Sometimes communicating with your healthcare provider can be difficult. It may be because whatever you are talking about is embarrassing or something you don’t want to talk about with a stranger. It may be because you are fearful of what the answer to your question might be. Sometimes you are afraid of what your health care provider will think about you. For me personally, it’s difficult because sometimes I don’t know what information my doctor needs to know and what they don’t care about. So, in hopes of helping you communicate with your dermatologist better here are 10 things every patient should tell their dermatologist.

1. Family History of Skin Cancer- If one of your first degree relatives has had melanoma then you are at an increased risk of having a melanoma. Now, in regards to your health, we don’t necessarily need to know about Aunt Thelma’s third cousin that had melanoma although we are very sorry she went through that.

2. What products you currently put on your skin- Every day someone tells me something they are using that they think is “curing” or “helping” their problem but is actually making things worse, such as scrubs for acne or pink creams for poison ivy, things advertised as helpful that the derm world begs to differ.

3. Are you immunosuppressed- If your immune system is not up to par due to a disease or a medication you take, this increases your risk for skin cancer. For example, someone who has had an organ transplant. You most definitely need a licensed full body skin examaminer.

4. If you have ever had a skin cancer- Once you have had a skin cancer you are at an increased risk of having another skin cancer. A dermatologist should be your friend.

5. If you are pregnant- Pregnancy has many affects on your skin. Rashes, discolorations, breakouts and more can all be associated with pregnancy. Plus, this affects what medications we prescribe you that are safe for you and baby.

6. If you notice anything changing or growing on your skin- Most skin cancers are actually found by the patient. We have certain characteristics in moles that we look for such as size, shape and color but we also rely heavily on changing. If you noticed a mole changing or growing, that is something to bring to a dermatologist’s attention.

7. What your treatment preferences are- Do you prefer all natural products? Do you prefer a prescription or an over the counter medicine? Do you prefer the newest medicines on the market or do you prefer generic? Sometimes in dermatology we have choices to make for which more than one answer could be correct and knowing what you prefer and what you will actually use helps us choose your best option. Medicines only have a chance to work if you use them so don’t be afraid to tell us what you will or won’t use. We enjoy your input (as long as you let us override it when we deem necessary).

8. Do you smoke- Smoking doesn’t just reap havoc on your lungs. Smoking actually plays a role in premature skin aging. It also slows wound healing if you have had surgery on your skin. Let us know what we are up against….

9. Your modesty comfort level- Some people grew up in nudest colonies, others are uncomfortable even showing their navel. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and you can get skin cancer anywhere you have skin, even if it never has seen the light of day.  We want to thoroughly check your skin while protecting your privacy and keeping you comfortable.

10. Your sun protection beliefs- If you refuse to protect yourself from the sun let us know. We only scold you briefly. We use lots of medications that can make you even more sensitive to the sun. Also, increased sun exposure increases your risk for skin cancer, causes premature aging, brown spots and even some rashes. It’s information that helps us help you. If you want to be sun smart that’s simply you helping you.

I hope this helps you to communicate with me and all the providers at JD better this week. We can’t wait to see you!

Happy Spring forward, good luck getting out of bed in the morning, Nina

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I was born, raised and educated in Fayetteville, AR. I’m a FHS and U of A alumni. One may say Fayetteville is my hometown. It was an amazing town to be raised in which is why I stayed there for college. There is good shopping, eating, bike trails, the hogs and above all else, good people. You can imagine that when I became engaged to my now husband how excited I was to move to the industrial town of Fort Smith. Not. At. All. I feared there was nothing for a 22 year old in Fort Smith. At first, there wasn’t. In the beginning of my courtship with this city I was just my husbands (a man already well known and loved in our community)fiance. But then I decided I was going to make the best of it and I let down my inhibitions and I started to fall in love with Fort Smith.  The more I learned about our community the more I liked it. The more people I got to know the better this place became. You ever heard the saying “a house is not a home”? Meaning that a house is just a structure but it is the family and life in that structure that makes a home. Same idea applies to a city and its community and I really couldn’t love this community any more. Here are some of my favorite things about Fort Smith and why this place is my home now after just 7 short years.

