ZO Skin Health
Stay Cool!
If you live in an area where the temperature is soaring, your skin is under stress and duress. Dry skin, eczema, acne-prone and sensitive skin are all especially problematic. Here’s what Dr. Obagi recommends to get through the summer heat:
- Sweating is your body’s way of regulating temperature. Wear fabrics that allow your skin to breathe properly—like linen and cotton. Spandex, lycra, etc. are comfortable, but they may trap sweat, congest pores and cause breakouts on your back or neck.
- Hold off on facial waxing, glycolic peels, microdermabrasion, etc. Avoid or reduce the use of products that contain high concentrations of glycolic acid, salicylic acid, retinoic acid or retinol. They all work to expose new, younger, healthier skin cells, but in so doing, shed the dull, dry skin cells that have been blanketing your skin.
- Drink plenty of water or a sports drink. When your skin is not properly hydrated, it will appear more wrinkled, dry and damaged.
- Apply a good sunscreen (like ZO Skin Health’s Oclipse SPF30) about 30 minutes before going outside—it can take that long for it to be fully absorbed by your skin, and reapply it throughout the day. Sunscreens with physical blocks (like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) are better than chemical sunscreens.
- Avoid the use of products that are fragranced.
- Wear a broad-brimmed hat. Not only will it shelter you from the UV rays, it will provide some welcome shade (and protect your hair color!)
- Opt for a treadmill instead of your favorite jogging path. Now is the time to enjoy an air-conditioned fitness center.
ZO Skin Health
Guide for Identifying Beachgoers
Headed to the beach this weekend? Check out this cartoon by Dave Granlund first. Only the novices (and the dummies) go the beach without UV protection. Remember, wear SPF 30 (like Oclipse SPF 30 on your face) and a good body sunscreen (Dr. Obagi likes Neutrogena sunscreens); reapply it every 2-3 hours and after swimming or perspiring. Better yet, wear a broad-brimmed hat and long sleeves–like a Year-Round-Resident! If you’ve been using retinoic acid or Radical Night Repair Plus, be extra careful about sun exposure. Stay cool, and have fun!
ZO Skin Health
Fight and Protect
Boxing trainer Frankie (Clint Eastwood) had two messages for boxer Maggie (Hilary Swank) in Million Dollar Baby: fight and protect. And as the movie reveals, “protect” is as important, if not more important, than just fighting hard.
It’s the same message that Dr. Obagi (and every other dermatologist) preaches every day: to defeat the signs of skin aging, you have to fight hard, and protect your skin.
And that’s the reason that we have paired our two very popular products–Radical Night Repair Plus and Oclipse sunscreen–this month. When you get RNR Plus, we’ll give you a .5 oz Oclipse sunscreen. You have to protect your skin against UV rays all year long, but especially during summer! To take advantage of our current offer and get a free Oclipse, go to: http://www.zoskinhealth.com/shop.html
When you think of the movie, get out the Kleenex, and remember: fight and protect.
Dr. Zein Obagi
What Does SPF Stand For? Your Sunscreen Probably Flunked!
SPF = Sun Protection Factor. Or SPF = Your Sunscreen Probably Flunked. That’s right. Even though physicians have been preaching for years the importance of wearing sunscreen, one bunch of treehuggers now claims otherwise.
Two years ago, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) challenged the safety and efficacy of sunscreens, claiming that the chemicals used in it can cause or accelerate cancer. In fact, they claim that 80-some percent of sunscreens flunked–claiming that they are not safe and/or effective That’s worrisome.
So let’s face the facts:
* EWG’s studies were done only on laboratory mice, and mice are much more susceptible to cancer than people.
* One of the ingredients that they claim is responsible is retinyl palmitate, which is a form of Vitamin A–which in fact is used in the treatment of cancer.
* the EWG generally prefers titanium dioxide and zinc oxide–two physical sunblocks. On that particular point, dermatologists generally agree that physical sunblocks (which block the sun’s rays) are preferable to chemical ones (which absorb the skin’s rays). So we agree. But what should you do about it?
Remember the column that was first published in the Chicago Tribune, with advice for new grads?
“Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.”
