Thursday, 27 August 2020

Wear A Mask But Ditch the Maskne (Mask Acne)

Homepage // Blog / The Perfect Skincare Procedures In New York to Get Post-Quarantine

Wear A Mask But Ditch the Maskne (Mask Acne)

You’re diligent about wearing your mask during errands, work, and play to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, but that diligence has come with a price: You’re breaking out around your nose, mouth, and chin.

“Maskne” — or mask-induced acne — isn’t a new thing. At least, not for medical professionals. Women and men who wear masks for their jobs have been battling this type of contact acne for decades. Healthcare workers on the frontline of the pandemic have reported multiple skin issues related to their constant use of masks, shields, and gloves.

The good news is, unlike the novel coronavirus, we know a lot about maskne, including why you get it and how to prevent it. Our expert dermatologists here at Laser Skin Surgery Center of New York, located in Manhattan and Southampton, believe you should have beautiful skin that you feel good in, no matter what the situation is outside. If you’re battling maskne while you’re shielding yourself from coronavirus, here’s what you need to know to keep your skin clear while staying safe.

Masks = Friction

If you’ve ever played sports that required protective gear, you might already have experience with contact acne. When a piece of equipment (or a mask) rubs against your skin for a long time, the friction can cause enough irritation to trigger a breakout of acne.

Add moistness caused by sweat or, in the case of masks, exhalations, and you have a perfect environment to grow the types of bacteria that feast on the oils and dead skin in your pores. Next step: inflammation and a breakout. The friction and irritation from a mask could also trigger a flare of rosacea or eczema.

Masks = Mouth Underwear

You change your underwear daily and wash it before re-wearing. Use the same level of hygiene for your mask. If you have to wear a mask all day for your job, you might consider changing your mask at least once or twice a day.

Underwear’s a good analogy when thinking of fabrics, too. While an N95 mask gives you the most protection, they aren’t necessary or appropriate for consumer wear.

The best non-medical masks utilize natural, breathable fabrics, such as cotton and silk, rather than thin layers of synthetic fabrics. Thinking about a neck gaiter? Think again. The Washington Post reported that they’re worse for protecting others than no mask at all because they break respiratory droplets into smaller particles. An ideal mask would consist of three layers of natural fabric that covers your mouth area and nose completely.

Be gentle with your skin

Now’s the time for a more gentle skincare routine. Gently clean your skin no more than twice per day with a non-irritating, non-comedogenic cleanser that’s formulated for your skin type. Ask your dermatologist to make a recommendation if you’re not sure which cleanser is best for you.

Wear a light moisturizer

You might guess that wearing heavy skin products under your mask increases your chance of a breakout. You guessed right. Avoid heavy make-up or greasy lotions, which trap moisture and increase the risk of irritation or a breakout.

But wearing a light moisturizer or sunscreen can help reduce friction and also protect your skin. Our dermatologists recommend medical-grade skincare based on your unique skin type and needs. We offer top brands, including EltaMD, SkinMedica, and Alastin.

One of the benefits of wearing a mask is that it intensifies the delivery of whatever skincare you’re wearing. So you get more hydration from a light moisturizer than you otherwise would. That’s also a reason to skip intense skin treatments, such as retinoids and retinol, on your lower face. The enclosed environment of the mask could make these ingredients too irritating.

Dr. Seidenberg understands that it can be quite challenging to break the nail-biting habit. He explains, since these habits are usually unconscious, they are tough to stop for many patients.

Don’t forget the sunscreen

Lip licking and biting are also habits that can affect both how we look and how we feel.

Although sunscreen is always important, whether we’re in the midst of a pandemic or not, you really don’t want to neglect to protect your skin while you’re outside wearing a mask. The fabric acts as a sun shield, which could mean that you’d be left with a suntanned upper face and paler lower face. Not a look you’d like to sport indoors, mask off.

Treat your maskne

picosure laser acne treatment in new york

Just because your lower face isn’t public right now, doesn’t mean you have to tolerate pimples, cystic acne, rosacea, or irritation. Our team complies with the CDC’s COVID-19 protocols to ensure your safety when you come in for an office visit. If you have maskne, our dermatologists will examine your skin and recommend therapies, such as topical or oral medications and in-office treatments.

If left untreated, acne can leave scars. Our physicians use a wide variety of lasers and devices to treat acne scars. You can expect to see some improvement immediately after a laser treatment, but most patients require more than one session to achieve the optimal outcome.

Schedule A Consultation With Laser Skin Surgery Center

Don’t suffer silently under your mask. Get your acne or rosacea under control at Laser Skin Surgery Center of New York today. Contact the office nearest you.

