Dad's top skin care tips

I love my Dad for many reasons, not least of all because he is a dermatologist (one of the best dermatologists in the world if you ask me). Having a dermatologist father is one of the reasons I think I still get carded when I order cocktails (the other reason being my religious use of Alchimie Forever products for 10+ years). It’s not only about the treatments he offers (he is the only one I will go to for my Botox injections), it’s also about everything he taught me about skin. In honor of Father’s Day, here are the best skin care tips from my Dad, Dr. Luigi Leonardo Polla:

1. Avoid the sun. If you must be go to the pool or the beach, avoid the sun between 11 am and 3 pm, and wear sunscreen religiously (50+). You will get a tan by being in the shade with sunscreen on (I have to admit this is true…).
2. Don’t ever go to a tanning salon.
3. Once you have a sunburn, you have done irreparable damage to your skin that you can never undo. Don’t put sunscreen on a sunburn (sunburnt skin is raw and open and sunscreen ingredients will penetrate too deeply). Don’t ever pick at peeling skin.
4. Leave your pimples alone. Don’t ever pick at them, don’t do your own extractions. All that will accomplish is scarring.
5. Sleep on your back. Dad always told me he could tell by looking at a woman’s face how she slept; if you are a side sleeper, you will have deeper wrinkles on the side you sleep on.
6. Don’t wear “skin” makeup (ie foundation, powder, concealer, etc.). Take care of your skin and let your natural beauty show through.
7. Drink water. Your skin is as much a reflection of what you put on it as what you put in your body.
8. Exercise. It’s great for your body, but also great for your skin.
9. Embrace Botox – the earlier the better, use it as prevention. Don’t wait to see the deep wrinkles to treat them.
10. Choose to be happy. It shows on your skin.

Thanks Dad for everything you have taught me. About life, about love, and about skin.