Vanising Varicose Veins

By Dr. Katie Rodan

As temperatures rise so do our hemlines, so it’s no surprise that each spring I suddenly see a lot of patients eager to make their varicose veins vanish instantly. If you too find yourself wishing away those pesky veins, you are not alone … an estimated 80 percent of women have them.

Unfortunately, treatment options are few and far between (and not to mention costly). In my office I treat spider veins with special injections designed to make veins collapse and disappear. These can be quite effective over time, but it takes multiple visits to achieve results.

While there’s no current at-home therapy available, you can camouflage the appearance of your varicose veins with a sunless tanner. Sunless tanners can do wonders for hiding veins, bruises and even cellulite, and nothing says “hello spring” like a healthy, faux glow.
Achieving that perfectly bronzed, streak-free look isn’t as easy as it sounds. But after a few years of trial and error, here are my tricks of the trade:

1. Start with a foaming formula that builds color gradually to create a more even, natural-looking glow.
2. Before applying the product, exfoliate skin to remove dead skin cells. If you shave your legs, do so before applying your sunless tanner; shaving afterwards will reduce the life of your glow.
3. Apply lotion to your knees, elbows, toes, toenails, heels and ankles to prevent your sunless tan from concentrating in those areas where skin is thickest. To avoid orange palms, wear protective gloves or wash hands with soap and water immediately after applying.
4. If you do make a mistake, use acetone or nail polish remover to remove any unintended color. Let skin dry at least 15 minutes before getting dressed and avoid wearing tight-fitting clothing for the next three to four hours to allow color to develop evenly.

Put these tips to work for you and you’ll be ready for the fashions of summer in no time.

Order Rodan+Fields Foaming Sunless Tan to keep your legs (and all your body parts) glowing year round. 

The Base Tan is Bad, Bad, Bad

By now, you know that sunburns are bad. But so is getting a so-called “base tan.” The “base tan” is a term popularized by tanning salons and refers to the practice of slowly and gradually developing a sun tan through sun exposure or a tanning bed, often before a tropical vacation or other sun-soaked event. The thinking is that somehow, this can prevent sunburn or sun damage.

Unfortunately, this just isn’t true. The UV rays that tan your skin in a tanning bed are identical to the UV rays that come from the sun. And while years of advertising have taught us to love the look of a tan, there is no such thing as a healthy tan. Sun exposure damages skin, and the pigment you see as a tan is the body’s reaction to this injury. And there’s nothing “healthy” or pretty about damaged skin.

Going out into the sun with a “base tan” will not prevent sunburn nor minimize damage. And although that bronze look might be nice, it can also disguise the signs that skin is burning. If you want to sport a healthy-looking glow for your next vacation, trade the tanning salon for a sunless tanner, and use a broad spectrum sunscreen when you go out in the sun.

You can find Rodan+Fields lotion and powder based sunscreen on my site – just click on the links below: 

Broad Spectrum Lotion – Use ESSENTIALS Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen
Powder Based Sun Protection –ENHANCEMENTS Mineral Peptides Broad Spectrum 20
Need an Anti-Age Boost – Use REDEFINE Triple Defense Treatment SPF 30
Sensitive Skin – Use SOOTHE Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30
Sun Damaged Skin – Use REVERSE Broad Spectrum SPF 50+

Thanks to Rodan+Fields DermRF for this great article!  Check out the Ageless Rose website for deals, before and after pics, and more great products.

The Power of Vitamin D - From our Derm RF

Great post from our Derm RF site that I thought I'd share with you.  I had no idea how much Vitamin D does for you. Worth the quick read:

If you want an “A” in anti-aging this summer, don’t drop your vitamin D supplement just because it’s sunny outside. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets in children, maintains bone density in adults, may inhibit certain cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and possibly lessens the risk of diseases such as multiple sclerosis. While it is true that sunlight stimulates the production of vitamin D, the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends that you get your daily value of vitamin D from non-sun sources such as vitamin D–fortified milk, orange juice, salmon and other fatty fishes or a multivitamin. The truth is, if you seek your vitamin D from the sun, you’ll soak up a whole lot more than you bargained for, including accelerated aging and an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

Shedding Light on Sunblock

Believe it or not, sunblocks are not created equal. It’s just not the level of protection that you should consider when choosing a sunblock, but also the type and longevity of that protection.   This is a good reminder to all of us to be careful about the products we use and do our research.  Thankfully, the FDA has just made it easier to know which sunblock does what so that we can make informed decisions based on what we need. 

The sun emits both ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation.  While UVB is the main culprit in sunburn, UVA has a higher likelihood of causing skin cancer and premature aging.  Not all sunscreens protect you from both. This is why the FDA has mandated that stricter testing and labeling.  Only those sunscreens that pas the “Broad Spectrum” test, protecting against both UVA and UVB radiation, can be labeled as such.  With these new regulations, sunscreen products that protect against all types of sun induced skin damage will be labeled “Broad Spectrum” and “SPF 15 (or higher)” (Source: USDA).  In addition, sunscreens that are not broad spectrum will include a cautionary label “Skin Cancer/Aging Alert…”.

Please see the latest update from the USDA for more information on the FDA sunscreen regulations.

And, order your sun protection products for your face, body and lips from Rodan+Fields today.  Try the sun protection products with our Reverse Regimen if you already have sun damaged skin.

Get a Great Sunless Tan

We all know too much sun is not good for us.  And, I know that sunless tanning can be a real pain, a real mess, and its real hard to get natural looking results.  This is especially true for fair skinned people (like me) where even the 'light' shade is about 4 shades darker than my natural skin color.  Don't worry and don't put yourself at risk getting ready for summer.  You can significantly improve your self- tanning experience and outcome with a few tips.

 

1.       Get some sun first whether it’s natural light or a short stint in a tanning bed. Some will be mad at me for recommending this but if it helps you start a nice color for the summer so that you’ll use more sun protection all year, then I’ve just lowered your overall exposure and your risk. 

2.       Exfoliate before doing any indoor tanning.

3.       Get a spray tan before you use self-tanner at home. I love the Mystic tan. If you are light skinned, stay with the light. 

4.       Touch up at home with a self-tanning lotion or foam daily.

5.       Moisturize on a daily basis.  This will help your skin to look vibrant and will help your tan last longer.

6.       REPEAT steps 2-5 every 10-14 days.

Enjoy your sun-kissed tan and your much improved skin health!!!

Check out my full article on Sunless Tanning and give our sunless tanning products a try.