Sunscreen is still your best protection again skin cancer and skin aging. Just reapply it frequently, use a minimum of SPF30 and use it every day.
Dr. Zein Obagi
Sunscreen and Vitamin D: The Controversy
Eggs are bad for you; no, eggs are good for you.
Carbs are bad for you; no, carbs are an important part of a healthy diet.
Coffee is bad for you; no, frappuccinos with double whip are bad for you, coffee is actually good for you; it reduces the risk of diabetes and Parkinson’s.
You need to apply sunscreen every day. No, sunscreen limits your body’s exposure to Vitamin D, which is important for strong bones and auto-immune functions.
Wait a second. Which way is the wind blowing today?
Here’s my opinion. UV rays are an important—and very efficient—source of Vitamin D which helps prevent osteoporosis, high blood pressure and cancer. But you can still apply sunscreen every day, and get all of the Vitamin D that you need.
- You only need about 10-15 minutes of exposure per day, and that can come through any part of your body—your hands, your arms, etc. If you’re going to be outdoors, you still need sunscreen on your face!
- That UV exposure doesn’t have to be between the hours of 10-2. Go outside during off-peak hours.
- You can get vitamin D from a variety of sources—including salmon and eggs. Milk, OJ, yogurts and cheese are also frequently fortified with Vitamin D. You can get Vitamin D from vitamin supplements.
- Looking for a good facial sunscreen? I like ZO Skin Health’s Oclipse SPF 30. For body, dermatologists like Neutrogena sunscreens.
There are things that we all need to be concerned about. Getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin D doesn’t need to be one of them.
Stick with the sunscreen!
Dr. Zein Obagi
Really?? Sunscreen is Bad for You??
Eggs are bad for you; no, eggs are good for you.
Carbs are bad for you; no, carbs are an important part of a healthy diet.
Coffee is bad for you; no, frappuccinos with double whip are bad for you, plain coffee is actually good for you; it reduces the risk of diabetes and Parkinson’s.
You need to apply sunscreen every day. No, sunscreen limits your body’s exposure to Vitamin D, which is important for strong bones and auto-immune functions. Wait a second. Which way is the wind blowing today?
Here’s my opinion. UV rays are an important—and very efficient—source of Vitamin D which helps prevent osteoporosis, high blood pressure and cancer. But you can still apply sunscreen every day, and get all of the Vitamin D that you need.
- The National Institute of Health reports that it does not take much sunlight to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D: perhaps as little as 30 minutes of exposure (without sunscreen) twice a week.
- That UV exposure can come through any part of your body—your hands, your arms, etc. If you’re going to be outdoors, you still need sunscreen on your face!
- That UV exposure doesn’t have to be between the hours of 10-2. Go outside during off-peak hours.
- You can get vitamin D from a variety of sources—including salmon and eggs. Milk, OJ, yogurts and cheese are also frequently fortified with Vitamin D. You can get Vitamin D from vitamin supplements. Eat more of the good stuff!
There are things that we all need to be concerned about. Getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin D doesn’t need to be one of them.
Stick with the sunscreen!
ZO Skin Health
Skincare Tips You Haven’t Already Heard
Certain skincare tips, like drinking plenty of water, are now common knowledge. But, every once in a while you come across a true treasure. The kind of rare tip you haven’t heard before but wish someone told you years ago. They usually come up when you least expect it, but we decided to go looking for them. We asked our Facebook fans and Twitter followers to share the best, rarely-heard-before skincare tips and they answered with some treasures. Take a look:
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Liz says DON’T drink with a straw. When you tighten your lips to suck from a straw, you’re using the same muscles it takes to smoke a cigarette. And, we all know what smokers’ lips, and the wrinkles around them, look like.
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Victoria recommends you DO use a hands-free headset for your cell phone. Think about it. If your cell phone is ridden with makeup and oils after a long call, guess what transferred to your face? Bacteria, acne’s faithful ally.
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Dawn advises you DO apply more sunscreen to the left side of your face and upper body. Not because she has something against your right side, but because she realizes we spend a good chunk of time in our cars. And where does the sun hit us when we’re behind the wheel? You guessed it, our left sides.
