that you photograph to provide an estimate of size. By the way, in case you think you’re safe just because you stay out of the sun, realize that skin-damaging ozone levels increase in the afternoon, which can affect skin whether it’s sunny or not. That underscores the point that you need to try to keep your skin healthy even if you have the best sun-protecting habits.
Keep Off
One of the tricks to using skin products is not only finding the ingredients that will help you but also avoiding the ones that may damage or irritate your skin. Some ingredients you should think about avoiding:
Imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea. They’re used as preservatives to prevent bacterial growth (not fungi), but they’re also a relatively common cause of contact dermatitis.
Fragrances. They may smell good, but these little molecules are responsible for allergic reactions in as many as 14 percent of people. Most skin-care products don’t really need added fragrances, but some, like soap, simply smell like the fats they were made from without added fragrance.
Sodium lauryl sulfate. It’s common in shampoos and cleaners to create suds and is relatively safe, but longer contact time can cause irritation and dryness, because the detergent strips the skin of lipids.
Mineral oil. Used as a base in some products, it may interfere with perspiration.
MEA, TEA. They’re common pH stabilizers, but when they’re exposed to air, they form potentially irritating substances called nitrosamines. And they have a tendency to clog pores and create blackheads.
Toluene. This chemical solvent, which the EPA designates as hazardous waste, is found in fingernail polish. Toluene can cause headaches, irritated eyes, and memory loss. The website nottoopretty.com lists perfumes and cosmetics that contain toxic chemicals like toluene. They’re not going to kill you, but if you don’t feel good, it’s worth experimenting to see if beauty products could be the source of your general blahness.
DMAE. This common “instant face-lift” ingredient in wrinkle creams actually does its work by causing cell damage and swelling. Sure, the wrinkles will go away temporarily (they also will if you’re slapped in the face), but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
YOU Test
What’s Your Type?
All that time in front of the mirror, in the shower, and at the nude beach has likely given you some pretty good insight into what type of skin you have. But there’s more to skin intelligence than just knowing whether you’re happier exposing it or concealing it. Take this test to determine your skin type.
1 Does your skin look dull or flake like a snow globe?
2 Does your skin look like a bathroom floor with a shiny, slippery texture?
3 Does your skin feel itchy and taut like sausage casing?
4 Do you have pores that are enlarged like craters, or clogged pores, or acne?
5 Does your skin react to cosmetics containing alcohol, synthetics, fragrances, and artificial colors?
6 Does your skin appear consistently moist, vibrant, and plumper than a squishy cantaloupe?
7 Does your forehead, nose, or chin appear oilier than a fast-food kitchen, while the skin around your cheeks, eyes, and mouth is normal or dry?
If you answered yes to 1 or 3, you have DRY skin.
If you answered yes to 2 or 4, you have OILY skin.
If you answered yes to 5, you have SENSITIVE skin.
If you answered yes to 6, you have NORMAL skin.
If you answered yes to 7, you have COMBINATION skin.
Safari Secrets:
Lessons from the animal kingdom
UV radiation comes in many forms, and we can see only a small spectrum. Other animals see things that we don’t (and vice versa), which explains why they are attracted to apparently dull objects or have strange colors themselves. Some animals, including birds, reptiles, and insects such as bees, can see into the near ultraviolet. Many fruits, flowers, and seeds stand out more strongly from the background in ultraviolet wavelengths than in human color vision. Scorpions glow or take on a yellow to green color under UV illumination. Many birds have patterns in their plumage that are invisible at usual wavelengths but observable in ultraviolet, and the urine of some animals is much easier to spot with ultraviolet.
Following are some other health issues that have beauty implications. These are irritating conditions that can influence your appearance and self-confidence.
ACNE AND ROSACEA: While people often like to think that things like chocolate are responsible for pimples, there’s no proof that what pops up on your dessert plate influences what pops up on your nose the night before a big presentation. What we do know is that 80 percent of U.S. teens and 40 percent of U.S. adults complain of pimples. But in Papua, New Guinea, the figure is nearly 0 percent, so it’s a fair guess that something is going on with our lifestyle. One culprit is inadequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids (as opposed to saturated or trans fats or omega-6 fats from corn and soybean oils). Get adequate amounts of these good fats by consuming walnuts, avocados, freshly ground flaxseed, canola oil, fish oils, or DHA supplements from algae. Another culprit? Stress. In studies of college kids during exams, researchers found them to have many more bouts of acne while under pressure. Paradoxically, the steroid medication triamcinolone can be injected to calm a severe form of pimples called cystic acne, but there’s a cost—it also thins the skin, often leaving a depression months later. And don’t squeeze—you’ll damage the skin by increasing inflammation and risk spreading the infection. Instead, wash your face with a coarse washcloth and mild soap to break open any pimples. Salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, and vitamin A creams or gels are all simple and effective methods for reducing acne. You can also try an ancient Chinese remedy—seabuchthorn oil, which has been used for a few millennia in China for a variety of medicinal benefits. More recently, the rich fatty acid mixture has been used topically as a natural treatment for acne and rosacea. Try the soap form.
For rosacea—a form of adult acne that’s a fairly common problem—certain antibiotics tend to work not only because they kill bacteria but because of their anti-inflammatory effect. Our recommendation: Ask your doc if an ointment that combines antibiotics and a low-potency steroid cream such as hydrocortisone is right for you. Lasers that target the visible capillaries can have a dramatic immediate effect, and daily topical vitamin C and twice daily topical niacin more subtly reduce the redness in about a month.
ECZEMA: If your skin’s looking as if you just did the hubba-hubba in a bed of mashed strawberries, it might be a case of the common skin condition eczema. This is a type of allergic reaction, and it’s easily treated with inexpensive skin moisturizers. It’s especially common during the winter, when the dry air causes little breaks in the skin, letting in chemicals that rake over your skin, particularly your hands. Treat your skin like an athlete working out in the heat—keep it hydrated. After your daily shower (don’t dry yourself first), immediately apply Vaseline or cream (Eucerin, Keri, Nivea) so the moisture is locked in—and the rash-irritating dryness is kept out. If you have stubborn eczema, you might use a moisturizer with lactic acid or a steroid or a prescription drug called tacrolimus. If all else fails, have an allergist get to the bottom of your problem—in many cases the culprit
