I was wondering if you could give me some advice for a facial problem I have been having for a long time now. When I get up in the morning, I have flaky skin that just wants to fall off around the nose crease just above the nostril and on my face at the crease that meets the side of my nose. I can usually wash my face and then put Eucerin Intensive Skin Treatment around those areas and my skin looks fine all day long, until the next morning when it starts all over. Sometimes the area gets slightly red, but eventually goes away.

Do you have any idea how I can go about treating this problem?

Thanks!
Tom S.

Hello Tom,

You describe the classic presentation of seborrheic dermatitis, the very common rash that is also known as facial dandruff. Of course I cannot guarantee that this is your diagnosis, but you may want to ask your doctor if this could the reason for the redness and dry flaking of your facial skin.

I treat a lot of patients in my dermatology practice with facial dandruff and I have developed a simple, but highly effective, skin care routine for it. The products are in my Facial Redness Relief Kit.

I’ve also written articles that explain the problem, describe the symptoms, and give you information on where else it crops up. Facial seborrheic dermatitis can be really stubborn and I have information on the “step-up” treatment strategy I recommend for my patients. Read my posts listed below to learn more about facial dandruff:

How to Treat Dandruff.  This post has links to all my information organized by which parts of your skin are involved.

Best Men’s Skin Care for Flaky Facial Skin.  This post discusses specific advice for men who suffer from facial dandruff.

I hope that helps.

Warm Regards,

Cynthia Bailey MD,

Board Certified Dermatologist and Skin Care Educator

If you have questions about skin care or skin health, please send them to me using the Contact Dr. Bailey button at the top of the page.

Disclaimer: Please realize that availing yourself of the opportunity to submit and receive answers to your questions from Dr. Bailey does not confer a doctor/patient relationship with Dr. Bailey. The information provided by Dr. Bailey is general health information inspired by your question. It should not be a substitute for obtaining medical advice from your physician and is not intended to diagnose or treat any specific medical problem (and is not an extension of the care Dr. Bailey has provided in her office for existing patients of her practice). Never ignore your own doctor’s advice because of something you read here; this information is for general informational purpose only.

Face Dandruff and Flaking Facial Skin is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

The American Academy of Dermatology wants to be sure you get a reality check about sun damage and skin cancer before you risk getting more sun damage; so, they’ve designated May as Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month.

Yes, long, languid days in the warm sun will cause permanent skin damage and, quite probably, even skin cancer if you’re not prepared and sun protected.  

How do you enjoy the warm, sunny languid days without adding sun damage to your skin?  Here’s what you need to know.

Dermatologist Recommended Sun Protection For 2012

Seek the shade always, but especially between 10 AM and 3 PM when the sun is strongest.

Don’t ever let yourself sunburn. You double your risk for getting the potentially deadly melanoma type of skin cancer (The Big C) if you’ve had 5 or more sunburns in your lifetime.

Cover up as much of your skin with clothing as possible. This means a broad-brimmed hat (not a ball cap or visor), UV-blocking sunglasses, and clothing that blocks the sun (made with cloth that’s densely woven in either bright or dark colors, sun-protective clothing, or clothing treated with Sun Guard fabric treatment). Don’t forget to cover your chest, arms, and legs when you’re heavily sun exposed.

Click here to see Sun Guard Fabric Treatment.

Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher every day on exposed skin (which is at least your face, neck, ears, chest, and the back of your hands). For sweaty or wet outdoor activity make sure your sunscreen is water-resistant. I always recommend zinc oxide mineral sunscreens and I’ve got a great collection of the best sunscreens for all skin types, activities, and product preferences.

Click here to see the sunscreens I use for my patients, myself, and my family.

Apply sunscreen correctly. Remember, your sunscreen won’t work like you think it should if you don’t apply it correctly.  The rule of thumb for how much sunscreen you should apply is 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body when you’re in a swim suit. (Of course, my preference is that you wear a swim shirt and swim tights instead of a skimpy skin exposing swim suit.) Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.

Keep newborns and infants out of the sun. Sunscreens may be used on babies over the age of six months, but, like adults, they should also be sun protected with shade and clothing. Remember, the skin of children is very sensitive to ultraviolet radiation and, sadly, just one severe sunburn in childhood doubles the chances of them developing melanoma later in life. It’s a big deal and we adults are responsible for their sun protection!

Avoid tanning and tanning booths. A tan is a sign of too much sun exposure and means you got enough UV to damage your DNA; it’s your skin’s feeble and inadequate attempt to protect itself. (Sad fact: people who make just four visits to a tanning salon per year can increase their risk for melanoma by 11 percent, and their risk for the two most common forms of skin cancer – basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma – by 15 percent.)

