BusinessWomanPA.com ~ Body & Soul 1

ith the onset of autumn comes a frenzy ofactivity intended to prepare us for optimalcomfort and protection as the mercury

begins dropping. We switch our wardrobe. We weatherizeour homes. We even change our diet.

But the modification that we too often forget to make is toour skincare routine. As our body’s covering, skin is in regularcontact with the elements and is, thus, directly impacted byseasonal changes. The result? Dry skin, acne breakouts, and generaldiscomfort can ensue.

But with a few simple changes to your daily skincare regimen, you canbe sure your skin will stay in optimal health throughout the winter and,as a result, look its very best through the holiday season and beyond.

Step 1: Evaluate Your Product Inventory I encourage my patients to assess their skincare product inventory at

least twice a year—in spring and autumn, as these are the times of yearwhen you should be switching out key products, like moisturizers.

However, by looking at all the products in your cabinet, you can ensureyou’ll never use one that has expired or is harmful to your skin. As youlook at each product, ask yourself the following questions. If you answer“yes” to any of them, the product needs to be replaced.• Has the product broken down in any manner? Does it smell different

than it did when first purchased? Has the color or texture changed? • Does the product contain harsh ingredients like alcohol, scrubbing

“granules,” or pumice?• If the product is open, have you had it for more than a year? Products

with active ingredients start to lose their effectiveness around thistime. However, products like cleansing lotions and toner can be keptfor up to three years.

Step 2: Assess Your Skincare RegimenThe next step is to review how many skincare steps you implement

each morning or evening. The optimal skincare routine involves just foursteps: cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize, and protect with a sunscreen product.(Because sunscreen is often incorporated into day moisturizers, thisregimen often requires only three steps. And despite what many believe,sunscreen really is a vital skincare step every day of the year.)

If you’re doing more than this, you may be doing too much and thatcould turn your good intentions into negative results.

Of course, there are instances where additional products are necessary.If you have areas of hyperpigmentation, for example, a skin lightener maybe used. Experience acne breakouts? You may want to add in a clarifyinglotion.

Many women like to use an eye cream, but this is only necessary forthose with extreme skin dryness in this area or for those who want to giveextra care to their eye area. Most facial moisturizers work just fine in theeye area.

Step 3: Utilize Products that Address Cold-Weather ConcernsThe changes in air temperature and humidity that accompany autumn

and winter can lead to dull, dry skin that, in turn, creates inflammationthat leads to a host of additional problems, such as breakouts.

Therefore, it’s necessary for individuals who are particularly prone todry skin to switch to a moisturizer that is rich in humectants to minimizewater loss from the skin. The lightweight moisturizers of summer can beused during the day by those with oily skin, with heavier moisturizersused only at night. Everyone else, however, should consider using a “nightmoisturizer” both night and day.

While exfoliation is essential year round, it is particularly importantduring colder months when skin is drier. Exfoliating at least once per dayprevents the buildup of dead skin cells and allows moisturizers to be moreeffective.

Step 4: Optimize Your Environment for Skin ComfortLack of humidity in the air causes the skin’s surface to lose moisture

Four Steps to

‘Winterizing’Your Skincare Routine

By AHMED ABDULLAH, MD, FACS, FICS

W

2 ~ Body & Soul | BUSINESSWoman

quickly and in large amounts,resulting in dryness. Therefore,proper humidity levels should bemaintained in the home throughthe use of a cool mist humidifier.

Additional tips include:• To prevent over-drying the

skin, showers and handwashing should be limited inlength and only a moderatewater temperature should beused.

• Our lips are more prone tomoisture evaporation than therest of our skin and, thus, tendto be among the first areas ofskin to dry out. Therefore, lipbalm should be used regularly.

Optimizing your skincare routinefor winter doesn’t need to be anexpensive endeavor or a time-consuming one, for that matter. Inreality, to get the best results out of

your skincare routine, it’snecessary to replace only a fewproducts.

Once you get into the habit ofevaluating your skincare routine afew times a year and making thenecessary modifications, thereward is improved skin healthand beauty. And that, my friends,should most certainly make itworth the effort.

•

Dr. Ahmed Abdullah is aninternationally celebrated plastic/cosmetic surgeon and a recognizedexpert on the restorative andmedicinal effects of aloe vera.Abdullah is the formulator of an aloe-based skincare line. He is the author ofSimple Skincare, Beautiful Skin: A-Back-to-Basics Approach, his first bookwritten for consumers, which breaksthrough the myths associated withskincare. www.lexli.com/company

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BusinessWomanPA.com ~ Body & Soul

4

nvesting in looking and feeling well is a challenge for multitaskingbusinesswomen. Sometimes, though, they’re forced to take notice.

Varicose veins can happen to anyone, but women are especially vulnerable.Working women may experience more discomfort from gnarled, enlarged veins becausethey tend to stand on their feet a lot or sit in one position for a long time.

Other risk factors are pregnancy, age, and a family history, though some of it is “justbad luck,” says David Calcagno, M.D., a vascular surgeon with Calcagno & Rossi VeinTreatment Center in Mechanicsburg.

