Tip of the Week: What causes my acne?

While it's common knowledge that clogged pores and bacteria can cause acne. Acne may also be due to the following:

1) Hormones: Your acne could be elicited by your birth control pill, so getting rid of your skin imperfections could be as simple as switching to a different pill. Your natural hormone changes may cause the acne too, and there may be some natural hormonal creams that could help.

2) Diet: Acne has been linked to sugar and dairy, as well as refined and processed foods. You could try cutting back on these items to see if your diet is triggering your breakouts.

3) Stress: Leave it to good ol' stress to manifest itself in ugly ways like zits. Stress affects our skin by stimulating our body to produce too much of acne producing hormones.

For more information on acne, it's causes, prevention and ways to handle it, please visit the website.

www.lisabenestmd.com

Tip of the Week: What simple things can I do to make myself look better?

Here are four different types of procedures that can help make you look better and younger. Ask your dermatologist if you are a good candidate for one of the following:

1) Laser resurfacing procedures or peels
2) Fillers
3) Tightening or lifting procedures
4) Botox or relaxing procedures

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Tip of the Week: What's the best sunscreen to use?

There are a ton of different types of sunscreens on the market, but recent studies have shown that melanoma is on the rise and UVA rays are responsible for this potentially deadly form of skin cancer. (FYI, tanning beds are pure UVA rays.) To ensure that you're protected, use an SPF that blocks UVA rays as well as UVB rays. And if you avoid the sun or use sunscreen, remember to supplement with extra vitamin D, at least 2,000 units each day.

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Tip of the Week: How do I prevent skin cancer?

We all know that wearing sunscreen and hats or just staying out of the sun all together are some no-brainer ways to prevent skin cancer. Using creams that contain vitamin A, C and green tea, as well as some other antioxidants can help your body repair precancerous cells before they turn into skin cancer.

For more skin care information and tips, please visit our website!

www.lisabenestmd.com

Gimme A Kiss

You go to the gym and buy work out equipment for the home to keep your body in shape, so why not also take the time to work out your face. Facial muscles need as much exercise as much as the rest of your body. As facial skin and muscles lose elasticity and start sagging over time, regularly exercising your facial muscles ensures that they will stay firm, support the skin on your face against gravity and have good circulation so that you can decrease wrinkles and droopiness in old age.

Facial muscle exercises don't require a gym, and can be done pretty much anywhere in just a few minutes. Set aside a few minutes in the morning and before bed, and try to do five to ten repetitions of each. Doing these in front of the mirror in the morning will also help you start your day with a laugh! How about at your desk? Or on the subway? Or bus? In your carpool if you’re a passenger – give the other drivers a good laugh! (Just don’t distract them too much – or get distracted yourself if you’re driving.)

1. “Oh My” - raise your eyebrows as high as you can and hold them for five seconds.

2. “I Love Gene Simmons” - open your mouth as wide as possible and stick your tongue out as far as you can and hold for a few seconds.

3. “The Scream” - using your three center fingers, press down on your cheeks and smile as hard as you can to raise your cheek muscles against your fingers.

4. “Bewitched” - move your nose as much as you can from side to side.

5. “The Sourpuss” - lift your eyebrows as high as you can, open your eyes as wide as possible and frown at the same time.

6. “Gimme a Kiss” - pucker your lips out as far as possible into the shape of an "O." Then change your expression into a wide smile. Repeat several times.

7. “Don’t Ask” - sit in a comfortable chair and look up at the ceiling. Pucker your lips and stick your tongue out as far as possible to exercise your neck muscles. You can also simulate a chewing motion (or chew gum!) while you are in this position.

Once you’ve established a regular routine for working out your face, don’t forget to reward those hard working facial muscles by giving yourself a face massage. Press your fingers into your facial muscles and work in gentle, circular motions from top to bottom. This increases circulation and also helps your facial muscles relax if you have been looking really stressed.

As you’ll soon see, it does not take long to do these facial exercises, and you will be rewarded now and in the future with healthy, firm and glowing skin – and a good laugh every day!