Skin Exams Save Lives, So Get One

May is also called Melanoma and Skin Cancer Detection Month because a skin exam could save your life.

Examine your skin head-to-toe every month. Self-exams shouldn’t replace the important annual skin exam performed by your qualified physician but they’re still important. Many skin cancers are first detected during a person’s self-exam done between their doctor visits. Get your partner or a close friend to help examine your back. Learn the early warning signs of skin cancer. Click the links below for the best teaching resources to help you learn what skin cancer looks like and how to do a really reliable job examining your own skin.

• The American Academy of Dermatology’s Self Skin Exam Information. This is a must read for everyone. Follow the links at the bottom of the Academy’s page for more information on melanoma warning signs. Also, look over the general skin cancer information page, which has links to other important information and more common forms of skin cancers.
• The Skin Cancer Foundation’s fantastic video on skin cancer. It’s well worth a look.

Remember, if you notice any change in an existing mole or discover a new skin growth that looks suspicious, see your doctor immediately.

Get an annual full skin exam by your doctor. See your physician (ideally an expert in skin cancer detection such as a dermatologist) every year for a professional skin exam. If you’re at increased risk for skin cancer then you may need to be seen more frequently.

If you don’t have a dermatologist or other physician experienced with skin cancer detection, find a skin cancer screening near you by using The American Academy of Dermatology’s list of skin cancer screenings, which are being done across the country this spring.

Photo: Thanks and gratitude to VisualPanic

Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

I’m back. My poodle is thrilled and I’m busily trying to catch up on all your blog comments and Ask Dr. Bailey Questions from the past few weeks. It’s a work in progress and it’s great to be back. I love vacations and I love coming home to my routine, work, blog, and garden. That’s gotta mean that life is just right.

I thought I’d share some pics and a few homecoming stories.

It’s funny that leaving things behind is sometimes as much adventure as the destination. What greeted me on my homecoming after this trip?

1. A really shaggy and motley poodle in desperate need of a haircut! I expected that and he got his belated groom muy pronto.   (See before and after pictures below.) White dogs are such high maintenance. (Hmm maybe I should color his hair?)
2. High weeds and shaggy grass (seems I have a theme) because all our mowing gizmos broke while we were gone and the guy who cuts our grass couldn’t. (See the broken gizmos below. Truly, life is complicated by gizmo maintenance). Oh well, the house was intact and the most perfect spring weather greeted us too. On my first day back, I went promptly to the nursery to buy summer garden veggie plants and seeds and on day 2 I spent 12 hours planting them. (I took a few days off knowing I would need to do this when I got home.) I’m serious about my veggie garden and all of you who read my blog know how many veggies I eat. Judging by the seeds and plants I just bought, summer will be bountiful (I love my gardener’s optimism).
3. The new rotating surgical table I ordered came, my staff rearranged the treatment rooms and the office looks great. Boy, I’m gonna be livin’ high!  Can’t wait to take that table for a spin this week.

As a home coming “treat” I also did a mini-detox cleansing diet for 4 days to shed the souvenir vacation pounds and set my system right. Needless to say, I didn’t eat my Alkaline Mediterranean Diet Food Pyramid on vacation and it’s amazing how quickly a little cleanse gets my body feeling younger and more nimble. I’m thankful for the extravagant vacation “dietary indiscretions” and for my routine of healthy living at home.

Last but not least, I decided to use the end of my vacation to finally get my Juvederm filler treatment around my aging 53 year old mouth. It’s been “the cobblers son has no shoes” for me with filler since I’ve been the only doc in the office doing it and I’m too picky about results to go anywhere else. Well, Dr. Smith who just joined my office does beautiful work so I spontaneously decided to take the plunge Thursday. After a little bit of post injection swelling it looks great! What a treat and what a blessing to live in an era with such a nice filler and such great treatment options; those pesky wrinkles around my upper lip, marionette lines and the parenthesis (nasolabial folds) all got a fix – we just plumped them up with Juvederm and, poof like magic, they’re gone. Even I, a dermatologist with years of great skin care and sun protection, can’t avoid the inevitable tissue volume loss that comes from aging. Yippee for Juvederm!

So, it’s great to be home and back to the blog.  I’m wishing you a beautiful spring in your part of the world.  Remember to wear your sunscreen, hats, and sun protective clothing big time now that the UV is so intense and you’ll be drawn outside by the glorious weather.

