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.
- 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.
- 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%.
- 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