The problem in varicose veins may be that the valves in the saphenous vein in the leg—normally oriented so that blood returns to the heart—can leak, so the blood that’ssupposed to return to the heart “goes the wrong way.” This can cause the veins to bulgeand the legs to be tired and achy and may also lead to ulceration.

For more than a hundred years, surgical “stripping” was the treatment to eliminate thesaphenous vein backward flow.

“The procedure worked well, but it was a big deal,” done in the hospital under generalanesthesia, and it required a long recovery before patients could resume normal activities.

“Now,” says Calcagno, “doctors can use a microwave catheter under local anesthesia toseal the saphenous veins and eliminate the backward flow. With this technique, patientscan return to normal activities immediately.”

Large, overlying varicose veins can be treated with microphlebectomy, a fancy term fortaking varicose veins out through tiny needle holes rather than the old way of removingthem with large incisions requiring sutures and a long healing time. Patients can resumenormal activities immediately.

The new procedures are beneficial for working women reluctant or unable to takemuch time off because they can go back to work the next day. In fact, it’s suggested thatwomen undergoing the procedures exercise the same day.

Some women also seek medical advice for spider veins, similar to but smaller thanvaricose veins. Although spider veins are generally treated more for cosmetic reasons,they can cause aching and a burning sensation.

Sclerotherapy is used to treat both smaller varicose veins and spider veins, saysCalcagno. This treatment consists of the doctor injecting a solution into the veins with thesmallest needle made. This does not require anesthesia, and patients can drive themselvesto the procedure. Again, patients can resume normal activities immediately.

Treated veins should not come back. However, if a woman has a tendency to formvaricose veins, it is possible for others to form over the years.

“But the treatment is like 98 percent effective,” says Calcagno. Compression stockings help push the blood back to the heart and ease symptoms

temporarily, but they “aren’t a cure.” However, most health-insurance companies insistthat patients wear them for a certain period before covering corrective treatment, but theywill usually pay for procedures if the varicose veins are large and causing discomfort.

Beauty may be only skin deep, but improving the skin can enhance it.Ninety percent of the sun’s aging is due to the sun, but genetic factors (as in acne) play

a part, as do hormonal ones (as in depigmentation), says Holly Gunn, M.D., of LancasterSkin Center, which practices medical and surgical dermatology and performs cosmeticprocedures. Skin and aging skin—including sun damage, such as sunspots andwrinkling—are cared for both medically and cosmetically.

By BARBARA TRAININ BLANK

Pre- and post-

sclerotherapy

images from a

patient at Calcagno

& Rossi Vein

Treatment Center.

post-sclerotherapy

post-sclerotherapy

Pre-sclerotherapy

Look and Feel Younger and

Move Pain-Free

I

Pre-sclerotherapy

~ Body & Soul | BUSINESSWoman

BusinessWomanPA.com ~ Body & Soul 5

One new cosmetic treatment is the VI Peel. Like other chemicalpeels, the Vi is a solution placed on the skin that leads to a peelingprocess to remove its top surface.

“VI is composed of a combination of ingredients that worksynergistically,” says Gunn. “Retinol increases collagen and improvesskin tone. Tricloracetic acid and salicyclic acid improve the tone,texture, and clarity of skin; the latter is also an anti-acne ingredient.Vitamins A and C are also included.”

The peel removes sunspots, which over-the-counter creams wouldtake years to do, she says. VI’s ingredients have to be physiciandelivered rather than by estheticians because they are prescriptionstrength.

“VI Peels are more elegant—less stingy and burning than otherpeels. They’re not as uncomfortable during the peeling process but alsoproduce more peeling, which is more beneficial,” Gunn adds.

The application takes about 15 minutes. Once you leave the office,the peel stays on for four hours, after which you wash your face.

“It will look a little red (like being in the sun) and flaky and peelingfor about seven days, but women can go about their normal activities,”Gunn says. “Once the peeling process is over, the skin will look and feelsmoother, and age spots, acne scares, or melasma (brown discolorationof facial skin) are improved.”

Although even one peel brings improvement, it takes two or threefor maximum results.

“Most people tolerate the Vi Peel well, better than other peels,”Gunn says. “There’s no chance of scarring, and it’s very safe—and withdeeper results than the peels of estheticians.”

Injectable treatments are also available. Botox® decreases the abilityfor the brow to scowl and takes away that “angry, tired look,” Gunnexplains. In the “wrong hands,” Botox® can make a person look silly.When administered properly, it can get rid of wrinkles but still leave anatural and “non-frozen” appearance.

Even though women often have sun damage from sunburns aschildren or teenagers, it’s never too late for preventive efforts. Gunnadvises using a gentle cleanser every day and a moisturizer withsunscreen—so you won’t get as many fine lines and wrinkles to beginwith. She also recommends “photo damage prevention andmaintenance” through nighttime moisturizers with Retinol or Retin Ato help reduce wrinkles and age spots and ward off more.

Tear troughs—the thinning of the skin around the eyes that causessagging and wrinkling and a tired, older look—can be improved withPerlane and Juvederm.

It’s OK for us to focus on the way we look and feel. And now, it’seasier than ever, with a little help from medical specialists.

VI Peel patient images.

before after

before after

Dr. Gunn demonstrates a Botox treatment, left,

and VI Peel treatment, below.