Here are some fun pics:

We flew on the new A380 airbus, it was huge! View down to the wing from the second story.

Happy sun protected tourists. With great sunscreen, sun hat, clothing and Coolibar sun umbrella (tucked under my arm) we never tanned!

Pre-grooming

Post-groom glam poodle

Collection of broken mowers, how does this happen all at once??

Starting a 12-hour planting marathon in the veggie garden

Putting in the tomatoes and creating shade while I work

Glamour shot of me tractoring by the bountiful veggie garden last summer

My veggie garden gate summer 2011; hoping this year's as good as last

Happy spring to you all and I’ll have more posts out soon,

Cynthia Bailey MD, Dermatologist

I’m Back from Vacation and My Dermatology Blog’s Up Again! is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

If you are anything like me, you would prefer to spend your morning sleeping or “shuffling” around the house rather than applying your makeup.  This is where mineral foundation can come in handy.

My 3-step morning makeup routine is easy:

1. After I’ve applied my skincare products and sunscreen, I simply dust on my mineral foundation to help even out my skin tone. (Dr. Bailey’s Baked Mineral Foundation is an office favorite.)
2. On my problem areas like dark circles, broken capillaries around my nose, and uneven skin tone around my chin, I just apply a second layer.
3. I then apply our Mauve Blush and a little mascara to help my skin glow and my eyes stand out more.

It’s really that simple. With Dr. Bailey’s mineral foundations, you will no longer have to deal with applying an arsenal of products such as liquid foundation, concealer, powder, etc…

Dr. Bailey’s mineral foundations come in a variety of formulations (loose, pressed, and baked) and shades for every skin tone and type. They are healthy for your skin, help to even out your skin tone, and provide added protection in addition to your sunscreen. Dr. Bailey’s line of makeup also includes a beautiful selection of eye shadows and blushes to help you achieve the look you want.  Click here to see Dr. Bailey’s beautiful triple-milled mineral makeup and shimmery eye shadows.

We offer complementary mineral foundation matching in our office. Just call our front desk at (707) 829-5778 if you are interested in booking for this service. We aestheticians would love to help you enhance your natural beauty (and simplify your mornings) with Dr. Bailey’s mineral makeup!

MaLinda, Medical Aesthetician

My passion is helping people look and feel beautiful. I have over nine years of experience in the skincare and cosmetics industry; having worked as a makeup artist, as a makeup and skin care product specialist for a high-end department store, and as an aesthetician.

I have a bachelor’s degree in English and history, but I have found my true calling in the world of skincare. I’ve been a licensed aesthetician since 2007. I love helping my clients achieve healthy, beautiful skin and teaching them how to get the results they’re looking for on a daily basis. Everyone is beautiful with unique attributes that make them special. Finding and highlighting these attributes in a person is my passion – and it’s what I love about my career.

Simplify Your Makeup Routine with Mineral Foundation is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

I can promise you that unless you have really dark skin and live at the North or South Pole, you’re going to get enough sun during the course of your life to age and damage your skin – and you’re not going to like how that looks! 

You have the power to prevent this. It’s never too late. Even if you have some sun damage, it can always be worse.

Enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle without the damaging consequences for your skin. The trick is to make applying zinc oxide sunscreen a part of your daily skin care routine.

Why do zinc oxide sunscreens give your skin the best sun protection?

It’s my opinion that zinc oxide is the best sunscreen ingredient for broad spectrum UVA and UVB sun protection.

Zinc oxide and its cousin, titanium dioxide, are considered mineral sunscreens (and are also called physical sunscreens). When applied to your skin these mineral/physical sunscreens sit on top of your skin, bouncing off the UV rays just like bouncing a ball off of a wall. They provide non-irritating, hypoallergenic broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection that you can trust. Nanotechnology has made it possible for mineral sunscreen to be applied invisibly to your skin. New zinc oxide technology has made it possible for even non-nano zinc oxide products to rub almost invisibly onto your skin too.

Mineral sunscreens are the only sunscreens that I trust and recommend. That’s because the other type of sunscreens, called chemical sunscreens (and also confusingly called “organic” sunscreens!), actually absorb into the top of your skin and block the sun rays with a chemical reaction that occurs within your skin itself. The reaction creates a little heat, which makes you feel even hotter in the sun. More importantly, it breaks down the chemical sunscreen ingredients so that they aren’t there to protect you anymore. Therefore, your skin steadily runs out of the chemical sunscreens when you’re in the sun.

