Denton County Living Well Magazine Fall 2015 | Page 44

Beware of Bad
Beauty Habits

J

ust as it is important to develop healthy eating, exercise and hygiene habits, it’s also important to maintain good skin care habits.

Taking care of your skin goes beyond simple hygiene. Skin care regimes can decelerate the aging process,
decrease the number of acne flaws and help decrease the
risk of developing skin cancer. If you currently partake in
any of the bad beauty habits listed below, it’s time to make
a change. Helen Kaporis, DO, FAOCD, Preventive and
Cosmetic Dermatologist at Cooper Clinic, explains some
of the most common bad beauty habits and how to break
them.
Not Protecting Your
Skin from Sun Damage
Not properly protecting your skin
against UV radiation is the worst
beauty habit you can have. UV
radiation increases your risk of developing pre-cancers and cutaneous cancers and breaks down collagen, which results in premature
aging.
Break this bad beauty habit by
choosing a daily sunblock to wear
consistently–it must be higher than
SPF 30 to be beneficial. “For ease
of use and to reduce the number of
products you put on your face every day, look for an SPF with moisturizer in it, such as the Elta MD Daily SPF Lotion,” says Dr.
Kaporis. “You can also find tinted daily sunscreens to give
yourself a quick glow when you’re crunched for time.”
Reverse photo aging and photo damage by using a retinol
or retinoid cream every evening. This will help reduce fine
lines and even out pigment and skin tone.
Remember that UV rays are present even on cloudy days,
so sun protection is necessary every day. Apply sunblock
on the face, neck, chest, back of hands and other areas
frequently exposed to the sun. You can also get sun damage from indoor tanning, so skip the UV tanning beds and
tanning booths and opt for spray tans instead, such as St.
Tropez mousse.

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DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | FALL 2015

By Dr. Helen Kaporis,
Cooper Clinic Dermatology

Wearing Old Makeup and
Not Cleaning Your Cosmetic Brushes
Oil, dirt, bacteria and dead skin cells get trapped in bristles
of makeup brushes and in your makeup. These components
can clog your pores, leading to acne breakouts, folliculitis (inflammation of hair follicles) or skin infection. To help
prevent the spread of bacteria, use one-time-use makeup
applicators or sponges.
To clean your makeup brushes, use a daily brush cleaner
or gentle baby shampoo to wash the bristles of the brush.
Leave them on a lint-free towel to dry.
In order to prevent acne or infection, don’t save makeup and
make sure to update it at least
every six months.
Sharing Makeup
While it’s nice to share, sharing
makeup with others is an easy
way to spread infection. Sharing
cosmetic products is especially
dangerous when it comes to eye
makeup. Eye infections such as
bacteri