1. Small business shopping- The first time I went to Suite One, the owner, Tasha helped me shop. Through shopping there we have become friends. Every time I go in that place every girl offers to watch my daughter while I shop. It’s like shopping out of a girlfriends closet! Then another precious friend opened a  Fort Smith boutique, Hazels Haven which is also the funnest shopping experience. They go out of their way to put things on hold for you and make you feel special. By far my two favorite little shops to hit up in Fort Smith. Bonus: My husband can go in either of those stores for presents for me and they know me so well they can pick out stuff that I will love! Shopping local is the best!

2. Eating- Do you guys realize how much the foodie scene has picked up in Fort Smith? From fancy shmancy like Movie Lounge and West End 21 to “quick eats” like River City Deli. Have you been to Pho Vietnam? Don’t let the old gas station look scare you away, it’s the best! This summer if you don’t go to Delicias Michoacanas and get a homemade popsicle you won’t forgive yourself. It’s not just their homemade ice cream delights either, have you had a homemade tamale there? My mouth is watering, moving on…..

3. Event scene- We may not have The Amp but we still have a music scene. We have big names that come to the River Front and Convention Center all the time. If you like the music scene then you most definitely don’t miss The Klocks or The Velcro Pygmies show every summer at The Rib Room. It’s like a Fort Smith locals summer bucket list event. We have tons of fundraiser events throughout the year that are always fun and for great causes. We even had a marathon this year!

4. Resources- Speaking of all those fundraiser events, Fort Smith has some great resources for our community; Children’s Emergency Shelter,The Reynolds Cancer Support House, Girls Inc. of Fort Smith, Community Rescue Mission, Bost Inc. and so many more.

5. The People- There is nowhere in the world with better people. After living here for almost 8 years I have really become too used to doors being held open for me. When I traveled to D.C. not too long ago I had a few doors dropped in my face because I was so prepared for the person in front of me to hold the door as I pranced through it. I also got stared at like I was about to rob a woman when I held a door open for her. We are nice here, we are kind, we help each other, we care about each other and we put others before ourselves.

6. Healthcare- We have doctors here in Fort Smith who have been trained by some of the best in the world. Did you know people travel from all over the United States to see some of our specialist right here in Fort Smith? When I worked in the hospital I even took care of someone who came from over seas to see one of our doctors in Fort Smith.

7. Schools- We have lots of private school options in Fort Smith that are always winning awards. I have a step-son in UAFS right now and is having the best time and hopefully will get the best job when he graduates from our pay roll, ahem, I mean from the college.

This post is getting too long or I could go on and on and on. This city is my home and I am blessed to be able to raise my daughters here. Are you wondering what this has to do with skin? It doesn’t really, other than the fact that Johnson Dermatology is committed to this community. When I started working there I fell in love with Fort Smith all over again, knew I would never leave. I joke sometimes that Johnson Dermatology will have a statue of the founders Dr. Brad and Dr. Sandy in 100 years in front of the building because JD is here to stay. I’m working on earning myself a brick in the sidewalk or something. We thrive on always becoming better so that we can serve this community to the best of our abilities. I became a nurse practitioner to serve and this community has a place in my heart so it is my honor to serve the people of Fort Smith. I hope you all can read this post and learn something about Fort Smith or just appreciate our home a little more because we actually have a lot to offer the great state of Arkansas.

“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”  -Audrey Hepburn

Happy Sunday to all, start your March right, happily, Nina

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There is literally so much information I want to give you all about filler and I can’t fit it all into just one month! A one on one consultation is really priceless. Every person’s face is so different from the next. With that being said, I thought I would give some filler facts this week to end filler February with a bang (and information overload).

1. Your face is not 2 dimensional and that’s why filler looks so natural. Don’t look straight at your self in the mirror and analyze yourself. Look at all your angles. Put a mirror in front of you and look down, left and right very slowly. Filler can put your curves back where they used to be, bringing back a more youthful appearance.

