Skin Care Tips
from Dr. Bernstein
LESLIE BERNSTEIN, MD, DDS Founding Department Chairman Past President, American Academy Facial Plastic Surgery ***** Ph: 916-923-0820 To preserve skin quality at any age, avoid excessive sun exposure, both hot and cold. Other than that, active skin care should start as soon as signs of early aging are noted, such as fine wrinkles or any unsightly skin lesions. And remember that cutting surgery cannot reduce wrinkles. The upkeep and restoration of youthful skin may be compared to maintaining a healthy lawn: 1. Fertilizers to nourish the roots; 2. Mowing to stimulate new growth; 3. Watering to sustain soft, youthful foliage. To understand this comparison, you need to know: 1. How skin functions; 2. How it repairs itself when damaged; and
3. Why it degenerates as we get older. The skin is considered to be the 3rd most important organ of the body. In cases of failed suicidal immolation, with extensive skin loss, the life expectancy may be counted in days. To prevent our skin from wearing out under normal circumstances, it is constantly being replaced with new skin throughout our lives. When viewed under a microscope, a section through skin shows multiple undulating layers of cells that vary in size and shape from inside out. The deepest layer of cells, called the basal [“mother”] layer, are the permanent, reproductive skin cells. These constantly split to produce new cells, which pop off to add fresh layers to the transitional skin cells above them. The newly-produced "baby" cells are plump and moist and derive sustenance from the nearby mother layer; however, as each new layer gets pushed farther away by constantly created new cells, it gradually becomes thinner and dryer. As these cells get close to the skin's surface, they eventually become flat dry scales and are discarded from the skin’s surface. As an example, dandruff represents clumps of scaly, dead skin cells. Skin Degeneration The worst enemy of skin is sun exposure, including tanning booths. Another factor that applies to all body tissues, is the effect of advancing age. Extraneous factors that contribute to skin deterioration include: Tobacco in all forms, especially secondary smoke; cold and hot air-conditioning, which dry the skin by dehydration; and pollutants. What happens to skin as it deteriorates, is that the basal cell layer suffers the most, so that the production of new cells slows down. This reduces the elasticity of the skin and leads to wrinkling and sagging. Injured Skin Repair Most damaged soft structures of the body are repaired with scar tissue; however, when skin sustains an injury that has not penetrated its basal cell layer, the repair process is by skin cell proliferation. Luckily, the newly repaired skin is often of finer quality than the surrounding old skin! This observation has led to the development of surgical dermabrasion, in which aged skin is sanded with special equipment to cause regrowth of younger skin. It also reduces or even removes wrinkles. This phenomenon is so jealously protective of our skin that even a warning will set it into motion. A most effective harmless “warning” – gentle, light scrubbing of the skin! Why Compare Skin With Lawn? As much as frequent mowing produces dense growth in the lawn, so will skin resurfacing [abrasion and chemical peels] lead to more rapid proliferation of younger, softer and well-nourished skin cells. As much as fertilizers stimulate healthy growth in grass, so will skin “fertilizers” (Retin-A, Serum-C, or Serum-E) enhance the benefits of skin abrasion to hasten the production of younger cells. As watering is to the lawn, so is moisture to the skin. Unfortunately, science is unable to put water into skin from the outside; however, we can prevent skin dehydration by sealing the patient’s own moisture in the skin with a reliable moisturizer, which acts as a moisture sealantBASICS OF SKIN CARE
Anatomy & Physiology
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