This past week I was asked by three different folks about skin care, so I think this topic is calling for me to blog about it! My motto is: simplify.
Let me back up and tell you a little about my background… I briefly considered going into Dermatology when I was in med school, so I took three times the regular amount of training in Dermatology as a result. I’ve always been fascinated by skin and surgical procedures, so I really enjoyed those rotations, chock full of both.
I also spent four summers throughout college working at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD… working with a research team who was investigating oncogenes. I loved cancer research too!
So I feel like I’ve gotten a little extra training in the areas of cancer research and in skin. And my gut feeling says that the more you chronically irritate something, the more likely you are to develop cancer in that organ. As straight forward as that. And for this post, we are focusing on skin. 
Most of the over the counter anti-aging crap (um… I mean, *products*) you can buy through drugstores, department stores, and even health food stores, contain ingredients designed to chronically irritate your skin. This is because they’ve found that by chronically irritating it (at low levels… low enough that you don’t see any skin reaction visibly) you are chronically encouraging it to slough off and turn over new cells. This is why low but consistent doses of retinal products and hydroxy acids and other skin acids (even all naturally derived fruit acids) works to give your skin a refreshed surface… chronically forcing new cell turnover.
While this is great in the short term (you get fresher skin within a few weeks) in the long term, chronic irritation and inflammation has been shown to incite cellular damage. Chronic inflammation is turning out to be one of the major factors in all types of disease… from coronary artery disease, to strokes, to cancer.
So, my goal as a physician is to decrease the levels of inflammation and irritation in and on the body as much as possible. It is routine practice now to try and decrease the level of inflammation inside our bodies… for example, decreasing the level of inflammation in our guts by avoiding certain foods (like avoiding gluten if you have celiac disease) or using prescription medications to decrease inflammation (like statin drugs for heart disease.) But it is not generally addressed when it comes to skin care.
Yes, everyone understands that inflaming your skin to the point of sunburn is a serious no-no… that UV exposure can cause skin cancers… but what about the chronic irritation of the toxic chemicals in daily use of chemical sunblock? This is starting to get more recent press and consumers are switching to physical sunblocks over chemical ones, for good reason.
The same goes for your facial care products. Infrequent use may be fine, but daily (and sometimes twice daily, morning and night!) slathering on of anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, anti-this-and-that products intended to stir up your skin and cause enough low levels of irritation that it forces your skin to make new skin faster… 40 years of applying this to your face doesn’t seem right to me.
If you had a chemical irritant would you smear it morning and night on the inside walls of your heart? Or along the surface of your kidney? Why does it seem so much more benign when we slather it onto our skin? I’m not sure why.
I do agree it seems less *invasive*. But skin cancers are no small concern… and with the advent of the newer delivery methods (micronized particles and nanosphere delivery systems) the ingredients do not stay superficial at all anymore, but rather are internally delivered. On top of that, and this is just my gut feeling, I truly believe that the chronic inflammation and irritation of the skin, while creating the immediate effect of quicker skin turnover, in the long term (decades later) this very chronic irritation can cause faster skin aging… as your skin reacts to being chronically irritated with visible signs of stress… uneven pigmentation, broken capillaries, seborrheic keratosis, actinic keratosis, and other age related changes.
Okay. So that is the platform upon which I recommend this very simple skin plan. Do no harm. Allow your body to do what it does best… cover you in sheets of beautiful, healthy skin, replacing it as needed… and support this process with moisture and occasional exfoliation.
For moisturizing, nothing beats coconut oil in my book. I have a huge jar of organic coconut oil in my bathroom, and I use it for everything. I put it in my hair once in a while before I shampoo, as a deep moisturizer. I use it on my face to remove make up, then put it on again after I wash my face as a moisturizer. I put it on after I shower and before I towel dry to give my entire body a moisture barrier. It is extremely well absorbed, smells great, and no irritation. Simple to find at most health food stores and grocery stores (and in my husband’s office, for you local folks! His is the best!) and on-line at Amazon… really everywhere.
So that’s my skin care routine. Nothing but coconut oil for moisture. I’ve been known to grab my bottle of organic olive oil or grapeseed oil from the pantry in a pinch as well, but I tend to prefer coconut oil.
For facial washing, I use Dr. Hauschka’s Milky Cleanser… I know, it’s super expensive… but I will say that one bottle lasts me about 4 or 5 months! Just one little pump of cleanser each night… and I don’t use it at all if I am taking a shower that night. And I have to admit, I don’t wash my face in the mornings. I let the sebum oils on my face stay… I guess that is my morning moisturizer… it is the real reason our skin stays healthy anyway. Even though you may curse your sebum if (like me) you tend to break out… it really is crucial to our skin balance. Without it, our skin would have dried up and cracked off long ago. So I’m not afraid of a little skin oil.
In the shower, the soap we use is Jenni’s soap, of Lanabella. I’ve had her on as a guest blogger and you can read that article here. It’s truly the only soap we use on our bodies… ever.
Beyond that, if you feel your skin needs a wake up call every once in a while, exfoliate. As long as the irritation isn’t chronic and daily, I do believe you can rough up the skin occasionally to *wake it up* and it will not be as harmful as the twice daily application of chemicals.
