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TNS
As a dermatologist, treating my patients’ skin, hair and nail issues
is my top priority, but educating them comes in a close second. I keep a
running list of questions I receive and advice I give that fall outside
of the “basics,” so I’ll be sharing these in the coming weeks.
Here, then, are three rules you need to live by to protect your skin:
Rule No. 1: Don’t
use old doxycycline or tetracycline. We know you are not supposed to
use expired medications; however, we often keep them in our cabinets
anyway. Drug manufacturers are required by law to place expiration dates
on prescription products, and this date represents the final day the
manufacturer guarantees the full potency and safety of a medication.
There
are two main issues with expired drugs. First, the expired drugs might
not work and second, expired drugs can be dangerous. Doxycycline and
tetracycline (brand names include Oracea, Soladyne and Minocin) are
often prescribed by dermatologists to treat acne or rosacea. Expired
doxycycline and tetracycline fall into the dangerous category because
they can cause kidney disease such as Fanconi’s syndrome. For this
reason, be sure to toss old doxycycline or tetracycline antibiotics
after their expiration date.
Rule No. 2: Use an
SPF of at least 15 every day. Many people know to wear SPF when doing
prolonged outdoors sports such as golf and tennis. However, small
increments of unprotected daily sun exposure add up and cause skin
aging, unwanted pigmentation and skin cancer. One study in the February
2004 Dermatology Therapy journal, “An analysis of cumulative
lifetime solar ultraviolet radiation exposure and the benefits of daily
sun protection,” showed that wearing a SPF of 4 to 10 every day can
reduce the accumulated lifetime UV exposure by 50 percent or more. In
other words, when you are in your 70s, you will have roughly half the
sun damage compared to those who do not wear and SPF of at least 4 every
day.
Most people only apply 25 percent of sunscreen necessary to
achieve the SPF on the label. (Half a teaspoon is the correct amount.)
For this reason, we recommend a SPF of 15 every day to make up for the
fact that most people do not apply enough and do not reapply throughout
the day. And it goes without saying, prolonged sun exposure (more than
15 minutes of direct sun) requires a waterproof sunscreen of SPF 60 or
higher—and don’t forget to reapply every hour.
Rule No. 3:
Avoid combination sunscreen/bug repellent products. Several studies
have looked at the efficacy of SPF and insect repellent when used
together. It has been found that sunscreen loses efficacy when used with
the insect repellent N, N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET). An August 2000 JAAD
study, “The effect of sunscreen on the efficacy of insect repellent: A
clinical trial,” it was shown that sunscreen does not affect the
efficacy of insect repellent. However, when these products are combined,
you need to reapply sunscreen more often (but you should not have to
increase the amount of insect repellent that you use).
Do you have a skincare question that you’d like me to answer? Post it on our Facebook page and we just might include it in an upcoming story about other skincare rules you should be following!
____________
Dr.
Leslie Baumann is a board-certified dermatologist, New York Times
best-selling author and CEO of Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute
in Miami.
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