Lumpy Bumpy Skin

Nobody’s perfect — and that usually includes your skin. There are a number of different conditions that can make your skin lumpy, bumpy, or discolored. Cysts are closed pockets of tissue that may be filled with fluid or pus. They can appear anywhere, and feel like small lumps under the surface of the skin. Cysts can develop because of an infection, clogged oil glands, or even around foreign bodies like body jewelry. Skin cysts are generally slow growing and painless — and often disappear on their own. Some cysts do need to be drained; others may become infected and need … Continue reading →

Folliculitis

A few months ago, I was at the doctor’s office getting a cat bite checked, and the doctor noticed a reddish rash on my arms. She was pretty sure that the rash was folliculitis. Folliculitis is an infection of the hair follicles. Our bodies are covered in hair, and every hair grows out of a tiny pouch in the skin. That pouch is called the follicle. Any part of the body that has hair can develop folliculitis; it is most commonly seen on the face, scalp, and places rubbed by clothing like the thighs. Folliculitis is usually caused by bacteria … Continue reading →

Your Skin in Your 60s

It entirely possible to have beautiful skin throughout your life! As you move into your sixties, you have to deal with skin issues that started in earlier decades plus new problems that can crop up. Skin issues you may encounter as you move into your sixties: Dryness. Your skin has a hard time retaining moisture and natural oil production slows down. Dullness. Cell turnover continues to slow — a process that started in your forties. Dark spots. Between the lack of oil, the loss of collagen and elastin, and the dryness, dark spots can really start to stand out. Bone … Continue reading →

Your Skin in Your 50s

Once menopause hits, you can expect your skin to change dramatically. The average age at which a woman reaches menopause is fifty-one… so your fifties is a time for big changes! Some changes you can expect in your skin in your fifties: The cell turnover slowdown that started in the forties continues into the next decade and beyond — the dead skin cells are slower to leave and the new cells are slower to replace them. This can leave skin looking dull and feeling dry. Skin is much dryer, thanks to the body’s hormonal changes and continuing cell turnover slowdown. … Continue reading →

Your Skin in Your 40s

Your skin is always changing. Dead skin sheds off and is replaced with new cells — this is pretty much a lifelong process. Around your forties, this cell turnover starts to slow down. There are several major changes in your skin that happen in the forties, including: Slowed cell turnover. This can make your skin look dull — dead skin cells are hanging around longer than they used to. Increased melanin production can cause differences in pigmentation to appear more prominent. Tiny broken capillaries in your skin can cause skin to seem red. Collagen and elastin — the stuff that … Continue reading →

Skin Toners

I became a fan of skin toners after acting in a Halloween show. I was playing a witch, and they had done me up a la the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz: green skin and all. With all that makeup on my face, neck, and hands, I was sure I was going to end up breaking out. Another actress in the show offered me an aloe-based cleanser and skin toner for clean-up. I wasn’t sure if it would help, but figured it wouldn’t hurt. I used the cleanser and toner faithfully every night after the … Continue reading →

Skin Care Myths: More is Better

In the case of skin care products, you CAN have too much of a good thing. It’s time to bust a few myths about how much product you need! Myth #1: If you layer on more SPF products, you’ll have more protection. Alas, no. Sun protection isn’t cumulative. Your total protection is only as high as the highest SPF product you’ve used. So if you have an SPF 30 sunscreen and an SPF 15 moisturizer, you’re still only getting the protection of SPF 30. Myth #2: Blobbing on more of a product will make it work even faster. Actually, using … Continue reading →

Protect Your Skin with UPF Clothing

As I’ve been driving around lately, I keep seeing billboards advertising SPF clothing. Since the Northern Hemisphere is officially starting summer on June 21st (though it may feel differently in some parts of the country), it’s a good time to look at skin protection! Basically, sun protective clothing uses fabric to protect your skin from the sun. Sounds simple, right? Sun protective clothing was developed in Australia in the 1990s. Why Australia? That country has the highest skin cancer numbers in the whole world — two out of three Australians will be treated for skin cancer during their lifetimes according … Continue reading →

I’m Supposed to be Too Old for Breakouts!

I should count myself lucky, I guess — of all the problems I had in my high school and college years, acne was not really one of them. I would get maybe one zit per month (along with other PMS symptoms) and that was it. As I got older, it tapered off to one pimple every few months. Fast forward to the last few months. The monthly breakout has started to become more regular again. Yay. And this month, the Lone Ranger zit has been replaced by an intrepid trio of ickiness. I hope this isn’t the beginning of a … Continue reading →

Skin Care in the Air

Travel can be rough on your skin. Really, it can be rough on your whole body: sitting still for hours, cramped conditions forcing weird contortions, and more. But for today, let’s focus on your skin. Despite being often surrounded by moist, fluffy clouds, the air inside an airplane is dry. Like desert dry — humidity levels can be as low as five percent. What does that mean for your skin? It means the air can strip away moisture and leave wrinkles and other imperfections more pronounced. As crummy and cranky and tired as flying makes me feel… I sure don’t … Continue reading →