Omega 3s are the new buzz word.  Everyone is talking about them.  Do you ever wonder why?  Google Omega 3s and studies and you will quickly realize why everyone is talking about them.  Omega 3s are essential fatty acids.  What does this mean?  They are fatty acids that our bodies need, yet we cannot make them, they have to be put into our bodies.  What happens if you don’t?  You will be more likely to come down with almost every disease and calamity known to man than someone who is taking Omega 3s.  Still don’t get it?  Here is just a taste of what Omega 3 deficiencies have been linked to.  

Decreased memory and mental abilities, tingling sensation of the nerves, poor vision, increased tendency to form blood clots, diminished immune function, increased triglycerides and “bad” cholesterol (LDL) levels, depression/mental illness, impaired membrane function, hypertension, irregular heart beat, learning disorders, menopausal discomfort, growth retardation in infants, children, and pregnant women. 

That was just a small taste of what deficiencies in Omega 3s can cause, I have read study after study showing what the proper amount of Omega 3 intake does for our bodies.  Decreased cancer risk, decreased risk of heart disease and erectile dysfunction, decreased ADHD symptoms, decreased risk of developing diabetes, autism, dementia, Alzheimer’s, seriously the list goes on and on.

So…..are you taking Omega 3s?  I wasn’t until August of 2008, because I just did not know how important they were and I had tried fish oil in the past (because I heard it was good for me) and couldn’t handle burping it up while seeing my patients.  Now my entire family takes Omega 3s on a daily basis.  We take it in the form of a grain, Mila.  I bake it into muffins 3 times a week, I add it to orange juice in the morning, I put it in spaghetti sauce at night and add it to hamburger meat.  Mila is the most potent source of Omega 3s on the planet, it is easy to get my boys to eat it and they are also getting fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, protein, selenium, and antioxidants every time they eat it.  It has been certified as a food by our FDA, so it can be compared to bread, potatoes, corn- it is just much better for you than any of these other foods.  If you are not eating Omega 3s, eat them, make your kids eat them, and make your parents eat them.  Your health and the health of your family depends on it.

For those of you who don’t know, Skin Solutions MD and myself Rachel Garcia, have joined Dr. James Hardy at his Plastic Surgery Center located on 11512 Lake Mead Avenue, Suite 605, Jacksonville, FL 32256.  Unfortunately, the dermatology office that I have worked in for three years is closing and I thought long and hard about where to plant my feet and start fresh.  After receiving many job offers I chose Dr. Hardy.  He is a very gifted plastic surgeon, who specializes in breast work although does fantastic work on all body parts.  I worked with a plastic surgeon for 2 years in Gainesville, Florida so I have some past experience with one and knew what I was looking for this time around.   I am still injecting fillers and Botox as I have been for the past eight years as well as continuing to use all of the lasers that I have in the past. Please come visit us at our new location for a free skin care consult at anytime, we would love to see you.

This is the skin care regimen that I follow and recommend to my patients:

Morning Skin Care

• Wash your face (my favorite gentle cleanser is Toleriane and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Clarisonic Brush which removes all of my dead skin cells,  it is like microdermabrasion in my bathroom).
• Apply Phloretin by SkinCeuticals (antioxidant that has had amazing results at preventing sundamage)
• Apply TNS Recovery Complex (most potent form of human growth factor) one pump is enough and try to put it on slightly wet skin
• Apply Journe (SPF 30 sunscreen, human growth factor and green tea all in one oil – free sunscreen- AMAZING!!!)
• Apply makeup

Evening Skin Care

• Wash your face, if acne prone, I recommend a salicylic acid wash, Acne Foaming Wash by Skin Medica is my favorite
• Apply TNS all over face
• Apply Retinoid of some sort
• Apply Moisturizer if necessary
• Apply Eye Cream

Now regarding the retinoid… you can get a rx from a dermatology office or you can buy retinol in non prescription strengths as well.

