Adaptation is a hallmark characteristic of the human species, and 2020 has given us more than enough opportunity to show our adaptability and resiliency. Wearing a face mask in public is now part of our daily reality.
The benefits of face masks in curbing the spread of COVID are well documented. However, this doesn’t make wearing a face mask is always comfortable or good for your skin. In fact, daily use of a face mask can lead to skin complications and acne outbreaks. This doesn’t need to be the case, though.
By following these actionable under-mask skincare tips, you can wear your mask knowing that you’re making your contribution to the pandemic-containment effort while ensuring your skin stays as healthy and radiant as ever.
Use a Cotton Mask
The point of a mask is to act as a barrier between your airways and the external environment. By preventing contaminants from entering your body, and preventing droplets leaving yours, we do our part to protect each other.
This doesn’t mean the mask should be awkward to breathe through. The fabric of a cotton mask is woven tightly enough to act as an effective barrier while also allowing air to flow freely. Surgical masks do this as well, but they can be expensive and should be left for those who really need them.
Use clean masks daily
One of the best practices in using a face mask is to treat it like your underwear – change them daily. This prevents any grime or substantial build-up.
Clean your skin gently and frequently
The face mask can attract dirt and oil. In particular, oily secretions from our own skin may build up on the mask, which can lead to clogged pores – not good.
To avoid this, you should use a gentle, pH-neutral facial wash as often as you need to keep your skin smooth and oil-free. Be aware that overly frequent washing will lead to dehydration, so finding a balance and using a hydrating cleanser is the way to go. We offer only the top-of-the-line clinical skincare products and can help you select the best products for your skin and circumstances.
Choose your makeup wisely
Foundation and concealer also catch dust and oil – which is precisely what we are trying to avoid. It might be prudent to be selective as to where you apply your make up – carry on as usual with your eyeliner and mascara, but being conservative with makeup in the masked region is a great way to mitigate any build-up that may occur.
There’s no doubt that these are challenging times, but adapting with best practices to protect ourselves and others is our only way to carry on.
If you have any questions at all about your skincare, or would like support in developing your ideal skincare routine in Palm Springs, please don’t hesitate to contact Dr Maya Kato at 760-610-5558 or fill out her online form here.
Let’s face it. Summers in Palm Springs are hot and dry. While this can be an excellent break from brisk and wet winter weather, Palm Springs summers can be harsh on the skin. Luckily, the right skincare routine can help minimize the potential damage caused by dry, hot weather. Consider adding these skincare habits to your routine to keep your skin looking dewy and glowing instead of dry and wrinkled.
Always wear sunscreen
Whether its lounging by the pool or hiking at one of the nearby parks, sunny weather undoubtedly means more time outside in the sun. However, increased time outside also means more time exposed to the sun’s harmful UV rays. Extended exposure can cause untold damage to skin cells, hinder the body’s ability to produce collagen and accelerate the aging process. UV rays can also cause sunburns, which can, in turn, increase a person’s risk of melanoma, or skin cancer.
Adding sunscreen to your daily skincare regimen is one of the easiest ways to protect your skin from these serious health concerns. To make it even easier, many high-quality daily moisturizers also include SPF in them, keeping the number of products being used to a minimum. In addition to wearing a daily sunscreen, be sure to wear sunscreen if you’re headed out for a day of outdoor activities and reapply frequently to maintain protection.
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
During the toasty summer months, hydration is especially key to maintaining healthy skin and body and for good reason. The dry summer heat raises our internal temperature, causing us to sweat more to stay cool and lose water content. For skin cells, water loss causes the cells to shrivel down, accentuating fine lines and causing the appearance of premature aging.
To prevent looking older than you really are, we recommend adding two key steps to your daily routine: drink lots of water, and incorporate lightweight hydrators into your routine. Increasing water intake will help refill cells from within your body and minimize the risk of dehydration. Lightweight but powerful hydrating serums and products can help cells hold onto more water longer, minimizing the risk of shrivel.
Shower temperature matters
Cold showers can feel amazing after a long day in the sun, and it can be great for your skin as well. Hot water has a tendency to dry out skin, exacerbating the effects of the weather. Instead, swap steaming showers for tepid ones and only stay in until your fingers start to wrinkle – this ensures that your skin cells are fully hydrated.
