Transcription:
11 Ways To Reduce Premature Skin Aging

Disclaimer: The medical health information provided during this program is for general information and educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional advice. None of the given information is for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment. Neither does this program serve as approval for any health product or brand. This program aims to enhance your personal health and wellness through the adoption of healthy lifestyles and your prompt presentation to the health professional whenever you suspect that you are ill. For treatment and professional advice ensure you consult your physician.

Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome to Say Yes to Good Health with Memorial Hospital. I'm Melanie Cole, and I invite you to join us as we discuss ways to reduce premature skin aging. Joining me is Krista Carle. She's a Medical Provider of Dermatology at Memorial Hospital. Krista, I'm so glad to have you back on as somebody who is of a certain age, in my middle to later fifties, this is, you know, kinda starts to hit you heavy and you start to feel what premature aging really feels like. Tell us a little bit about what it is and who really is at risk because some people look great and some of us not so much.

Krista Carle, DNP, APRN-FNP (Guest): I'm sure you look great, Melanie. But it is one of those things, we do need to start paying attention to our skin. And we really recognize this when we start turning 30, 40, and as we get older. When we do start taking care of our skin and, you know. But some of those methods, or some of those things that automatically happen, we really can reduce risks of so many environmental factors that can play into our extrinsic aging process versus our intrinsic aging process. Our intrinsic is some of those things we can't really, it's our normal, natural aging process that happens through genetics. And some of those factors we really can't influence a whole lot.

But the extrinsic aging are those things in our environment, those things that lifestyle choices that we make that really can make a huge difference on our skin. And yes, some people just have really great collagen. They have really great skin and that's a genetic thing. But, you know, honestly all of us can stand with making some minor changes that really can make a big difference. And usually when we do start making those changes, we do recognize within six to eight weeks, the shine that we may get, the collagen we may get, thickening up of our skin. Otherwise our skin does the natural thinning, irritating, easily bruising, easily breaking. A lot of people, elderly that you'll see cuts and scrapes on their arms. Some ways to bulk up that skin we will talk about today, but there are a lot of environmental triggers along with, like I said, lifestyle style choices that we make that can make our skin just not age as well.

Host: Well, let's talk about some of those behaviors that we're engaging in because people tend, Krista not to think that they're skin is necessarily affected by smoking or alcohol or any of those things. More, we think of the sun and sun, you know, exposure and maybe dehydration. We don't think of some of these other things. Tell us about some of those behaviors outside of sun exposure that prematurely ages our skin.

Krista: You hit the nail right on the head. Sun, number one, we all know plays a major part in premature aging of our skin. But those other things that you just mentioned, smoking and drinking alcohol can make huge differences. Smoking specifically, greatly speeds up how quickly our skin ages. It really causes wrinkles and dulls our skin. You know, and it's not too late, just because you've smoked for 10 years, 15 years, anything that you change right today can influence your skin within six to eight weeks. So, usually smokers that quit, I see that difference in six to eight weeks, they get shinier, their skin will heal faster. It really does make a big difference. And like I said, it'll just really reduce that premature aging. Another, like you mentioned, was drinking alcohol, it dehydrates the skin, it damages the skin and it just looks older faster. Your skin actually gets a rougher texture when you drink alcohol, or overdo alcohol, drink too much alcohol, which I don't know that amount, but everybody can be different and definitely evaluating you know, what is too much and how it can influence the skin, maybe cutting down to see if it makes a difference.

Another, just like we hit on, was the sun every day. If those things that we can change when we don't recognize that we're in the sun every single day, even driving a car, running errands. We know when we go to the beach, we know when we're out you know, on the boat, those are obviously higher times that we are in that sun with the highest damage being from 10 o'clock to two o'clock with the highest amount of UV damage that therefore can age our skin. But definitely making those simple changes, like wearing maybe a brimmed hat, trying to putting on sunscreen, wearing clothing, they have rash guards these days. Rash guards is that SPF protective clothing that you can wear that really is like surfer material that can protect the skin and be still cool.

