Could You Be Making These 4 Common Skin Care Mistakes?
It's not easy to have a glowing complexion. Just look at the statistics: 85% of people will suffer from some sort of acne in their lifetime, and around 7.5 million Americans suffer from psoriasis. Despite this, the beauty and skin care industry is doing better than ever.
So what gives? Unfortunately (and fortunately), the secret to perfect skin isn't just about buying the best skin care products for women. Rather, it takes a commitment to a certain lifestyle that will not only have your skin looking better, but will have you feeling better, too.
Here are 4 skin care mistakes to avoid:
Not getting enough sleep
During the day, your skin is working hard to protect itself from damaging free radicals, pollutants, and ultraviolet rays. Just like your mind, your skin is able to rejuvenate and repair itself overnight, keeping skin in top notch condition. However, a lack of sleep will effectively accelerate the aging process, delay healing, and will result in a number of skin problems, such as acne, dark circles, and puffy eyes. To look and feel your best, shoot for eight hours of sleep per night.
Not washing your face before bed
While applying SPF, primer, makeup and the like has your skin looking good and feeling good during the day, these products are built to last and will remain heavily on the skin, clogging your pores and leaving it susceptible to dry skin, breakouts, and sensitive areas. Instead, use a gentle cleanser before bed and an evening formulated moisturizer that will help your skin to rejuvenate as it intends to. Ask a dermatologist about what night-time routine and products are best for your skin.
Not moisturizing your skin
Many of the 50 million Americans dealing with acne believe that people with oily skin should skip the moisturizer before bed. But like previous tips have shown, the skin has a tendency to dry out as you sleep. Providing it with the essential moisture necessary will help to halt excess oil production that leads to breakouts in the first place.
Not staying informed
Ignorance is bliss, but it also makes for poor skin habits and a bad complexion. Visit your local dermatologist regularly, or schedule a dermatology appointment to find out what skin care routine is best for your specific skin type. Whether you choose in-person or online, an expert will help you to correct any mistakes that are disrupting your current skin care routine.
New Websites Let You Speak to a Dermatologist Online
The average American is extremely likely to experience some type of skin condition or problem over the course of their lives. Take skin cancer, for example: an estimated one in five people in the United States will develop this disorder at some point in their lifetime. Of this number, some will go on to develop melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, which is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells.
As long as the condition is detected early, it is highly curable. However, advanced melanoma can spread to the lymph nodes and internal organs, a change that can be fatal. For this reason, dermatology and skin cancer specialists recommend that every person take care to protect themselves from the sun, regularly check their skin for changes, and see a dermatologist periodically for professional skin examinations. Unfortunately, finding the time to visit a dermatologist clinic for these exams can be a challenge. Because of this, a number of practices are now making it possible for busy patients to connect with a dermatologist online.
Increasingly, dermatologists are recommending websites like DermatologistsOnCall.com to patients who are in need of a quick diagnosis or are unable to make time for a traditional appointment. Founded by Dr. Mark Seraly, the site is reportedly similar to a modern dermatologist appointment, especially now that most practices upload their information online. Unlike a traditional appointment, however, the patient speaks with the dermatologist online, either though a video conference or instant messaging service, with the diagnosis, treatment and counseling information being delivered within 11 hours.
However, there are drawbacks to the service: DermatologistsOnCall.com, for example, costs $59 for every virtual visit, and is only covered by one insurance provider. It is also meant for singular issues, not full body exams, a necessary part of detecting skin cancer and other problems. And yet many patients say that speaking with a dermatologist online makes obtaining care easier, while also allowing them to be more descriptive. For this reason, this type of service is growing popular with tech-savvy users under the age of 40, who are also likely to be female.
Currently, some dermatologists are worried about the effect online dermatologist visits could have on a patient's health and the way dermatology is practiced: after all, many conditions cannot be diagnosed without touching and closely examining lesions and other symptoms. However, the practitioners themselves state that seeing a dermatologist online is not meant to replace traditional appointments, only provide a quick solution. In the end, this new service is useful because it expands options: for simple questions and quick fixes, speak to a dermatologist online, but for more serious concerns and treatments, schedule an appointment with a local dermatologist.