Happy Easter to all! Whether you celebrate the holiday or not you all know the age old tradition of the Easter Egg Hunt. How fun it is to watch all the children get excited about the Easter bunny coming and then finding all the hidden eggs. It’s quite the process; dying eggs, hiding eggs, preparing baskets, getting Easter dresses and teaching the reason for the season. Well, there is a hunt we do in dermatology that is actually a lot less exhausting. The hunt for skin cancers. The three skin cancers we mainly deal with are basal cell skin cancer, squamous cell skin cancer and melanoma. Melanoma is the bad guy that can move into your body and kill you. They are all bad guys but he is like the serial killer that needs to be locked up forever and the others are more like drunk drivers that deserve at least a night in the drunk tank maybe even an extended stay at the local jail. You should all come in and let a dermatologist hunt your skin for skin cancers at least once a year, maybe more often if you are high risk.  If it’s your birthday month then make that the month you always come for your skin cancer check, it’s easy to remember that way. I usually recommend taking pictures of your spots/lesions/moles and retaking the pictures in 3 months for comparison. Anything changing or growing needs a look sooner than later by a pro-fesh-on-al. Here are some red flags that should bring you to your derm sooner than later.

1. Spots that bleed and don’t seem to heal reasonably.

2. Asymmetry – That basically means a funky shape. If you draw a line through your mole and one side doesn’t match the other that needs further investigation.

3. Borders – Are the borders ill-defined or smudgy looking? Not good, please let me check that mole for you!

4. Color – In most instances of life variety is a good thing. Not when it comes to your moles. Different colors in one mole can be a characteristic of melanoma. Is a mole darker than the others and just really stands out? Go get that mole checked!

5. Diameter – Big moles need to be looked at by a dermatologist. Big is generally defined as bigger than a pencil eraser.

6. Evolving – We rely heavily on this. Anything that is new, changing or growing we want to see.

Are you worried about a spot and want it checked? It’s usually a pretty easy process so don’t fret! I had one removed a few weeks ago and then worked all day and forgot I even had it done(oh and I’m a baby that hates needles in me). In my opinion, you should make sure whoever removes your mole sends it to a dermatopathologist. That’s a pathologist that is expert at looking at diseases of the skin under the microscope. Did you know Johnson Dermatology has a lab with a dermatopathologist, Dr. Amy Hudson? We do and we are pretty proud of her! Yes that is my horn you hear-TOOT TOOT! Don’t just hunt eggs this Easter, get in on the skin hunt for cancers and come let us look you over at Johnson Dermatology. We promise to be gentle and take good care of you!

Stay happy, stay beautiful and as always stay skintastic! Thanks for following! Just opened a twitter account at the request of some very hip co-workers. You can get to know me better there as soon as I find the twitter manual on how to start tweeting. Yes, I am that old. Follow me there @skinnyonskingal

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Sorry but the only vampire I get excited about is Edward Cullen. The vampire facelift is all the buzz since Kim Kardashian had a vampire facial on national television. A dermaroller with microneedles made tiny little holes in her skin and then her own blood was placed in those holes. Her skin is beautiful but I’m not optimistic that’s solely because of her vampire facial. Who knows, maybe it is. The vampire facelift claims to be a combination of steps to make your skin rejuvenated. The first step is drawing your blood and putting it into a centrifuge to separate the parts of your blood. While that process plays out, you will be having hyaluronic acid injected into you-that’s juvederm or restylane. After your volume loss has been corrected with the filler of choice then they take the plasma part of your blood and inject it into your skin. On www.vampirefacelift.com they call this third step “injecting the magic into your face”. That just sounds awesome. No seriously, I would expect to have Harry Potter powers after that. I believe in magic. It’s called platelet-rich plasma rejuvenation. Theoretically this part of your blood is high in growth factor which then produces collagen resulting in a more youthful appearance. So what’s wrong with that, right? According to an article in medscape http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/759592 “the efficacy and safety of PRP for cosmetic treatment have not been studied in controlled clinical trials.” Well all the FDA approved fillers that I inject have been studied in controlled clinical trials and are proven to show effects. Since they use one of these fillers in the vampire facelift, I’m sure people see some results in volume loss. What I don’t know with complete certainty is whether or not having the PRP part of the procedure is making any difference? So why go through the process and pay for that extra procedure called PRP on top of filler? In hopes that it works I guess. In hopes that it’s a procedure that will turn out to be awesome and it’s not just a gimick. In hopes that the results are worth the money. I rely on science, research and evidence and I can’t spend my tax return nor my savings on a hope. If I rolled like Kim K and Kanye then I might be able to give it a try. Maybe one day with more research and experience I will be using the vampire facelift on patients. Until that time comes, if you’re like me, you’re wondering “what is the newest advance in technology that’s cutting edge AND evidence based?” In my opinion it’s Voluma. Voluma is the most recent FDA approved hyalurinic acid filler. I’ve been injecting it since it hit the US in November and the results are pretty ahhhmazing! What’s the best part about Voluma? I can’t decide.Maybe that it’s so smooth or that it’s easy to inject. Oh, and did I mention it lasts up to two years?!?!?! I don’t know where this quote is from but I love it and it sums up how I feel about the vampire facelift.