Go Light
Lightweight cleansers, lightweight serums, and lightweight makeup are your friends once the weather starts to warm up, and for good reason. Unlike their heavier counterparts, these products are designed to sit just above skin without blocking your pores. When looking for new products, always search for water-based, non-comedogenic – these will help you avoid untimely breakouts and won’t leave you feeling greasy or sticky at the end of the day.
Enjoy beautiful skin with help from Dr. Kato
From professional skin treatments to at-home skincare solutions, the team at Aesthetic Art is committed to helping patients achieve beautiful and healthy skin year-round. To help create the best skincare strategy for each individual, experienced Palm Springs cosmetic specialist Dr. Kato works closely with patients to understand their cosmetic goals and current concerns and ultimately build a strategy that fits into their lifestyle. To learn more about our approach to healthy, beautiful skin, call (760) 610-5558 and schedule your consultation with Dr. Kato today!
For many men and women, having beautiful, glowing skin can be the ultimate goal for a better, younger-looking appearance. Rather than waste time and money on over-the-counter products that may not work, these skincare habits are sure to help transform your appearance this year.
Start Fresh with Facial Rejuvenation
What better way to kick off 2019 than with fresh, rejuvenated skin? While at-home exfoliants may be enough to keep dead skin cells, investing in a professional facial rejuvenation can reset your skin for the better.
Options like chemical peel, microdermabrasion, and laser rejuvenation are specifically designed to remove dead skin cells while diminishing to appearances of flaws like wrinkles and scarring. By revealing new skin beneath, you can start the new year with a healthy, glowing look. At Aesthetic Art, plasma rich platelet facials are among the most popular and effective ways for patients to improve the look, feel and health of their skin.
Make Exfoliation an Essential to Your Skincare Routine
After you’ve come in for a professional skincare treatment, make your results last between sessions by adding exfoliation to your daily routine. At-home treatment with a high-quality exfoliant can help remove stubborn impurities as well as dead skin cells from the skin’s surface. This, in turn, helps reduce the risk of pores becoming clogged while leaving your face bright and glowing. To avoid over-exfoliation and drying out your skin, we recommend keeping this habit to once or twice a week. If you do it every day, you may end up drying out your skin or damaging healthy skin cells.
Moisturization is Your Friend!
Glowing skin is well-hydrated skin. When skin gets too dry, it overproduces sebum, an oil which can trap dirt and bacteria in pores and ultimately lead to breakouts. Invest in a high-quality moisturizer (bonus points if it contains SPF and is non-comedogenic) to keep skin well-hydrated and oil production balanced. Your skin will thank you now and in the future!
Eat Intelligently
Your skin’s health starts from the inside out. Just as a balanced diet of fruit, veggies, and protein can help keep skin clear and glowing, too much salt or processed food can have an adverse effect on your body and skin’s appearance. If you’re looking to achieve clearer, glowing skin this year, start by evaluating your dietary choice to ensure they include plenty of healthy and delicious foods and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Get into a Healthy Exercise and Sleep Routine
Your diet isn’t the only habit to impact your skin’s appearance. Consistently getting enough sleep and exercising regularly can also help you achieve beautifully radiant skin. We recommend aiming for at least eight hours of sleep each night as well as completing some form of light exercise daily to help keep your spirits and skin at their best.
Establish a Skin Care Routine
We’ve talked about exfoliation a lot, but that isn’t the only factor patients should be including in their day-to-day skincare routine. Furthermore, it’s important to note that good skincare habits are not a one-size fits-all. It can take the time to find the right skin cleansers, toners, and moisturizers that work in harmony with your skin and create the beautiful appearance you’re looking for. To start off on the right foot, meet with an experienced dermatologist can ensure you get the right products and routine for your skin type and lifestyle.
Start 2019 with Aesthetic Art
It’s never too late to adopt healthy skin care habits. At Aesthetic Art, our Palm Springs cosmetic specialist has helped men and women of all ages achieve beautiful, glowing skin with habits that can be easily followed. Call Dr. Kato at (760) 610-5558 today and schedule your skincare consultation today!
While your skin cells may replenish themselves every few weeks, your skincare regimen plays a critical role in creating a healthy environment for the cells to grow back and helping delay the inevitable aging process. Too often, however, many pay close attention to their facial skin and not enough to the skin covering other parts of the body. If you want your skin to look beautiful for a lifetime, be sure to pay close attention to these areas:
Hands
From when you first get up until you go to bed in the evening, your hands are constantly busy and at work. This also means that your hands are perhaps more exposed to changes in temperature, sunlight, water, chemicals, and other factors that can all leave skin more vulnerable to damage. Furthermore, hands are often the first parts of our body to show the signs of aging.
