skin care routine

Is it true that foods such as french fries, candy, chocolate, and milk cause acne? Do fat, sugar, and dairy really have adverse effects on your skin? Although many of us grew up believing that our diet was intimately tied to our complexion, the association is not clear-cut.

If you have acne, you're certainly not alone. An estimated 85% of US adolescents and young adults have acne, making it one of the most common skin conditions in the nation.

Rosacea is a relatively common chronic disorder characterized by redness of the facial skin. It often involves flare-ups and remissions, so we'll discuss the basics of rosacea and the common triggers that can lead to those flare-ups.

The etiology, or cause, of rosacea is unknown. Various factors have been suspected to contribute to rosacea, but none has been confirmed. Abnormal blood vessels and nerve control seem to play an important role. Although rosacea has been linked to the presence of the Demodex folliculorum mite, there is no definite evidence that rosacea is caused by any bacteria, virus, or parasite.

Rosacea is a chronic, common problem for many adults and appears in many different forms and levels of severity. All forms of rosacea have at least one of three primary symptoms. These include 1) pimples similar to acne, 2) redness and/or prominent blood vessels, and 3) rhinophyma (an enlarged, bulbous, ruddy nose). A person with rosacea may have just one symptom, a combination of two symptoms, or all three. In my experience, rosacea affects men and women equally, although rhinophyma tends to be more common in men.

Everyone at one point or another has heard about ultraviolet (UV) rays and their potential to harm our skin. What are UV rays, and why should they concern you?

Instead of waking up in the morning “feeling like P. Diddy” like Ke$ha, you wake up feeling like a freshly boiled lobster. The displeasure of having a sunburn can put a damper on your vacation. To prevent that from happening, here are some tips.

Spring Break is just around the corner – sunshine, here we come! Just know that the incidence of melanoma, which has nearly doubled in the last decade, is increasing at a rate faster than any other cancer. While most people take several measures to decrease the chance of getting skin cancer, some of these measures are ineffective. The following are common misconceptions of how to "prep" your skin for Spring Break.

Q: What’s the best way to get rid of blackheads? I have this blackhead-popping thing that looks like a syringe and would like to know if these are safe to use.

A: Blackheads, or comedones in medical terms, are “clogged pores.” Dead skin cells and dried secretions from the skin’s oil (sebum) glands can produce plugs in the hair follicles (commonly known as pores).

Q: What’s the difference between a lotion, a cream, and a gel? Which will clog my pores the least?

A: The consistency of the products is the biggest difference.

You can never go wrong by giving a woman chocolate for Valentine’s Day (unless she’s allergic or has a strong dislike, of course). And in addition to making your partner happy, recent evidence shows certain chocolate is actually good for you.