“I’m not interested in competing with anyone… I hope we all make it”.

I don’t think the vampire facelift can compete with the fillers because part of the vampire facelift is filler. I don’t know if the PRP part makes your results better. In fact, I don’t think anyone knows on a level with which I’m satisfied. But, for the sake of all our youthfulness, I hope it does turn out to make the cosmetic world a better place! Until then, I’m gonna stay on the brink of research and on the look out for products proven to keep all our skin young and beautiful! Here are some before and after pics of a lady I injected with Voluma whose inner beauty is just as rad as her outer beauty.

Voluma may or may not be the choice for you. Come in for a cosmetic consult and let’s chat about it! I hope you have all noticed the follow button I added and put it to use. Thanks for following my blog! xoxo

Hope to see you all at the clinic this week. Remember you’re gorgeous so let it shine out through your skin this week!

Joy to all, Nina

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I hear it almost everyday, “I don’t want my face to be frozen” or “I don’t want to do anything that drastic”. I’m not sure where all these negative connotations against Botox started. I don’t think Botox is for everyone but I am here to tell you there is no moisturizer or prescription cream you can put on that does what Botox does for lines or wrinkles you don’t like. Although there is a topical botulinum toxin type A in the works who knows when or if it will ever hit the market. So this week I hope to bust the myths of Botox, Xeomin and Dysport. Plus, to prove it looks natural I have some before and after pics, yay!

1. MYTH-You will lose expression in your face. The botulinum toxins will relax the muscle. We inject it into the muscle and it blocks the nerves from sending messages to the muscle to move. I can still squint in bright lights, raise my eyebrows, smile, laugh and scold my daughter after injections.
2. MYTH-Your injecting a toxic chemical into your body. Botulinum toxin is a natural occurring protein. I guess this myth depends on your definition of toxic. Tylenol works by blocking an enzyme called cyclooxygenase. Botox works by blocking release of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. They both cause “harm” to a process in your body which then results in a desired effect.
3. MYTH-Xeomin and Dysport are “offbrands”. There are three FDA approved botulinum toxin type A which are offered in the US. None of them are considered “generic”. I describe them as Coke is to Pepsi. Some people like coke, some people like pepsi. Botox has been around the longest and is the most predictable because of that fact. Xeomin has less inactive proteins then Botox making it a purer product, which is theoretically a good thing. Research shows they are generally equal BUT do you consider coke and pepsi equal? No you probably like one better than the other. In my experience Dysport spreads a little more which can be good or bad depending on what your goals are. I offer all three products and I’m available anytime you want to chat more about their differences.
4. MYTH-Botox will make my lips bigger. There is a very big difference in botox and fillers. Botox relaxes the muscle so you can’t make lines in motion on your skin. Fillers replace volume loss and fill in lines at rest in your skin. Often time both of them together can be the best result!
5. MYTH-I only need Botox again when its completely worn off. Botox lasts up to 4 months. Some women tell me it lasted 3 months and some say 6 months, there is some variation person to person. You should make your appointments every three months just like you schedule hair appointments. You don’t let the color on your hair grow completely out, you color when you start seeing roots. Be diligent with your Botox don’t let the muscle get completely back to motion so you aren’t starting from square one. Over time that muscle will atrophy (become weaker) and you get even better, longer lasting results.

