Skin and Cancer Associates, Florida

A private dermatology group of 80 dermatologists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants practicing at more than 30 locations in Florida.

WestDerm

Transitioning Your Skincare Routine to Spring

Spring Skin Is In  

 
Goodbye winter and hello spring! With its warmer air and increased humidity, this time of year reminds us that just as the seasons change, so do our skin care needs. It’s time to get ready for the new season ahead. From switching your moisturizer to upping your SPF, we’ve got all the tips you need for a successful transition.  
 
Switch to a Lighter Moisturizer 
Springtime is all about light, water- based moisturizing. You no longer need those rich, heavy moisturizers that were vital during the dry winter months. Treat yourself instead to something new from our online shop.   
 
Exfoliate  
Slough off winter’s dead, dry, itchy skin with gentle at-home exfoliation this spring. If you want to treat yourself, book one of our in-office treatments like a facial, dermaplaning, or a chemical peel and start the season with fresh, glowing skin.  
 
Up Your SPF  
Prepare your skin to face sunnier days by upping your SPF to 50. Choose a broad spectrum product that will protect you from both UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays. Chemical or physical (mineral) sunscreens are both effective. Use a mineral sunscreen on your face if you’re prone to breakouts since mineral sunscreens won’t clog your pores.  
 
Get Down With It 
Bring sunscreen down below your jawline and onto your neck. And, remember to use SPF on all your skin that will be exposed to the light like your ears, shoulders, arms, chest, hands, legs, and feet.   
 
Don’t Rely on Your Foundation’s SPF 
Remember to use a sunscreen that’s separate from the SPF in your foundation. To get the full SPF number promised on the bottle, slather on a thick layer of sunscreen about the size of a quarter. Only after this soaks in, follow up with a thinner layer of foundation. SPF loses its potency as the day wears on, so bonus points if you apply an SPF face powder throughout the day. 
 
Swallow an Antioxidant Pill 
Add to your daily sun protection routine with an antioxidant supplement. ISDIN Photo SUNISDIN is a once-a-day pill that reduces free-radical damage by improving your skin’s ability to fight oxidative stress. It also helps your skin look brighter and more radiant and boosts hydration, firmness, and elasticity. 
 
Spring Clean 
It’s time to toss out those mystery bottles of product and start fresh again. Check the expiration date and toss it if it’s old. If you’re not sure when it expires, it’s best to let it go and buy something fresh and new. This especially applies to sunscreen, which loses its potency with time.  
 
Wash Your Tools  
Spring is the time to wash away the old makeup and grime that accumulated on your sponges, brushes and rollers over the winter. Brushes and sponges can harbor harmful bacteria that hurt your skin care goals. Clean tools = healthy skin. Use a gentle brush cleanser and then let your tools air dry, or you can blow dry them if you’re in a hurry. 
 
Say goodbye to winter and hello to spring with its new set of skin care needs. It’s time to transition your skin care routine to the new season ahead. So, switch to a lighter moisturizer, exfoliate, increase your SPF, use sunscreen all over your body, use a sunscreen that’s separate from the SPF in your foundation, take a sun-protection pill, spring clean, and wash your beauty tools.  
 
Visit us for a skin check and find out how preventative care can help you reach your skin care goals.   