The mineral sunscreens, on the other hand, last longer on your skin because the UV rays don’t break them down like the chemical sunscreens. They’re also more stable in the sunscreen bottle than chemical sunscreens, which break down while they sit on the bottle waiting for you to buy them and to use them.

Of the mineral sunscreen ingredients, I recommend only zinc oxide – and not titanium dioxide – because zinc oxide rubs onto your skin better and gives better broad spectrum protection.

Remember, harmful and aging UV sun rays come through most windows. You need to apply sunscreen to the all exposed areas of your skin every day – even if you don’t plan to spend time outdoors. Applying a mineral zinc oxide sunscreen should be part of your daily skin care routine!

I’m always looking for perfect zinc oxide sunscreens to fit every skin type, budget, and product preference for my patients. I’ve got a great collection of products for your protection too.

Click here to see my Sun Protection Kits.

Click here to see my individual sunscreen products.

Creating perfect sun protection requires picking the right products for your skin type and activities. It also means:

• wearing a good broad brimmed hat;
• wearing sun-protective clothing;
• seeking shade whenever possible;
• limiting sun exposure during peak sun intensity hours during the mid-day.

To learn more, you can read some of the other sun protection articles that I’ve written, which are listed below.

Photo: Thanks and gratitude to Tommerton2010

Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Products is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

Everyone I know that has good skin wears sunscreen every day. My mom told me when I was young that I should wear sunscreen daily and I’m so glad I listened. She said, “I don’t tell you a lot of things, but you’ll regret lying in the sun. You should wear sunscreen and stay out of the sun for your skin.”

Since then, I’ve worn sunscreen every day and people are always curious how old I am. I just turned 40 and just recently someone at my son’s new school was surprised at my age. Also, my girlfriend, who is an aesthetician in the city, is stunning and she wears sunscreen every day – aestheticians know what to do for their skin.”

This patient’s skin really is beautiful, and she doesn’t look anywhere near 40. She was raised in California, which can really age fair skin, but she has sun protected her skin for years. It shows.

If you only do one thing for anti-aging skin care, it needs to be sun protection!

To understand why, you need to understand how the sun ages and breaks down your skin. 

UVA rays are the longest of the aging sun rays; they’re out intensely from sun up to sun down all year round, AND they penetrate deeply into the second layer of your skin (the dermis).

When UVA rays shine into this layer of your skin they permanently damage the main cells of your dermis that make your collagen and elastin (cells called fibroblasts).

Your UVA-damaged fibroblasts:

• Don’t work right.
• Start making funky collagen and elastin, which gives your complexion a sallow-gray look instead of a healthy warm hue.
• Can’t keep your dermis healthy and it becomes thin, fragile and wrinkled.

Both the UVA and UVB exposure (UVB is the mid-day sunburn rays) causes brown age spots, uneven skin color and red “broken” capillaries that show through your skin too.

Both UVA and UVB rays also damage the top living cells of your skin (called keratinocytes), which makes your skin texture dry and leather-like, yet thin. This causes the sallow-colored collagen and elastin layer to show through even more.

Most people who have had sun exposure in their childhood and teen years start to show the early signs of these changes in their 20s. You may think it’s too late, but it can always get worse! Sun protection NOW is important. Plus, there are products you can use to help reverse the changes. The sooner you make these changes the better.

There are things you can do to protect your skin and reverse sun damage now.

First, use sun protection.

Wear broad spectrum sunscreen every day, all year. Be sure to:

• Choose a mineral zinc oxide sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher.
• Apply your sunscreen after your therapeutic skin care products and before makeup, if you wear it.  Don’t ever miss a day – seriously.

When you’re really out in the sun, add a hat, sunglasses and sun protective clothing – yes it takes planning, but it will be huge for your skin.

Second, use anti-aging skin care products.

Find a product regimen that fits your skin type, budget and degree of “maintenance energy.”

Choose products that have:

• Antioxidant protective benefit.
• Collagen and elastin producing benefit. (Merely having these ingredients in a product adds NO benefit because they can’t penetrate your skin from the outside. Be sure to use products that tell your fibroblasts to make some new and normal collagen and elastin.)

Click the blue links below for some of my favorite anti aging and sunscreen products.