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How to Break Bad Habits for Healthier Lips and Nails

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Thursday, 20 August 2020

How to Break Bad Habits for Healthier Lips and Nails

Homepage // Blog / The Perfect Skincare Procedures In New York to Get Post-Quarantine

How to Break Bad Habits for Healthier Lips and Nails

Habits like biting your nails or lip can affect your health as well as your appearance. Despite the downsides, many people find that breaking these habits is much easier said than done.

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Roy Seidenberg of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York in New York City says it is not unusual for dermatologists to encounter nail and lip biting when seeing patients. He has information about the short and long-term effects of these habits, as well as ideas on how to break them.

Nail Biting: Why We Do It

Nail biting, also known as onychophagia, appears to be an especially common habit in people who stare at their computers all day, according to Dr. Seidenberg. For many, it acts as a stress reliever. While Dr. Seidenberg acknowledges there are worse habits, nail-biting can lead to some unpleasant changes.

Nail-biting often begins in childhood and may be attributed to stress, anxiety, or boredom. While it is usually nothing more than a bad habit, there are cases where nail-biting is a sign of a more serious psychological or emotional problem. The American Academy of Dermatology encourages chronic nail biters to see their doctor for further assessment if they can’t break the pattern on their own.

Consequences of Nail Biting

Although nail-biting isn’t a dangerous problem, it can create some health issues. Roy Seidenberg, MD explains that the cuticles normally act as a sealant between the skin at the base of the nail, known as the proximal nailfold, and the nail. Destruction of the cuticle allows dirt, bacteria, and chemical irritants to get under the skin.

An infection or inflammation of the nail or nailfold is called a paronychia. If bacteria gets under the skin, it could cause a bacterial infection or abscess. An acute bacterial infection would present with redness, pain, and swelling around the nail. Treatment usually requires cutting and drainage of the pus and/or antibiotics.

When detergents and other irritants get under the nailfold, it causes inflammation. Over time, this will cause the skin to become thickened and red, an inflammatory paronychia. The inflammation can lead to chronic loss of the cuticle. A possible consequence of this is a chronic paronychia from yeast (Candida).

Since the nail starts growing right under the nailfold, the nail may begin to grow abnormally. If severe or chronic, this can result in a permanently abnormal nail.

Stop Biting Your Nails

Dr. Seidenberg understands that it can be quite challenging to break the nail-biting habit. He explains, since these habits are usually unconscious, they are tough to stop for many patients. Finding a topical that is non-toxic, will stay on, won’t irritate the skin, and will actually act as a deterrent is difficult. Moisturizing the skin is essential, and an ointment like Aquaphor may act as a deterrent as well. Dr. Seidenberg usually prescribes topical cortisone for the inflamed, thickened skin to reverse the process, and minimize any permanent damage.

Other ideas to help you kick the habit might include:

Identifying your triggers – for example, if stress leads to nail-biting, prepare for your next stress-inducing moment with an alternative, like squeezing a stress ball
Cutting your nails – you will be less likely to bite short nails
Getting a professional manicure – when your nails look nice, you will also be less likely to bite them
Changing the taste – use a bitter-tasting nail polish designed specifically for this purpose

Lip Biting: Why We Do It

Lip licking and biting are also habits that can affect both how we look and how we feel. Lip licking is most common in patients with dry skin or eczema, sometimes caused by an underlying irritant or allergic contact dermatitis. Ironically, chronic licking and biting makes the problem worse, and it turns into a progressive cycle. The skin becomes drier, cracked, red, and thickened.

Lip biting, like nail-biting, can become a persistent habit. It is a common anxiety symptom and people often do it subconsciously. This can make it even more challenging to reverse the pattern. We often treat patients in our New York City office that have experienced uncomfortable consequences of this habit.

The Problem with Lip Biting

Not everyone will experience issues with lip biting. However, persistent biters may see some of the following symptoms occur.

Regular lip biting causes breaks in the tissue that could possibly leave scars behind. The trauma could potentially result in a cold sore outbreak since breaks in the skin can make a person more susceptible to acquiring a cold sore infection. Residual scarring from lip biting can be treated with a laser in our office in many cases.

Biting of the lip can also cause a rupture or blockage of a salivary gland. This manifests as a nodule in the lip called a mucocele. While not serious, they usually get in the way and keep getting bitten so they take a while to resolve. Mucoceles can be drained or cut off, but recurrences are high.