Fall in Love with Our Dermatologist-Grade Products

This Valentine’s Day, we’re taking our love for our derm-grade products to the next level by highlighting why we always steer our patients toward clinical-grade skincare brands. With products that are able to penetrate deep into the skin’s layers and produce quality results, we choose to have a wide variety of brands at hand to allow us to tailor our suggestions to each individual patients’ needs.
What Is Derm Grade? 
Our derm-grade products (also called medical or clinical-grade) are proven effective. They’ve passed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection through controlled and double-blind trials. This means that the participants and researchers don’t know which product participants are getting until after the trial, so the results are less biased. It’s one of the gold standards in the scientific community for proving a product works.
Regular Products 
Non-derm grade products sold in supermarkets, drug stores, and online are self-regulated by the cosmetic industry. This means they can make wild claims about how good they are with no evidence to back it up. Yikes.
Consumers Lose 
It’s the consumers who lose when they are left experimenting with different products that may or may not work as advertised. Plus, it’s frustrating and expensive to buy a product for a specific condition and then have it not work.
The Advantage of Derm-Grade Skincare Brands 
Derm-grade skincare can penetrate deeper layers of skin. So, when you buy, say, retinol that’s medical-grade, you know the collagen and elastin in your skin is being repaired at the deepest level possible with a topical product.
Are Derm-Grade Products More Expensive 
Yes, and no. While you will pay more for the actual bottle of product, it’s less expensive than having a drawer full of products that you spent good money on but didn’t work for you. With derm-grade products, you know they work because they passed a thorough FDA inspection.
Derm-Grade Products Are a Better Value 
At our clinic, we believe our derm-grade products offer our patients excellent value for many reasons, including that you don’t need to experiment with several different types of routines. Instead, you can save money with:
  • A product that’s specifically matched your needs. (You can always ask your dermatologist for a recommendation, which they’re happy to give).
  • The active ingredients in derm-grade products can be stronger and contain higher levels of ingredients like antioxidants, retinol, and peptides that lead to more noticeable results.
You Only Need a Few 
Just a few of our key derm-grade products are plenty to keep your skin looking its best. We recommend you make sure your serums are derm-grade, especially Vitamin-C serum. If you want to treat a specific problem, like melasma spots, also make sure your products are derm-grade.
We hope you are as in love with our derm-grade skincare products as we are. Ask to see the products on hand at your next annual skin check. If you don’t want to wait, head over to our online shop where we stock the best brands in the business.

Why We’re Passionate About Your Skin Health

Skin and Cancer Associates and The Center for Cosmetic Enhancement is passionate about skin — in case you missed it (ICYMI), and many of us have turned our passion into a career. We enjoy helping our patients care for the largest organ in their body. And we care about saving lives by preventing and treating skin cancer. In addition, we’re passionate about heading off premature aging and also about providing tools and education to our patients about caring for their skin. 
 
Skin is Your Largest Organ 
It’s incredible to think that skin is your largest organ. It protects you from the outside world and literally holds you together. With a job this big, we feel it’s essential to break down the different ways we care for your approximately 8 pounds and 22 square feet of skin. (By the way, your facial skin only accounts for about one square foot of this skin.)  
 
Why We’re Passionate About It 
Some of us are passionate about skin care after seeing it improve a patient’s health or sense of self-worth and confidence. Others became passionate about taking care of your skin because it makes you look and feel great. And a few of us were teens and adults with acne who finally turned things around when we saw a dermatologist and got the medical-grade product or oral medication needed to clear it. Whatever the reason, we are all here because we’re passionate about skin health.  
 
Saving Lives 
Skin cancer has a high survival rate when it’s caught in time. That’s why we’re so passionate about encouraging our patients to come in for their annual skin check-up and doing self-checks too. Early detection saves lives.   
 
Preventing Premature Aging 
We’re passionate about preventing sun damage for two reasons. Number one, it ages your skin prematurely. The sun accounts for more than 80 percent of premature skin aging. This can take a toll on you by making you look older than you feel.  
 
Preventing DNA Damage 
The second reason we’re passionate about preventing sun damage is that the sun’s rays can change your skin’s DNA and cause cancer. This type of damage is not reversible, so we focus on prevention and treatment to help our patients live their healthiest lives.  
 
Providing Tools 
We’re passionate about providing tools and education to our patients on how to care for their skin. Our website, newsletter, and blog are our way to have ongoing communication with our patients about fun and important ways to take care of their skin.   
 
Our Passion 
Skin and Cancer Associates and The Center for Cosmetic Enhancement is passionate about skin care, and many of us have turned our passion into a career. Whether we’re dermatologists, nurses, medical assistants, aestheticians, or front office staff. The one thing we have in common is our passion for skin health.   
 
Join the hundreds of Skin and Cancer Associates and The Center for Cosmetic Enhancement patients who have scheduled their annual skin check-up. And while you’re at it, have a little fun and ask your dermatologist what skincare products they recommend for your skin care routine.  

New Year, New Skin: IPL Event & Special Offers

It’s a New Year which means it’s time to reset your skincare goals! Come say goodbye to pesky skin discoloration once and for all during our IPL Event January 10 – 29th.
With exclusive discounts on one of our most popular treatments, the IPL Intense Pulsed Light, it’s time to say ‘Hello New Year New Skin’ and get you (and your friends) glowing again!
OFFERS:
– Get $75 OFF 1st IPL area
– Get $50 OFF 2nd IPL area
*excludes partial and spot treatments
– Raffle prizes
– $50 OFF post-treatment pigment correcting serum + sunscreen. Shop here.
– Skin and Cancer Associates and The Center for Cosmetic Enhancement IPL Bundle: $129 for vitamin c brightening serum + antioxidant moisturizing sunscreen. Shop here.
Learn more about IPL here.
If you have any questions, give us a call for more details or book your appointment down below. We’re excited to see you there!
Participating Clinics:
Carlsbad
Rancho Santa Margarita
Palm Springs
Rancho Mirage