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Teresa suggests you DO cut your TE Pads in half. The faithful ZO Skin Health customer does this to make them last longer and thus gets more bang for her buck. You know what they say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Kudos to Teresa for coming up with this one.
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Xavier thinks women who DON’T own a magnifying mirror are doing their skin and themselves a favor. Looking at our pores that close-up can cause unnecessary obsession and, in many cases, lead to picking, prodding and popping. Put the magnifying mirror away. Your skin, and sanity, will thank you.
ZO Skin Health
Skin Cancer Awareness: The Good, Bad and Ugly
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. To celebrate, we asked our Facebook fans and Twitter followers to tell us how “aware” they’ve become over the years. Yes, we wanted to hear all the great habits they’ve adopted to prevent skin cancer, but we also wanted to hear all the stuff they look back on with regret, too — just to show how far we’ve all come.
Let’s just say we have a very honest group of followers. Take a look. And, remember: Dr. Zein Obagi insists that SPF is your best defense against aging, too. Apply it liberally for its many benefits.
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PAYING THE PRICE: Becky regrets spending more money on her tanning salon passes than her skincare products in the early ’90s.
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STYLE SOLUTIONS: Karen is proud to carry umbrellas and sport trendy hats to protect herself from the sun’s damaging rays.
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THAT’S (NOT) AMORE: Tanji can’t believe she once told friends she didn’t have to worry about skin cancer because her Italian skin wasn’t susceptible burning.
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GREASE ISN’T THE WORD: Liz can’t believe she used baby oil in place of sunscreen as a teenager.
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WHAT’S UP, DOC?: Felicita is glad she knows enough about skin cancer to schedule a dermatologist appointment whenever she or one of her kids gets a strange mole or spot on their skin.
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BURNING BED: Kirsten wishes she didn’t believe the people who told her tanning beds were safe because they didn’t have UVB rays. Forget about the powerful UVA rays to which she was exposing her skin!
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CHECK PLEASE: Elizabeth wears her SPF with pride and visits a dermatologist once a year for a mole check, just to be safe.
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FAIREST OF THEM ALL: Lea is thrilled that she learned to love her fair skin and no longer needs a tan to feel pretty.
**Join the conversation! Follow us on Twitter here and become our Facebook fan here. Or just leave us a comment right here and let us know how you’ve increased your Skin Cancer Awareness over the years.
ZO Skin Health
Supporting Our Troops — the ZO Way
Female soldiers make huge sacrifices for our country every day. When we at ZO Skin Health found out we could curtail just one of those sacrifices, we jumped on it. We’re proud contributors to Operation Courage is Beautiful, a program that sends more than 2,000 female soldiers the personal care items they once took for granted, but now think of as luxuries.
We’re not talking shimmering body bronzer here, folks. These are items as basic as body lotion, lip balm, conditioner, moisturizer and sunscreen. Security concerns prevent female soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan from purchasing them so they go without.
Sure, they’re soldiers with as tough a temperament as their male counterparts, but they’re still women. They still have that feminine desire to maintain their physical appearance. But don’t take our word for it. Let them tell you.
“It is nice to get items that give you a feeling of being back home and of being stylish in this environment,” said Ti’Akka R.J., who is stationed in Iraq.
Her colleague, Amy, agreed. “I very much enjoyed the girly products,” she said. “Little did I know how much I would miss that stuff while deployed.”
Another soldier said it’s people like us that make her service worth her while.
This, plus the fact that the son and daughter-in-law of our customer service manager Sue Munz are both in the Navy, made Operation Courage is Beautiful a no-brainer for us. But it doesn’t stop here.
Our servicemen and women hold a special place in our hearts at ZO Skin Health. Our founder, Dr. Zein Obagi, has quite a history in the U.S. Navy. He joined the Navy shortly after moving to the United States. From ’75-’80 he served as a medical officer. From ’80-’81 he was a dermatologist in the Naval Hospital.
This is why we’re taking our involvement further than just product donations; now we’re helping to defray the shipping costs so this program can continue. Dr. Obagi’s service was integral to his status as a world-renowned dermatologist today. He was honored to serve his country and is honored to make a small, yet significant difference in female soldiers’ lives today.
ZO Skin Health
One More Reason to Love Body Emulsion (Hint: Giveaway)