My Facial Anti-Aging Antioxidant Skin Care Kits and Glycolic Acid Anti-Aging Kits

My Anti-Aging Body Skin Care Kit

My Dermatologist Recommended Sun Screen Kits

My other sun protection products

This strategy works and I, too, am a evidence of it. I’ve sun protected my skin since I was 28, and before that my skin was extremely sun damaged for my years. 5 years ago when we moved into our new office, my staff found my old dermatology residency application photo in a file. I was about 27 years old and my skin looked worse than it does now at 53! It’s never too late. I’ve seen patients in their 30s and 40s transform their skin and take a decade off the wear and tear with good sun protection and the right anti-aging skin care regimen.

Photo thanks and gratitude to Tommerton2012

Best Skin Care for Your 20′s 30s and 40s is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

My blog won’t be entirely quiet because I’ve written a few articles for you that will post while I’m away.  I won’t, however,  be online 24/7 like when I’m home.   I’ll check in from time to time to answer comments, tweet or Facebook something, but I’ll be on a slow wifi so I just don’t know  (a good intervention according to my husband, and perhaps part of his plan).

See you all when I get back,

and please remember to wear your sunscreen and hat, it’s spring, it’s beautiful outside, and you know you’ll be out there!

Photo: Thanks and gratitude to PhillipC

I’m leavin’ on an airplane…… is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

The ashy brown color of a UV, sun-induced tan is out. Scientific studies have shown that you’re more attractive with the golden glow that comes from eating veggies rich in beta carotene. Keeping the sun off your skin enhances your looks: not just because sun causes wrinkles, skin cancers (which are not cute), and age spots, but because the color is ashy. Warm is in and beta carotene gives your skin a warm hue.

Keeping the sun off your skin as the weather calls you outside takes a premeditated plan. It is also a shopping opportunity. 

You need:

1. Great cover clothing in fabric that blocks the sun. I get mine at Coolibar because they have the best fabric technology and their garments’ protection lasts. They’re also cute, functional, and pack well.
2. A full-brim hat, meaning the brim must be at least 3 inches. It needs to cover the top of your head too. (Skin cancers on the scalp are no fun, trust me!)
3. UV protective sun glasses
4. A great collection of sunscreen. (I’m amassing the best collection on my website as we speak so, stay tuned.) Pick your products for your skin type, their function, and your personal product preferences. You need to buy new sunscreen every year because it expires and you don’t know how you abused last years product. (Did you let it cook in a hot car?) You need water-resistant if your wet or sweaty, non-migrating if stinging in your eyes is an issue, oil-free if your acne prone, good under makeup or the right skin feel for everyday use, protection for your lips, etc. Your products need to be broad spectrum and, I believe, they should contain 5% or more zinc oxide. I’m working on creating the best collection to fit all your needs and I should have that done in a week or so.

So, time to go shopping! Cruise over to Coolibar and pick out a few items to wear over your tank tops and bathing suits. I just packed a nice bunch of functional coverups for my upcoming trip and, every week, I wear my swim tights and rash guard to swim laps – Coolibar sun protective clothing rocks!

Create a collection of functional hats that will serve you well this season.

Stock up on sunscreen for every need you’ll have this year.

For a refresher on the “how-to’s”, “whys,” and “wherefores” of sun protection, read some of my advice below, and happy spring!

How to Get a Healthy Tan is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

I’m thrilled to have Dr. Smith practicing with us. She’s an excellent dermatologist, a talented cosmetic surgeon, and a warm and friendly doctor (plus a pleasure for me to work with). This month, she began seeing her dermatology and cosmetic patients here in Sebastopol. The word is out and her schedule is filling up really fast. She wants to be available to new patients as long as possible, so if you have a friend or family member that’s been wanting to become a patient at our practice, tell them to call ASAP while her practice is open.

For more information on Dr. Smith, please see her new biography page on the practice section of our website.

Click here for Dr. Smith’s Bio.

Dr. Smith treats patients with general and surgical dermatology problems. She has advanced fellowship training in cosmetic surgery too.

The Non-Invasive Cosmetic Surgery Treatments that both Dr. Smith and I offer in our Dermatology Office include:

• Botox Injections for wrinkles,
• Dermal Filler Injections for wrinkles and the loss of skin volume associated with the aging process,
• Laser Treatments for skin rejuvenation, sun damage and wrinkles,
• IPL (BBL) Treatments for sun damage, age spots and rosacea,
• Moderate Depth Chemical Peels for skin rejuvenation,
• Sclerotherapy Injections for the treatment of leg veins
• Plus all the usual dermatologic cosmetic procedures such as the removal of skin tags, moles, age spots etc.

See our Cosmetic Surgery Page for more information on these treatments.

To book an appointment with Dr. Smith or for a cosmetic consultation with either of us, call our office staff at 829-5778.