Next weekend is the big cosmetic event at Johnson Dermatology. April 12th from 10AM-noon. We will have special prices on all injections! Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, Voluma, Juvederm Ultra Plus, Radiesse, Belotero and Sculptra all discounted, can’t beat that! We will also be revealing a new service at Johnson Dermatology that I am giddy about, so be the first to know! You need an appointment so hurry and make one, it’s gonna be too good to miss. GIVEAWAY: If you share this blog post and comment shared below you will be entered to win an ELTA MD gift package. Elta MD carries my favorite moisturizer and spray sunscreen, this is an awesome prize. We will announce the winner on Saturday so get to sharing!

Here are some before and after pics for your enjoyment!

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tri·fect·a

trīˈfektə/

noun

noun: trifecta; plural noun: trifectas

• a run of three wins or grand events

This weekend my husband and I loaded up our 13 month old and headed to the horse races in Hot Springs. I’m not much of a bettin girl but I do enjoy the atmosphere at Oaklawn. My little girl loves the people watching and excitement. While my husband studied the horses and made bets we enjoyed the lawn and pretty weather. I diligently reapplied our sunscreen and we spent most of our time in the shade. I couldn’t get her to keep a hat on. She even wiggled herself out of the ones that tie around the neck. We are going to have to work on that problem. I’m so cautious about us getting sun damage for multiple reasons but one is how hard I see women working to get rid of those discolored brown spots. So in the spirit of horse racing, here is my trifecta for sun damage.

1. Sunscreen-every day you should apply sunscreen. Think of this as the preventative step. Even if you plan to be inside most of the day, protect yourself from rays in the car and walking to and from buildings or just unexpected sun exposure. I use the BOB – brush on block. It’s literally a mineral based powder that comes out of the brush and you simply brush it on, convenient and comfy.
2. Retinol- Are you getting sick of hearing me tell you that you need to be using a retinol yet? Use a retinol at night (not for the pregnant women) to get rid of what damage you got during the day. Retinol passively exfoliates off damaged skin letting new skin, with a more even tone, shine bright like a diamond! I use SkinMedica Retinol 0.5%.
3. Lytera Skin Brightening Complex- Some people with brown spots have used hydroquinone before and know it as a “bleaching cream”. It’s a prescription that you can’t use for an extended period of time nor during the summer months. Hydroquinone works on only one chemical pathway of the four that play a part in sun damaged skin. Lytera works on all four of those chemical pathways. The science behind it makes sense. It does have some retinol in it so be careful of the box instructions that say to use it in AM and PM. Although you may be able to tolerate that at some point it might be less irritating to your skin to start it once daily.

This is the skin care product trifecta but if you want to go for the superfecta then come in and let us discuss chemical peels or other options for you! Hope to see all of your beautiful faces at the clinic this week but if not please, please stay skintastic!

xoxo, Nina

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Tomorrow starts Spring Break around these parts. Lots of people use this as an excuse to hit the beach. Oh how I love the beach. I must admit when I was in college my Mom always told me to wear my sunscreen but I thought I was invincible and I would always go for a good tan. I’m paying for it now with sun damaged skin that is difficult to fix. I can’t tell you how many times a day I hear “no one told me not to tan” or “we used to use foil and betadine to get a tan, we didn’t know any better”. Well, here I am hoping to change this for our generation so that we do “know better” telling you to take care of your skin this spring break. Here are some spring break sun smart tips.