So, you can be in the heat and the sun. But all those can protect the skin and therefore reduce the thinning and the aging process and really reduce the risk of skin cancer. Another is eating healthy well-balanced diet. There are a few studies that actually suggest that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables may help prevent damage that leads to premature skin aging. The research, the studies suggest that a lot of sugars and refined carbohydrates actually can accelerate aging of the skin.

Host: Wow. You've given us a pretty comprehensive list and I know we're going to get to more of them, but, you know, besides the look, and obviously when we talk about things like skin cancer and wrinkles, that's about vanity, right. And, but there are other signs of premature aging that can predispose us to problems like skin cancer.

I noticed the other day, Krista, I was looking in one of those mirrors that's got the light and then magnifies by seven times. And I literally screamed and jumped away because I saw dots and skin toning and things that I have just never seen before. And really don't want to see again. So, so I like to stand far away from the mirror. So, it's not just wrinkles, right? This is not just vanity we're talking about here is it?

Krista: No. I'm so glad you asked me that. I'm so glad you hit on that because it is one of those things. Why is it? Why are we in a world of thinking that lotions and taking care and paying attention to our skin is all about vanity. It really is the protector to the rest of our organs. And if we don't take care of it, it can snowball into other issues.

So, it's very important to number one, that big organ known as our skin that protects everything else, to really focus on that. Sometimes we take care of our cars better than we take care of our skin. And we, you know, a lot of of guys that walk into my office will say, well I can't lotion. That's too fufu. What lotions and really taking care of your skin will bulk it up, really reduce the risk of disease of the skin and also skin cancer. So, it's a huge deal to pay attention to your skin and really prevent then, like you said, skin cancer and further issues. If we can do those maintenance, those small things early on to maintain our skin integrity, keep it looking younger, yes, we're talking about that part, looking good, but more than anything to bulk it up to help with cellular repair, to help, obviously the cellular repair is the healing well, so that we really can improve our injuries. And therefore reduce our risk of infections. Cellulitis's, scary complications that then can you know, overall really be terrible for our overall health.

Host: Well in as much as this is not only about vanity and we talked about that, but when we want people to protect their skin and certainly our younger people sometimes appealing to the vanity is the only way that we can get people to actually pay attention. Right? It's sometimes if you're telling people to avoid skin cancer and use sunscreen by telling them they're going to get wrinkles, if they don't, might be the only way to get them to actually hear you, right?

Krista: Yes. That's exactly right.

Host: Kind of a fine line you got to walk there. Don't you.

Krista: It is a fine line and yes. So, many I see all these social medias that really and YouTube you know, different shows that really show skincare. And I love that. But we do need to recognize the people that are on one side can be those that, you know, absolutely think that lotion is something that is too fufu. But then on the other side, if we really show these sunscreens and moisturizers and do it in a way of vanity then it might also turn away some people. So, just to recognize there are a million different products on the market and really what might be good for one person may not be as good for the other person and really to look through the ads.

And identify if it's good for you. And if that's, you know, what you want to try, it is sort of a fine line. And I do think that we're appealing to a whole bunch of different generations that then, you know, we're trying to find the right way to do that, but also protect the skin at the same time as provide the vanity and the premature skin. I guess advertisements.

Host: Well, it certainly is, but we're not talking fine facial lines, killing myself, any way. We are going to talk more because I want to talk about products and retinol and what we hear about things and also vitamins and topicals. So, we wanted to talk about some of the products that are out there, because as you mentioned, there's a million, they're online. We stand there at the pharmacy. There's a million of those. I'm looking for good wrinkle creams and aging creams. And do you have ingredients specifically that you want us to look for, that can actually maybe plump up our skin, or actually really help. We're going to get into more ways to reduce that aging.

But before we do tell us about any products or ingredients that you want us to know about, or you want us to steer clear of.

