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Skincare Tips from MDSUN Skin Care®

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know that you have to take good care of your skin. You make an effort to choose your skincare products wisely. You religiously remember to wash the makeup off of your face before you go to bed. Well, most of the time, anyway. You even apply sunscreen when you’re at the beach.

What if we told you there were things that you do on a regular basis that have a negative impact on your skin? Things you may not even imagine?

Your seemingly benign habits may be ruining your skin. That beautiful complexion that you strive for is still going to be out of your reach if you partake in any of these bad habits.

Changing your habits may be the inspiration your skin needs!

5. Not Getting Enough Sleep

While those nights out with the girls are just what the therapist ordered, they don’t do your skin any good. Not getting enough sleep can result in dull skin and clogged pores. If you strip that time away you could be left with a number of skin problems, including premature aging, eczema, and psoriasis.

Nighttime is when your skin does most of its work: naturally repairing damage and regenerating. Not getting enough sleep can decrease collagen production. Missing out on your zzz’ can raise cortisol levels, your body’s stress hormone, which leads to inflammation, a contributing factor to many skin problems. “Persistently high cortisol levels can interfere with how well our bodies heal and can promote acne breakouts,” warns Joshua Zeichner, M.D, the Director of Clinical Research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Getting the recommended eight hours of sleep a night will not only help you look refreshed but will replenish and rehydrate your skin.

4. Going Heavy On the Sugar

Studies have found that diets heavy on sugar can speed up the aging process. Sugars give bacteria fuel to feed on while weakening your immune system. It can cause spikes in insulin release, triggering inflammation. Consuming too much-refined sugar can cause damage to the collagen in your skin, resulting in signs of accelerated aging like wrinkles and a loss of elasticity.

Stay away from sweet treats, as well as refined carbs like you find in bread and pasta. Opt for plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. These foods are not only healthier, but they’re full of antioxidants that can help to repair your skin, keeping it younger, healthier, and clear.

3. Smoking

Besides endangering your overall health, smoking is downright harmful to your skin. It causes premature aging and wrinkling, adding a decade to your skin and giving your face a leathery look. It can also lead to much more serious trouble. “Smoking cigarettes increases your risk of squamous cell skin cancer, a dangerous skin cancer that can metastasize and spread if not caught early,” warns dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, M.D.

Nicotine reduces blood flow to your skin so it doesn’t get enough oxygen and nutrients. The chemicals in tobacco damage the collagen and elastin proteins that give your skin structure. It also decreases the ability of the skin to heal. According to dermatologist Yoon-Soo Cindy Bae, M.D., with the Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York, “A smoker’s skin is thin, dull, more wrinkled, and less able to heal.” Smokefree.gov says that cigarettes can also cause the skin on your face to become dry, dull, and gray. It can’t even be remedied with the best moisturizer and good skin routine.

Even second-hand smoke can cause the skin to sag and speed up the wrinkle process.

As if you needed another reason to quit. “Quitting smoking may have restorative benefits,” says Pat Folan, RN, Director of the North Shore-LIJ Center for Tobacco Control in Great Neck, New York.

2. Too Much Sun

“Every tan, even a slight darkening, is a sign of skin damage,” explains Dr. Nazarian. “With repeated exposure to UV-radiation, skin cells can mutate, causing deadly skin cancers like melanoma. If that wasn’t bad enough, chronic radiation and tanning also cause signs of skin aging, like wrinkles, sagging and drooping, brown spots, and uneven tone.”

If you want to prevent wrinkles and skin cancer, you should be taking precautions daily, even when it’s cold or cloudy outside. Make sure that your moisturizer contains sunscreen, so you only need to apply one product. “Every day of the year, rain or shine, harmful UV rays come through windows in your office, home, or car,” says celebrity esthetician Renee Rouleau.

Look for a minimum of SPF 30, and apply it every two hours if you’re outside. Don’t skimp, either. A full teaspoon is about right for your face, hairline, around your nose, and chin.