2. Filler is adding volume to your face but makes you look slimmer. It’s kind of like getting breast implants makes your waist look smaller. When your curves are in the right spots it gives a beautiful, natural enhanced image not a pudgy look you may have previously feared.

3. Traditionally, Botox is the gateway drug to filler but this is all wrong. If you’re getting Botox you should probably be getting filler too. Think about years of Botox to your forehead preventing lines at rest and nothing to the lower half of your face. Eventually your upper face is not going to match your lower face(ie your forehead looks 30 and your lower face looks 50). To naturally enhance your image throughout the years you will likely need a combination of botox, filler, skin care, lasers and peels.

4.  Symmetry is beautiful. When you look in the mirror, is your left side flatter or wrinklier than your right side? Is your upper lip uneven from right to left? Is your right eyebrow lower than your left eyebrow? Filler is an awesome way to create symmetry.

5. Filler has complications. Don’t take filler lightly.  Filler can be injected into vessels or around blood vessels which then causes a blockage of blood flow which can then essentially cause your skin to die causing a wound. You want to make sure that whoever is injecting you A-has medical training of facial anatomy  and B-has the knowledge and capability to handle complications (able to get you prescription nitropaste, hyalurinadase, get you into a hyperbaric chamber). Basically, just let me inject you! Just kidding…… kinda. But seriously, my general rule is no needles should go in your body for any reason unless in a doctors office.

I hope you all enjoyed “Filler February” and the knowledge I have to share about fillers. With any luck you will all come see me in the clinic this week to say hello!

Now can we mention the Oscars? I mean there is some seriously good looking skin. Tim McGraw wins best male Botox for sure, did I inject him? And have you noticed how pale everyone is? I mean no one has a fake bake tan, obviously sunscreen has been used to get these flawless skin looks! I’m loving it! Bradley Cooper, will you marry me? Enjoy the Academy Awards with some hot cocoa tonight and stay warm!

Enjoy this snow! Have an awesome last week of February, talk at ya March 1!

Nina

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I have a lot of patients who come to get filler injected and are not nervous about the results or what they will look like nearly as much as they fear the procedure of being injected. It really is so simple. Most people say, “that wasn’t bad”. I’ve never had anyone not get filler again because of the pain. These are my personal pre, during and post procedure tips to have the best experience possible once you take the plunge into the filler world.

Pre-Procedure

1. Pick a date that won’t conflict with upcoming events. Chances are you won’t bruise or swell to a point that people will notice but some people are just more prone to bruising. Be prepared to have some bruising. If you don’t bruise, great! But if you do, you don’t have to worry about being in your biffle’s wedding two days later with bruises on your face.

2. Don’t stop your meds-If your doctor has you on blood thinners, it’s for an important reason. Don’t stop them, we can still inject you safely.

3. Take a selfie- Of course at Johnson Dermatology we take before and after pictures but it’s really fun to have your own on your phone. Remember, filler is immediate so you can take after pictures as you walk out to your car and see the difference before you get home!

4. Come as you are- We will wash your make-up off with a gentle cleanser. We then wash your face off with a surgical scrub. During the procedure we will use alcohol to keep the area clean.

During the procedure

1. Breathe- Don’t hold your breath, that’s how people pass out.

2. Talk to me- Tell me if you feel something weird and I will explain to you what is going on. For instance, sometimes when injecting the cheeks the numbing medicine will numb the lip because of nerves that start in the cheek and go to the lip, don’t freak out. I can talk you through most of the things you don’t expect. Conversation is distracting you from pain and makes it more fun for me too!

3. Pain prevention- We will ice you to numb the area with coolness. We can use numbing cream as well. We can do a dental block (shots in the gums like at the dentist) to numb your lips before injection. The fillers come with numbing medicine in them so after the first few sticks you start to feel numb. We tap you on the face to trick your nerves where to send pain signals which decreases the pain during injection. We use the smallest needle possible that is compatible with the filler particles.

4. Time- Usually you will be at the clinic for 30 minutes to an hour but the actual injection may only take about 15 minutes.

Post-procedure

1. No strenuous activity the day of injection. This prevents/decreases bruising. No heavy lifting, no straining, no crossfit.