1. Avoid the hottest part of the day. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends staying out of the sun from 10AM-4PM when sun rays are most damaging. We went to the zoo yesterday and planned our indoor shopping and eating around lunch time. Zoo time was 2-5pm so although we were outside part of this time window we spent some of it inside as well. This is easy to do for the planner. Plan your vaca in a sun smart way this year.
2. Seek shade. Bring your big umbrella. No I’m not talking about the umbrella in your drink. A big umbrella or sun protective tent can allow you to enjoy the sand and waves with less sun exposure.
3. Wear your sun protective clothing. www.coolibar.com has some cute options for the fashion forward. What’s more timeless and chic than a big floppy hat on the beach? If I had it my way you would wear long sleeves, long pants, big floppy hat, neck drape and sunglasses.
4. Obviously wear your sunscreen. Unfortunately its not enough to apply sunblock in the AM and be done. You should apply at least 30 SPF broad spectrum every two hours. For sun exposed skin you should use at least 1 ounce total, thats a full shot glass. We used BOB at the zoo. Its brush on block, sunscreen in powder form on a brush. It’s the bomb! My baby giggles every time I apply it to her little sweet cheeks.
5. Don’t tan as beach preparation to avoid a burn. Seriously, why?!?!?! I constantly hear people say they are only tanning to get ready for the beach so they can avoid sun burn or so they can blend in the dark spots they already have. I don’t care how tan you get, if you aren’t sun smart you will still burn at the beach. Oh, and guess what? As you darken your skin you are also darkening those dark spots so they aren’t going to blend in any better.
6. Spray tan or use self tanner. If you just want to look tan do it in a safer way please. I don’t want you to have thickened, thinned, wrinkly, leathery, scaly, spotty skin one day (were any of those real words?). My favorite self tanner is either Jane Iredale or Jergens. I have been fooled by them before thinking they were real tans. If you want my personal opinion, pale is the new style. Tan cellulite does not look better than white cellulite, I promise. It’s like saying hail damage looks better on a black car then a white car, nope it’s still hail damage. *Now stepping off of soap box*

If your all grown up and don’t get spring breaks any more then maybe I will see you at the clinic this week! If you didn’t listen to any of my tips and get home with a sun burn, stop in and let me help you.  I will only scold you a little! If you have been considering any cosmetic treatments we are offering some major SPRING BREAK SPECIALS on Botox and fillers this week. Hope you all relax and re-energize this week in a sun smart skintastic way! Toodles, Nina

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When I was pregnant I would get a pedicure once a week. It just felt so good to have my feet and calves soaked and rubbed after carrying all that extra weight around all day. Well, I recently watched a 2020 on ABC news (http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/risking-health-nail-salon-22822474) about the healthcare risks of nail salons. This intrigued me so I took my Mom for a pedicure today to see if my salon did any of the “no-no’s” ABC had reported. Well, most of them happened. They used a tool that is supposedly only for podiatrist. They filed my Mom’s nails with the same file they used on my nails without cleaning in between and so on and so on. I still love my nail salon and plan to go back, I think they are just as good as any nail salon. One of my mentors explains risks by the discussion of wearing your seat belt. Nine times out of ten you wear your seat belt and don’t need it, you would have been just as safe driving without your seat belt as you would with it as long as you don’t get in a wreck. But we all (most of us) wear our seat belts every time we get in the car because we don’t want to take the risk that this drive is going to be the time we get in a wreck. Most of us go to the salon because, much like not wearing our seat belt, we are taking the risk of nail trauma, damage and infections over the benefit of a good looking pedicure. Just like you usually don’t get in a wreck you usually don’t have problems with your nails after a manicure. Before you take these risks you should know exactly what they are. So in hopes to not scare you away from a good pedicure but educate you on what risks your taking, here are the things that you could get after a pedi and mani.

1. Beau lines- This is a transverse depression in the nail plate. Basically a line going across your nail. This can be caused by the trauma of a manicure, usually in one nail. If seen in all your nails you should see your dermatologist to check for underlying diseases that cause beau lines.

2. Acute Paronychia-This is an infection of the folds of tissue surrounding the nail of the finger that lasts less than 6 weeks. It usually starts as a red, swollen, tender area after trauma to the cuticle. Trauma to the cuticle during a manicure can introduce bacteria and fungus. In the acute phase you may need drainage of pus or antibiotics from your dermatologist.