1. Over-Exfoliating

While exfoliating can slough away loose patches and increase circulation, the rough treatment can actually disrupt the barrier that balances moisture in the skin. Too much can strip it of its necessary oils it needs to maintain your natural glow, causing irritation. You could experience redness, inflammation, irritation, and breakouts.

Skincare Tips from MDSUN Skin Care®

Bargain shopping is fun. The thrill of the challenge, the elusive find, the sense of victory when you win a steal. That’s ok for antiquing and accessorizing. Not so much for skincare.

There’s definitely something to be said for quality, especially when it comes to what goes into the products designed to nourish and care for the largest organ of your body: your skin.

Cheaply produced and packaged products with cute titles might have gotten you through your teens, but your mature self deserves more respect.

Just like the bargain basement toilet paper your husband came home with last month, there are some serious holes in a skincare routine that hasn’t had some thought put into it. That’s not to say that you have to go out there and purposefully auction off your kidney so you can buy the most expensive skincare products on the market just because they’re — well — the most expensive. No. But you should be paying attention to quality and arming yourself with the best skin care products that your budget can afford.

What Does Best Mean in Skincare?

We’re talking about the best for you. The best for your skin. The best for your goals.

Know Your Skin

Typically, what looks pretty on the storeroom shelf or has the funniest commercial isn’t necessarily always what is best for your skin.

It doesn’t matter what fabulous new serum you come home with tomorrow, if it’s not chosen to suit your particular skin’s needs, it’s not good for much of anything. Take some time to do your homework and get to know your skin before going shopping for shiny packaging.

Look at your face through a magnifying mirror and analyze it. What is your skin type? Are you seeing broken capillaries? Pale or sallow skin? Is your skin the same all over, or do you have certain problem spots? “Think of your skin as having different ecosystems,” says Kate Somerville, an L.A.-based aesthetician who caters to celebrities such as Katherine Heigl. “Are you dry around the eyes but experience hormonal breakouts on your chin? It’s all about treating these areas with the right products.” It’s worth taking some time to figure out exactly what your skincare needs are. If you’re not quite sure where to begin, invest in a trip to your dermatologist for some guidance.

If you’re using the wrong products for your skin, not only will it not get any better, but chances are, it’ll get worse.

It’s All About the Best Ingredients

What makes a quality product is quality ingredients. When you’re seeking the best skincare products for you, you’re looking for things that are going to be right for your skin type and address the problems you need to fix. There is nothing more important to the overall effectiveness of a product than the ingredients that go into it. And let’s face it, typically you get what you pay for in this department. Just look at the difference in cost of products that contain high levels of filler ingredients versus high levels of active ingredients; lab-created compounds versus sustainably sourced extracts.

And the right ingredients can do the right job. Be careful of what you read on labels. You are shopping for effect, not promise. Beware of label claims like “improves the appearance of” followed with a problem (acne, dark circles, fine lines). Instead, “look for important words such as ‘exfoliating,’ ‘hydrating’ or ‘mattifying’ and then match the product to your skin’s needs,” says Fiona Stiles, a celebrity makeup artist for Mark whose clients include Lucy Hale and Elizabeth Banks.

You’re seeking products that have a high percentage of active ingredients involved. Many formulations can be up to 80% water. That’s not really going to do much for your skin, and you’re paying for a tuneful of the stuff. In some drugstore or even natural brands, “water can masquerade as Aloe Vera juice or herbal infusions,” warns Julia Teren of Thesis Beauty.

Taking Time to Find the Best

What is best for you and your skin isn’t necessarily immediately discernible. Sometimes it takes a little while to allow products to work their magic before you know they’re the one. A zit-on-the-run shouldn’t take 10 days to go away. If you used a spot treatment chances are it resolved on its own. Anti-acne treatments are designed to work pretty quickly. With anti-aging products, it’ll take a bit longer before you start to see an improvement in the dark spots and wrinkles. “You need a minimum of two weeks — but closer to a month — to see results,” says Dr. Schultz. A moisturizer should produce some change immediately, but an exfoliating product will likely take a week or two.