Pucker & Pout: How to Get Healthy, Beautiful Lips

Love your Lips this month with this exclusive promo!
PUCKER & POUT
$75 OFF first filler syringe
$125 OFF two filler syringes
Receive a FREE Skin and Cancer Associates and The Center for Cosmetic Enhancement Plumping Lip Treatment with your filler purchase ($40 value) – select clinics only, see below
Participating Clinics:
  • Carlsbad – offering FREE lip plumper w/ purchase
  • Encinitas – offer FREE lip plumper w/ purchase
  • Newport Beach
  • RSM
  • Rancho Mirage
  • Riverside
  • Los Alamitos
  • San Clemente
**Cannot be combined with any other offer. Providers choice of filler.
Offer valid February 1 – 28th, 2022

Frequent Hand Washing? Quick Ways to Stay Moisturized

Raise your hand if your (very clean) hands feel dry. ðŸ™Ã¢â‚¬¹Ãƒ¢Ã¢â€š¬Ãƒ¢™Ã¢â€š¬Ãƒ¯¸Ãƒ°Ã…¸™Ã¢â‚¬¹Ãƒ¢Ã¢â€š¬Ãƒ¢™Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ¯¸ You’re not alone. In an attempt to keep ourselves and others safe, we’ve been sanitizing and washing more than ever. With all of the alcohol in hand sanitizer, harsh soaps, and warm water, our hands are more susceptible to extreme dryness, and it can get really uncomfortable. We thought we would give a lending hand with our tips to keep your hands soft and hydrated during this time. 
 
Seal in the moisture! Immediately apply a cream or ointment to the hands post-washing. Doing this will seal in the moisture from water and keep your skin hydrated. 
 
Use a fragrance-free cream or ointment instead of a lotion. This is because fragrances can be irritating to sensitive, chapped skin, and creams and ointments lock in moisture and protect the skin more so than a lighter lotion. 
 
Try to use a hand sanitizer with a moisturizing base. These types of hand sanitizers have emollient ingredients to nourish the skin and sometimes humectant ingredients like aloe vera.
 
Use cotton gloves. Before going to bed, apply your cream or ointment, like Vaseline or petrolatum product, and cover your hands with cotton gloves. This works similar to a mask as the ointment nourishes hands and the gloves protect your skin from external objects. This can be fun and relaxing to do while you’re on the couch watching Netflix at night. 
 
If you are struggling with extreme skin dryness or have any other skin related concerns, call your local clinic today so we can answer any questions you may have or schedule an appointment for you.

Dry Winter Skin Tips: How to Combat Dryness

With chillier temperatures, you may be experiencing more skin dryness than usual. Environmental factors like low humidity and wind can draw the moisture out of your skin, leaving it dull, flaky, itchy, and even cracked. Turn on that indoor heating system and it will make those problems even worse. 
While, sadly, we can’t control the weather, we can give you our best dermatologist-approved advice on sealing moisture into
skin, even as temperatures continue to drop. Here are 5 simple steps: 
  
  • Cleanse gently, only when needed. If you wash your face twice daily in the summer, you might wash it just once daily in the winter. 
  • Choose a more hydrating facial moisturizer. The water-based formulas that fly off the shelves in summer might not cut it during these colder months. 
  • Use a humidifier. Reintroduce much-needed moisture into the air with a humidifier. Your skin (and your sinuses) will thank you. 
  • Apply lotion right after showering. It will give you the best chance of sealing moisture into your skin.    
  • Continue to wear sunscreen. Short winter days can still be sunny days, and your skin is still vulnerable to sun damage in the cooler months.  
 
If you have any questions about moisturizing your skin or you still don’t feel your best after following the steps above, just give us a call. Schedule an appointment today!  
 
Happy Hydrating! 

Start the New Year with 12 Healthy Skin Habits

The new year is here…And with it, we bring you 12 healthy skincare habits you can start making today. Adopt a new one each month and 2022 will be your best skincare year yet!   
 
1–Eat Fruits and Vegetables 
Fruits and vegetables nourish your skin (from the inside out) with vitamins and antioxidants that make it radiate health. Incorporate them and your skin will get glowing reviews. 
 
