Skin Deep

These eight skin-care resolutions for 2008 are simple and inexpensive. Research in medical journals supports some of them. Others are based on the experience of skin doctors.

DISCARD OLD, USED BEAUTY PRODUCTS

-discarding products one year after opening them.
-replacing mascara three months after opening it,

European regulations require products whose minimum durability is less than 30 months to display an icon — a graphic of a jar with an open lid — indicating a product’s shelf life after it has been opened. Some brands sold in the United States now display this icon.

STOP SMOKING


UNHAND THOSE PIMPLES!


“People think they are squeezing something bad out, but they could actually be pushing bacteria deeper into their skin, creating an infection,” said Dr. Bradford R. Katchen, a dermatologist in Manhattan. Subsequent inflammation could cause pigmentary changes, or worse. “It could scar your face,” Dr. Katchen said. The same goes for your zit-popping beautician.

MORE SLEEP, LESS STRESS

Psychological stress may impair the skin’s barrier function, which keeps bacteria out and water in.

“Studies have shown that the skin of people under chronic stress — caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients or medical students during exam time — will heal more slowly,”

In humans, stress can contribute to flare-ups of alopecia areata, a form of hair loss, and skin diseases like psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, a form of eczema, Dr. Mostaghimi said.

WEAR SUNSCREEN

Look for sunscreens that contain zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or Mexoryl SX, ingredients that work against both the sun’s longer- and shorter-length rays.

SIMPLIFY YOUR BEAUTY

Some dermatologists advise their patients to restrict skin-care regimens to no more than three or four products daily.

“People use too many acidic things at once — vitamin A, lactic acid, ascorbic acid, salicylic acid — and then they wonder why their faces are inflamed,” Dr. Katchen said. “I am against poly-pharmacy at home because you can over-treat yourself, leading to irritation.”

Dr. Katchen’s prescription: a mild cleanser; a sunscreen or moisturizer containing sunscreen; a product that contains antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin E, pomegranate, soy and green tea; and an antiwrinkle product containing ingredients like retinoids, a form of vitamin A, or protein fragments called peptides.

WASH YOUR FACE

Doctors say that skin picks up environmental debris during the day. Washing off minute dirt particles, along with makeup, every evening gives the skin a rest from exposure to possible irritants.

“As a general hygiene principle, it’s good to wash your face at night,” Dr. Sundaram said. “But if you apply a greasy night cream after that, it is just going to clog your pores.”

Those about to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test should also remember to remove makeup; imaging devices can mistake metal particles, used in some mascaras, for ocular diseases, according to reports in medical journals.

RETHINK PRODUCTS THAT COST MORE THAN $30

The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates cosmetics, does not require beauty manufacturers to publish rigorous studies on the efficacy of their products. So consumers do not have a proven, objective method by which to determine whether more-expensive beauty products work better — or whether they simply look fancier and emit more exotic perfume — than less-expensive items containing similar ingredients.

“Your chances of achieving good skin are not directly proportional to the amount of money you spend,” Dr. Sundaram said. “All too often, what you are paying for is the packaging, the advertising and the celebrity endorsements.”