Preserving and protecting your body’s skin.
As far as skin care is concerned, a lot of emphasis is put on taking care of your face. But what can we do to preserve and protect the skin on our bodies? Just like the visage, the body shows signs of sun damage and aging— as well as your skin care practices. “Nothing is a bigger tell than a smooth, supple face with sun-damaged, wrinkled hands and neck,” says Dr. Elise P. Barnett, fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and founder and medical director of Atlanta Skin Wellness Center on the Upper Westside. Here, she offers tips for taking care of your body’s largest organ from the chin down.
The Regular Routine
On a day-to-day basis, Barnett recommends sticking with the basics: Use an unscented and dyefree moisturizing bar soap for the body; moisturize within minutes of stepping out of the shower with a ceramide-containing moisturizing cream; and apply a daily sunscreen with SPF 30 or above for sun-exposed skin. “Yes, 365 days of the year,” Barnett says about sunscreen. “It is the first line of defense against extrinsic aging.” For very dry skin, she suggests moisturizers with lactic acid or urea that can exfoliate and also help the skin to retain moisture. A 10% urea-containing product, such as ISDIN Foot Care’s Uradin Podos Hydrating Gel Oil, can be a useful tool to combat dry feet. As for oily skin, benzoyl peroxide washes or products containing salicylic or glycolic acid may help tame acne.
Skin Brightening
Topical vitamin A products can also help prevent or lighten sunspots on your body. Barnett says a product such as Skinbetter Science’s AlphaRet Body Overnight Cream corrects sunspots through gentle exfoliation and suppression of melanocyte activity. EVOlaser is an in-office treatment option to remove brown or red spots and reverse DNA damage from the sun and is offered at Atlanta Skin Wellness Center. “This laser combines several different wavelengths, targeting different aspects of sun damage.”
Tightening Up
Just like brightening, a combination of an at-home prescription-grade product and an in-office treatment can improve elasticity and skin quality. Barnett likes Revision Skincare’s BodiFirm product that promotes collagen and elastin production to reduce fine lines and sagging. She suggests patients pair it with her go-to treatment for skin laxity, Sofwave. This device can be used on the elbows, arms, knees, abdomen and neck. “It uses ultrasound to heat collagen and stimulate the production of new collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid,” she says.
An alternative for tightening elbows and knees is an injectable, such as Sculptra or Hyperdilute Radiesse treatments that stimulate collagen. “These injections are not fillers but biostimulators which provide gradual skin tightening and lead to a smoother, more youthful appearance of the skin,” Barnett says.
Hand Helpers
Over time, the wear and tear on our hands can be particularly obvious as they develop dark spots and lose volume and elasticity, exposing tendons and large veins. Barnett likes to tackle these issues from multiple angles. For loss of volume, she uses Radiesse, a filler that has an instant plumping effect, stimulates collagen over time and masks some of the discoloration from deeper structures in the hands like veins. “At my practice, we then use the CoolPeel or the EVOlaser to correct dark spots and pigmentation.” Finally, to maintain results, microneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy, stimulates collagen through tiny needle punctures at precise depths.
ATLANTA SKIN WELLNESS CENTER
404.446.4840
atlantaskinwellnesscenter.com
@atlantaskinwellnesscenter
