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Do you feel like an adult yet? Ready or not, your face is starting to show it. Now is when you’ll begin to see the results of the work (or lack thereof) you put into your skin in your teens and your 20s. Your skin will start to dull in your 30s due to it not shedding dead skin cells at the same rate it did when you were younger. This is also when you may start to develop lines on your forehead, around your eyes or at the corners of your mouth. You may also see some sunspots, but don’t give up! Although you’re starting to see signs of aging, you can still slow down the process with proper care. Let’s go over what you should do during your 30s to help slow Mother Nature down. THIS IS THE TIME TO UP THE ANTE. What you do now makes the most difference.

Exfoliation
Now is the time to get serious about exfoliation. In your 30s, the rate at which your skin turns over new skin cells and sheds old ones slows, so you’ll need to help the process. Remember, pick an exfoliating product that is right for your skin, whether you choose a manual or chemical method. Choose a product that is gentle enough to use on a regular basis to keep skin from looking dull. Visha Skincare Advanced Correcting Serum and Advanced Correcting Serum are perfect 2 steps to get exfoliation on a daily basis. Exfoliating tricks the skin into thinking it is wounded and stimulates collagen production, lessening the chances of the skin getting thinner as time progresses.

Anti-aging products
It’s sad to say, but it’s time to start incorporating anti-aging products into your skin care routine. Don’t go overboard and buy every product out there. Your skin is just starting to age and some anti-aging products might be too aggressive, which can irritate your skin. Serums are easily absorbed into the skin and contain active ingredients, they are perfect to incorporated into your busy lifestyle at this point in life. Visha Skincare Advanced Correcting Serum has all the ingredients you need, and is applied just twice a day.

Sunscreen
You knew it was coming. Keep using your sunscreen every day, multiple times a day, regardless of the weather outside. Sun damage is the most preventative aging factor out there. Fair-skinned people will possibly begin to see some discoloration (sun spots) in their 30s if they haven’t been diligent about wearing sunscreen on a regular basis. Visha Skincare Advanced Correcting Serum was formulated with Illuminotex a natural skin lightener to help erase the sunspots and prevent them from getting bigger.

Those with Melasma or the mask of pregnancy may start to see this more in this period of life, especially when starting a family and being on birth control pills. Visha Skincare Mommy line was formulated for now, a complete line that is safe to use during pregnancy and nursing.

In with the good
With all this talk of the body’s processes slowing down, the skin becoming damaged more easily and the body not recovering the way it used to, it’s more important than ever to consider what you’re putting into your body. Make sure you’re drinking at least 6 glasses of water each day to help flush out your body and help carry nutrients where they need to go. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, moderate amounts of whole grains, lean meats and good fats, and minimal amounts of sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Take a multi-vitamin daily to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs. Remember, we are what we eat, so eat the best foods possible to give yourself the healthiest body possible. Take a probiotic and get 8 hours of sleep. Sleep is needed for your bodies and minds to repair themselves.

Dermatologist Prevention
As mentioned above, sunscreen, skincare and habits help prevent rapid aging. Here in life, neurotoxin/Botox can also be incorporated into muscles such as frown lines of the forehead. Since these toxins paralyze muscles to stop movement, paralyzing the muscles when they are not too bulky and large, helps prevent them from getting that way and the wrinkles from getting deeper. Some people get fillers as well that are well placed into tear troughs, to help with dark circles and eye bags and the nasolabial folds, to help with smile lines.

Reader’s Digest posted “14 DIY Home-Health Tests That Could Save Your Life (and Take Just Seconds)” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on examining moles.

You should know the difference between skin spots in order to find potentially dangerous diseases like skin cancer. “An easy way to decipher if a mole on your body is normal or potentially harmful is to use the ABCDEs,” says dermatologist Purvisha Patel, MD, creator of Visha Skin Care. This handy American Academy of Dermatology method, which stands for asymmetry, border, color, diameter, and evolving, will help you determine if you should schedule a screening with a dermatologist. “When observing a mole on your skin the first thing you want to look at is its shape—is the mole asymmetrical?” she says. If both halves are the same, it’s probably fine. Next, “An atypical mole will not have a defined border,” she says. If yours looks irregular, get it checked. “Notice if the color of the mole is all one shade or if it varies—a healthy spot will be one consistent color,” Dr. Patel says. “The diameter of melanoma [skin cancer] is usually greater than 6mm, or the size of a pencil eraser.” Finally, “is your mole evolving in size and/or shape?” she says. If so, have it checked by a medical professional.