Rather than leaving these all-important tools exposed to the elements, regularly moisturize your hands throughout the day and apply a good quality hand cream at night. If you’re planning on spending time outside, be sure apply sunscreen to your hands or wear gloves if it’s going to be cold.
Feet
Much like your hands, your feet play a major role in your day-to-day life. Between the physical working, jogging and running between different daily obligations to the shoes you wear to complete daily errands, your feet are quite literally put through their paces and often overlooked in terms of care.
Give your feet the love they deserve. Daily scrubs and moisturization combined with a good soak can help restore and relax tired feet after a long day. For a more luxurious and well-deserved treatment, consider getting a good old-fashioned massage to better relax the muscles and remove tension.
Neck
Unless you’re planning on perpetually wearing turtlenecks, your skincare regimen should also include your neck and chest. Like facial skin, these areas tend to show wrinkles quickly and can prematurely age unwary patients. As neck skin is much thinner than facial skin, early wrinkle development is common among patients as young as their 20s.
To prevent the unflattering “turkey neck,” we recommend starting with daily sunscreen application and moisturization. Massages and sleeping on lower pillows can also help alleviate unwanted lines from developing too early.
Elbows and Knees
Another pair of easy to overlook areas, dry elbows and knees can be serious detractors from an otherwise flawless appearance. Likewise, as skin begins to sag due to the aging process, these areas can become noticeable for the wrong reasons. Regular moisturization and exfoliation can help ensure these joints stay well lubricated and soft. To prevent saggy looking knees, try turning to yoga and exercises that promote muscle growth on the legs and around the knees.
Start Your Skincare Routine with Dr. Kato
Since founding Aesthetic Art, Dr. Kato has proudly helped countless women find the right skincare solutions for their appearance and schedule. By helping patients identify their problem areas and recommending treatments that can be done at home between visits, our Palm Spring cosmetic surgeon is among the area’s top trusted physicians for skin and cosmetic care. To learn more about creating the perfect routine for your skin, call (760) 610-5558 today and schedule your consultation.
Sunny Southern California is known for beautiful weather year-round. While other states struggle with humidity and snow, we’re pretty lucky in that nearly every day is a balmy 75. However, the constant sun and dry heat can take a toll on our skin’s wellbeing and even accelerate the aging process.
If you live in the desert, try these tips for keeping your skin smooth, supple, and protected all year long.
Moisturizer is Your Best Friend
While the dry heat can be a welcome change for snowbirds from wet, snowy climates, those of us who live here year-round know how drying the Palm Springs weather can be on your skin daily. Without proper care, skin can quickly turn flaky or crack, making you look older than you are. Investing in a high-quality skin cleanser and lightweight daily moisturizer can help keep your skin hydrated and supple even on the hottest summer days.
Keeping your body well hydrated is another important step in desert skincare. If you want to enjoy beautiful, healthy skin, be sure to drink plenty of water during the day as well as limiting alcohol intake to the weekends or special nights out.
Protect Your Skin from the Sun
Did you know that Palm Springs boasts nearly 350 days of sunshine year-round? While a day spent tanning and reading by the pool is one of the top relaxing activities for visitors and residents alike, this leisurely activity can also take a toll on your skin if you don’t take the right steps to protect yourself. Regular sun exposure can accelerate the aging process by slowly destroying important elastin – the protein that keeps skin looking smooth. Over the years, this can cause fine lines and wrinkles, leading to the appearance of premature aging. Furthermore, sun exposure can increase the likelihood of developing skin cancer such as melanoma or basal cell carcinoma.
Rather than risking serious damage to your skin and health, we strongly recommend that all our patients wear SPF every day, even the occasional cloudy one. Even if you’ve never burned, a good quality broad-spectrum SPF of 30 or higher can help protect your skin from fine lines, burns and reduce the risk of skin cancer. In addition to sunscreen, packing a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses can help keep your skin protected.
Smooth Away Dead Skin Cells with Exfoliation
What do dust, oil, and sun exposure all have in common? Each of these environmental factors can accumulate on your skin, increasing acne development and premature aging. In drier, hot climates, the skin can over-produce oils that can clog up pores and create unsightly blemishes across an otherwise clear face. Likewise, dust and dried or dead skin cells can cling to your skin throughout long days, keeping your face from looking clear.
Regularly booking professional deep exfoliation treatments like microdermabrasion and chemical peels can help kickstart your skin’s natural healing process, remove dead skin cells and blemishes, and reveal healthy skin. Likewise, adding a daily or weekly exfoliation treatment to your at-home skincare routine can help keep these environmental stressors from accumulating.
Keep Your Skin Beautiful with Dr. Kato
Whether you’re visiting the desert for the first time or are a desert dweller like the rest of us, our team is here to help you keep your skin clear and ageless. In addition to consultations for creating your perfectly personalized skin care regimen, our Palm Springs dermatologist Dr. Kato can help you build a long-term treatment strategy that helps keep your skin looking younger for longer. To learn more about your options, call our team at (760) 610-5558 to schedule your next visit.
At Aesthetic Art of Palm Springs, our goal has always been to provide our clients with world-class care. This holds true even after you’ve experienced cosmetic treatments with our cosmetic specialist. To enjoy the full potential of your treatment, keep reading and learn about some of Dr. Maya Kato’s favorite products recommended for her patients.
SkinMedica®
Founded by physicians, the brand was developed to provide all patients with advanced skin care products supported by years of research. SkinMedica® products are specifically recommended based on the patient’s dermatological needs. Likewise, products within the line contain clinically tested ingredients that work in tandem with your skin to comprehensively improve it from the inside out. Within the product line, Dr. Kato recommends the HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator and the TNS Eye Repair.
HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator
Designed to immediately smooth fine lines and wrinkles throughout the face, SkinMedica® HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator contains the company’s proprietary Vitiscensce® technology. This contains a combination of five forms of hyaluronic acid, a naturally-produced acid that helps the skin retain moisture. With this at-home treatment, you can enjoy smooth, lasting hydration that keeps your skin supple and looking fantastic all-day long.
TNS Eye Repair
Improve the alertness of your appearance without a dozen cups of coffee. TNS eye repair is an all-in-one treatment that contains the SkinMedica® Tissue Nutrient Solution, a proprietary formula that improves fine lines, wrinkles, skin tone, and texture. This gentle, yet highly effective, combination helps support the delicate tissue surrounding the eyes and improves the look of stubborn dark circles that can appear with age.
Glowbiotics MD
Another product line supported by scientific evidence, GLOWBIOTICS MD, is the first medical grade skincare brand to bring the benefits of probiotics directly to skin. These products stimulate the skin’s ability to repair itself as well as promote collagen growth by tapping into the skin’s immune system. Among the brand’s extensive product line, Dr. Kato regularly recommends the probiotic revitalizing cleanser.
Probiotic Revitalizing Cleanser
Perfect for all skin types, the GLOWBIOTICS MD Probiotic Revitalizing Cleanser relies on smart biomimetic peptide technology to trigger increased cell regeneration. Made with highly refined essential oils and free of sulfates, phthalates, and parabens, the cleanser is strong enough to remove makeup and other impurities without damaging delicate skin. For clients recovering from facial cosmetic treatments, we recommend this option for its ability to brighten, tighten, and hydrate skin.
PCA Skin®
Over the years, PCA Skin® has developed a reputation for staying at the forefront of innovation in skin care products. In addition to the company’s line of highly effective professional-grade treatments, the company is well known for the wide range of daily care products individuals can use at home. At Aesthetic Art, our team recommends several of the daily use products for our medical spa patients, including C&E Strength and Sheer Tint Sunscreen.
C&E Strength by PCA Skin®
This potent formula delivers pure vitamin C and vitamin E directly to the skin, helping correct irregularities while protecting skin from damage and aging. Ideal for all skin types, this antioxidant formulation is especially useful for tackling the visible signs of aging as well as discoloration.
PCA Sheer Tint Sunscreen
Damage from the sun can accelerate the aging process as well as increase the risk of skin cancer. Avoid unnecessary harm to your skin by investing in a lightweight, broad-spectrum sunscreen. Made with a universal tint, the PCA Sheer Tint Broad Spectrum SPF 45 delivers light, water-resistant coverage that doubles as a sheer makeup. Great for all skin types and concerns, this product was awarded a Seal of Recommendation by the Skin Cancer Foundation
Stock Up on Your Favorite Skin Care Products in Palm Desert
Investing in high-quality skincare is an investment in your health and long-term appearance. At Aesthetic Art, Dr. Kato is here to help you find the products that ensure you maintain your best appearance well into the future. Contact our Palm Desert cosmetic specialist at 760-610-5558 today and schedule a consultation!