by Kate Dee, MD
Did you know that people today sleep 20% less than they did 100 years ago?More than 30% of the population suffers from insomnia and women are up to twice as likely to suffer from insomnia than men. If you're not getting enough sleep, you are likely suffering from irritability, fatigue, and poor concentration.Lack of sleep means you are sick more often and can be prone to depression. And of course consistent high-quality sleep is critical for looking and feeling beautiful."Beauty Rest" is not a myth.
What is quality sleep? There are 5 stages of sleep, stage 1 through 4 and REM (dream) sleep. Each sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes, and the quantity of REM sleep increases with each cycle. On average you should get about 5 sleep cycles in per night. While you sleep, your body releases numerous hormones that affect every aspect of your system, including organ, immune, skin and brain repair and rest. Your skin benefits especially from increased Growth Hormone, decreased Cortisol and increased Melatonin at night. Read more about sleep at the National Sleep Foundation.
Tips for better Sleep
1. Stick to a sleep schedule, going to bed and rising at about the same time every day.
2. Finish tasks and turn off electronics 60-90 minutes before bed. After that-- no more screens!The light alone, plus the stress of glimpsing that last email flash across the screen, have a drastic negative effect on normal onset of sleep.
3. Find a relaxing nighttime routine that works for you-- bathing or cleansing your face, a 5-minute daily skin regimen, brushing teeth, flossing, reading fiction-- whatever works for you. But no more screens!
4. Your bedroom: your mattress should be comfortable (worth an investment!) and the room should be cool-- between 60-67 degrees. And dark-- black-out blinds are very helpful if you have a lot of ambient light coming in from outside. Lights should be dim in the evening and bright in the morning to aid your circadian rhythm. Remove all blinking LED lights and screens from your bedroom. The bed should be reserved for sleep and sex only!
5. Exercise daily if possible and avoid naps.
6. Avoid caffeine after 10am and alcohol before bedtime. Alcohol may help you fall asleep initially, but it interferes with your normal sleep cycle, decreases quality of sleep and it often leads to awakening during the night.
7. If you are awake in bed for an hour, go to another room and do something relaxing such as reading (again-- not a screen) until you feel tired. Often moving to a quiet, dark guest room helps if you have one.
If you would like to troubleshoot sleep or need help finding a sleep expert, I am happy to help. Healthy sleep is a critical part of taking care of your skin and your life. Click here to schedule a consultation.
Have you noticed how long and beautiful kids' eyelashes are? Unfortunately, as we age, our lashes thin out and shorten, and can even grow lighter in color. This is totally normal and very common. Some people are genetically predisposed to losing hair in all places. Thinning hair can also reflect numerous medical problems such as thyroid disease, to name the most common. Always check in with your physician and make sure you're fit-- and eat a skin-healthy diet!For most of us, it thinning lashes isjust be the new normal.
Latisse (also known as Lumigan or bimatoprost ophthalmic solution0.03%) was first discovered to make eyelashes longer and darker when it was being studied to treat the eye disease glaucoma. In those studies, it was placed directly into the eye itself. Longer, darker lashes were an accidental result. Bimatoprost was found to prolong the anagen phase of the hair-- that's the growth phase when the hair becomes longer and darker. When applied to the eyelids just at the lash line, it will make those lashes longer and darker. It should be applied once a day to the upper lash line in the evening before bed.The full effect takes up to16 weeks. Your lashes will look completely natural, because they are yours. If you find that the length is perfect after 8-12 weeks, you can cut back to using Latisse 3 days/week to for maintenance.
The most popular misconception about Latisse floating about the interwebs is that it might turn your blue eyes brown.In the original studies where the drug was placed directly in the eye, some dark pigmentation to light colored eyes was reported. In the studies done with Latisse placed on the upper lids there were no reports of any change in eye color. It is important to use Latisse with the applicator brushes provided with the medication to make sure the liquid is applied in the correct dose to the lid.
Latisse can cause eye irritation in some people. It can also cause hyperemia (increased blood flow) at the lash line, and over time can darken the skin at the lash line. Most people tolerate Latisse really well. If you would like to find out more, schedule a 15 minute Latisse consultation
by Kate Dee, MD
There are so many different antioxidants that I'm going to lump them all into one discussion. Green tea, coenzyme Q10, resveratrol, lycopene, grape seed, vitamins A, C& E, coffee berry -- there are hundreds of antioxidants that are used in skin care products. There is no one magical ingredient that is the absolute end-all and be-all and they actually work best in combination, so the main goal is to ensure you include a variety of antioxidants in your daily skin care regimen.
Why are they so important? Antioxidants bind free radicals and block the damage they impose on the skin. Free radicals (caused by environmental exposure to smoke, UV radiation and sun)are the main source of skin damage, wrinkles, pigmentation and cancer. You simply cannot get too many antioxidants into your skin. When we are young, our skin is naturally filled with tons of antioxidants that protect skin from this damage. As we age our skin loses these natural antioxidants, and we must replace them if we want to keep our skin protected.
Antioxidants are an important part of both your diet and skin care regimen. You can read about foods for healthy skin in this previous post. Look for skin care products with a mix of a variety of antioxidants for best skin health. An antioxidant serum in the morning and evening is highly recommended.
Not sure what to use? Come in for a consultation!
And don't forget--the number one way to prevent sun damage is to wear a good sun block every day! Read more about sun block and UV rays here.
Web design and development by Thrive Design
