My Facial Facts: Is Your Skin The Best It Can Be?

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There are two parts to this question.

You’re probably asking yourself:

1. Do I need an eye cream (and when do I know to begin using one?)

and

2. Can I just use my moisturizer around my eyes?

Well, my friends, to answer the first of these two questions, you need to keep in mind that the skin around the eyes is the thinnest on the face and the most susceptible to damage.

With the thousands of expressions we make in a day, big or small (smiling, squinting, etc.), can you imagine how this skin is stretched, crinckled, pulled and in general, moved about?

Think of this: haven’t you been able to see anger, happiness or sadness in someone’s eyes?

The point we’re trying to make is we use our eyes a lot!

(We would recommend begin using an eye cream as a preventive measure by your mid-twenties for best results in the future.)

To address the second question; (which we’ve been asked pretty regularly) the bottom line is using your moisturizer around your eyes is definitely better than nothing…but it’s not enough.

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Most dermatologists will treat eczema with topical steroids.

Holistic doctors such as Dr. Weil however, believe these drugs are only supressing the problem and will actually cause the eczema to worsen over time.

Have you found that topicals work for awhile, but begin to lose their effectiveness after a period of time?

That’s the body building resistence to the topically-applied steroids.

Other side-effects of the prolonged use of steroids are that it can lower your immune system over time and patients using steroids can experience thinning of the skin, formation of dilated blood vessels, stretch marks and infection.

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Eczema can begin with a dry area (reddish in color) that is very itchy. Scratching only exacerbates the condition, because the more you scratch, the more you need to scratch it, etc.

Does this sound familiar?

This then causes small tears in the skin and create clear pustules, which are another symptom of eczema.

When these pustules are open, the liquid can spread to surrounding healthy tissue that later develops the same dry, reddish, itchy patches.

When the skin becomes very dry with eczema, it forms cracks that can bleed.

Winter aggravates eczema and is the time when one witnesses this tendency for the cracks to bleed, due to the contrast in temperature between the cold air outside, and the heat indoors.

This indoor heat, it further drying to the skin.

But if you don’t live in a cold climate, what else affects eczema?

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It’s a common term you’ve all heard of, but have you ever gotten down to the nitty-gritty of what eczema really is?

Do you have eczema?

Hopefully, whether you know you have it, or don’t, the Derma Divas will shed some light on this skin condition.

Eczema is a superficial inflammation of the skin that primarily affects the epidermis (or the most superficial layer of your skin.) It causes itching and a red rash which is often accompanied by blisters that weep and then crust.

This may be followed by scaling, thickening or discoloration of the area.

This condition is characterized by dry, itchy skin that can become inflammed in its advanced stages, and exhibit bleeding cracks.

It can also be characterized by red, blistering, scaly, brownish thickened and itchy skin lesions.

The word eczema is derived from the Greek word “ekzein”, which means “to boil out”, due to the tendency for this condition to cause oozing.

Eczema has been identified with different types of dermatitis (contact, atopic and chronic dermatitis.) Any word ending in the suffix “-itis” indicates inflammation, so dermatitis literally translates into “inflammation of the dermis”.

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Hello everyone! Derma Diva Marcy here…I know we’ve been MIA for a bit, but I will have to take the fault for that!

I went to Orlando for a little while to visit old friends, family and to catch up on business with Derma Diva Rosa. Let me tell you; I now need a vacation from my ‘vacation’ (if you know what I mean)…but it was SO worth it!

Amidst all the madness, I actually got one day of ‘play’ and I just want to share with you that…I had my first ride on a Harley! (actually, my first ride on a motorcyle, ever!!) as a passenger, of course.

I have to admit, I was TERRIFIED at first, but let me tell you, I had a great driver and I felt totally comfortable in no time.

Not only did I enjoy an entire day of exploring beautiful parts of Florida that I never knew (and of course it didn’t hurt that my ‘driver’ was cute!), but I got some insight to skin care, and more specifically sun protection…surprise, surprise, right?

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