Read the full article here.

The Zoe Report posted “How To Treat Cystic Acne In Your 30s, And Get Results” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel and Visha Skincare .

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on cystic acne, and Visha Skincare Brand product, Advanced Purifying Cleanser.

Unlike normal blemishes, cystic acne are those bumps that embed themselves deep under the skin. They are large, tend to swell, and cause pain. Most of the time, they do not come to a head and trying to pick and pop them only causes further damage like scarring, inflammation, and infection. If this is your struggle, you’re not alone, because cystic acne in your thirties, and late-twenties, is a thing. “Fifty-four percent of women older than the age of 25 have some form of facial acne,” the International Dermal Institute reported. Sometimes, it can’t be helped.

“Cystic acne is commonly increased in your thirties as this is when the skin is most susceptible to hormonal changes. The hormonal shifts affect the oil glands and sebaceous glands in the skin,” Dr. Purvisha Patel, board certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare adds.

“Products that are occlusive, such as petrolatum-based creams, or edible products such as coconut oil clog pores — they feed bacteria and fungus — can make breakouts worse,” Dr. Patel warns.

Treatments

Clearing up cystic acne isn’t an overnight fix, and it takes consistency and dedication to find a solution. If you’re searching for products to help, “topical creams with tretinoin, retinol, or acids help exfoliate the skin to prevent the cysts from forming,” Dr. Patel says. “Tea tree oil, benzoyl peroxide, and sulfur topicals also help to decrease bacterial and fungal colonization of the skin.”

Decreasing the inflammation ultimately helps decrease the pain factor, too. So as tough as it might be, don’t pick or squeeze the area, it will get more inflamed and hurt even more, Dr. Patel notes.

“Using potent exfoliating cleansers such as Visha Skincare Advanced Purifying Cleanser, with fruit acids and tea tree oil, decrease ability of the pores to clog, decreases oil accumulation and reduces bacteria, fungus on the skin,” Dr. Patel suggests.

Read the full article here.

WELL + GOOD posted “Banish tech neck with these editor-approved décolletage creams” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on the skin of the neck.

It wasn’t too long ago that I read Nora Ephron’s “I Feel Bad About My Neck”. After getting through her all-too-real essay about what women deal with in terms of aging, I gazed at my décolletage in the mirror and, well, realized that there was one. more. thing. that needed “taking care of” on my bod.

As a result, I started catering to my neck like it were a precious object, and the star of my skin-care routine. Like your under-eyes, your neck gets its own beauty products—and, according to dermatologists, for good reason. “The neck is easily exposed to the environment and gravity,” says Purvisha Patel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. “The skin there doesn’t have the same amount of sebaceous or oil glands that the face does, and it can age faster than the face.”

That’s why it’s pretty important to keep your neck nourished and moisturized. If you think about it, your neck’s a vulnerable place: Besides holding up your noggin, it’s turning all the time and—modern update—bending down so you can look at your phone (hello, tech neck). “With all the devices we use, the neck is sometimes a huge giveaway,” says Dr. Patel, who stresses the need for putting not only skin care but sunscreen on the oft-forgotten part of your body.

The thing is, you could use the same facial products on your neck. “But the neck requires more moisture and constant sun protection, since fewer oil glands are there to protect the skin,” says Dr. Patel. “You want to look for skin-care ingredients to tighten and hydrate.” Plenty of neck-focused beauty products exist that are meant for this sole purpose.

Read the full article here.

Well + Good posted “The derm-approved guide to getting rid of those pesky white dots underneath your eyes” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on bumps appearing below the eye.

Let me be frank: The under-eye area can cause lots of drama. In the quest for a glowy complexion, that part of your face can come up with all sorts of unwanted issues, from under-eye bags to dark circles and puffiness. Like, puh-lease stop going rogue and disobeying my skin-care routine.

Just when I thought my under-eyes couldn’t be more of a foe, I stumbled upon yet another way the skin there can rebel: with white bumps under eyes called “milia”. I was perusing the skin-care threads on Reddit when a post caught my attention—it was basically a user that was frustrated from tiny white bumps that appeared underneath her eyes. It’s something I’ve experienced too, and it’s even more frustrating because there’s less info out there on how to get rid of the pesky situation.