For example, when in clinical practice I routinely gave prescription grade facial peels to patients… as often as once a month. This provides a deep stripping of the top layer of your skin, and yes, for sure this is inflammatory, but then your skin repairs and creates a new fresh layer and you leave it alone (save for some pure coconut oil or other moisturizer) for the rest of the the time. I would much rather recommend to a patient that they get skin peels every few months (I would recommend them every 3 to 4 months for interested patients) instead of using daily and nightly chemical crapoola on their face day in and day out, with their skin getting no chance of a break to repair and their body constantly absorbing it in.
I also am a fan of microdermabrasion… if you don’t want any chemicals touching your skin at all, no matter how infrequent, this is the way to go. This is a gentle scrapping of the top layer of skin with crystals… so no chemicals at all to absorb… just physically removing the top layer of skin one a month or every several months, to encourage new cell turn over and remove old skin cells. If you have acne, I think intermittent microdermabrasion is wonderful. Try getting one treatment every three months and giving up all of your old anti-aging facial creams, and see if your skin is happier.
I also love coconut oil for the hair… as I mentioned, I use it for moisturizing my hair, and I believe it is also great for thinning hair. Putting some coconut oil on your scalp once a week and giving your scalp a gentle scalp massage (circles with the pads of your fingertips, do not use your fingernails!) is a great way to stimulate blood to your scalp, clear away old skin cells, and encourage hair growth… all while moisturizing the thin/brittle hair you do have, and making it more supple and less prone to breakage.
Consider weekly coconut oil scalp massages, then make sure to shampoo it out, and feel the vitality return to your scalp!
Okay, that’s about it in a nutshell… coconut oil for face, coconut oil for body, coconut oil for scalp and hair, Dr. Hauschka for facial cleansing, Lanabella for body cleansing, and then if you feel you need it, consider facial microdermabrasion or peels every 3 – 4 months for skin cell turnover.
So… is my skin perfect? No WAY. But is my skin healthy? Absolutely.
Questions? Comments? Leave them for me below and I’ll respond below! See you Wed for a sneak peek at Valentines Day!!! xoxo
Thanks for such awesome and practical advice! I hear these types of questions all the time so you are really addressing a pressing concern!
This was GREAT!! Thank you for this post. As someone who has spent a most of my life at the beach, in the sun, on the water, I have always wondered “what” to do now? I have so far (intuitively) steered away from wrinkle creams and such and now know why. I love coconut oil and Jenni’s soap and Dr. hauschka products. This was just so full of great info! Thanks Laura!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for sharing this post via familyplaytime. I actually use coconut oil and Dr. Hauschka products. I have yet to try peels or microdermabrasion do you recommend a place locally?
Thanks for the comments! Lisa, you want a physician or a med spa to do it… the microdermabrasion machines are much more powerful… you can spend $$$ at salons for their over-the-counter strength microderm. treatments, but they just don’t go very deep, the machines are different. I would prefer to splurge and get a deep treatment once or twice a year then the very superficial light machines every month at a salon, for the same cost. So my recommendation is to look into med-spas locally… I’ll let you know if my hubby has one in particular he recommends! xoxo
This was perfect for me, thank you! I am going out to get some coconut oil right now. I always suspected that constant irritation was somehow not right, thank you for solidifying that idea. My skin is rather a nightmare (acne vulgaris) but stripping the sebum off day and night certainly hasn’t helped. I am definitely going to try microdermabrasion. Very grateful!
I’ve recently started doing the oil face cleansing thing, literally using nothing but castor and olive oil to wash my face. And my sister makes up a wonderful face butter that actually works as a low level sunscreen (base of shea butter with a lot of skin healthy herbs).
Just a tip to anyone doing any natural stuff… don’t use citrus essential oils on your skin because it makes your skin extra sensitive to the sun. (Something not everyone knows.)
This blog post came at the perfect time. I had recently been thinking that I needed to add something to my skin care routine to help “combat the signs of aging.” Thank you for your words of wisdom and experience. I feel much more confident in continuing my simple routine of cleansing with castile soap and moisturizing with coconut oil. I, too, would be interested in hearing if Dr. C. Koniver has a med spa recommendation.
Wendy: Thanks for the note on citrus and the sun. I have used Burt’s Bees Citrus Cleanser in the past and will have to find time to research this myself a little further. I wonder how much self-inflicted sun damage I may have caused. Thanks again for the heads up!
Great timing. With all this cold and dry air, my skin is looking super-crusty. I use the coconut oil for hands, hair and feet but assumed it was too heavy for face. I will give it a try. Thank you for writing!
I have been loving the coconut oil for hands, hair and body and am now glad to use it on the face.
It would be great to learn your recommendations about good physical blocks as sunscreen. Are there any you’d look for specifically?
Thanks for the wisdom!
i love the coconut oil on my body and now i’ll try it on my hair and face. !!! what do you use for sunscreen!!!