Krista: Yes. Okay. So, starting with the basics, number one, everybody needs a gentle soap to wash their face with. Part of the skin you know, premature aging is really cleansing your skin and knowing what products to use, just like you said. So, number one, starting out with a gentle soap that really can clean the skin, but not irritate the skin.

So, so many people see all these exfoliants and all these peels and, you know, a little bit is okay. A lot though, or on a daily basis, may not be a great way to take care of the skin. Now, washing yes, with a gentle soap, anything that provides like antioxidants. We carry a Skin Essence line that has a lot of green teas. And like I said anti-oxidants to really reduce inflammation, can help with those skin diseases that really are more sensitive skin like rosacea. Also psoriasis. Acne. Every person needs to look at what they're doing and what line or what regimen they want to follow. There's so many different diseases that then like I said, with even just washing your face, we may say one product or a different product.

So, getting your dermatology specialist's opinion. And like I said, starting with a gentle soap washing twice a day to wash off your makeup, but no, not overly aggravate the skin and also remove the pollution, makeup, substances that really can sit on her skin and aggravate it. And then using a moisturizer. A lot of the times I like protein moisturizers that have ceramide peptide especially specifically for the face. As we decrease estrogen or even just with the aging process, our skin gets thinner and wimpier, we want to bulk up our collagen. We want to strengthen those proteins in the skin to really regenerate and help plump up our skin again. And that's what our lotions can do. So, looking for some of those anti-aging or less irritating. We also have antioxidants and a lot of moisturizers that can decrease inflammation for the skin diseases of irritation, like I said, with rosacea, with acne, and with dermatitises and then all then looking at, I love vitamin C. I love to really get under the skin, hydrate the skin and just be sort of like a drink of water. And then also the vitamin C for like brightening.

That's nice to be through a daytime treatment. So washing your face. The twice a day, maybe a vitamin C in the morning, and then in the evening focusing on more like treatments for maybe like a retinol or melasma pigmentation, any of those you can focus on at night. And then, like I said, always the moisturizer, it traps the water in the skin and gives your skin a more youthful appearance.

So, that should be at least a once to twice a day. And your overall moisturizer for the rest of your skin, not just your face, needs to be an intensive moisturizer. We have a lot of great products out there that are over the counter. CeraVe, Eucerin, Cetaphil. You know, when we're younger, we use the perfume moisturizers. And once in a while, we just need to, if we have sensitive skin or for better hydration, we might want to stay away from the perfumes and really focus on those that have the proteins in it to really bulk up the skin.

Host: But they smell so good.

Krista: They do.

Host: And then they they make you smell so good. But I know. You're right. You know, some of those products you mentioned are really so moisturizing and we're going to talk about more ways and I'm glad you brought up the whole body because we always tend to think of the aging as our face.

But when I looked down at my, even my lower legs, I'm starting to see these black dots, not black brown, brown spots. And that reminds me of my grandmother, you know, and my, and my mother and I see them on my legs. Not so much my arms just yet as I'm looking at them right now, but mostly on my legs. And I don't like those either. And you told us about things for the face, but is there anything we can do to keep those brown they're like little dots that sort of show right up.

Krista: I think, you know, back in the day we used to call some of those liver spots.

Host: Wow. Yeah. I remember liver

Krista: Yes. Liver spots. But we have a couple of different things. We have solar lentigo, which are sun spots, that develop, and then the crusty, scaly looking brown lesions. Those are called seborrheic keratosises. And those are age spots that our mom and dad give us. And, you know, genetics plays a big part on whether you get those or whether you don't and even people that are staying out of the sun can get those. So, yes, the sun can age us, but some of those things are going to happen no matter what, and really knowing what's normal and what's abnormal is important. So, that's why we've got to get in just to make sure if these are normal skin changes or abnormal and keeping those moisturizers on there to maybe get rid of that warty like scaling. We do have a lot of moisturizers that focus on itch and irritation that may have some ingredients in them for that specifically, and that can help with some of those buildup. And really maybe not remove them, maybe not be a permanent removal, but definitely help with the buildup of those lesions of those sores.