2. No rubbing, no massaging, no sleeping on your face. This is mostly precautionary. We don’t want you to move your filler which is fairly hard to do once we have injected it but better safe than sorry. For real though, don’t schedule a facial or massage the same day after you’re injected.

3. For bruising- Eat pineapple. Use Arnicare gel up to four times a day. This is a homeopathic gel used for swelling and bruising. Come to the clinic the next day and let us laser the bruises to make them go away much quicker.

4. Come back in two weeks- At two weeks most of your swelling and bruising should be resolved. We can look at your before and after pictures together which is the best part! We also can make sure we have you on a longterm plan because you’re always going to be getting older and we want to be preventing drooping, sagging, dull skin, brown spots, fine lines and wrinkles slowly over time.

Filler really is an easy procedure. Last time I was injected I threw some powder on and went and saw patients and no one even noticed I had just been injected. Want to see how easy it really is? This Thursday, February 19th at noon Johnson Dermatology is hosting a lunch and learn. You can come grab a bite to eat while watching me inject a patients lips with Juvederm Ultra Plus (my favorite lip filler!). You can ask me all the filler questions your heart desires. Live demonstrations are so much fun! I hope to see you ALL there. Just call or e-mail the clinic to reserve your spot, they fill up fast so hurry!

Hope your Valentines Day/Galentines Day/Single Awareness Day was full of lots of LOVE!

Stay LOVE-ly, Nina

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Valentines day is just a week away. Valentines is full of chocolates, flowers, love and kisses. What everyone needs and wants for kissing is a perfect pair of smoochers. This week for filler February I want to celebrate filler in the lips. The filler choices for the lips are Restylane, Belotero, Juvederm Ultra and Juvederm Ultra Plus. There is a new very thin filler for fine lines coming out this month called Restylane Silk. Belotero and now Restylane Silk are more for etched in very fine lines on the surface of the skin than volume loss and deeper lines. Juvederm Ultra is similiar to Juvederm Ultra Plus only Ultra Plus has a little more va-va-voom. In my personal experience my favorite is Juvederm Ultra Plus. I feel like it has a little more longevity overall, less initial swelling, easiest to manipulate and easiest to inject. We inject all of the aforementioned fillers. Deciding which filler best meets your individual needs should be done during your consult.

There are lots of things you can do with fillers in the lips other than just making them bigger. As a matter of fact you can do a lot with the fillers to make your lips more youthful without even putting the filler into the actual lip area but putting it around your lips. Here are characteristics of the lips and the area around the lips that I like to improve with fillers.

1. Lines around the lips- Usually for lines around the lips a filler and Botox combination is prettiest.We can stretch lines around the mouth and lips with filler.

2. Border of the lip- In our youthful years most of us have a strong border around the lips. As we age, the lips and skin around them just kind of meld together. Some women try to improve this with lip liner. When we give you a border around your lip it redefines your lips and turns the pink part back to where it once was while stretching the lines around the lips as well.

3. Volume in the lips- If your lips are just made skinny or you are losing the volume in your lips as you mature you probably just want some plumping. We can do this with filler in a very natural way. One of my favorite things to do is give you that sexy pout back naturally making the lower lip bigger than the top lip. If your top lip disappears when you smile we can make it more of a natural beautiful lip that sticks around for photo ops.

4. Cupids Bow- Have you lost your cupids bow(also known as tubercle)? Is your top lip flat all the way across where you once had strong columns under your nose(also known as philtral columns)? I can inject filler to give those columns back to you and to give you your cupids bow just in time for Valentines Day!

5. Turn your frown upside down- Do the corners of your lips permanently turn down? We know you don’t feel sad inside so we will use filler to make your smiling inner spirit match your lips. We can put filler in/around your lips and the corners of your mouth to give you support back and make those corners go back to where they once were.

This is a good picture to try to visualize what I’m talking about.

If you get anything from this post then the take away should be that we can make your lips look very natural while using filler. Filler in lips doesn’t have to look done and fake. It can actually be done and no one even know what you had done.

