Christmas shopping should not be stressful, yet many of us wait to the last minute to gather our gifts for loved ones and end up feeing the holiday stress. This gift guide is composed for the skin health contious person in your life. Someone that loves to care for their skin, and of course, pamper their skin every once-in-a-while. 

1.    Electronice Facial Cleansing Brush

The Clarisonic is a handheld facial cleansing brush that helps to exfoliate skin and unclog pores, and is perhaps the most popular electronic facial cleansing brush on the market, but it does have a rather heafty price tag. You can remove more makeup and toxins from your skin by using a Clarisonic a few times a week. They come in an array of colors and sets. The Clarisonic can be purchased as www.clarisonic.com or most major department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, or Dillards. Other less-expensive options also exist and can be found at stores like Wal-Mart and Target. You can find an array of less-expensive options by searching "clarisonic alternative." 

2.    Schedule a Facial

Getting a facial is a real luxury. Often in our busy lives, we don’t take time to pamper ourselves. Schedule a facial for your loved one to help them take time to relax and improve their skin. Popular places to schedule a facial are Origins, Message Envy, or your local spa.

3.    Lip Balm with SPF

Most people have a few lip balms laying around the house, but it is important to have a lip balm that contains SPF. Skin cancer can develop on the delicate skin of lips, so it’s important to protect the skin on your lips from the harmful rays of the sun.
There are a wide variety of lip balms with SPF available at most drug stores and department stores.

4.    Sunscreen 

This may seem like a lame gift, but think about the last time you went to the beach. Where you frantically searching last-minute for the bottle of sunscreen only to find that its almost empty? Having a brand new bottle of sunscreen ready to go for the summer months can be a major help for people who are conscious about protecting their skin from the sun. It is almost certain that they will be grateful for your thoughtfulness.

Sunscreen can be purchased at most drug stores or department stores. Just be sure to check the label and make sure that the sunscreen you are purchasing contains at least one of the following ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and avobenzone (a.k.a. Mexoryl). 

5.    Sephora Gift Card

If you are doing your last minute shopping and don’t have the time to shop around to decide on a specific gift, just pop in to Sephora and get a gift card. Sephora has many high end skin care lines with every product a skin health conscious person could want. From face wash to anti-aging products and moisturizers, you can never go wrong with a gift card from Sephora. Ulta Beauty is another great option as well, the nice thing about Ulta is they carry both expensive high-end brands, as well as less-expensive drug strore brands.

​Check out these intersting and suprising facts about the skin that you may not have known!

1. The skin is the bodies largest organ.
2. The average person sheds approximately 1.5lbs of dead skin cells each year.
3. An average adult has more than 20 square feet of skin.
4. A square inch of the human body has about 19,000,000 skin cells and up to 300 sweat glands.
5. The eyelids are the thinnest area of skin on the human body.
6. Contrary to some beliefs, dust is not made up mostly of dead skin cells. There are many sources of dust pollutants floating around the air.
7. Your skin sheds 50,000 cells every minute.
8. There are at least five types of receptors in the skin that respond to pain and touch.
9. Globally, dead skin accounts for about a billion tons of dust in the atmosphere.
10. In blind people, the brain’s visual cortex is rewired to respond to stimuli received through touch and hearing, so they literally “see” the world by touch and sound.

Source: http://www.amazingandweird.com/facts/30-interesting-and-fun-facts-about-human-skin/

The answer is simple- YES. Check out the article below from the Skin Cancer Foundation on the importance of taking the time to check your own skin every month. It could save your life!

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that everyone practice monthly head-to-toe self examination of  their skin, so that they can find any new or changing lesions that might be cancerous or precancerous. Skin cancers found and removed early are almost always curable. Learn about the warnings signs of skin cancer and what to look for during a self examination. If you spot anything suspicious, see a doctor.

Performed regularly, self examination can alert you to changes in your skin and aid in the early detection of skin cancer. It should be done often enough to become a habit, but not so often as to feel like a bother. For most people, once a month is ideal, but ask your doctor if you should do more frequent checks.

Find step-by-step instructions on how to perform a self-examination by clicking HERE. 

You may find it helpful to have a doctor do a full-body exam first, to assure you that any existing spots, freckles, or moles are normal or treat any that may not be. After the first few times, self examination should take no more than 10 minutes – a small investment in what could be a life-saving procedure.

If you or someone you know has found a suspicious lesion, give our office a call to have it examined. We are accepting new patients. 

DERMACENTERMD 574-522-0265

There are a number of reasons why brown spots or age spots can appear on our skin. Many times they are evidence of aging, sun-damage or an active lifestyle. Just because they appear on your skin does not mean you have to live with them. Here at DermacenterMD, we offer an innovative and effective treatment called BBL PhotoRejuvenation. This can help to reduce signs of aging and reduce the appearance of brown spots and age spots.

The BBL broadband light will be administered to your skin using a hand piece and a flash of laser light will gently heat up the under layers of your skin. You may briefly feel a rubber band snap or warm sensation as the light is absorbed by your skin.  The heat absorbed by the targeted areas will stimulate your skin cells to generate new collagen. This will help to restore your skin’s natural beauty, blending its natural color and making it smoother, vibrant and younger. It can also eliminate those pesky brown spots and age spots by targeting the unwanted melanin responsible for pigmented lesions. BBL can improve the overall appearance of your skin. 

This procedure is non-invasive with minimal discomfort and virtually no down-time. Recovery time depends on the depth of the treatment. There are several different depths that can be utilized depending on your particular needs. The deeper the treatment, the longer it can take to heal. Redness may be present for several hours after the procedure and some pigmented lesions may darken and then fade and flake off leaving your skin smoother, fine wrinkles will be less noticeable, and sun spots or uneven pigmentation will fade. You may need 2 to 5 treatments at 2-4 week intervals to get your desired results. Any area of the body can be treated, but the most popular areas are the face, neck, back of the hands, chest and shoulders.

If you or someone you know is interested in improving their complexion and rejuvenating their skin, call our office today at 574-522-0265 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Moore and his team today. 

5 Health Benefits of Biotin

Vitamin H, or biotin, is a part of the complex B vitamins. Biotin is a vitamin that can be very beneficial to your health. Here are 5 health benefits you can garnish from taking biotin:

1.Strengthen hair and nails

Biotin can help to thicken nail cuticles and prevent breakage. While there is little evidence to support the idea that biotin increases hair growth, there is evidence to support that a deficiency can lead to hair loss. Many hair care companies are now including biotin directly into their products.

2.Improve health of your skin

B vitamins play a key role in the function of the nervous system and affect hormone function; therefore biotin can play a significant role in skin health. If skin is not nourished from the inside out, toxicities will form through the nervous system and manifest on the skin’s surface.

3.Aid in weight loss

Biotin supports metabolic function and helps to break down food, especially carbohydrates.

4.Lower cholesterol

When cholesterol levels are too high you are at a greater risk of developing health problems such as heart disease, heart attack and stroke. It is thought that biotin can help to reduce bad cholesterol levels.

5.Regulate blood sugar

Biotin has been associated with helping to prevent and fight off diabetes. A 2005 study conducted by the Biomedical Research Institute found that biotin deficiency has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance and decreased utilization of glucose. Therefore, taking biotin could help your body to properly use and absorb glucose.

It is always best to check with your doctor before adding any supplement to your diet. Biotin is found in many foods and most people already meet their daily requirements if they have a nutrient-rich diet. However, taking it as a supplement can be helpful. Consult your doctor before adding biotin to your diet.

Source:

Webstie: http://www.chatelaine.com/health/wellness/biotin-can-boost-your-health/

Study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15992683