2–Stay Hydrated 
Sixty percent of your skin is made up of…you guessed it: water. Try to drink at least eight glasses of water each day to stay hydrated. 
 
3–Get Lots of Sleep 
Nighttime is when your skin repairs itself from the daily ravishes of pollution, sun damage, and free radicals. And you probably need more sleep than you’re getting. Teens need eight or more hours of sleep each night; adults need at least seven. 
 
4–Reduce Alcohol Consumption 
Your…skin…hates…alcohol. 
Period. Need proof? 
 
·       Alcohol is dehydrating, which makes your skin look aged and less supple 
·       Your skin is more vulnerable to the sun’s damaging rays after you’ve been drinking 
·       Alcohol triggers inflammation which makes you look puffy and bloated 
 
5–Avoid Smoking 
It wreaks so much havoc on your skin it causes it to be dull, wrinkled, and less supple. 
 
6–Manage Your Stress 
Cortisol, the stress hormone, causes inflammation in your body—including your skin. Inflammation can worsen conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and acne. Deep breathing, mindfulness, and exercise all make you feel more relaxed. So, try to do things that help you feel and stay calm. 
 
7–Wash Your Face Before You Go to Bed 
Maybe you already have the perfect nighttime skincare routine.. But if not, resolve now to do better this year. For starters, wash your face each night before you go to bed. Washing your face sends accumulated grime (pollution, sunscreen, makeup) down the drain and keeps it from clogging your pores. It also primes your skin for rejuvenating moisture. 
 
8–Moisturize 
Winter is a crucial time to moisturize your skin because it helps control dryness—and bonus—oiliness too. Choose a creamy moisturizer and apply it right after you wash your face. 
 
9–Exfoliate Your Skin 
Freshly exfoliated skin is primed to absorb moisture. Plus, it also looks nice and dewy. 
 
10–Use a Retinol Product 
Retinol is one of the most effective products you can put on your skin; it keeps it looking healthy and fresh. 
 
11–Buy a New Sunscreen 
Sunscreen expires, and when it does, it’s less effective. So, check the expiration date on your sunscreens (chances are you need some fresh ones). Treat yourself to two new sunscreens this year (one for your face, the other for your body). Ensure they offer broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection and use them both daily. 
 
12–See Your Dermatologist 
If you have skin issues, see your dermatologist, and get them treated. Skin conditions can be anything from a red flush due to rosacea to something as common as acne. Many types of skin woes need special medical care to clear up. So don’t go it alone. Get the professional help your skin needs and schedule an appointment today. 
 
Pick up a new healthy habit each month, and 2022 will be your best skin care year ever! Remember to eat fruits and vegetables, stay hydrated, get plenty of sleep, reduce alcohol consumption, avoid smoking, manage your stress, wash your face before you go to bed, moisturize, exfoliate your skin, use a retinol product, buy a new sunscreen, and see your dermatologist.

How to Capture Fabulous Holiday Photos with Great Skin

We all want to capture picture perfect moments and why not look our best doing them. With the holiday season upon us find out the do’s and don’ts in looking your best in these fun, festive photos .
THE DO’S: 
Do Use Blush 
Blush might be the most photogenic makeup item you can use this holiday season. It does wonders to offset the camera flash that can make you look washed out.  
 
Do Exfoliate 
We can all use a little help shedding old, dull skin and ringing in the holiday glow. That’s why exfoliants are especially helpful this time of year when we want to combat winter flakiness and look our best in photos. We recommend SkinCeuticals Micro-Exfoliating Scrub from our Skin and Cancer Associates and The Center for Cosmetic Enhancement Shop. 
 
Do Eat High-Antioxidant Foods 
A glow that comes from the inside out is the best type of glow. That’s why we recommend eating lots of fruits and vegetables during the week that you want to look fabulous in holiday photos. The antioxidants neutralize harmful free radicals and make your skin glowy. Although any fruit or vegetable will do the trick, foods especially high in antioxidants include avocados and sweet potatoes.  
 
Do Maximize Your Moisturize 
Plump, dewy skin will improve your holiday photos when you maximize your moisture on the days leading up to a big event. We recommend trying SkinMedica Dermal Repair Cream. Shop HERE. Try switching out your light summer moisturizer to something richer and creamier to help combat the dry winter air. Running a humidifier is also helpful, especially next to your desk during the day or your bed as you sleep at night. Ditch the sugary, caffeinated, and alcoholic drinks for plenty of hydrating water instead.  
 