Congratulations to everyone that ran in the Inaugural Fort Smith Marathon. You all have true grit! It was so inspiring to watch you all run by as my family enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Hope to see you all this week at the clinic with lots of love in the air!

Happy Valentines Day, XOXO, Nina

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I think in our society we associate fillers with big lips. Although lips, wrinkles, folds around the mouth and cheeks are areas commonly injected with fillers, there are other locations where we can do some very unique things with fillers. Let me enlighten you about the possibilities of fillers.  Make sure your injector is a highly trained core provider for safety because there are fillers that shouldn’t be used in certain places while others can be. Here are some of my favorite unique locations and tricks we can do with fillers.

1. The hands- If you don’t like the way the back of your hands are getting wrinkled or hollow looking then we can use Radiesse there.  We generally use one syringe per hand and it really smoothes out the back of the hand and gives a more youthful, natural appearance.

2. The nose- Is your nose bridge bumpy? Too wide without enough definition? We can use filler there to make a smoother, more defined nose.

3. The earlobes- Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? No seriously, if you put your earrings in and there isn’t enough volume in the ear lobe to support the earring then your earrings could hang weird. We can put a very small amount of filler in the ear lobe to allow enough structure to support earrings again and give you that plumper, more youthful earlobe back.

4. The temples- Have your temples sunken in making your eye sockets protrude around the brows. This can age you drastically. We can fill the temples which can lift the brows and take away that aging sunken look. This is a very natural anti-aging trick.

5. Scars- Depending on multiple factors of the scar, such as age of the scar and characteristics of the scar, we can sometimes fill scars like we would a wrinkle to make the scar look better. If you have lost volume or there is a divot when you run your finger over the scar then you may be a good candidate to put filler in your scar and smooth that area back out.

Happy Filler February! If you aren’t already following Johnson Dermatology on FaceBook, now is the time to follow us. There are some exciting things coming with Filler February and that’s a really good place to be in the know.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, don’t let your blood pressure get too high cheering on your favorite team! And if you do get red faced, go read a couple posts back about facial redness treatments!

XOXO, Nina

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This is more of a public announcement post than anything else. This is my last post for January 2015 and in February I plan to do a filler series. Each Sunday I will post different topics and information related to fillers. I want to know what you all want to hear about in particular. What questions you have or what you would like to learn more about. If you can post in the comments and let me know I will be able to make this an awesome Filler February. The reason I chose to do a “filler” series is because it sounds good with February. Just kidding, it’s because I love filler. I love filler in my Mom, me and my patients. I love injecting filler. It is one of the most satisfying and rewarding procedures that I do in dermatology.  I want everyone to love filler as much as I do. I want filler to be associated with natural beauty and not people that look fake. I could almost guarantee you know someone that has had filler placed and have no idea. Here are some of the reasons I’m a filler advocate.

1. It looks so natural. When done properly, with good technique, by someone with a good eye, whose goal is to keep your natural beauty, it really does take a few years off of YOU and doesn’t change the way you look.

2. Little to no down time. With a facelift you go under and have more pain and “out of commission” time. I got my filler, went and saw patients 10 minutes later (undetected), cared for my 1 year old and went and worked out the same day (you really should skip strenouos activity but I am a bad patient).

3. It’s cost effective. You can get a syringe of filler to fill the lines around your lips that lasts for 6-18 months for $600 at Johnson Dermatology. That’s as little as $34 to $100 a month. Heck, you can tell your significant other to not send flowers this year because they wilt. Just put that money towards your filler. Don’t watch your lips and flowers wilt this year. Watch your lips stay sexy , pouty and youthful and forget about semi-romantic bouquets.

4. It’s minimal pain. We have so many tricks for pain relief. I have literally never had anyone refuse a repeat treatment because of the pain. We ice first to numb the area. We can put on a numbing cream if you like. We have multiple distraction techniques. Most of the fillers come mixed with numbing medicine so after the first few sticks the area is numb anyway. Lips are more tender so we can do a dental block like going to the dentist first. Plus, there is the whole no pain, no gain idea (just saying, woman up).

5. It’s instant. I hand you a mirror and you can see the magic happening instantaneously. Most people will ask you if you got a new haircut or new lipstick but you will know what is really giving you that extra va-va-voom.

