fine mist sprayed onto your skin for an instant tan look. The process only takes 20 minutes. Your spray tan can last up to several weeks if you avoid exfoliation and frequently moisturize with oil-free lotion.
Take Your Moisture Up a Notch
November is the perfect month to switch from a light summer moisturizer to something creamier and more hydrating for the dry winter days ahead. Remember that your lips need moisture, too and can benefit from chapstick or lip balm, preferably with SPF. Running a humidifier by your desk during the day or while you sleep at night can also help add back some much needed moisture into the air.
Protect Against Free-Radicals
A free radical is a molecule with an unpaired electron. It scavenges around looking to bind with an electron. The damage comes when it pairs with an electron and oxidizes. This causes skin damage like wrinkles and age spots.
What’s an Antioxidant?
An antioxidant can (amazingly) bind with a free radical’s unpaired electron to neutralize it. It’s vital to have plenty of antioxidants in our body to neutralize free radicals.
Eat Skin-Healthy Foods
Healthy foods are filled with antioxidants that can protect our skin. These foods include fruits and vegetables. The following foods are especially high in antioxidants:
- Avocados
- Grapes
- Sweet potatoes
- Cinnamon
- Almonds
- Dark Chocolate
Schedule a Skin Check Up
Our skin still sustains sun damage even when we are careful to eat healthy foods. Plus, there is only so much sunscreen can do to protect us and sometimes we’re caught in the burning sun, despite our best efforts to find shade. This is why it’s vital to schedule an annual skin check this Fall. Your dermatologist will assess the damage summer caused and make a plan to reverse it—either through products, lasers, lights, or chemical peels. These can all do wonders to erase fine lines, brighten your skin tone and get rid of dark spots.