3. Chronic Paronychia- This infection lasts longer than 6 weeks and in chronic paronychia the nail plate separates from the cuticle leaving an area vulnerable to infection. In chronic paronychia the cuticle is gone. Among other causes this can be caused by aggressive trimming of the cuticles (like your nail lady may be doing). I never let them cut at my cuticles. Today the lady even said “but you have an ingrown toe nail that needs trimmed”.  I just kept insisting she leave my cuticles alone (as if I couldn’t diagnose my self with an ingrown toe nail??). Diaper cream is a good over the counter treatment for this problem.

4. Leukonychia and onychoschizia- big fancy medical words used to describe what a chemically damaged nail looks like. As you can probably guess, when we glue nails to ourselves those chemicals can damage and change the nail plate. Leukonychia is that white opaque discoloration and onychoschizia is splitting of the nail plate, basically your nail just looks jacked up.

5. Athlete’s foot, MRSA and warts- While most of us probably come in contact with staph, fungus and hpv on a regular basis we are probably more likely to encounter these at the nail salon. Person to person spread is a no brainer but think about your own skin too. For instance, if you have a wart on your foot, that pumice stone rubbing all over the wart then causing tiny little cuts in your skin on the back of your foot, yes that could spread the wart virus and spread your warts, not cool.

Cheers to good manicures and pedicures! I usually recommend keeping your nails trimmed to lessen the chance of injury. Keep them moisturized just like your skin and try to avoid harsh chemicals that can dry the nails. Hope to see all your nail probs this week at the clinic. Otherwise, stay nailtastic!

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I woke up Saturday morning, looked in the mirror and thought to myself “wow I look tired”. My thoughts were accompanied with the realization that I am turning 30 in less than a month and my body can no longer bounce back from a Friday night out with the girls like it used to. As we mature the eyelid skin thins and we suffer from loss of fat and collagen. All these things can cause bags, puffiness, and dark circles under the eyes that most of us don’t like waking up to on a Saturday morning as I did this weekend. So here are my tips for waking up those eyes and saying good bye to dark circles, puffiness, and lines!

1. Cold compresses and elevation. I put a cool rag over my eyes while sitting upright for a few minutes. Gravity helped the puffiness. Just like swelling and edema you get anywhere else in the body cold compresses and elevation will help under your eyes too, for the short term. Consider sleeping elevated.
2. TNS eye repair. This is my “go to” for people wanting a cream to help with the fine lines around the eyes. This is a Skinmedica eye cream that has growth factor and antioxidants that will help the appearance of fine lines around the eyes. I also recommend this cream for my patients who get Botox for crow’s feet. It helps overall results for the eyelid skin.
3. Botox- You should always be careful when choosing your injector but when injecting around the eyes, its extra important. I don’t mind when my patients ask me “have you done this before?” or “how were you trained?”.  The injector you choose shouldn’t mind either if they are confident in their skills, be picky. Botox can get a slight lift of the brows and help you appear more awake, less tired.
4. Filler- Belotero is a filler that is made to be put very superficial in the skin and unlike most of the other fillers, it isn’t seen when placed superficial. We can place Belotero under your eyes to help that dark hollow look. Sometimes using filler in the cheeks to replace volume there shortens the length of your under eye circles. During your cosmetic consultation ask which option would give you the biggest bang for your buck.

   

   

5. Blepharoplasty- This is a surgical option that removes excess fat or sagging skin. We don’t offer this at JD but we have been known to recommend this for you during a cosmetic consultation and can point you in the right direction.

I hope with daylight savings springing us forward this weekend you all adjust easily and get plenty of rest tonight and wake up alert and ready for the upcoming week. Have  the best week you’ve ever had! Hope to see you all at the clinic this week but if I miss you, stay skintastic!!!

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Due to an ice storm and a sick baby its been a lazy Sunday of eating leftover birthday party food and watching the pre shows for the Oscars. Is it just me or does every single person at the Oscars have flawless skin? I mean flawless! And it didn’t become that way over night. I mean, I don’t think they had horrible rashes and acne yesterday. Obviously, they invest in their skin to keep it looking good. But realistically, one or two of them surely ran into some poison ivy while roaming the beaches of Belize last weekend, right? And pimples always find me the day before a big event, that happens to famous people too, right? So in honor of the famous and flawless, here are some tricks I think some of them have probably used this week for a “quick fix”.

