The Healthy Derm

Happy Doctor’s Day to my favorite supervising physician ever. 🥰❤️

It is an understatement to say that your patients love you and feel so blessed to have you as their doctor. You’re amazing at what you do and I am so proud of you every day.

Happy Doctor’s Day to all of the amazing physicians out there that sacrificed their 20s (and some of their 30s) to become the best in their specialties.

Practicing medicine is a privilege and a constant challenge. Keep fighting the good fight ❤️

Last weekend at the American Academy of Dermatology conference in NOLA. It was so nice catching up with old friends and making new ones.

Apparently I was too busy to take any pictures of the delicious eats New Orleans had to offer 😆.

Next year is San Diego 😍☀️

Vitamin D has a number of important roles in your body.

It is well known for bone health, muscle function, immune function, etc. but did you know low levels can affect your mood?

If you have not had your levels checked, I encourage you and your loved ones to do so. If you need to know how you can get adequate amounts of vitamin D check out my Reels tab.

Being a healthcare professional is fun, but being your T**i is my fave. Love watching you grow up 🥰

Enjoy your loved ones every chance your get. ❤️

Costa Rica was too good to us. It reminded us how important it is to take a break from work and routine to enjoy the world and time together.

Pura Vida 🌊🌴☀️

We’ll be back ❤️

Do collagen supplements work?

The answer is yes, they have been shown to work in both skin and joint studies. But do you NEED to supplement it? If you can afford it, go for it.

The truth is you can build collagen naturally, but this process starts slowing down around the age of 20.

Your body makes collagen by building amino acids from nutrients we get through our diet.

This process requires protein-rich foods, vitamin C, zinc, and copper.

More on collagen this week. What would you all like to know about it? Comment below.

Sunday self love and football memes. Take time to enjoy the little things. Stay tuned in for a week full of more skin health, nutrition, & healthy recipes.

These are skin care myths I often have to bust for my patients.

#1. Oily skin can dry out if not properly moisturized, and the skin’s natural response is to make more oil.

#2. Simply not true. Darker skin is still at risk for sun damage and skin cancer, not to mention hyperpigmentation.

#3. Some products offer UVA protection only. Make sure you’re getting UVA/UVB protection.

#4. Antioxidants help fight the effects of aging but cannot reverse it.

#5. Sadly false. I have patients of all ages with acne. While acne is more common during puberty there are other types of acne common at other stages of life.

Did you believe some of these myths? Which surprised you?

Dairy is known to be an “inflammation-causing” food in dermatology and other medical specialties. Not everyone is lactose-intolerant and some will tolerate dairy just fine, but if you’re not in that group keep reading.

So many of my patients have removed dairy only to find out that it didn’t make a difference in their skin. Sadly our good intentions are often taken advantage of by food marketers and misleading “healthy” labels.

I encourage you all to pay more attention to food/ingredient labels. Many processed foods contain dairy. A few that you may find surprising are: chewing gums, dressings, chocolate, granola, snack bars, and soups, among many more.

Look for these names that indicate dairy is in the product:
🧀Casein
🥛Lactose
🍦Lactitol
🍨Lactalbumin
🧀Sodium Caseinate
🥛Whey powder, whey protein

Stay tuned to find out what other surprising foods you may be eating may be causing inflammation in your skin and body.

Many of you have heard of retinol. It is a form of vitamin A that is used in countless skin care products to defy aging. My patients occasionally ask me if they should take a vitamin A supplement by mouth and my simple answer is no.

Vitamin A has several important roles in your health including immune function, vision, reproduction, and cell communication. And you can get enough through diet alone.

A daily multivitamin also has the daily recommended allowance and an additional vitamin A supplement alone is not necessary.

I always ask my patients about diet and supplements before we discuss treatment. These things are often overlooked and can decrease the efficacy of a medication or make you more likely to have side effects.

There are two types you can get from food:
Type 1 is found in animal products. You can actually get too much vitamin A in this form.
Type 2 in plants.

Let me know your questions surrounding vitamin A in the comment section.

Skin health is so much more than skin care products. This week’s meal prep features some healthy Fall favorites and staples in our home. A variety of skin healthy vitamins and minerals here, of course.

Pumpkin, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes are great sources of vitamin A.

Vitamin A describes a group of fat-soluble retinoids, including retinol, retinal, and retinal esters. If you’re into skin care you’ve most definitely heard of them or use them topically.

Vitamin A is involved in your immune function, vision, reproduction, cellular communication, and cell growth.

Two forms of vitamin A are available in the human diet: preformed vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids.

I’ll check in tomorrow to breakdown examples of each type and how to get optimal intake.

Other foods to be highlighted are red lentils and pomegranates.

Have a great week IG fam!

New season, new colors, new opportunities. First Fall in Atlanta 🍁. So happy to see so many of you stick around after a long hiatus ❤️