“Ask Dr. Mac” ….Six Weeks to Summer-ready hair, skin and feet

 SPRING INTO YOUR BEST HAIR, SKIN, AND FEET

The cold, weather will soon be leaving and more clothes will be coming off revealing more skin.  Spend the next 6 weeks focusing on getting your hair, skin, and feet looking their best for summer.

 THE FACE 

•  WASH every morning and at bedtime with your favorite facial soap (not body soap) and lukewarm water, using your hands in circular motions or a separate face cloth (NOT body washcloth!).
• Acne- use oil-free acne wash then an acne gel to spot areas. Vitamin A capsules 2 per day to dry oil glands (if pregnant do not take) and BellaNutri skin supplement.
• Seborrheic Dermatitis – aka ‘face dandruff’- dry areas along sides of nose, eyebrows or ears from a yeast overgrowth. Once a week, apply a medicated dandruff shampoo to your face, leave on for 1 min then wash off. Apply a Hydro-cortisone cream. Once under control, repeat once a month. If not better, check with your dermatologist.
• MOISTURIZE-apply a facial moisturizer with SPF 15 to your face and neck everyday regardless of skin color even if the sun is not out to protect your skin from damaging UV rays of sun and fluorescent lights at your job.  Helps reduce risk of skin cancer (melanoma common is African-Americans).
• PROTECT PORES- facial lotion with SPF alone cannot fully protect pores. Ladies have the advantage of using every morning a skin-colored face powder or oil-free foundation which seals your pores. There are a few makeup lines that have added SPF.  At bedtime, when you wash your face, you are also washing off all the potentially harsh environmental elements.

THE BODY 

EXFOLIATE:

• During the cooler seasons, your skin tends to feel and look ashy/dry due to lack of moisture from heaters. A lot of your old dead skin cells are trying to come off.
• Extra lotion is not the answer. Use a body scrub or a loofah sponge from head to toe once or twice a week.
• Once a month, soak in tub with lots of  epsom salt and using your loofah sponge for at least 30 minutes to soften all that dead skin. Make sure to let your loofah hang to dry then disinfect in microwave for 1 min after each use. Get a new one every 3 months to avoid bacteria buildup.
• Use body moisturizers with glycolic acid or lactic acid (Lacticare) to help remove old dead skin cells.

 THE HAIR & SCALP

DRY HAIR

• Dry hair happens during cooler months from hats, home heaters but also from excess chemicals and excess heat (blow drying, flat irons). Dry hair can have severe breakage.
• Olive oil is my favorite! Saturate your hair with olive oil then put on plastic cap. Leave on overnight or at least 30 minutes before washing out.  BellaNutri Hair Therapy Wrap can be used to help oil absorb better..heats in microwave for minute and treats for 30 min. Make sure to trim ends of hair (the oldest part of hair strand) every 6-8 weeks no matter if splitting or not!

DRY SCALP

• Dry scalp is more than just from cooler temps and needing extra oil.   Naturally your scalp skin exfoliates and can look dry.
• Major dry scalp issue is seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff’- yeast buildup from not not washing scalp enough. Think about how your neck/body feels and smells when you don’t wash..well this is going on in your scalp skin! With all the hair styling lotions/oils, excess scalp oil along with outside environmental pollution/dirt, your scalp can get yeast overgrowth causing your hair roots and scalp to flare. This leads to dry scalp, itching, redness, hair shedding and even hair loss.
• Wash your hair at least once a week with a medicated shampoo -zinc pyrithione, selenium sulfide, salicyclic acid. Leave on for at least 10-15 minutes then wash out followed by your moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Rinse hair with the coldest water tolerable to seal hair cuticle.  Repeat every week until under control then at least once a month.
• Hair shedding, hair thinning or baldness: Hair grows from your living hair roots deep within your scalp so topical hair growth products are not effective. They can’t get deep into your scalp to your hair roots and can’t repair the ‘dead hair’ that is on the outside of scalp.  You have to take something by mouth but the typical hair vitamins are like any other basic multi-vitamins which are not specific for hair roots. BellaNutri Hair Supplement -special marine proteins/collagen that stimulates your hair roots deep in scalp for healthier hair growth.

 THE FEET

EXFOLIATE AND TREAT YOUR FEET  

• After few months in heavy socks, tights, shoes and boots, your feet may have a lot going on from excess dead skin and even Athletes’ foot fungus.
• Wash your feet with an antibacterial soap(ie. Dial or Lever) every morning and night. After washing at night, apply white petrolatum jelly (Vaseline) and put on socks…by morning your feet will feel ultra-soft!
• Soak your feet once a week in a basin of lukewarm water with 1 cup of epsom salt or foot scrub at least 30 minutes to loosen old dead skin. Use a pumice stone to scrub lightly over all rough areas (Be careful if Diabetic or have nerve foot damage)
• ATHLETES’ FEET—if feet have extra dry thick skin (‘dry type’) or itchy,moist red between toes (‘wet type’), you will need to use an anti-fungal cream (ie. Clotrimazole or Terbinafine cream from drugstore for 2 weeks after cleaning feet at night.
• FUNGAL TOENAILS- if any toenails are yellow, thick, or crumbly, this may be a sign of fungus. Topical creams unfortunately DO NOT WORK because nail fungus start from inside your body. Check with your dermatologist for oral anti-fungal medication which can take up to 12 weeks and monitoring labwork.

Check back next month for more of Dr. Mac’s amazing health and beauty tips.  Click here if there’s something you want to “Ask Dr. Mac”  or email her at drmacmd@gmail.com   

About Dr. Mac
Dermatologist, Melanye Maclin, M.D., founder of Innovative Hair Technology, Inc.

Dr. Maclin has appeared in numerous beauty magazines including Harpers Bazaar, Madamoiselle, Hype Hair, Try It Yourself Hair, Braids & Beauty, Elle, Redbook and on media outlets such as FOX news, ABC news, and WOL radio, as well as during national and international beauty trade shows.  Additionally, she is the Medical Director for skin and hair for HYPE Hair, Braids & Beauty, and other hair magazines. She provides ongoing educational editorials to keep readers updated on hair and skin health. She is active in the bridal industry publications by educating about skin and hair and making suggestions as to how brides can be their most beautiful on their wedding day.

Realizing the effects of marine protein, Dr. Maclin began aggressively researching other unique, natural ingredients that would be beneficial for not only hair, but skin as well. She was on a path to introduce a new nutritional dimension for more beautiful hair and skin. After extensive research and evaluation of special ingredients, Dr. Maclin created the nutritional supplement, BellaNutri®; “bella” symbolizes beauty and “nutri” is short for nutrition. Dr. Maclin and her professional staff maintain a very personal approach to product education and guidance. She believes in providing customers with accurate and detailed information for long-term benefits.