Dr Lisa Benest is a medical and cosmetic dermatologist in Burbank. She and her staff provide comprehensive skin examinations as well as an array of non-invasive, cosmetic procedures and offer a full line of skin care products. To learn more about skin rejuvenation as well as the most up-to-date lasers, schedule a Free Consultation with their cosmetic nurse. Check out their website for a complete list of all the treatments: www.lisabenestmd.com


She can be reached at:

1624 W. Olive Ave #B 

Burbank, CA 91506 

818-729-9149 

www.lisabenestmd.com

Say Goodbye to Raccoon Eyes

Dark eyes can be quite dramatic when applied with eye liner…or if you’re a raccoon. But dark circles in the form of “bags under the eyes” make us look old and tired and simply detract from the rest of our appearance. Cover up and eye makeup can help hide dark circles, but the best solution is to understand the real cause and apply an effective remedy.

Dark circles under or around the eyes can be caused by many different factors. The most common causes are:

Fatigue, lack of sleep: Excessive tiredness can cause paleness of the skin and poor circulation, which can cause the skin to appear darker.

Nutrition: The lack of nutrients in the diet, or the lack of a balanced diet, can contribute to the discoloration of the under eye area.

Stress: A too-fast-paced lifestyle, or long hours on the computer, can contribute to bags under your eyes, especially when coupled with inadequate sleep.

Heredity: Like varicose veins, dark circles under the eyes can be an inherited trait. The skin under the eye is very thin. When blood passes through the large veins close to the surface of the skin it can produce a bluish tint. The more transparent your skin, the darker the circles appear.

Allergies, Asthma and Eczema: Any condition that causes eyes to itch can contribute to dark circles under the eyes because rubbing or scratching can darken the skin. Hay fever sufferers particularly will notice under-eye "shiners" during the height of the allergy season.

Medications: Medications that cause blood vessels to dilate can cause circles under the eyes to appear darker. Because the skin under the eyes is very delicate, any increase blood flow shows through the skin.

Age: As we get older, there is a shift in the fat pad under the eye, and you may develop creases. This can looks like dark circles, because the creases cast shadows on the skin. This shadowing greatly improves with the application of fillers, such as Restylane, under the skin.

Consult with your dermatologist to determine the actual cause of the dark circles. And follow these simple guidelines to improve your circulatory health and appearance right away.

Get eight hours of sleep: This is a must for all of us, especially for people with dark circles under their eyes.

Diet: Eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol, coffee, tea and soft drinks.
Include green leafy vegetables and all other food items that are rich source of vitamin K. Vitamin K is very effective in treating the damaged capillaries around the eyes.

Tea Bag Treatment: Try applying a cold compress of green or black tea to increase circulation, which helps reduce swelling around the eyes. Steep for 20 minutes, then strain and chill. Place over eyes for 15 to 20 minutes, once a day, as needed.

Moisturizer: To minimize the appearance of bags, plump up skin with moisturizer, one that contains vitamin C, green Tea, vitamin K and other antioxidants.
Whether from heredity, stress, diet or any other reason, dark circles under the eyes just make us look tired. Simple diet and lifestyle changes can help reduce those circles, but to erase them most effectively consult with your dermatologist and say “goodbye” to raccoon eyes.

Dr. Lisa Benest is a medical and cosmetic dermatologist in Burbank, CA. She and her staff provide comprehensive skin examinations as well as an array of non-invasive, cosmetic procedures and offer a full line of skin care products. To learn more about how to take care of your skin as well as the most up-to-date treatments in skin care, schedule a Free Consultation with their cosmetic nurse.

Lisa Benest M.D.
1624 W. Olive #B
Burbank, CA
818-729-9149
http://www.lisabenestmd.com

Tip of the Week: How do I know if I'm aging well or not?

To determine how well you're aging is really about accessing how much sun damage you have. So if you are more of a sun worshiper, then you probably aren't aging as well as someone who avoids the sun. Aging skin woes like wrinkles and splotchiness are mainly the result of sun damage. However, creams that contain vitamins and antioxidants, as well as Botox and fillers can counter signs of aging (if you're open to going that route).

If you have any questions, please feel free to visit the website for articles, tips, products and more!

http://lisabenestmd.com/