I have seen so many patients in the office this month with sunburns because its May and they didn’t think it was time to use sunscreen yet.  Sunscreen of at least a 30spf, broad spectrum covering uva and uvb rays, applied generously every 2 hours, or more if you are in the water or sweating a lot, is what we recommend.  Many of our patients use a 60spf which is better than a 30spf.  A hat helps so much in protecting the face from harmful rays.  A broad brimmed hat is best to protect the whole face, but a baseball cap will help with the forehead, cheeks and nose.  Put on sunscreen everyday, and keep some in your car or pocketbook, so there is no excuse for forgetting it!  We have a sunscreen that works for any skin type for sale in our office.  Sometimes its hard to find a good one at the supermarket, especially if you have rosacea or very sensitive skin or acne.  Make sure you protect yourself and your skin from early aging, sun spots, wrinkles, and of course skin cancer.  Skin cancer kills so many people, and its mostly preventable.  We hope to see you soon for your skin check.  And don’t forget your sunscreen. 

Dr. Rebecca Baxt

Yesterday 5/13/08, the New York Times had a featured section on health, including skin. It mentioned, that the best things that we can do for our skin to prevent skin cancer and aging are to use a sunscreen and prescription Retin-A/tretinoin creams. As Board Certified Dermatologists we agree. So many of our patients bring in bags of creams, lotions, potions, that they bought at the cosmetic counter or the drug store for hundreds of dollars, only to find out when we read the labels for them, that they are just expensive moisturizers. Simplification is key with skin care. If you are using too many things, you never know what is working well or not, and you are wasting a lot of money. Get yourself a good sunscreen with one or more of the following ingredients-mexoryl, avobenzone/parsol1789/titanium dioxide/zinc oxide. Use it regularly and frequently and generously. Come and see us for a prescription for the right Retin-A or similar product recommendation to reverse signs of aging and reduce skin cancer risk. Be careful because Retin-A and other similar products can actually make you more sensitive to the sun. We look forward to seeing you soon. Call us with any questions. 201-265-1300.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/health/13skin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin