Tag Archives: Dr Steven Mandrea

Your Guide to Treating Body Acne, According to Dermatologists

You probably already have go-to products for treating facial acne, but the best way to handle body breakouts is less clear. So we asked dermatologists for their best advice on how to achieve amazing skin on every inch of your body (it’s easier than you think).

Read on for three surefire ways to beat body acne.

Practice good hygiene

To prevent pores from getting clogged on your body, make sure to wear loose-fitting clothing, wipe gym equipment before using it, wear clothes made of materials like wicking fabric that keep sweat off your skin when you work out, shower after exercise, and exfoliate several times a week, says dermatologist Jennifer Trent. If you use moisturizer or sunscreen on your body, use ones that are oil-free or non-comedogenic, says Steven Mandrea, the co-founder of Lakeview Dermatology in Chicago.

Use acne washes

Mandrea and Trent both recommend washes with benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. In terms of specific products, Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, Oxy Deep Pore Medicated Acne Pads, Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment, and PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash should all work, according to Trent. “Remember to completely rinse off the benzoyl peroxide so it doesn’t bleach your clothing, towels, or linens,” says Mandrea.

See a dermatologist

For stubborn body acne, you may want to talk to a dermatologist about more heavy-duty options. These can include prescription medications like topical antibiotics, topical retinoids derived from vitamin A, oral antibiotics, or even isotretinoin (Accutane), according to Mandrea. “If over-the-counter products aren’t helping, you need to seek treatment from a dermatologist,” says Trent.

4 Must-Follow Sun Protection Tips You May Not Have Heard Before

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by Wendy Rose Gould in TotalBeauty
Image via Imaxtree

We’re laying down some lesser-known sun protection rules.

Throw on Some UPF Clothing

Though we all know we’re supposed to slather on a broad-spectrum SPF 30 and reapply every two hours, the truth is that we’re not all as good at this as we’d like to be.”Enter the age of sun protective clothing,” says Dr. Steven Mandrea, a board-certified dermatologist and the co-founder of Lakeview Dermatology in Chicago. “Mainstream brands such as Athleta, Lily Pulitzer, Land’s End, and J. Crew have entered the market with stylish bathing suits, cover-ups, swim shirts, hats, and more that offer added sun protection. The best fabrics have an ultraviolet protective factor (UPF) of 50 and are a great supplement to sunscreen.”

Protect Your Scalp from the Sun

Another area of the body that’s prone to sunscreen but often gets overlooked is our scalp. And think about it — it’s just a sitting duck for the sun’s harmful rays.”The scalp is as susceptible to sun damage as the rest of your skin, and because it’s covered by your hair, you’re less likely to notice any suspicious moles,” recommends Dr. Sobel. “If you part your hair or you’re wearing any hair style that exposes your scalp, use a spray sunscreen to protect your scalp.” You can also wear hats (UPF hats are ideal for extended outdoor exposure), use a sun umbrella, and try to spend as much time in the shade as possible.

The Power Couple of Sun Protection: Vitamin C and Sunscreen

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by Wendy Rose Gould
Real Simple,

Amplify your protection from the effects of sun exposure by adding vitamin C to your daily sunscreen routine.

The importance of wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen every single day—rain or shine, indoors or outdoors—can’t be understated. It’s the key to preventing skin cancer, painful burns, fine lines and wrinkles, sun spots, and collagen depletion. When you pair your sunscreen with vitamin C, one of the best antioxidants in the game, you essentially double-down on all those skin protecting benefits. Here, experts share compelling reasons to make vitamin C and sunscreen part of your daily routine.

Vitamin C: The Skincare Hero We All Deserve

“A topical daily vitamin C serum is one of the best inventions the skincare community has made in regard to slowing down visible skin aging, such as fine lines, wrinkles, and brown spots,” says celebrity esthetician Renee Rouleau. “This is especially true when it’s applied on a daily basis.”

Vitamin C also has the benefit of brightening your overall complexion for skin that looks even-toned and radiant. Further, it’s a powerful antioxidant, which means it helps to protect your skin from free radical damage.

If you’re unfamiliar, free radicals are unpaired (and therefore unbalanced) oxygen atoms that haphazardly seek out any other atom to stabilize themselves. They’ll latch onto anything—your skin cells being a ready target—and cause a chain event of damage that leads to premature aging. As their name implies, antioxidants are the “antidote to oxidation” and help to combat that damage directly.

“I usually recommend applying vitamin C serum in the morning under moisturizer and sunscreen, as it can then work to combat exposure to free radicals and ultraviolet light throughout the day,” advises Dr. Steven Mandrea, a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of Lakeview Dermatology in Chicago.

Why Vitamin C Should Be Paired With Sunscreen

“Combining vitamin C serum and broad-spectrum sunscreens that protect well against UVA rays has been shown to be more effective at neutralizing free radical damage from sun exposure than just using sunscreen alone,” Mandrea says.

According to this study from 2013, “Sunscreens block only 55 percent of the free radicals produced by UV exposure…To optimize UV protection, it is important to use sunscreens combined with a topical antioxidant…Under laboratory conditions, it has been shown that application of 10 percent topical vitamin C showed statistical reduction of UVB-induced erythema by 52 percent and sunburn cell formation by 40-60 percent.”

In other words, when sunscreen and vitamin C are applied together, their benefits multiply. Just like your favorite duos—Chip and Joanna Gaines, peanut butter and jelly—they’re good on their own, but better together.

Try These Vitamin C and Sunscreen Pairings

Skinceuticals is a pioneer of vitamin C product formulation. The brand’s C E Ferulic with 15% L-ascorbic acid ($137; amazon.com) may cost a pretty penny, but it’s a tried-and-true favorite of dermatologists, estheticians, and beauty editors. Pair it with the brand’s award-winning Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50 ($42; amazon.com), a broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen.

Another noteworthy vitamin C formulation is PCA Skincare C&E Strength ($97; amazon.com). It boasts a potent, pure vitamin C and pure vitamin E formula that squeezes out of the tube as a thick cream and transforms into a sheer, almost powder-like substance on your skin. Because of the unique formulation, it pairs beautifully with pretty much any liquid or cream sunscreen. Try it with Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 ($32; sephora.com), which has a similar texture and doubles as a makeup primer. As the name implies, it’s completely clear and therefore works on any skin tone.

Vitabrid C¹² FACE Brightening Powder ($60; barneys.com) is a powder version of vitamin C that mixes easily with moisturizer formulations. We recommend pairing it with a creamy, hydrating product like Juice Beauty SPF 30 Oil-Free Moisturizer ($30; ulta.com) or Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, SPF 30 ($18; kiehls.com).

There are also a handful of products that already do the mixing work for you. These include The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Glow-Protect Lotion SPF 30 ($23; thebodyshop.com) and Supergoop! Antioxidant-Infused Sunscreen Mist With Vitamin C Broad Spectrum SPF 50 ($13; sephora.com).

Whatever pairing you choose, vitamin C products are an integral addition to your daily skincare routine, especially when paired with a broad-spectrum sunscreen.

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