31 before 31: #23 Visit a Dermatologist (Top Beauty Secrets Revealed!)
Friday, December 18, 2009 at 9:00AM 
I've always wanted to go to a dermatologist. I figured I'd get all dewy and glowy the minute I walked in the door. Turns out, it's just like any other doctor's office: you wait for a lifetime in a poorly decorated waiting room, just to wait in another, smaller room, only to have some dude look at you topless and then tell you not to come back anymore unless you have a problem.
Woot.
Actually, the experience wasn't that bad; I don't have any spots or moles or whatnot to worry about. And, in the interest of knowledge sharing, here's a few new things I learned at the Derm:
-Dermatology actually deals with the hair, skin and nails. So dudes, if you start losing your hair, see a dermatologist, cuz they will hook you up.
-The number one recommended beauty product by dermatologists is (duh, duh, DUHHHHH!) sunscreen. Yes, we read this in the magazines all the time, but hearing it from my actual dermatologist, who literally refused to recommend any other product to me (for real), well, I suppose I'll listen this time. I've begun wearing SPF 55 every single day (Neutrogena makes a really nice sheer one).
-Do not--under any circumstances--allow a dentist to take your moles off simply because he or she happens to have a laser to do so. Yeah...that doesn't always work out so well. Just sayin'.
Have you ever been to the dermatologist? What's your secret to looking youthful?
PS-Hey, Melissa...I finally put you up on the 31 before 31 sidebar! If you have a list, send me an e-mail at thenakedredhead (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll add your blog, too!
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Reader Comments (6)
So let me get this straight: a dermatologist sits in a small room (inside of another, poorly decorated room) and waits for hot chicks to walk in topless so that he can tell them there's nothing wrong? And he gets PAID for this? FML, I should've never listened to all those people who told me to go to law school.
Is there glass between you? Does he have to put money into a machine to get the screen to slide away before he can see you? Either way, if he gets paid for it, please add this to my list of dream jobs.
NB: The above is intended for the purposes of humor only. The author is well aware of the hazards attendant with professions wherein one looks at women's private parts all day. That's why he's a lawyer.
I've been to a dermy before because I had cystic acne (not sure if it's even said like that in English) but anyways, my acne was B-A-D, so my mom took me and he gave me a really powerful drug (which even years later can have effects on a fetus if you get preggo) and it subdued my acne, enough to have me not wanting to wear makeup ever again. He also recommended using SPF, so since then (~12 years) I've been addicted to moisturizers. Now that I'm in Canada I have to wear something "heavy" since the chilly wind and cold can me my skin suffer so much. Even the BF is using moisturizer.
I'm so glad for you and that you have nothing suspicious on your skin. Cheers for healthy skin!
Ladies, before you get a sunscreen, do your research !
Facts:
#1: Lots of chemical sunscreen is not photostable: it breaks up and releases free radicals under sunlight.
#2: Chemical sunscreen in general is pretty harmful, it mimics hormones and could actually give you skin cancer.
Read more on http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsunscreens.html For those in the USA: most of the sunscreen chemicals used in the USA are banned in Europe (except Parsol, which however may also be harmful, according to some studies).
heck www.cosmeticsdatabase for safety ratings of sunscreens.
#3 Mineral sunscreen is safe, if it doesn't contain nano-particles. Nano-particles are so tiny that they get into your blood stream, and also any chemical in such a small size starts to behave unpredictably (different from the same chemical in "regular" size").
#4 Non-nano mineral sunscreen is usually safe if it doesn't contain other BS like -parabens. However, it looks very white, and those with a darker skin have a hard time with that. I do think there exist some safe, mineral sunscreens that don't do that, but I haven't got my paws on them as they are in the US. Check www.cosmeticsdatabase for reviews to find it.
#5 HOW you put on your sunscreen matters. You need to pat on a prescribed quantity, simply rubbing in a dollop won't give you much protection. I've written a small guide to doing it right on my blog.
#6 A lot of sunscreens don't give both UVA and UVB protection check www.cosmeticsdatabase.com to find whether your product gives you both.
So, do read up, ladies... it seems that skin cancer cases have not dropped with the use of more sunscreen... rather, they have risen ! So choose your products with care !
Being a natural redhead and at one time extremely young and stubborn, I use to TRY and tan.
Only to have my body reject me with 2nd and 3rd degree sunburns.
When I went to Mexico in 1990, SPF 60 was a perscription!!!!
I'm high risk for skin cancer so I wear spf 50-70 everyday!
In the Winter (vancouver, canada) I wear a cold defence sunblock by Umbrell.
LOVE my dermotoligist.
She's our age, has a very stylist funky office, not surprising when you see her, she's so very stylist.
Nice change from the stuffy doctors etc.
Here are the tips she gave me when I started having adult acne at 35.
*Simplfy your cleaning regiment, non soap face wash, mositurizer.
(for you granola's out there, you can use rosewater w/gylcerin as mosturizer, and witch hazel as toner-if needed)
All for the cost of maybe $5 a month. plus you'll smell rosy!!!
*Mositurize, THEN apply sunscreen daily, about the size of a quater for the face.
(dont forget your hands and chest - the skin is thin there and ages quickly)
*Get 20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure daily, then slap the goo on!
*Experiment with different types (derms all have their favotires, but mine insisted I find one that works for me, no additional break outs, easy to apply, etc) Same with your whole body in months that apply to you.
*Get a mole mapping regardless if you think you have anything to worry about or not.
*Remeber that ANY medications you're on will make you more sensitive to the sun.... lather up!
*Wear protective gear etc....hats in summer/winter, shades, uvab clothing (super light and breathable)
Some of this may sound like too much, but with fashion crossing over into the whelms of growing older gracefully, there really are no rules to say you can not look amazing while protecting yourself from enviromental hazzards.
I'm 37, fair as can be, and aging very well... (I look 30).
@niceguyted--I don't see why you can't do all of those things with your law degree. Just say it's part of the consultation.
@Stitch--Moisturizers are awesome. I must have them!
@Eternal Voyager--There you go again, making us all think! Turns out the Neutrogena sunscreen I recommended is a FIVE on that cosmetics database thingy. Looks like I need to do a little research, eh? Thanks for the tips!
@Sami--I seriously didn't know the moisturizer to sunscreen order! I couldn't figure out what I should do first or second, so thank you for clearing that up. Also, I love the "simplify your cleansing regimen" tip. I recently did that I not only love cutting my nightly face-washing time in half, but my skin feels and looks better, too.
The best dermatological advice I have ever received:
{1} Don't pick at your face.
{2} Drink lots of H20.
{3} Seriously, don't pick at your face.