Quality Skincare on a Budget

Not every purchase has to break the bank. There are plenty of affordable-for-most-budget brands out there that fit the quality guidelines we outlined above, offering effective products. They focus on using good ingredients at wallet-friendly prices.

Skincare Tips from MDSUN Skin Care®

Every day we’re bombarded with a huge variety of skincare choices. There are so many different recommendations on what you should and shouldn’t use and for a multitude of varying reasons.

You’ve been told you should incorporate a serum into the middle layers of your facial care routine, but you’re not quite sure how that works.

Then there’s the sticker shock. Serums tend to seem pricey for such small quantities. Just how do they get away with charging so much for what seems like so little?

We’re going to demystify the aura around facial serums and take a look at exactly what they do for you.

What Is a Face Serum?

Let us start by defining what a serum is not. A serum is moisturizing but is not a moisturizer. It’s oily, but it’s not an oil. It’s watery but isn’t an essence.

Hmmm. So then what is a serum?

Serums are thin, liquid-based products that are much lighter than creamy moisturizers. They are something you apply to your face after cleansing but before moisturizing. They deliver a potent layer of ingredients directly into your skin. They are lightweight, nutrient-packed, and are a key ally in battling for healthy, beautiful, glowing skin.

You could very well consider them a supplement shot for your skin because they are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants to protect you from the ravages of free radicals, which contribute to the premature aging process. They’ve got such a high concentration of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and hydrators, making them perfect for targeting specific concerns like wrinkles, dullness, acne, or hydration.

They contain powerful moisturizing ingredients to help skin retain moisture, but they don’t create a barrier on top of the skin like moisturizers do to help retain all those good ingredients.

When Should I Apply a Face Serum?

A serum works best when it’s allowed to sink deep into the skin, so it should be applied before you add your moisturizer and after you cleanse. If your skin care regimen includes a toner after cleansing, smooth on your serum between the toner and moisturizer. All you need is a pea-sized amount for your entire face.

How Does A Serum Work?

Ni’Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist and Vice President of Research and Innovation at Englewood Lab describes why:

“The beauty of a serum is that most of the fluid is eliminated, so what you’re left with is a high concentration of active ingredients.” Serums contain the most potent dose of anti-aging ingredients — antioxidants, peptides, and skin brighteners such as kojic acid — you can find in nonprescription products. “They’re the true workhorses of any product line,” Wilson says.

They’re very efficient, so just a few concentrated drops of the product will do. Serums are made up of very small molecules, so the skin absorbs them quickly and deeply. They have a lipid-soluble base, so they can dissolve/mix/interact with fat. This allows the active ingredients to penetrate into the skin instead of just lying on the surface. That means highly-concentrated doses of beneficial antioxidants can be delivered directly to the inner layers of skin. “By leaving out many of the heavier ingredients that are found in traditional moisturizers, [face serums] contain a much higher proportional concentration of active ingredients,” says Dr. Carlos A. Charles, Founder and Medical Director of Derma di Colore in Chelsea.

Many serums are formulated for specific purposes to target skin problems at the core. There are so many variations on the market, choosing one may prove to be difficult, but that also means you have plenty of options. Check your ingredients to choose the best serum for concerns like aging, brightening, or sun damage. Keep your skin problems in mind when you select your serum.

Serums May Not Be For Everyone

Serums are helpful for most skin types, people with certain conditions need to be careful. They are not necessarily for everyone. Because of the lighter liquid or gel-like texture, a serum may be a poor match for those suffering from chronic skin conditions like rosacea, psoriasis, or eczema. These problems weaken the skin barrier, so a serum may cause irritation by penetrating too quickly. If you suffer from one of those problems, you may want to consult your dermatologist before trying a serum.

Is a Serum Worth the Cost?

