SunBurn Art - Trendy Yet Deadly

Dermatologists have warned the population against a new type of skin decoration known as sunburn art, placing sunscreen in a design on the body in such a way that a specific design or symbol is burnt onto the skin by the sun while the rest of the skin remains protected. This can push up the risk of contracting melanoma by 50 %. Apart from this it also forces the skin to age prematurely.These people are intentionally getting sunburnt in order to highlight a mark or design of their choosing. Exposing the skin to the rays of the sun frequently can also result in the fragmentation of collagen. Collagen is basically what helps us look young and fresh. And with fragmentation, the skin can start looking dull and old.

With the art growing more and more popular in the United States, the Skin Cancer Foundation released a statement saying, “The Skin Cancer Foundation strongly advises the public to avoid sunburns at all costs,” the group’s senior vice president, Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff, wrote. “A sunburn is not only painful – it’s dangerous, and comes with consequences. Sunburns cause DNA damage to the skin, accelerate skin aging, and increase your lifetime skin cancer risk. In fact, sustaining five or more sunburns in youth increase lifetime melanoma risk by 80 percent. On average, a person’s risk for melanoma doubles if he or she has had more than five sunburns.”

Based on the most recent report of the American Cancer Society, there is an expected approximately 73,000 new cases of invasive melanoma that will happen in the United States leading to about 10,000 death cases.

Before you plan on hit the “#Sunburn” to fit on the latest trend, it is better to think and again and read its dangerous effects. Think about what Rohrer said, “There is no reason to significantly increase your risk for a life threatening skin cancer by intentionally tanning or burning your skin in the sun or tanning booth.”

Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff, a senior vice president, says that sunburn isn’t only painful but is also dangerous & comes with a number of consequences. Sunburn damages our skin’s DNA and also accelerates skin aging apart from increasing skin cancer risk. In fact, getting 5 or more sunburns during youth can increase melanoma risk by 80 % in your lifetime. In an adult, the risk of melanoma doubles with 5 or more sunburns.

What is a Peptide?

The #1 driver in skincare is results.   Let's go over some of the key ingredients in many of our Rodan + Fields products!

Peptides - Tiny protein fragments that promote collagen growth and help repair skin.

Antioxidants - Any ingredient that reduces free-radical damage to the skin. Commonly vitamins A, C, E

Hyaluronic Acid - A sugar molecule found naturally in the skin, it increases skin's moisture content and prevents water loss. It can hold 1,000 times it's weight in water and is typically found in expensive creams and serums.

Amino Acids - The building blocks of the proteins that make up collagen and elastin - substances that give the skin it's structural support. Aging and a combination of external factors (including UV light and environmental toxins) reduce the level of amino acids in the body; creams containing amino acids may help restore them.

Collagen - This protein makes up 80% of the skin, and it's fibers give skin its firmness and strength. Collage naturally breaks down over time, but certain ingredients, such as retinal and peptides (including Matrixyl) can stimulate new collagen production.

Hyper-pigmentation - Often triggered by UV light exposure, a wound, illness, hormonal changes, or certain drugs, this darkening of the skin might appear as a uniform tan, melanoma (patches of discoloration), or an isolated acne scar. 

Retinol - A derivative of vitamin A used in anti-aging products to stimulate the turnover of skin cells and increase collage production. The maximum amount allowed in over-the-counter products is 1%. Retinyl palmitate and retinaldehyde are weaker, less-irritating forms of retinol. 

Ceramides - They make up about 20% of the skin's intercellular matrix, the 'glue' that holds skin cells together, helping skin maintain its appearance while protecting it.

Phospholipids - These are essential to the function of cell membranes by providing a stable surrounding structure. Lecithin is an example of a phosopholipid.

Lecitithin - This is present to act as an emulsifier for the product but it also helps to hydrate, replenish, and repair the skin due to its essential fatty acid content. 

Ask the Doctors

Is the REVERSE Regimen safe to use on summer days at the beach or while boating as long as we reapply REVERSE Sunscreen often? I’m also wondering if retinol can actually intensify sun damage even if I’m wearing an SPF 50.

 Dr. Kathy Fields: First, remember that harmful rays are present 365 days a year, so lifestyle is actually a more important consideration than the time of year. Anyone serious about addressing their dull skin and dark marks can layer on the sunscreen, seek shade and wear protective clothing all year long—but it makes no sense to begin a spot-fading regimen if you’re spending time outdoors without strict sun protection.

Ultimately, any kind of tanning, whether in natural sunlight or in a tanning bed, will negate what REVERSE Regimen does for brown spots or dull skin. It’s like going up the down escalator. If you wish to have a sunny glow, seek a safe alternative, like our ESSENTIALS Foaming Sunless Tan or ENHANCEMENTS Mineral Peptides in Bronze.

Another thing to keep in mind: Pure Vitamin A, also known as Retinoic Acid or Retin-A, as well as its many common derivatives used in skincare products (Retinol, Retinaldehyde and Retinyl Palmitate) can be mildly sun sensitizing.

The ingredient choices, and concentrations of such ingredients, in any Rodan + Fields skincare product are each very carefully selected to help minimize sun sensitivity. In addition, we always recommend the use of one of our advanced daily sunscreen protection products, like REVERSE Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ Sunscreen. All are specifically designed to protect skin from various types of sun damage and to protect sun-sensitive skin.

The safest solution will always be to avoid the sun, wear sunscreen and seek shade.

