Fall is the season of leaves falling and, just like the colorful foliage, we can find those tan, brown and red sun spots showing up as the summer tan fades. Here are 5 tips to keep your skin healthy and radiant as the season changes.
#1 Keep Up the Sunscreen
Even with the cooler weather, we still can get enough sun to cause DNA damage during the mid-day hours. Find a sunscreen 15 SPF or higher for your face, décolletage and hands if you will be outside for more than 20 minutes in the midday to decrease your risk of skin cancer and age spots. This a good time to get your yearly skin check as well.
#2 Bring On the Lip Balm
Our lips can take a beating as the sun fades and the weather gets chillier. Even plain petroleum jelly (Vasoline) is good to have around. This can also protect against mask irritation on the ears.
#3 Hydrate & Moisturize
Hydrators can be used under moisturizers to plump and rejuvinate dehydrated skin. Twice a day is always better than once a day. It’s like drinking enough water for the skin.
#4 Eat and Wear Healthy Antioxidants
Protein and antioxidant-rich vegetables are great to keep us lean and strong. The skin will enjoy antioxidants both from our diet and our skincare to give the skin a glowing, healthy appearance. Many antioxidant moisturizers can even help with the mask irritation.
#5 Treat Yourself
Fall is a great time for laser photorejuvenation treatments as we get ready for holiday parties and get togethers. That may be wishful thinking with COVID still lingering. But those Zoom calls will never look so good as after a hydrafacial or a Diamond Glow treatment.
What products are you currently seeing that are making a real difference in your patients?
We have the most innovative and effective skincare lines and devices that are available. We are taking COVID seriously, but still providing the opportunity for skincare treatments to be performed in the office.
What’s your advice to people who have seen other dermatologists, and say they feel like the doctors are trying to upcharge them, and sell them on services they didn’t come in to get treated for?
We are a medical dermatology office. We are great at treating all skin conditions. If that includes a cosmetic treatment, great. But if that is not something you are interested in, we are still the right place for you to make your skin healthier.
Whats the biggest mistake too many women make in treating their skin?
It’s all about balance. We see the extremes of over-utilizing products and then there are those that do not protect their skin in any way. We teach patients how to find a balanced skincare routine and taylor that to their specific needs.
What’s unique about your new space in Crestline?
My twins were being dropped off at St Luke’s everyday and I would turn the corner from Montevallo and cross into Crestline Village. The very first building you see, the face of Crestline Village, was the triangular brownstone that just called my name. We love walking Crestline Village as a family. It’s our happy place. So it made sense to start my practice close to home, friends and a great community.
ORGANIC - CLEAN - HONEST
Mirroring Holly’s theme for her practice–organic, clean and honest, Architect Sissy Austin at Austin & Co. stripped the entire building down to studs; and cleaned the exterior of dirt and plant material that had covered it for many years. The fresh white exterior paint made a huge impact and ties back in to the original goals stated above. The new cedar shake roof, brings in the organic component well. The interior lighting was updated with new crystal / oil-rubbed bronze that really draws customers in, provides a warm glow at night, and compliments the beauty and simplicity of the backlit brass signage on the exterior. Holly accented the space with GREEN colors in the furniture and a beautiful driftwood bench to again reinforce her natural, organic theme, and the importance of this when it comes to skin care.
Dr. Gunn is from Alabama and always dreamed of having a small clinic to treat friends and family. Her training has taken her all over the country and now, with her husband and four children, she is settling into Birmingham. In the past 10 years Dr Gunn started a dermatology department in the greater Cincinnati area where she became a top doctor in dermatology and then she was recruited by UAB to start the Cosmetic Clinic for the new Whitaker building. This new adventure is living out a dream that allows for treating a community’s skin care needs and finding balance with her family in the neighborhood.