My favorite moisturizer is Hydraphase by La Roche Posay it is oil free, light and cheap.

Last but not least my favorite eye cream is TNS Night Eye Repair, I apply this am and pm to my eye area.

There are four ingredients that have been medically proven over and over again to be essential in preventing and reversing the aging process of our skin.

1. Sunscreen SPF 30 or greater  If you can see without a light on you are getting sun on your face.  If you are getting sun on your face, damage is occurring.  SPF 15 in your moisturizer or makeup is not going to do the job.  With an SPF 15, when you are driving around in FL at lunch you are getting tons of sun exposure on your face.  That is why one of the most common complaints I see in my office is “Why do I have all these brown spots on my face?”. Find an SPF 30+ that you LOVE to put on every morning and use it.
2. Retinoids, multiple studies have shown that retinoids stimulate collagen production and cell turnover which reduces the appearance of wrinkles as well as brown spots.  This is the number one skin treatment for reversing damage already done.  You can get this in a variety of strengths, the strongest being prescription and the lowest over the counter at your drugstore. Prescription strength tends to be a little irritating and most people can only handle putting it on their face a few times a week. It is important to find a strength that works for you and use it as much as you possibly can.  Retinoids are inactivated in sunlight so be sure to always apply them at night. The only reason not to use it is if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
3. Human Growth Factors- this stuff is awesome, multiple medical studies have shown that this ingredient (which is derived from fetal foreskin) does what Retinoids do just without the irritation.  We use this in our office after laser procedures because it helps to heal the skin as well as for daily usage to reverse aging.  I have personally found that I can use prescription strength Retin -A- Micro 7 nights a week when I use Human Growth Factors twice a day.  When I don’t use Human Growth Factors, I can only use my Retin -A-Micro 2 to 3 nights a week.  We carry two product lines with Human Growth Factors, Neocutis and TNS by Skin Medica.
4. Antioxidants, we all know these are good for us to eat but they are also great for our skin.  Antioxidants are huge in preventing further damage to our skin.  Remember the line about seeing without a light on, causing sun damage to your skin?  Well we live in Florida, anything that I can do to prevent further damage I am going to do.  Vitamin C is one of the most studied and proven antioxidants available.  CE Ferrulic and Phloretin by SkinCeuticals are two of my favorite products filled with potent, stable antioxidants. Green tea is another topical antioxidant that I favor especially for calming skin that is prone to redness or after laser procedures.

All the other stuff that is out there might be good in one study here or there but these ingredients have been proven to work over and over again.  I can choose to put anything on my skin that I want, as owner of a skin care store I have access to every cream you can imagine- I have done my research and I am not going to waste my precious time putting stuff on my face that does not work-this is the stuff that has been proven to work and I have seen the results on my skin and my patients’ skin.

So what do I recommend?  See my Personal Skin Care Regimen

Tria Hair Removal

Tired of having unwanted hair in non face areas such as the bikini, underarm and leg areas? We may have a novel solution which you can look into… Home Laser Hair Removal. If you have had professional laser hair removal in the past and are looking for a way to maintain your benefit, a new system called the Tria may be something that you look into.

This Tria device is designed for non face areas only. You should be evaluated by one of our providers before purchasing a unit to make sure you are a good candidate. We can assess your skin type, medical history and make sure that the hair follicles that you want to treat are of the right subtype.

We look at the Tria as an adjunct device to dermatology performed procedures. It is not as powerful as an in-office treatment device and is absolutely contraindicated for face use. The system is designed to protect you against unwanted firing of the laser as it has a built in sensor which can tell if your skin color is safe for treatment. It does not require goggles or eyewear so it is a convenient apparatus to use for all practical purposes.

We are the only medical office in  Jacksonville who can distribute this device but we do so with the respect of the fact that this is a medical procedure. Although it is FDA approved for home use, you still should be evaluated and examined by one of our providers to make sure your goals and expectations are commesurate with what this device can offer you.