Some things I would like to talk about in February are which fillers are my favorites, unique places for fillers (like the hands and nose), pre-, peri-, and post- procedure care, before and after pictures, the different types of fillers and more. I really need help slimming down my topics so if you guys can let me know what else you would like to learn from Filler February let me know by e-mail or in the comments.

“People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder.” -Salma Hayek

Have a great last week of January 2015! Nina

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Today is my husband’s birthday. Jarrard is an amazing husband and Father. I really did good for myself. Most men don’t really take care for their skin like they should however,  being married to me, my man has to do something to keep up with all my young, hot, flawlessness. So here is what I have my red-toned rosacea man use for skin care.

1. Wash with Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser- I like the foam cleanser but he says it feels too much like washing with water and the daily cleanser has a little more substance. It’s a gentle cleanser so it doesn’t irritate the skin and cause inflammation which can cause him to be more red or get folliculitis (little red bumps) in his beard area.

2. SkinMedica Redness Relief CalmPlex- This is a moisturizer. It is made for people who suffer from redness. It works very well, some claim better than prescriptions I have given for redness. The best part about it is that it is luxurious. It doesn’t irritate or dry out the skin like some prescriptions for redness are known to do, it does quite the opposite and CALMs your comPLEXsion (corny what I did there?).

3. Mirvaso- This is a prescription cream for redness. You put it on in the morning and it kicks in in 30 minutes, works at its best in 3 hours and lasts for 12 hours. The longer you use it the more the decrease in overall redness over time. This one should be used with a moisturizer and the amount you use should be gradually increased as tolerated. If you are interested come see us at the clinic and we will spend some time with you on how to use it so that it is a success for you.

4. PDL- Pulsed Dye Laser works great for things that are red. Jarrard had 5 treatments one month apart initially and now gets a touch-up about every 6-12 months (or whenever I drag him to the clinic, hold him down and do it).  We use the PDL laser for vascular lesions, acne, rosacea, red birthmarks and much more.

5. What he is about to start- Soolantra. Soolantra is a mix between some pig SOOie and cilantro. No seriously, Soolantra is a new topical cream for rosacea patients. Its active ingredient is ivermectin which we have traditionally used as a parasitic. Demodex are generally harmless mites that live in all of our skin and some believe are more abundant in those with rosacea. That parasitic effect paired with its anti-inflammatory effect make it the perfect candidate to solve the problem of red bumpy rosacea issues. If you’re a rosacea patient you are going to want to be one of the first to try this new to the market cream. Should be available within the next few weeks, eeeek, excited!!

This skin regimen is great for those of you with redness or rosacea. If you ever wondered why my husband is so good looking, now you know, it’s because of me and my skin care skills. If you want to talk more about any of these products and tricks come see us at the clinic this week, we want to see your smiling face!

Make today so awesome that yesterday gets jealous, with love, Nina

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I have had some serious BFF time this weekend and it was great! Don’t you just love seeing your best friends? Even if you see each other everyday or once a year you just click together and always have the best time. The type of friends that you can say anything to, that would be there for you for anything and that you share everything with! These friends are the best! Well there are a few things that you can’t share even with your best friend. Some things are not meant to share. So todays post is all about the skincare products you shouldn’t share.

1. Razors- When shaving, as you know, there is a risk of cutting the skin. Even if you can’t see blood on the razor you could still be spreading bacteria and viruses such as hepatitis C, MRSA and warts. Your best friend may not know they even have bacteria or viruses to spread so just play it safe and don’t forget your razor at the next sleep over.  Alternatively, recommend she get some laser hair reduction! It will change her life and she will thank you later.

2. Make-up- Your brushes should be cleaned every 1-2 weeks if you are the only one using them. If your friend must use a brush you should consider washing before and after. Mascara can spread active pink eye, lip stick can spread active cold sores. Etc, etc.

3. Nail clippers- You can cut the skin and spread bacteria, viruses and fungus. Plus, do you really want someone else’s toe jam tool rubbing against you?

