Tag Archives: skin

Sunscreens Cause Acne! (and Other Fun Summer Acne Facts!)

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With blonde hair and big blue eyes, she looked like a young Betty Draper from Mad Men. My patient, Julie, had been faithfully treating her acne for months. Just when she was starting to clear (in time for her senior photos), wham! Red dots cropped up over her forehead and cheeks. What went wrong? Summertime.

July can be the cruelest month for acne. Acne on the chest and back (bacne) and big, red pimples on your face can make going to the beach an embarrassing experience. Here are a few acne facts for summer:

1. Although there is some suggestion that sun can help acne, its effect varies and sun often makes acne worse. (Bacne + sunburn = bacne burn. Not good).

2. Retinoinds such as topical Retin-A, tretinoin, Differin, Tazorac, Ziana, Atralin, and Accutane all remove the outer layer of skin, leaving you more susceptible to a bad sunburn. Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid also peel the outer layer of skin, making you more sensitive.

3. Oral antibiotics such as doxycycline, minocycline, tetracycline, and sulfa antibiotics predispose you to a  painful pink burn on your nose, hands, and arms called a phototoxic rash; I see patients with this all summer long. The pink splotches can take weeks to fade and sting every time you’re in the sun.

4. Sunscreens can cause acne. It’s a cruel fact. Often the best sunscreens such as zinc and titanium, or water resistant sunscreens are the most likely to worsen acne. In order to be effective, sunscreens have to coat your skin which also clogs your pores.

Here are 5 tips to help keep you acne-clear this summer:

1. Remember that sun exposure is not a good way to clear up acne; most people get far more sun that what is helpful and just the right amount of sun to make it worse.

2. If you have fair or sensitive skin and are taking oral antibiotics for acne, then discuss with your physician if you are taking the best antibiotic during summer. Some patients take a break from antibiotics during summer months or switch to antibiotics that are less sun sensitizing.

3. Find ways to protect against the sun other than sunscreen: avoid the sun between 10 AM and 2 PM, wear a big hat (demonstrated here) and cover up.

4. When you need sunscreen, consider products designed for your face which are less oily or less likely to worsen acne such as: Neutrogena Ultra-sheer Dry Touch, Eucerin Facial Moisturizer with SPF 30, La Roche-Posay Antihelios Tinted Cream, or Proactiv’s Daily Protection Plus Sunscreen.

5. Avoid overusing scrubs, toners and slamming face-first into the beach; the added exfoliation will only make risk of sunburn worse.

Just hang-on, winter will be here again before you know it. Does your acne get worse in summer? What sunscreen do you use.

Photo: Foreversouls (flickr). Patient identity changed.

Gluten-Free Skin Products And Cosmetics

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I just returned from the International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference in Portland, OR with @foodblogga (she was at the conference, I was just there to eat Voodoo Doughnuts). One of the hottest topics in food now is the gluten-free diet.

Gluten sensitivity isn’t new; it was first described in the first century AD. Celiac disease (the medical diagnosis for gluten-sensitive patients) was known in the 1880′s.

Despite the recent attention, true gluten sensitivity is uncommon and affects < 5% of the population. People who are sensitive to gluten develop an autoimmune reaction to wheat, barley, rye and other grains which leads to inflammation of their small intestine. Some gluten-sensitive people actually develop a rash called dermatitis herpetiformis (we derms love the big names, don’t we?).

Being the only dermatologist at this food conference (weird, huh?), people wanted to know: “If someone is gluten sensitive, must they also avoid applying cosmetics or using products that contain gluten?”

No.

Gluten sensitivity is specific to your intestines; applying gluten to your skin will not trigger a gluten reaction. You can trigger a reaction if you eat your cosmetic, which is not that crazy when you consider that lip balms or toothpaste can contain gluten.

Other gluten-free products including shampoos, conditioners, makeup, etc. are unlikely to have any significance. If you develop a rash from your cosmetics, then see your physician — allergic contact dermatitis to fragrance or preservatives might be the cause for your rash.

If you develop a rash after eating several Maple and Bacon Voodoo Doughnuts, it was the gluten.

Photo: Bern@t (flickr)

Red Spots

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Lots of women have been Going Red lately. “Go Red” is a campaign to raise awareness of heart disease in women. Some women I see are often going red for a different reason: they’re covered in little red spots called cherry angiomas.

Cherry angiomas are tiny lumps of overgrown blood vessels in the skin. Their name derives from their often bright or deep red color. Like a cherry. Get it?

In your thirties and forties you might have a few. By the time you’re 80, you’ll probably have many (hence their other, more unfortunate name: senile angiomas). They cluster on the chest and back and can number in the hundreds. Although they grow on men and women equally, women are more likely to see a physician to have them checked.

Cherry angiomas are harmless, but many people hate the way they look. Fortunately, they’re easy to treat. Each little red spot represents a tiny, tangled knot of blood vessels. Treatments destroy the tiny vessels, making the red spot disappear. Treatments include:

Liquid nitrogen: A blast of icy cold air freezes the vessels. Often a blister develops the next day and can leave a lightened spot.

Electrocautery: A zap of electricity burns the vessels. It can sometimes leave a tiny scar.

Laser: The blood in the vessels absorbs a blast of light energy, exploding the tiny vessels and removing the spot. The ruptured vessel can cause a bruise that lasts for weeks.

All three methods are effective at removing the red spots, although each hurts a little and each usually requires multiple treatments. The more destructive the treatment, the more likely it is to work the first time, but the more likely it is to leave a scar.

It can be difficult to determine if a red spot on your skin is a harmless cherry angioma or if it is a skin cancer. If you have spots that are changing, bleeding, or multiplying quickly, or if you have any concerns, then you should see a physician.

Photo: Bensonkua (flickr)

Vitamin D Might Improve Cancer Survival

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winter sun grant macdonald

The vitamin story of the next decade will be vitamin D. As we learn more about this fascinating prohormone, we realize how important it is to maintaining health and preventing disease. Continue reading →