1. Acne- I tell my patients to allow 2 months of acne treatments before they see 50% improvement. You have to stick with a regimen to get results. BUT, if they had the Oscars this weekend I might offer to laser them with our pulsed dye laser. It would help calm that acne down before the big event. Bonus-we use it for redness too, killing two birds with one stone.
2. Steroid injections-If Bradley Cooper came and saw me last week with a large, painful cyst on his neck, which was draining stinky pus and making it difficult for him to tie a bow tie around his neck without irritating it……. well he would still be the best looking guy at the Oscars! Seriously, I would inject it with a tiny bit of steroid to help resolve it faster and let him be partay ready! Steroid injections do come with risks however, so you should discuss and consider these with your dermatologist before you are injected.
3. Make-up- Even the men are wearing make-up at the Oscars, for real. People forget how helpful make-up can be at covering up. Make sure you’re using it correctly and making things better instead of worse. Our cosmetic concierges at JD have lots of tricks. Did you know that if you have rosacea, using green tones will help cover your redness better? Shelly often picks out my make-up colors for me, Autumn is a brainiac with our products and Sharon is so easy to talk to. If you haven’t met one of them yet be sure to find them at your next visit to JD. They have a wealth of knowledge in skincare products to share with you!
4. Rashes- Actors/actresses are rich and famous, not invincible. They get poison ivy, bug bites and psoriasis too. While I find it interesting that Kim Kardashian put her sisters breast milk on her psoriasis and found it to be helpful, most of us likely need an alternative. Make an appointment with your dermatologist. Don’t waste your time on trying five different over the counter remedies that may just complicate things and make the rash worse(like pink lotions). If you have a hot date, like the Oscars, in the upcoming days then even a small bug bite is not too small of a problem for me to spend time on with you, promise!
5. Bruises- I bet at least one person has bumped into something this week and sustained a bruise right before the Oscars. Once again we can use the pulsed dye laser to help bruises go away faster. Another option is Arnicare, a homeopathic gel which helps reduce pain, swelling and the color of bruises. Give it a whirl.

Keep in mind no quick fix is as good as a regular routine skin care regimen. I hope you all enjoy this extra time stuck indoors with your families. Drink cocoa, stay warm and as always be skintastic!

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I have spent this weekend Spring cleaning my home. It’s almost Spring but honestly, its my little girl’s birthday party next weekend and that’s what really motivated me to clean my house. So in the honor of Spring cleaning today I would like to inspire you to do some skincare “spring cleaning”. It turns out most of America is spending money on skincare products that don’t work and can even be harmful to skin. Where did you buy your last skincare product? Was it recommended by your dermatologist? Or was it something “fru fru” that you impulse bought? You should absolutely invest in your skin, its the largest organ in your body after all! Spring clean your skincare with me and trade in old gimmicks for skincare products that work! Here are the first 5 items on my list for you to Spring clean, in other words please throw in the trash:

1. Scrubs. WHY? WHY? WHY? People like to feel something happening. If you feel those beads scrubbing your face, you’re probably thinking “its taking all those dead skin cells and dirt right off, ahhhhh”. I’m thinking AAAHHHHH STOP! Your causing inflammation and irritation to your skin which can trigger acne, redness, rashes and much more. If  you want an exfoliator trade harsh scrubs in for a gentle non harmful one like Cerave SA lotion.
2. Fragrance body washes. My teenage boys are the hardest to convince of this (that includes my husband). Those fragrances dry out your skin and leave a residue on your skin that can flare your acne. Throw ‘em out and trade them for a plain bar of Dove soap.
3. Heavy make-up. The goal is to use noncomedogenic(won’t cause black/white heads) products. That means mineral based make-up. Trade in that heavy acne triggering muck for some light and airy Jane Iredale powder.
4. Scam Retinol- I hear lots of people tell me they can’t use a retinol because it irritates the skin or “I’m allergic”. Probably because you got convinced to buy one that has also added anti-aging miracle workers and a root from the wild jungles of Indonesia that a 100 year old medicine man concocted and uses to still look 20. Point is all those additives can be too much, too irritating. Get a medical grade retinol that has been researched to be effective and nonirritating. My favorite? Skinmedica 0.5 Retinol Complex, it’s what I use and look how good I look? (working on goals from last weeks post)
5. Tanning lotions- I really shouldn’t even have to put this on my list but I’m surprised as to how many people ask me if its okay to get a tan if using these oils. Just because the tanning oils label says 5 SPF on it doesn’t mean that your tan is any safer. Getting a sunburn after you wore 100 SPF isn’t any better than getting a sunburn after you didn’t wear any sunscreen. Throw away all those gimmick lotions that make you think your doing something good for your skin while you tan. Don’t tan, its totally out of style unless your Snooki or just love wrinkles, dark spots and leather. If you gotta have some color my favorite rub on tan is Jergens, its fooled me before which means it looks close to a natural sun color.

