Happy Hacks

I often tell my patients that I can look at someone’s face and instantly know which side of the face they sleep on … How? If you’re a side sleeper, your face is usually pressed up against your bed or pillow. Although it may be comfortable, it actually causes your skin to lose blood supply, decreasing its natural collagen production. This increases skin laxity, which exacerbates the formation of wrinkles and fine-lines such as “nasal labial folds,” lines that run from the sides of your nose to the corner of your mouth, or “marionette” lines that run from the corner of your mouth to your chin. To avoid this, my suggestion is to sleep on your back. I like to put a pillow under my legs, which makes this position more comfortable and prevents me from moving onto either side.

It’s easy to learn about the importance of something, but to actually do it is another thing. So here I am again to remind you to put sunscreen on these 3 most commonly missed body parts!

• Back of the neck – Like I always say, “Don’t neglect your neck.” And that means the back of it is included! One thing I see a lot of is poikiloderma, which is a condition that causes the sides of your neck to become discolored as a result of chronic sun exposure.
• Ears – Many people falsely assume that their long hair or cap will cover their ears and provide adequate sun protection. Unfortunately, this is not true and is one of the reasons why we see many skin cancers develop in this area.
• Back of the hands – You can often tell the appearance of someone’s age just by looking at their hands. This is because our hands are constantly exposed to UV rays, even when we least expect it, such as while driving.

Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that increases cell turnover and stimulates collagen production, sloughing off dead skin and allowing new skin cells to replace it. As we age, this process slows down, so retinol is the perfect anti-aging ingredient. It reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improves skin tone and texture and creates an overall radiant and more youthful appearance. You can start by applying a pea size amount 1-2x per week at night. Retinol is known for causing red, dry and peeling skin so don’t be alarmed if this happens to you. Like I say, “peeling is healing!” Once your skin starts to tolerate it better, you can increase your usage to once a day.

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