The other big practice-related news is that Dr. Rosy Chattha’s husband has taken a job out of the area and she and her family are moving to the South Bay. Oh boy, I don’t want her to move! Dr. Chattha and I have practiced together for 5 years and I couldn’t feel more blessed by the opportunity. There is a chance that she will be able to come back once a month to see some of her patients and we’re hoping that she can, fingers crossed! Our practice community of patients, staff and doctors is something I cherish and so Dr. Smith and I are happy to see all of Dr. Chattha’s patients that want to stay in our practice.

And lastly, for a little fun, I want to share with you some beautiful pictures of our office. Anyone who has been to our office knows that I’m here A LOT; it’s my home away from home and I love our office. We had a photo shoot done this past year for the website and the photographer did such a wonderful job capturing the textures and colors that make our office cozy and warm. It’s fun to see the space through his lens and I’d like you to see his creativity. It was an overcast day (big surprise) and that comes through too.

Dr. Ashley Smith Dermatologist in the Santa Rosa Area is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog

I have had pimples and red blemishes (from previous pimples?) for some time. I am 30 yrs old now, so I desperately want my skin to clear so I don’t have to keep using so much make-up to cover them up all the time. ;-(

I sweat a lot and, as soon as my body temperature rises, I start sweating on my T zone within minutes!!!! However, I wouldn’t say my skin is sensitive.

I live in Auckland, New Zealand and am interested in trying your products!! Please, could you recommend what products I should try?

Thanks very much,

Veronica

Hello Veronica,

There are different reasons why a person gets “blemishes,” so the best place to start is by being seen by a dermatologist in New Zealand and getting an accurate diagnosis. The acne articles I’ve written on my blog describe some of the types of acne and, as you will see, each of the different types needs particular treatments. Here are a few posts that are worth looking over to better understand the different types of acne:

Can Sweat Cause Pimples and Acne?

How to Get Rid of Pimples

Common Reasons Why Your Acne Treatment Might Not Be Working

For the most common type of acne (acne vulgaris), I typically start my patients on my Acne Treatment Kit. Unless they know that they can tolerate strong levels of benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid, we’ll begin with the Sensitive Skin Acne Treatment Kit. The levels of the active ingredients in my Sensitive Skin Kit work great for acne. Besides, it’s not always necessary to use the higher levels, plus it’s a safer start because acne medicines can be irritating.

Click here to see my Acne Treatment Kit.

I also like to add either a Buf Puf Facial Sponge or a Clarisonic Sonic Skin Cleansing System to help the medicines penetrate more deeply into the pores where the acne starts.

Click here for a Buf Puf Facial Sponge.

Click here for the Clarisonic Plus Sonic Cleansing Brush System.

For a moisturizer for the drier parts of the facial skin, I recommend Glycolix Ultra Lite Face Cream for both my acne patients and for anyone with oily skin.

Click here to see Glycolix Elite Ultra Lite Face Cream.

Another option is the Glycolic Acid Kit for Oily Skin, Glycolix Ultra Lite Cream, and Calming Zinc ® soap. That’s one of my favorite product combos for pityrosporum folliculitis. When I have a patient who says that their acne is worsened by sweat, I always look to see if I think they have pityrosporum folliculitis type of acne.  The yeast that causes this type of acne loves sweaty, oily skin.

Click here to see my Glycolic Acid Kit for Oily Skin.

Click here to see my Calming Zinc Soap.

It’s also important to have the right oil free makeup to cover the blemishes.  My Pressed Mineral Makeup Powder gives great coverage that looks really natural – it’s the perfect makeup for acne cover-up and concealer.

Click here to see my Pressed Mineral Makeup Powder.

I hope that gives you some product ideas.

Warm Regards,
Cynthia Bailey MD, Dermatologist

If you have questions about skin care or skin health, please send them to me using the Contact Dr. Bailey button at the top of the page.

Disclaimer: Please realize that availing yourself of the opportunity to submit and receive answers to your questions from Dr. Bailey does not confer a doctor/patient relationship with Dr. Bailey. The information provided by Dr. Bailey is general health information inspired by your question. It should not be a substitute for obtaining medical advice from your physician and is not intended to diagnose or treat any specific medical problem (and is not an extension of the care Dr. Bailey has provided in her office for existing patients of her practice). Never ignore your own doctor’s advice because of something you read here; this information is for general informational purpose only.

How to Get Rid of Blemishes and Pimples is a post from: Dr. Bailey's Skin Care Blog