Do Strike a Pose  
Remember “arms up” in photos—whether they’re around someone’s shoulder or on your hips, anything is better than hanging down at your sides. Instead of facing head-on into a picture, angle your shoulders to the side. Stretch your head away from your neck and then tilt your head for a sharper-looking jawline. 
 
THE DON’TS: 
Don’t Use Shine Everywhere 
The holidays are about sparkle, which often shows up in the makeup pallets released this time of year. Glimmer is everywhere, from eyeshadow to lip gloss and everything in between. The problem is that shine can distort your features in a photo and make them look bigger than they are. This works if you use it sparingly by choosing to accentuate one feature. But avoid sparkly makeup all over your face if you want to look your best in photos.  
 
Don’t Use High-Definition Powders 
They’re filled with light-reflective particles that, when a flash hits them, bounce around wildly. These blurring powders are fine in natural light where they blur imperfections—but they are the enemy of the camera flash. In photos, they make your skin look white and chalky where you apply the powder. So, it’s best to avoid high-definition powders during the flash-happy holidays. 
 
Don’t Get a Last-Minute Procedure 
It’s a bad idea to get even a non-invasive procedure like fillers done in the same week as a major event (like a holiday party). Your skin needs time to settle after the inevitable bruising and swelling set in. The last thing you want is to cover up bruises while also applying your holiday makeup. The same is true for laser procedures. It takes time for your skin to heal, so plan those procedures a month ahead of time.  
 
Don’t Go Contour Crazy 
You don’t want your makeup to look too contoured. Instead, use a light hand to bring out the best in your features. For example, use a circular motion to brush on bronzer just below the apples of your checks and up toward your temples. This will bring out your cheekbones in a more natural way than a complete face-paint job.   
 
Don’t Forget to Shape Your Brows 
Your eyebrows do for your face what a frame does for a picture. They accentuate your facial features and help you look finished and polished. So don’t forget to shape and fill in your brows for holiday pictures.  
 
We hope you have fun with your holiday photo taking this season! As always, if you have any questions regarding your skin health or want to schedule an in-clinic appointment with one of our board-certified dermatologists, don’t hesitate to give us a call today!

Your Best Winter Skincare Routine for Dry Skin

When the colder months approach and we start reaching for our heavy coats, the moisture levels in our skin drops. For many of our patients, dry and itchy skin is the most unpleasant part of the winter season. Everything from cold wind chill to hot water showers and baths can make our skin feel dried out.
For these patients (and anyone with dry skin), we recommend a few simple morning routine adjustments to get you back to feeling hydrated and comfortable. Some of our insights are a little surprising to some—for example, hot showers actually make dehydration worse! Read on to see our tips for keeping skin hydrated and happy all winter long. 
Take shorter, cooler showers: The last thing you want to do on a cold winter’s night is take a cold shower. We get it! Instead of turning the nozzle completely, consider adjusting it just slightly. Before you bathe, close the door to the bathroom so the steam gets trapped inside and you benefit from the extra moisture. Keep your showers to 10 minutes or less and use warm water instead of hot. When it’s time to lather up, use a gentle cleanser, but don’t use too much product, since that can dry skin. 
Moisturize right after showering: Your skin absorbs moisture most readily right after it’s been washed, so apply product right away. For dry skin, creams are more restorative than lotions, which tend to be on the thin side. We recommend Skin and Cancer Associates and The Center for Cosmetic Enhancement Lipid Replenishing Cream. Shop HERE.
Wear a layer underneath wool clothing: Though it’s a time-tested material for keeping warm on cold winter days, wool can irritate your skin and cause itchiness. Wearing an undershirt beneath your favorite sweater can keep you from chafing. 
Apply sunscreen every morning: If you’ve been with Skin and Cancer Associates and The Center for Cosmetic Enhancement for a while, then you probably saw this piece of advice coming. We suggest that everyone wear sunscreen daily, even in the winter. Sunburns are drying to skin, and a sunscreen with SPF 30-plus (along with protective clothing and sunglasses) is the best way to stave off UV damage. We recommend EltaMD UV Daily Broad-Spectrum SPF 40. Shop HERE.
Drink more water: Hydration starts on the inside. Consider having a glass of water with breakfast instead of your usual coffee or tea, and your skin could reap rewards.
If you’re following the tips above and your skin’s still feeling dry, or if you simply want personalized suggestions, we’re here for you. Just make an appointment and we’ll help you take your skin from flaky and dry to firm, hydrated and smooth.