Skin Care

It is that time of the year again, “resolution time” when you make promises to yourself and others. Some are easy to fulfill and others fall by the wayside or are forgotten altogether. Since this is the case with many of our New Year’s Resolutions, why not then make a resolution that is easier to keep? Something as easy as starting a new skin care regimen can make a difference in your whole outlook this year. With thousands of skin care options available today, it is hard to know how to best take care of your skin. The good news is, when it comes to skin, there are 3 basic steps to taking care of it: Exfoliation, Hydration, and Protection.
Whether you have oily skin with breakout/acne problems or aging skin with hyperpigmentation issues, applying the right exfoliator to your skin rejuvenates its underlying structure by stimulating collagen, and cuts through sebum dissolving black heads and killing bacteria. An exfoliating regimen can include ingredients such as Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, and Phytic Acid.
No matter what skin type you are you almost always need a good hydrating topical. A basic law of beauty is that everyone, no matter her skin type, should moisturize. Even if your skin is oily, it will benefit from moisturizers. A good hydrating or moisturizing regimen would include ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin, and Lactic Acid. So how much should you hydrate? Your skin will tell you. When your skin is tight, it’s crying out for moisture. Be careful not to over moisturize — this can clog pores.
For many people summer is the most critical time for protecting the skin. Unfortunately this is a misconception as we often put away our sunscreen and forget about protecting our skin during the cold season. We stop worrying about UV rays and concentrate on keeping warm. In reality, winter conditions can do more damage to your skin than the summer sun. You should continue to protect your skin against UV rays and also against winter’s ever present dry air and cold wind. Using a sunscreen that combines high UVB absorption and dynamic UVA blockage with a combination of zinc oxide is ideal.
There are many skin care lines out in the market that are full of claims and promises. A word of advice is to use a medical grade skin care and to stick to your basic needs. It is also important to understand what active ingredients are in the topical and how they address your skin problems given your skin type and condition. Consulting with an experienced medical professional is always advantageous since they can recommend the appropriate regimen given your health history and medication you may be taking.

Living in rainy Pacific Northwest deprives the body of the essential Vitamin D. Besides bone health Vitamin D also plays a major role in skin health as it contributes to cell metabolism and growth and lessens itching and flaky skin. While creams and supplements can fight Vitamin D shortages, they can also cause toxicity if the dosages are not monitored carefully while they can be ineffective if taken in moderate dosages. Since Vitamin D is best produced in the skin by exposure to the sun, many of us Seattleites try to compensate for the lack of sun exposure by going to tanning beds with UVA and UVB rays. We all know that excessive tanning can lead to skin damage or even skin cancer. How do we then, make up for the lack of Vitamin D that is essential to keeping our skin looking healthy without risking aging it? That is quite a quandary.

The outer most layer of the skin is called the epidermis. Vitamin D3 is produced in the deeper layers of the skin as a result of the pre-vitamin D3 ‘s exposure to the sun’s UVB rays. UVB rays do not penetrate the skin past the epidermis layer but UVA rays do. Since most sunscreens on the market protect only against UVB rays, it is essential to find ones that protect from UVA like sun blocks with zinc oxide. So if you expose yourself to the sun or in the case of us, Seattle folks, to the tanning beds WITH MODESTY while using the right sun block, then you should be able to compensate for the lack of Vitamin D without damaging your skin with wrinkles and spots. Again I emphasize “WITH MODESTY”.

Katy Issa

The Anatomy and Growth Cycles of Hair and Laser Hair Removal.

For a better understanding of how laser hair removal works, we must gain an insight into hair anatomy, physiology, and growth cycles.

The human body surface is almost covered with hair follicles, except for the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Each person has approximately 5 million individual hair follicles. Hair follicles may be straight, wavy, helical, or spiral. Caucasian people typically have thinner hair shafts than persons of Asian or African American heritage. The hair density can also vary in a given skin surface. All of these factors along with the skin type (ethnicity) play a role in determining the right laser and settings to be used when performing laser hair removal.

There are primarily 2 types of hairs on adult bodies. Vellus hair can be found over the entire body and appears as soft, fine, short hairs that are nonpigmented or very lightly pigmented and are almost invisible. Terminal hair is the longer, coarser, and more darkly pigmented hair found on the scalp, underarm area, and groin. Vellus hairs outnumber terminal hairs greatly; however, terminal hairs are more important, as they are responsible for the appearance of hair on the body since they can be a source of embarrassement.

Hair on the body has 3 distinct development cycles: anagen, catagen, and telogen. As hairs progress through these cycles,they are affected differently by treatment with laser hair removal. Anagen is the cycle in which active hair growth occurs. Follicular matrix cells are actively producing cells that will make up the growing hair. During the catagen (the dormant phase), matrix cells degenerate and the bulb begins to die, causing the hair follicle to shrink. Telogen is the final resting phase of the hair follicle. Growth of the hair has stopped, and the follicle becomes inactive. During telogen, the hair is released from its attachment to the skin and sheds.

The process begins again in anagen to form a new hair. The length of time spent in each phase depends upon the location of the hair. On the scalp, hair follicles spend up to 10 years in anagen, but on the trunk, brow, and limbs, anagen lasts no longer than 6 months. Catagen lasts only 2-3 weeks, and telogen lasts from 3-4 months.

Up to 90% of hairs in a given body location can be in the anagen phase at a given time. This is a very important fact in the laser hair removal process since hairs in the anagen phase of development are very responsive to laser treatment. Due to this FUNDAMENTAL FACT, MULTIPLE TREATMENTS are necessary to treat all hair follicles for a given area.

Katy Issa
www.AuraLaser.com