Skincare Tips from MDSUN Skin Care®

Most men wouldn’t be caught dead standing around discussing their skincare needs and routines. But they have skin, and that skin needs to be cared for, so someone had better be talking about it!

We’re talking basic care here. There’s no need for any major muss or fuss. Trips to the salon aren’t necessary, and neither are chemical peels or weekly masque treatments. (But, hey, if you want to indulge, who are we to judge?)

Basic skincare is important, even for those of manly-man persuasion, and we’re here to talk about it out loud. In addition, men suffer the same skincare woes and troubles as womenfolk. Things like acne, sensitive skin, and razor burn can all be tackled with a little bit of TLC.

Know Your Manly Skin

You may not really care what your skin type is, but trust us- you should. This step doesn’t require you to be a rocket scientist and will make the rest of the process go smoothly and successfully. It just requires a little tiny bit of sleuthing.

If you have:

Normal Skin it stays pretty clear and is not sensitive

Dry Skin is flaky, itchy, or rough

Oily Skin it produces excess oil so it is shiny and greasy

Combination Skin is dry in some areas and oily in others

Sensitive Skin it has a tendency to break out, react to products, or sting or burn

Knowing your skin type will allow you to make good choices when it comes to what products you should or shouldn’t use, or how to help yourself if you run into a bit of skin trouble in the future. If you’ve been having trouble with your skin, try reading the product labels and ingredients. If you have acne-prone skin, you should look for “oil-free” or “non-comedogenic” products because they won’t clog your pores. If your skin is on the sensitive side, use mild “fragrance-free” products to avoid possible irritants.

Basic Skin Care For Men

Your skin needs proper care, but that care doesn’t have to be difficult or horribly time-consuming. Just follow these few simple steps twice a day; morning and before bed.

Cleanse. Skip your same-old average bar soap here. While some bar soaps are good for your skin, many are full of skin-stripping ingredients that can dry you out. Opt for a cleanser designed for your face. Other types of cleansers typically contain chemicals that are too harsh for your face. Rinse with cool water and pat dry with a soft cloth.

Moisturize. If the thought of telling anyone that you “moisturize” seems too girly, just call it “thirst-quenching your skin.” Moisturizing has a bunch of benefits including helping to keep your skin from drying out (even oily skin can get too dry) and will go far towards preventing signs of aging like wrinkles down the line. It also keeps your face looking generally good and touchable.

Treat. If you’re suffering from acne, apply a medicated product. If you are worried about combating signs of aging, anti-aging cream can help to smooth out forehead wrinkles and crow’s feet around your eyes and tighten your skin. An eye cream can also help to reduce bags and puffiness. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look at the top of your game!

Sunscreen. The sun is the number one offender when it comes to creating wrinkles, age spots, and other age-related damage. On top of that, everyone is prone to the dreaded skin cancer. Don’t let yourself become another one of those statistics. Slathering on a bit of sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 before you go outdoors only takes a minute. Don’t forget to reapply it every two hours. If you’re going to be sweating or swimming, reapply it immediately afterward!

Shaving Tips For Your Skin

While you may have been shaving for years or decades by now, have you been doing so with your skin’s best interests in mind? Pay attention to your shaving technique. If you’re experiencing razor bumps, razor burns, or ingrown hairs, switch from a multi-blade razor to a single- or double-blade instead. Don’t pull your skin taut while you shave. It may just be that the multi-blade razors are working too well or shaving too closely for your skin.

Wet your skin and hair first to soften it. Apply moisturizing shaving cream and allow it a chance to actually condition the skin before you begin. Shave with the direction of hair growth and rinse after each swipe of the razor. Change your blade after every five to seven shaves to minimize irritation.

Skin Care Extras For Men

You can also pay a little bit of extra attention to these tips to ensure your skin will be sexy, smooth, and healthy for a long time to come.

Drink plenty of water every day and avoid too much caffeine and alcohol

Avoid too much sugar

Watch out for too much time in the sun

Get plenty of sleep every night

Load up on antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies

Keep your stress level low