Basically, the small but hugely annoying bumps show up when there isn’t enough exfoliation or when you’re using occlusive skin-care ingredients. “Milia are small accumulations of keratin under the skin,” says Purvisha Patel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. “They appear as small, light-colored hard balls under the skin, and commonly happen when the keratin gets a chance to accumulate.” AKA when it’s not exfoliated.

Because the skin under your eyes is really thin and generally not scrubbed, it tends to be a more common spot for milia to form, she says. As far as occlusive ingredients go, Dr. Patel explains that petrolatum and thick moisturizers like coconut oil can clog the skin more “and make the process worse in those that are prone to milia.”

The good news is you can prevent those bumps from popping up. “Mild exfoliants help slough the keratin in order to prevent them from forming,” says Dr. Patel, who recommends turning to ingredients like retinol. And when it comes to hydration, stick with moisturizers that are non-comedogenic and lighter in consistency.

Read the full article here.

She Finds posted “4 Anti-Aging Rip-Offs Every Woman Should Avoid, According To A Dermatologist” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on ineffective ingredients.

Do wrinkle creams work? It’s the million dollar question. Scratch that, the billion dollar question. The beauty industry puts forth countless new anti-aging products each year, but to what end?

If you’re wary of OTC creams that claim to make you look ten years younger, your instincts would be right. We’ve rounded up warnings from the country’s leading dermatologists to determine which anti-aging rip-offs every woman should avoid.

Shoppers should be wary of drugstore creams that claim to treat dark spots (otherwise known as hyperpigmentation) as experts agree that more aggressive treatments such as the use of laser administered by a dermatologist or board-certified plastic surgeon are superior.

Additionally, Dr. Purvisha Patel, Board-Certified Dermatologist and Founder of Visha Skincare tells us warns of the dangers of Hydroquinone, an ingredient that is 2% over-the-counter used to lighten sun spots or photo aging. “This is considered toxic and should be avoided,” she advises.

Read the full article here.

Well + Good posted “This in-everything ingredient lurking in your lotion could be drying out your skin” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on fragrance in skin care products.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever had this feeling: You’re dutifully slathering on your trusty lotion from your appendages to your fingertips, only to feel dry and itchy hours later. I feel you.

To combat the mysterious issue, I’ve cycled through product after product with the ultimate goal of achieving lasting hydration for my skin (moisture is the essence of beauty, after all)—only to face the same problem. Then I discovered that there’s a culprit lurking in the lotions I’ve been buying, and it’s one that seems innocuous (but it ain’t): fragrance.

“Fragrance in skin care means that a smell is added to the product—it can be either synthetic or natural, and is usually a blend of chemicals to impart a particular scent,” says Purvisha Patel, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. “Whether natural or synthetic, fragrances can be sensitizers to the skin. Some, if used in higher doses, can cause rashes and irritation, especially in those with sensitive skin.”

Read the full article here.

Well + Good posted “This derm-approved trick lets you try natural deodorant *without* soaked underarms” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on natural deodorant alternatives.

By now, pretty much everyone I know is on board with clean beauty. They’ve swapped skin-stripping cleansers and chemically packed moisturizers for skin-care products with more nourishing, plant-based ingredients (praise). But, the hardest product to swap out, no doubt, is antiperspirant in lieu of an aluminum-free natural deodorant.

I understand: Finding a natural deodorant is a lot like finding the one. Some are too wet, some are too powdery; some leave pits irritated at the hands of baking soda; and still some, though otherwise perfect, just aren’t antiperspirants. A quick refresher (ahem) on the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant: The former simply helps to wick away armpit sweat and help mask any odor that comes from the area; while the latter actually plugs the sweat glands to keep you from sweating altogether. So why choose one over the other? In recent years, aluminum-laced deodorants have come under scrutiny linking them to breast cancer, and while the American Cancer Society firmly says there’s no connection, many people are opting to replace them anyhow and just sweat it naturally.

And that’s why I’m happy to report that I’ve found a way to start using natural deodorants on pits most days and still prohibit that pesky sweat: It’s called deodorant cycling. To do this, you simply alternate between using natural deodorant for two days in a row and then on the third day, you use an antiperspirant. This works because many antiperspirants prevent sweat in the area for 48 hours, during which time you can simply supplement with a good-smelling stick, while still keeping exposures lower than if you were using it every day. And while it’s a great way to get into natural deodorants, it’s also a solid routine to follow if you find they just leave you wet under the arms and otherwise wouldn’t use them.