Johnson Dermatology is going to be having a recycled products program soon so before you throw away these things go follow JD on Facebook to be in the know and maybe even get something back for those old products. Out with the old, in with the new! Hope to see you all this week at the clinic, until then, stay skintastic!

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I got a pimple this week. I noticed it first but then after that other people noticed it too…… I’m sure! Still all week long as I treated others’ skin I continued to hear “I wish my skin looked like yours” or “make me look as young as you”. I thought to myself “can they not see this huge bright red pus-filled pimple on my face? Come on I look like I’m growing a horn!”. My impression of how my skin looked was different from those looking at me.  I have imperfections and I think I could look better most days. Its all about perspective. One person’s view of perfect skin is another person’s worst skin day. Two people walking down the street with the same mole may have very different ideas about how it looks. One person thinks it’s a beauty mark while the other is headed to the dermatologist to have it removed. Some people would rather have a mole and some people would rather have a scar. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

So why then do we all wish our skin, body shape, hair and outfit to be perfect. It’s impossible to be perfect, right? Should we just embrace our wrinkles and pimples and rock them out with confidence? Of course we should, be proud of the way you look, you’re the only one that looks that way. But we shouldn’t neglect ourselves either. We should still use our retinol nightly to keep our skin looking young and beautiful. Use it to make our skin look the best we can make it look. That’s the key, loving what you have while still striving to make it better.  If we never tried to be better our world would stop, we wouldn’t grow into anything new and thats just depressing.

I’m hardest on myself and I find most people are the same way. No one calls me fat except for me. Well, my patients this week have inspired me to stop being so hard on myself and agree that all I can do is work to be my best while enjoying what I already have. When I look in the mirror at that belly, I’m gonna love it and think to myself “I look good”, then go workout and eat healthy all day to make it a little flatter. I’m going to embrace my imperfections and use them to my advantage.

So this week I hope this blog will inspire you to embrace your skin imperfections and realize that you’re awesome even with that stretch mark, those extra five pounds, that discoloration on your skin, the enlarged pore or any other little imperfection you don’t like about yourself. Then, when you try to make it better, don’t feel guilty. The road to perfection is never ending but the journey is what makes us all awesome. Most people don’t feel guilty for working out to become skinny. So why feel bad about coloring your hair, getting a tummy tuck, botox or fillers? I don’t feel guilty for getting botox or removing my mole on my neck. And to the naysayers that think I should love myself without having to change anything I’m going to reply by saying I’m not changing who I am I’m just improving it, just like I am trying to gripe less at my husband. I’m not a bad wife, I’m a good wife, but I could always be a better wife. There will always be a better version of me that I am striving for and I love that about me, I hope you will love that about you too.

So here’s my first step in accepting my imperfections as mine; I’m gonna share with you on this very public internet site the things I used to hate about myself that I now am going to love because they motivate me to be better! Feel inspired, feel motivated and have a skintastic day! Hope to see you all at the clinic so I can be a part of your journey towards perfect skin!

First up…… my belly! I used to hate that spot where all my extra weight hangs out, but now I’m glad its there because before it gets too big it motivates me to exercise more and eat less ice cream, making me healthier!

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