How to Get Skin That Gets You Carded

We know, we know, it sounds like the pitch of a snake-oil salesman: Make these simple changes to your life and watch years melt away! But research shows that there are real strategies that do produce glowier, younger-looking skin, and they don't involve needles or a dermatologist visit. There aren't a whole lot of these proven tactics—many hoped-for solutions don't bear out under scrutiny in the lab—but there are enough. Here, a skin-improvement plan that actually, truly works.

1. Add Retinol to Your Skin Care

As antiaging ingredients go, nothing—honestly, nothing—works better at boosting collagen, reducing fine lines, evening out discoloration, and tightening pores than the little vitamin A molecule called retinol. "There are decades of research about how it stimulates cell turnover and gets skin looking and acting younger," says Scottsdale, Arizona, dermatologist Jennifer Linder, M.D. "And that doesn't even get into how great it is at fighting acne too." Retinol can prevent breakouts, she explains, and even reverse sun damage: "It's really the be-all and end-all in antiaging." What's been exciting recently, she adds, is how far over-the-counter creams and serums have come from the earlier harsh, face-peeling versions like prescription Retin-A. "The improved blends are more stable and are now paired with skin-calming ingredients," says Dr. Linder. The usual retinol caveats apply: Use SPF religiously, since retinol can initially make your skin more sun-sensitive; apply it at night (sunlight deactivates retinol); and ease into a routine by applying every other day for the first few weeks. "But now there are elegant formulas that have moisturizers like hyaluronic acid or oils, plus all these great additional antioxidants, so you can tolerate it better," she says. You should see wrinkle-minimizing in about six weeks, if not sooner.

2. Boost Your Cardio Workout 
Here's the most intriguing antiaging news we've heard in a while: Doing cardio may erase years from your skin. In a recent study from McMaster University in Ontario, researchers found that active adults had skin that was more resilient and thicker than that of their sedentary peers. But good news: They also found that if those sedentary 65-and-older volunteers—the ones with thinner, older-looking skin—rode on a stationary bike or jogged twice a week, the inner layer of their skin plumped up after three months. So start exercising now; it's never too late. 

3. Massage Your Face
You know those moments during a facial when the aesthetician gives your face a little rubdown, midtreatment? It turns out that's more than just a fancy way to put on a moisturizing mask. Face massages have been shown to improve your mood—and emerging research indicates they may also help reduce puffiness if you do one a couple of times a week for three months. Or if you want to treat undereye bags and dark circles, San Francisco facialist Kristina Holey advises smoothing on an eye serum, then tapping your middle finger near the inner corner of your eye, just underneath your eyebrow, and gently pressing all the way around your eye. "Start with three minutes a day," says Holey. "There can be a lot of congestion there."

4. Eat More Vegetables
Specifically, add these vitamin-rich, antiaging powerhouses to your diet: For brown spots or unevenness, load up on vitamin A (the same vitamin retinol is derived from), which studies have shown can protect the skin from UVA sun damage. You can find tons of the stuff in carrots. Los Angeles nutritionist Kimberly Snyder also loves red cabbage, which, she says, "contains the anti-inflammatory vitamin E, not to mention lots of cleansing fiber to help lower cortisol levels and prevent lines around the eyes from starting in the first place." (Cortisol, the hormone your body produces when you're stressed out, has been shown to cause a whole cascade of bad-for-skin reactions.) Last but not least, look for vitamin C, which you can get in red bell peppers (and a slew of other fruits and vegetables): "It can help to repair and regenerate your skin's collagen and strengthen cells," says Snyder. Cabbage plus carrots plus bell peppers: You've got the beginnings of a nice slaw, and some seriously glowing skin. "People go to great lengths with supplements," notes Snyder, "but it's so simple—and delicious!—to get gorgeous skin through whole foods."

First published at www.glamour.com

Before & After

I am amazed at how YOUNG I look after using my Rodan + Fields Skincare Products!  Ha!

But seriously, if you are NOT regularly exfoliating, even if you are using great skincare products - it's like you are watering the grass without raking the leaves first!  Message me today and I'll hook you up with THE BEST skincare products around, created by two of the best dermatologists in the country. These products really work!  Stop wasting your $ on the other stuff! 

The Future Starts Now

Why Use All 4 Steps?

Some of you ask me do I have to use all 4 steps in the Rodan + Fields Regimen?

The answer is YES!  And here is why:

1.) CLEANSER

If a wash does what it should, it will pull impurities out of your skin, open up the pores, and clean the dead skin, dirt and bacteria away from your face. If it's a cheap wash, it will just "push" the junk around your skin instead of cleaning it off. Bubbles & Foam are BAD! They destroy the delicate lipid barrier of the skin and ruin the skin's natural moisture process. Example: If you have oily skin, it will be come more oily; if you have dry skin, it will become more dry.

2.) TONER

After cleaning your face with a good cleanser you need to take advantage of the open pores and get those important ingredients in while you have the chance (approximately 3 minutes). A toner is extremely important for delivering ingredients deeper into the skin. Liquid is much less dense than a cream, but it also balances the ph level of your skin, which resolves oily or dryness and kills the bacteria that may still be stuck deep in the pores. 

3.) TREATMENT

A 3rd step is important because your pores are still open to the environment. This step will close pores, keep the good ingredients in and the bad stuff out including pollutants, bacterias, environmental harshnesses and more. Without the third step you as well not even wash your face. This is also an important step in the moisturizing process. Restoring the skin's natural moisture will slow down the aging process, help out with sensitivity and just keep your face feeling and looking better all around.  

4.) SPF

Sun protection, during the morning wash, is the single most important way to keep skin young and healthy looking.