How to Break the Lip Biting Habit

It’s not easy to stop biting the lip if this is something you have done regularly for some time. Some tips that might help you break the habit include:

Moisturizing your lips multiple times a day to prevent them from getting dry and chapped
Exfoliating to remove loose skin and keep lips smooth, moisturize immediately after exfoliation
Practicing awareness that helps you tune into when you bite your lips so you can make a conscious effort to stop
Finding healthy ways to manage stress so you are less likely to fall back into this habit

Stop Your Nail and Lip Biting Today

Dermatologists don’t solely focus on the skin – they are also experts in treating the nails and the lips. New York City residents that need help getting their nails or lips in top condition can schedule a consultation with one of our board-certified dermatologists at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York.

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Monday, 3 August 2020

How to Treat a Skin Boil: Identification, Prevention & When You Should See a Dermatologist

Homepage // Blog / The Perfect Skincare Procedures In New York to Get Post-Quarantine

How to Treat a Skin Boil: Identification, Prevention & When You Should See a Dermatologist

boils | medical dermatology | skincare

Whenever a bump appears on the skin, it can be concerning. If that bump gets bigger, redder, and painful, the concern increases. What could it be?

Dr. Roy Seidenberg of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York provides an overview of a boil, one of the most common types of bumps that can develop on the body. While boils are not typically a serious medical concern, they can grow quite large and be quite painful. It is helpful to know how to identify a boil and what you can do to treat it effectively.

What is a boil on the skin?

Dr. Seidenberg explains that a boil, medically known as an abscess or furuncle, is a localized bacterial infection in the skin. Unlike cellulitis, where the infection and resultant inflammation is dispersed throughout the area and presents as a red plaque, a boil manifests as more of a localized bump, filled with pus. It is often red and painful.

When boils form in clusters, it is called a carbuncle. A carbuncle often indicates a more severe infection that can lead to physical symptoms like fever and chills. These clusters are also more likely to leave scarring behind. Schedule an appointment with your dermatologist right away if you suspect you have a carbuncle as these usually require medical attention.

Where do boils occur?

Boils often develop from an infection in a hair follicle. While they can occur anywhere on the body, they most commonly appear in areas where there is hair, sweat, and friction. Frequent locations are the face, neck, armpits, thighs, and buttocks.

Why do boils occur?

According to Dr. Seidenberg, most boils are caused by bacteria, usually staph or strep. Boils may also be due to atypical mycobacteria or fungus, or even viruses which are less common and slower growing.

The staph bacteria that lead to boils is found on the inside of the nose and can spread to other areas of the body. Infection can also get into the body through an injury or insect bite that creates an opening in the skin’s surface.

People who have skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, or eczema might also be more vulnerable to boils due to broken skin. It is important to manage these chronic conditions to avoid complications. The Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York offers a wide range of treatments for even the most stubborn skin conditions.

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Is it a boil or acne?

In some cases, a boil might be mistaken for an acne breakout. However, different bacteria cause these two separate conditions. Roy Seidenberg, MD warns that the two can look quite similar but since treatment is different, it is important to correctly identify the breakout.

A larger inflammatory acne lesion, known as a nodule or cyst, can look identical to an abscess. This is especially true if there is only one large lesion. If a patient has a sudden flare of acne pustules and pimples, it could be a bacterial folliculitis – where the infection presents superficially in multiple follicles. If you are unsure whether your breakout is a boil or acne, schedule an appointment with your dermatologist for a proper diagnosis.

How can I treat my boil?

The mainstay of treatment is draining the abscess, according to Dr. Seidenberg. This also allows a culture to be performed. Oral antibiotics are helpful to prevent spread, but often do not penetrate into the pocket of pus.

For a single, small boil, home treatment may be sufficient. This includes washing the area with soap and water twice a day to prevent the spread of the infection. You can apply a warm, wet compress to the area multiple times a day as well, to encourage the boil to open and drain. In some cases, boils will resolve on their own within a couple of weeks.

clear and brilliant laser skin treatment in new york

When should I call my doctor?

Dr. Seidenberg offers a few tips to help lower your risk for developing a boil:

Clean any new cuts or broken skin right away to diminish your risk for infection
Treat any underlying skin condition that has broken skin, such as eczema
Avoid tight synthetic fabrics and switch to looser or cotton undergarments
Apply moisturizer before putting on compression shorts to decrease skin friction
Shower right after exercising to wash away the sweat

Dr. Seidenberg notes that bacterial folliculitis on the buttocks and thighs is common for people who wear compression garments while working out. If you do this, make sure you take steps to lower your risk, such as using moisturizer or showering immediately after a workout.

Schedule Your Skin Consultation at our New York City office today

Boils are not a serious medical condition in most cases. However, they can be quite painful and very large boils may leave scarring behind. Medical treatment is available to drain the boil and manage the infection. Contact our office to schedule your appointment at our medical clinic today.

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