Thanks everyone for your comments! My very favorite sunscreen is by Colorscience… it is titanium dioxide in a very fine (but not nanoparticle sized) powder… easy to dust all over face and shoulders… my kids love it because they hate feeling gooey from cream sunscreens, and this little brush is easy to toss in our beach bag. The downside is the price… but one container of this lasts us all summer. We buy one new one every year, and I really feel that it is worth it… water resistant, too. I will write an FAQ specifically on all the diff. suscreens we’ve used over the years as it gets closer to summer! Thanks for reading! xoxo
http://www.amazon.com/Colorescience-Sunforgettable-Brush-Almost-Clear/dp/B000WOVIC8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294858725&sr=8-1
I looked at the Dr. Haushka link..am I reading the right one? It lists alcohol as the second ingredient? Is that ok? Getting coconut oil tomorrow!
Hi Katy… thanks for your comment! Yes, that is the second ingredient, which doesn’t bother me. Alcohol is a great medium/carrier, which I don’t have a problem with. It is a wonderful preservative… many herbal/all natural companies use alcohol as the carrier for their herbal mixtures… and those are things you ingest! It certainly doesn’t bother me to have it in a skin care item, which I am literally washing off my face. I do agree that some will get absorbed in the few minutes it is on my skin. I can promise you that this is one of the most gentle, non-drying skin cleansers on earth… will not tighten or sting your face, and is perfect for sensitive skin, despite the alcohol content. If you give it a try, let me know if you like it! Thanks so much for writing… xoxo, Laura
I love the coconut oil as a moisturizer. I’ve never had skin issues, but it works great for really dry skin during the winter. I would be very interested in trying a different sunscreen. I switched to a more natural one several years ago. Sunscreen became a major concern to me after a bottle leaked and ate away the vinyl in my car. Needless to say, I haven’t been real eager to put it on my skin ever since!
Is shea butter good for the face? How about jojoba oil. Do either of these products have any sunscreen value? Thank you for any information
Hello Mary Jo! Thanks so much for your comment. Both are lovely for your face… especially if you can get organic shea butter and jojoba oil! The shea butter does have some sunprotective value, ranging from 0 to 6 SPF… however, I generally don’t mention it because 6 isn’t enough SPF for adequate coverage and if someone feels protected using it they may stay out in the sun longer then usual… it gives a false sense of confidence when out in the sun. So I think it just isn’t enough to consider for sunscreen value… although I love the product and think it is a wonderful addition to your skin care routine. Thanks for the comment! xoxo
Your skin looks beautiful! I have been using Dr. Hauskas for a long time.! I love Coconut oil for cooking, but now thaks to you I put it all over my face. ! I have a sebaceous cyst on my scalp. What should I do other than surgery.! Thanks Emily
Hi Emily! Thank so much for your comment! Hate to say it, but excision is the way to go with sebaceous cysts. It’s a pretty minor procedure, if that makes you feel any better? Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and ask a question! xoxo
I am going to try the coconut oil and will also try the milk cleanser! You say Dr. K has some in the office?
I have a great recommendation; For 2 years, I’ve been going to Dawn at Daniel Island Medical Spa. She is not a product pusher, she takes her time, is gentle and always gives a little extra something.
Hi Barbara, I wish my hubby carried some in his office… great idea? I wonder if he can look into selling it. In the meantime, I usually purchase the cleanser from EarthFare in West Ashley, or I order it on-line. HTH!!! Thank you so much for the Med Spa recommendation, that is so helpful! xoxo
Hi again! I bought the cleanser at Whole Foods, along with the organic coconut oil. Does Dr. K have oil that is liquid form? This is very dense..but it does feel good on the skin. Also, I saw you endorse shea butter, which is what I had been using on my face at night. Any specific comparisons between the two? Thank you
Hi Dr. Koniver,
Our family has benefitted greatly from your husband’s medical attention for several years. Thank you also for the sacrifice you make so that he is available to his patients. He clearly adores and respects you. Thanks for this info. It’s great to benefit from your insight! Terri
I have lupuz in the skin. What is golf for the ichy skin.
Hi Glenda! Fish oil, fish oil, fish oil (by mouth…) is so good for your skin… keeping it supple and calming inflammation… take as much as you can! xoxo
I’m on my sickbed today, finally able to open my eyes after a few days of sleeping and since I must always be *doing* what better way to spend the time than to catch up on your lovely blogs! I didn’t expect to be learning quite so much! Lol I have a little scrap paper and pen at my side and have decided instead of writing out notes at this point to just write the date of the blog so I can come back later
I have had the worst skin problemos since having kids and I have tried everything under the sun but I love your ideas and that theyre natural and healthy so I’m gonna start a new skin regimine! So excited! hugs!!
Thanks Laura. I did have surgery, had the sebaceous cyst removed by a plastic surgeon. Hooray it is gone. ! I was scared, I just didnt like
getting put to sleep with proponal. I probably didnt spell it correctly.
Its been more than a week and my scalp is still hurting. After getting the staples out I washed my hair and then used collodial silver and
coconut oil on my scalp to help it heal. ! I am so grateful to you, that I am able to talk to you, you make me feel better! Thank you, Thank you…………