If you've been to a drug, discount or department store lately to buy skincare, you know it can be confusing! A myriad of ingredients, constantly updated technology...it's hard to keep up. This month's Beauty Bylines™ interview is with Dr. Jeanine Downie, a board certified dermatologist. She'll help us to navigate skincare, sunscreens and skin disorders. Got skincare questions? Dr. Downie's got answers! Read on...
Beauty411: It's about that time of the year when we'll be switching our winter skin regimens to a lighter one for spring. What factors should we consider when we switch products seasonally? Is it a good idea to switch your skin care or do you recommend a consistent skin care program throughout the year, regardless of the season?
Dr. Downie: There are some things that you want to switch over. For example, when you are talking about moisturizers for your face, you want to switch from heavier, thicker moisturizers to lighter moisturizers. Now is the time when a lot of people want to wear moisturizer plus an SPF together. In general, I do recommend that people keep up with their same sunscreen and same antioxidants all year long. So, there are some things I would switch and some things I wouldn’t.
Beauty411: In a tough economy, consumers expect value from the skin care products that we buy. What are the essential skin care products that we should be using and what products represent great value and efficacy?
Dr. Downie: The essential skin care products that you should be using are sunscreen, antioxidants, and night repair creams. In terms of antioxidants, I love VIVITÉ Daily Serum, Revaleskin CoffeeBerry Intense Recovery and Prevage MD. I like MD Forte Aftercare, in terms of a great consistent sunblock to use all the time. In terms of night creams, I like TNS Essential Serum and Retin A and Tazorac, since retinol helps to build collagen. I think those products represent a great value and represent total efficacy for the people who use them.
Beauty411: More women (and men) are seeking out aesthetic products/procedures, like injectibles. Do you have advice on how they should go about selecting a professional that specializes in injectibles? What are some questions they should ask?
Dr. Downie: In terms of seeking a professional, the bottom line is that they should get referrals from friends that they thing look very good. They should definitely stick with board certified doctors and I prefer doctors that actually do the injectibles themselves, rather than have their nurses do them. They also want to ask how many years experience that “X” practitioner has had injecting. If they have only starting injecting a year or two or three ago that might give one pause.
Beauty411: Hyperpigmentation seems to be on everyone's mind these days. Do you have recommendations on how to prevent, as well as treat this condition?
Dr. Downie: The best method of preventing hyperpigmentation is to wear sunblock and reapply it every two hour rain or shine, January through December, regardless of your ethnicity. I recommend prescription products, EpiQuin Micro and Triluma. However, the over-the-counter skin cream I reach for would be AMBI. I do think that the VIVITÉ Vibrance works really well. Some of my patients will combine that with a lower level hydroquinone like the two percent over the counter. And I do think that one should use an antioxidant.
Beauty411: Thinking about sunscreens for daily use. At a minimum, what level SPF do you recommend to your patients? Also, with many products (like foundation and moisturizers) containing sunscreen, do we still need to add a "stand-alone" sunscreen product on top?
Dr. Downie: At a minimum, I recommend at least 30 SPF every day and I do like some of the moisturizers with sun screen, but it depends on which one it is. Aveeno Positively Radiant daily moisturizer is a good one. In general, I like them separate.
Many thanks to Dr. Downie for sharing her expertise with Beauty411 readers!
Jeanine B. Downie, MD is board certified and is the director of image Dermatology P.C. in Montclair, N.J. She has extensive training and experience in all aspects of dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, laser and dermatologic surgery. Dr. Downie is a medical consultant for The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The View and Ten Years Younger. She has been featured on The Montel Williams Show, The Rachael Ray Show, MSNBC and many others. Dr. Downie consults, lectures and does FDA and investigator-initiated clinical trials for many of the top tier pharmaceutical companies, including Allergan, which manufactures the VIVITÉ brand.
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