Michelle Rupp: Joining me now is Rebecca Denison with Dermatology Group of Arkansas. So good to see you.
Rebecca Denison, PA-C: It’s good to see you.
MR: So, okay, we are t-minus and counting, spring break time. Spring is in the air. And that also means our skin routine probably needs to change a little bit. So maybe let’s start by just as we come out of the deep freeze of the winter, what are some of the things we need to change kind of right off the bat as we’re in that transition going into spring?
RD: Yes, definitely there’s things that you want to change. So, you know, a lot of times in the winter we’re going to be using our thicker moisturizers. Things that really keep us from having that dry skin and you’ll notice as we get more humidity in the air, things are not as dry. You probably don’t want that thick moisturizer. So, that’s probably the number one thing to change. So, you want to do a lighter moisturizer. And then really making sure that you’re ramping up your sunscreen is the other big thing because you know, fall and winter, you’re not in the sun as much. You know, as soon as it starts getting nice outside, it hits the 70°, you’re probably going to be out more.
MR: Sleeves get rolled up right and everybody gets outside.
RD: Yes, exactly. So, sunscreen is going to be a big thing. You know, making sure you are starting to load up on that, wearing your hat when you’re outside. Those kind of things are what you want to look at doing.
MR: So, if we are doing spring break skiing, sure. What are some of the things that we need to do to protect our skins? Just, just to be safe.
RD: Yeah, so you’ll probably want to go back to a thicker moisturizer when you’re, you know, in the mountains. Definitely you’re going to see more dryness than you would hear in Arkansas for sure. So, you’re thicker moisturizer and then a humidifier. A lot of times if you’re going to be, you know, going skiing or in the mountains, something like that. A lot of places will provide a humidifier now because it’s so dry in that climate. And then the other thing is going to be your sunscreen. So, people kind of forget, you know, even if they’re skiing it’s cloudy out you’re still getting sun and you can easily get a sunburn while you’re skiing on the mountains. And then also one thing that people forget about is your lips. Lots of chapped lips, that kind of thing. So, you want to do kind of more emollient type lip balms, thicker lip balms. And that will help as well.
MR: And looking for a lip balm, even with SPF because I would imagine, you know, this, this little area right here, all of that could get burned so quickly if you’re not paying attention as you’re putting it on.
RD: Yes, for sure. Yeah, I think investing in a chapstick or lip balm that has SPF 30 or higher. That’s what you want to look for. And just reapplying it throughout the day- that’s a big thing.
MR: Okay, now let’s head to the more tropical climate. And this kind of goes without saying right, I mean your sunscreens, your hats.
RD: Oh, definitely. Yeah, I think so. A couple of things- sunscreen, hat, rash guards are a big thing that you can do. So, if you’re going to be at the beach, warmer climates, you know, and you feel like you’re burning. Maybe you throw on that rash guard, you know, a long sleeve. A lot of them have a UPF protective factor in them now? Wide brim hats are going to be really good for you. And then the other thing is hydration, you know. A lot of times you’re going to be in a warmer environment and you’re going to be sweating more, all that, that kind of stuff. But really, it’s the sun is the main thing you want to be protected from in that type of climate.
MR: So, let’s say in either case you come back, and you’re burned, despite your best efforts. You have some type of sunburn. So then how do you treat or how do you treat that night when you go, how did this happen?
RD: So, a couple of things, I think cooling off the skin is going to be your number one thing. So of course, an aloe vera is kind of the first thing that comes to our mind, and it does work very well. I usually tell people to keep some in the refrigerator so when you put it on it’s nice and cool. And that’s kind of what you’re going to want to do right when you have a sunburn. And then, you know, sometimes sunburns can be painful and so you can take NSAIDs like ibuprofen, Motrin, Aleve. Something like that if you feel like you’re just uncomfortable. And then of course if you have a severe sunburn, we need to see you in the clinic. But hopefully not.
MR: If you don’t have aloe vera could just simple ice packs help?
RD: Definitely.
MR: And maybe some lotion because I would think you probably don’t want the skin to crack.
RD: Yes. Exactly. Yeah, you want to keep it really well moisturized. So, you know, good thick moisturizer is going to be helpful and then definitely you can do ice packs if you’re uncomfortable. For sure.
MR: Okay. Anything else we need to know whether we’re headed to the beach or headed to the slopes?
RD: Yeah. I think that one of the big things is reapplication of your sunscreen. A lot of people forget to do that and it’s it is hard to do and especially you know if you’re sweating a bunch and you don’t want to reapply. But really, if you’re sweating you need to reapply about every hour. Otherwise, it’s every two hours. And then another thing that you can do our powder sunscreens. So, some people don’t like the kind of thicker, you know, lotion type sunscreens. And now there’s powder. So, there’s a great brand called Color Science, which is SPF 50 and it’s a powder-based sunscreen. It’s, not really like makeup, it blends in with, you know, any skin tone. And actually, a lot of my male patients really like that because they don’t feel like they have something thick on their skin. So that’s something else you can do.
MR: And what is a good SPF number we need to kind of look at? Is there a threshold where really, SPF 90 really isn’t good, and you can stick with a 35 and be just as well?
RD: Yeah, so really SPF 30 or greater is what we recommend. When you get over 50, they kind of equivalent themselves. So, I still think SPF 50 is great, but you know, the SPF 100, 75, those are all about the same. So yeah, you know, you don’t want to necessarily buy 110 SPF. You can go with something lower if you need to.
MR: Okay, so 30 to 50 is a decent range.
RD: Yeah, I think that’s great.
MR: Okay.
RD: Yes, definitely.
MR: Alright, Becca, thank you so much. How can folks get ahold of you?
RD: Yeah, so I’m at the Dermatology Group of Arkansas. We’ve got multiple locations and we’re happy to see you.
MR: Okay? Thanks so much for joining us.
RD: Thanks for having me.
MR: And thank you for joining us. We’ll see you back here next week for more AFMC TV.
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