4. Antiperspirants- Deodorants work by killing stinky bacteria but antiperspirants work by causing a dam and decreasing the sweat. So if you share antiperspirants you can also be sharing bacteria and fungus that’s living on your skin.

5.  Hair care products- Brushes and hats can spread head lice. Head lice don’t discriminate. If you shared a brush with your BFF and then she called you the next day and told you her kids have head lice how would you feel? Itchy! My scalp is itching right now just thinking about it.

6. Bar soap- You ever heard of MRSA? It’s a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to lots of antibiotics. Even if it is an antibacterial soap you could be spreading what we call a multi-drug resistant bacteria. There are many people in the community that carry MRSA and have no idea. One booty per bar please.

There are lots of skincare products you should share with your friends and the best one is sunscreen. Always carry a bottle/tube/jar of sunscreen with you and share with anyone that will put some on. Sunscreen and sun protection can decrease risk of skin cancer, discolorations and premature skin aging. Who wouldn’t want to share that?!?!

Hope everyone has the best week ever this week!

Stay Skintastic, Nina

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Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s been a year since my first post on this blog? What a blessing to be able to write about what I love and have people actually want to read it! Thank you all for trusting me with your skin and being a part of this blog community with me. Last year my first post was skinolutions, things I recommended you do for your skin in 2014. It only seems right that I make this a New Year tradition. Only this year I’m going to change it up a bit. Instead of giving you a list of resolutions you should do for your skin in 2015 I’m going to give you a list of resolutions of things you should NOT do to your skin this year. Take care of your skin in 2015 by not doing the following things.

1.Don’t Neglect your skin- Don’t let new, changing or growing moles go without being checked by a dermatologist. Don’t skip your yearly skin check. Don’t skip your skincare regimen. Your skin is your largest organ so you can’t neglect it. You gotta love it and take care of it in 2015.

2. Don’t tan- OMG how over is the tan fad? Flip through a magazine and all the models skin looks natural. No one looks like they have been in the tanning bed. Besides the fact that UV rays speed up the skins aging process, give you brown spots and increase your risk of skin cancer, it just isn’t cool anymore. There is a reason God made us the color we are, it’s beautiful. Nothing looks naturally orange except for Velveeta cheese dip and surely that’s not the look you’re going for?

3. Don’t scrub your skin- This year toss the loofa, apricot scrubs, washes with beads, brushes and whatever else you are scrubbing your skin with. Scrubbing irritates and inflames the skin, keep it gentle people.

4. Don’t forget your sunscreen. No explanation needed right?

5. Don’t put 53 steps on your skin- If your skin regimen takes longer to apply than the time it takes to eat a bowl of cereal, then you’re probably using too much stuff. Over use of products can cause irritation to your skin. Simplify in 2015.

6. Don’t pick, pop and squeeze- Pimples that is. Pick the fun road to take, pop the Cristal and squeeze the ones you love. But PLEASE don’t pick at your skin. You can scar your skin, cause rashes and bigger problems. Resolute people, this is very hard to accomplish.

7. Don’t hate your skin- Do you know how many times a day I have to hear “I hate that mole” or “my skin is so ugly” or “I look so old”. #GIRLBYE to all that negativity. It’s time to love your skin. Come see me and I will help you love your skin again.

8.Don’t judge others’ skin- If someone wants Botox, empower them, don’t judge them. If someone wants a mole removed because they don’t like the way it looks, that’s fine. We all want to feel good about ourselves that’s why we do things to our appearance. Feel good about your own skin (see resolution 7) and help others feel good about theirs.

9. Don’t be mean to your nails- Don’t push your cuticles back. Don’t forget to moisturize your nails when you moisturize the rest of your body. Don’t pick nor bite your nails or the skin fold around them.

10. Don’t hate on your hair- Read my hair tips post for some extra tips. In 2015, don’t over heat your hair, don’t over wash your hair, don’t harshly brush your hair. Treat your hair gently this year.

THIS IS MY YEAR! I hope you all can say that with me. Here’s to an amazing, best year yet… 2015! Hope to see you all at the clinic this year.

Stay Skintastic, Nina

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