When I ask a derm about it, she surprises me with her response: “This is funny, because I actually do this,” says Purvisha Patel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. “The ability to reduce sweating is helped with the antiperspirant, and when cycled with the natural—no aluminum chloride—products, it cuts down on your overall exposure to the ingredient.”

The technique of alternating deodorants allows you to prevent the sweat on some days, and stopping just the smell on others (of course, you can plan accordingly). “Cycling gives you both the benefits of stopping the sweating, if only for a day, and then stopping the smell,” says Dr. Patel, who goes on to explain that B.O. is caused by bacteria on the skin rather than sweat. “If the goal is to stop odor then try using anti-bacterial ingredients on your skin, like tea tree oil. Natural deodorants also tend to have ingredients like charcoal that’s odor-absorbing as well.”

It feels kinda like switching up workouts—by changing it up every couple of days, you can trick your body. “The effectiveness of such a method depends on many variables, however,” notes Dr. Patel. “Metabolism, weather, activity, and how much product you put on all matter.” Of course. But now here’s your way to try on a new regimen.

Read the full article here.

Healthline posted “Try Bakuchiol, Retinol’s Gentle, Plant-Based Sister for Fresh, Healthy Skin” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on bakuchiol and retinol.

Anyone who’s researched how to treat fine lines, breakouts, or dark spots has likely come across the buzzword in skin care science: retinol.

If you haven’t, retinol is the go-to skin care ingredient to reverse signs of aging. The downsides of it though? It’s quite harsh on the skin and once you start using it, your skin can get used to it and it’ll no longer have incremental benefits. This means eventually to achieve the same smooth results, you can only go up in application strength. Sounds like an intense skin commitment.

But there’s been a new ingredient making waves as retinol’s gentle sister, who works equally strong magic. Bakuchiol (pronounced buh-KOO-chee-all) is a plant extract that beauty publications are calling a natural, less-irritating, and vegan alternative.

But could it actually be as powerful and beneficial as dermatologists’ go-to ingredient? With the help of experts and science, we explored.

First off, what exactly is retinol and why does it work?

Retinol is the OG of skin care for dismissing wrinkles, fine lines, and dull skin. It’s the third strongest form of retinoid, a vitamin A derivative, that promotes skin cell renewal and stimulates collagen production. Research shows 12 weeks of application can result in smoother, firmer, and all-around more youthful-looking skin.

Types of retinoid

There are five types of retinoid, all which have varying degrees of effectiveness. Retinol is the third strongest over-the-counter option while tretinoin and tazarotene are available by prescription only.

However, while it’s a favorable option for lots — and we mean lots — of people, it can also be too harsh for those with sensitive skin.

Studies show the side effects can be as serious as burning, scaling, and dermatitis. And with an ingredient that loses effectiveness over time, that’s not good news for people who need to consistently apply. These downsides are what led to the popularity of bakuchiol.

Is the fanfare around bakuchiol real?

The up-and-coming bakuchiol is a plant extract that’s said to have been used in Chinese and Indian restorative medicine for years.

But what really gives bakuchiol its edge? Well, as previously mentioned, it’s a natural alternative, meaning not only is it not as irritating, it’s a great option for those who shop vegan, clean, and in consideration of skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or dermatitis.

“Bakuchiol is not a vitamin A derivative and hence not as irritating as that ingredient,” dermatologist Dr. Purvisha Patel says. And a small trial confirms this: In a study with 44 participants, those who used retinol reported more stinging and harsher skin texture.

“There’s not a lot of data with [bakuchiol] as of yet and it could be promising,” says Patel. “Retinol, however, is a tried-and-true ingredient that delivers what it promises in the concentrations [in which] it’s given. So, for now, retinol is [still] the gold standard for a safe, effective ingredient in skin care that helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles.”

Read the full article here.

Total Beauty posted “Here’s Why You Need Sun Protection All Year Long” featuring Dr. Purvisha Patel.

The article includes Dr. Patel‘s expert commentary on UV protection.

To understand why slathering on SPF should be a step in your skin care routine 365 days a year, here’s a quick science lesson on ultraviolet radiation: “The sun emits ultraviolet radiation, and those rays come down from the sun regardless of clouds or windows,” explains Purvisha Patel, MD, dermatologist in Memphis. “They go through any surface visible light can go through.”

Read the full article here.