4 step to healthier skin: an M.D. reveals simple ways to get a glowing complexion - Beauty Rx

Valerie Latona

Skin needs a yearly physical just like the rest of your body. We asked Howard Murad, M.D., a dermatologist in El Segundo, Calif., for ways to assess your skin's health -- and simple solutions for getting a radiant complexion.

THE BASIC FACTS

Skin -- the body's largest organ -- is only about the thickness of a sheet of paper. One of its top jobs: to shield us from external factors like sun exposure, pollution and smoke. "If the skin is unhealthy, its ability to protect itself is compromised," Murad explains.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

We know healthy skin when we see it: it's radiant, almost flawless. Less-healthy skin has definitive characteristics too:

* It feels dry and/or rough.

* It's flaking/peeling.

* It looks sallow.

* It's irritated or red (from acne, eczema or psoriasis).

* It's showing signs of premature aging (excessive fine lines, age spots or broken capillaries).

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS

Getting your skin its healthiest will make all the difference in how you look -- and feel about yourself. Beauty Rx:

1. Exfoliate several times weekly. "Exfoliation with alpha- or beta-hydroxy acids or scrubs can get rid of the dull, rough outer layer of skin," Murad explains. (Try St. yes Medicated Apricot Exfoliating Daily Cleansing Cloths with salicylic acid, $6: at drugstores.)

2. Add hydration. Look for products with ingredients (like hyaluronic acid and sodium PCA) that help the skin absorb water. (One favorite: Cellex-C Hydra 5 B-Complex serum with hyaluronic acid, $66: sephora.com.)

3. Prevent/reduce irritation. Apply skin-soothing products with ingredients like aloe and chamomile. If you're acne prone, products with salicylic acid can also help. (Try Neutrogena Clear Pore Soothing Gel Astringent with aloe and chamomile, $5: at drugstores.)

4. Protect/treat skin with antioxidants. A recent study published in Dermatologic Surgery found that topical vitamin C works to diminish visible signs of aging. Other topical antioxidants that may also help: vitamin E, green tea, grapeseed extract and pomegranate. (And don't for get to wear a daily SPF to prevent further damage.) We love Murad's own Daily Renewal Complex with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories ($80: murad.com).

SKIN LAYERS

1. stratum corneum

2. epidermis

3. dermis

WHAT WORKS A little-known fact about dermatologists Howard about Murad, M.D. He was a pharmacist first. Howard "I was intrigued by vitamins a and how they affected the body and the skin long before antioxidan was a buzzword," says Murad, whose interest in nutrition followed him through medical school. The assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles, has made" beauty from the inside out" his calling ever since. His Los Angeles-based Murad Spa was one of the first medical-based day spas to open in the United States, and his product line is infused with botanicals and antioxidants - true to his own philosophy: "When you look good, you feel good," he says," and when your body is healthy, your appearance speaks for itself."

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group