Host: Is it true that hydration saturate from the inside. Does hydration, I mean, you mentioned alcohol and dehydration, so if we're somebody who's trying to drink more water, as I imagine we all try and do, does that make a difference in our skin too?

Krista: It definitely does. Just like I talked about with the alcohol, but caffeine also you know, caffeine and then those teas, those can be great for bulking up the skin, but if your system is dehydrated because of caffeines, alcohol, or not taking in enough water, then your skin's just gonna be thinner, and it's just not going to have the cellular repair.

It dehydrates the skin and it makes it look older, but it also makes it be able to be injured easily. Like that elderly person that you see that has bruises all over their arms and cuts. And just because that skin's gotten so thin. So, to bulk that up, really hydration plays a huge key, definitely in that, but also you know, our moisturizers and our products that can hydrate the skin are important.

Host: Well, they are, and you're giving us so much to think about really so much to think about what an informative show this is today. So, now you did mention foods. We've talked about hydration and cleansers and moisturizers and face wash 101 and all of these different things. Can we reverse it? Can any of this be reversed? I know you said the liver spots, maybe not, a little genetics, but can any of this aging that we see and I'm not talking with cosmetic surgery, I'm really just talking about what changes we can make.

Krista: Yes. What you do today really does influence the next six to eight weeks of what your skin will look like. No, it won't happen overnight, but making those changes now, in two months, you should be able to see some of those changes, really picking the right products, really those extrinsic aging processes of those environmental and life, lifestyle choices can make differences.

It really can. It's just starting it right now to really make the differences. You know, another thing is exercise most days of the week, you know, exercise. We have so many things to do. Why is it really going to make a difference on our skin? Well, actually there are studies that suggest that moderate exercise can improve circulation.

We already, I mean, that's common sense along with boosting our immune system that really can make the skin look more youthful. It can have a more youthful appearance. And like I said, the products, the moisturizers. Those reducing the damage related to all the things we talked about really can make a big difference. It just two months from now, and what you have done in the last five years will influence your pre-cancers, those things, but you can still change what you do today to influence there on out.

Host: In the last 30 seconds, Krista, your best advice, what a great guest you are. Best advice for premature aging, taking our best care of our skin that we possibly can. So, hopefully we don't look like our great-grandmothers before our time

Krista: Yes, we all love the sun. We all love the sun. We love going out in it, just doing it in a smart manner, trying to reduce the UV exposure, maybe from 10 to two o'clock and definitely using sun protection. If you want a tan, if you like that appearance of your skin, then use self-tanners. Now, of course any self-tanner, any sunscreens, you might want to try on a small area before you put it all over your body.

There's different things that can aggravate different people. So, number one, finding sensitive skin products. I love ingredients like zinc and titanium dioxide for sunscreen, those are great sunscreens. They've been out forever. And definitely those that might influence or irritate your skin might be different than mine. It's very important to, like I said, use a small and then a small amount and then increase it depending on how your skin does and make sure the SPF is at least a 30 and water resistant a long with a broad spectrum sunscreen.

And then just make sure that you know, we bulk up our skin with good hydration, good moisturizers. And there are great products out there to help with inflammation. So, really focusing, identifying what our problem is with our skin and how are we going to improve it. And maybe not even a problem, but just the basics of skincare to look and think about before it ends up causing problems long-term and premature aging.

Host: Absolutely great information. Thank you Krista, for joining us again and giving us such an informative show. And that wraps up this episode of Say Yes to Good Health with Memorial Hospital. To make an appointment with Krista, please call 217-357-6560. At the new location at 630 Locust Street in Carthage.

For more health tips, you can always visit our website at mhtlc.org to get connected with one of our providers. We'd like to thank our audience and invite you to download, subscribe, rate, and review podcasts, these shows on Apple podcast, Spotify and Google podcast. And please share them with your friends because we're all learning from the experts at Memorial Hospital together. I'm Melanie Cole.