5 Reasons to Visit a Dermatologist This Year

Cravings tend to crop up when there’s a sense of depletion. However, if you can pinpoint what you lack, it’s easier to make healthier choices instead of going for something sugar-coated.

Here are a few possibilities for what may be driving those sweet cravings:

MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY
For many people, a sugar craving in the form of chocolate could signal a lack of magnesium, a common deficiency according to researcher Susan Yanovski from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Yanovski says that around 80% of people in the U.S. may be deficient in the mineral, which can be tied to irritability, insomnia and high blood pressure. If you feel stressed, chocolate may seem like the answer, but it could be your body yearning for magnesium instead.

Read the full article at My Fitness Pal blog

Having full, plump lips is often considered a sign of good health, beauty and youth. Whether you were born with thin lips or your lips are thinning due to the natural aging process, there are many ways to enhance them.

Lip injections using natural or synthetic fillers can keep your lips plump for months at a time. Dr. Kongsiri and Visage Dermatology providers love natural looking lips. VOLBELLA® addresses these concerns by subtly improving the shapeliness and smoothness of the lips without excessive volume.

If you’re hesitant to improve the appearance of your lips for fear of looking fake or you just want to learn more, call Visage today to schedule your cosmetic consult to achieve your natural, desired look.

Dr. Kongsiri and her medical providers have knowledge of the perfect injection technique to give you a natural lip, with just the right amount of fullness.

Schedule your consultation today at 727-388-6982 Option 301 or 302.

Are you not losing the weight you want too? Could it be too much stress in life?

The final possible culprit behind stubborn weight issues may be the stress hormone, cortisol. Too much cortisol will increase hunger levels, bringing along subsequent weight gain. The most common cause of elevated cortisol is chronic stress and lack of sleep, so try to get in those ZZZZZZ’s.

Learn more about our Weight Management Clinic.

We are one of the very first practices in the United States to offer the recently FDA approved Silhouette InstaLift, a non-invasive, non-surgical facelift that takes only 45 minutes to perform and reveals instant, long-lasting results that only improve over time. We are excited to offer it to our patients who want comprehensive lift and rejuvenation without the anesthesia, incisions, scarring, and recovery time of full surgery.

Areas of Concern:

• Lines and Wrinkles
• Face, Lips and Eyes
• Neck
• Lift and Tighten Skin

To learn more about Silhouette InstaLift and see if you are a candidate, schedule a consultation with one of our board-certified dermatologic surgeons today! Call 727-388-6982 to make your appointment.

No one likes to spend time re-losing pounds that they had already lost earlier, but with just a few simple techniques and continued focus on your long term weight management goals, you can make it through the holidays or other special occasions successfully and stay on track with your First Step to Success!

1. Carbs and Calories are your enemy! At holiday parties or family dinners stay away from bread/mashed potatoes/stuffing/desserts and fatty or high carb foods.
2. Remove the bread/crackers from finger foods and just eat the contents.
3. Eat more of protein foods instead of desserts, but if you must deal with desserts, just take a couple of nibbles.  Avoid the crust on pies and the icing on cakes.
4. At dinners, take a small portion of those dishes you are going to sample and focus on protein foods. Treat big holiday meals like a tasting menu, not a feast!
5. Select a small plate for your food. You’ll tend to eat less that way.
6. It’s best not to snack, but, if you must, consume a non-caloric snack.
7. Eat slowly and chew longer! You’ll eat less.
8. Limit your drinking because alcohol can increase hunger and lower your willpower. Alcohol is low in carbs but high in calories. It’s best to skip it altogether, but if you choose to imbibe, follow these basic rules:
   1. Take sips rather than swallows.
   2. Avoid sugared mixers with cocktails. They add lots of calories.
   3. Set a limit at the start of the evening/event and stick to it!
   4. Take one glass of wine/cocktail/beer and then switch to a nonalcoholic drink, preferably a zero calorie, zero carb drink, such as diet cola, sparkling water or club soda.
   5. If you are going to have more than one alcoholic beverage, drink two glasses of water after each alcoholic drink.

Don’t forget to exercise daily!  A brisk walk around the neighborhood can work wonders in keeping pounds off.

Learn more about our Weight Management Clinic.

Luckily, Dr. Kongsiri has a few ;

1. Keep baths and showers short. Use warm, not hot water, and a mild cleanser. When drying off always gently pat your skin dry.
2. Apply moisturizer after getting out of the bath or shower. Ointments and creams tend to be more effective than lotions. Dr. Kongsiri recommends applying Cetaphil or CeraVe cream. Also avoid scented lotions and creams if you suffer from really dry skin. The right moisturizer will…
   1. plump up your skin and make fine lines disappear
   2. soften and smooth your skin to give you a luminous, dewy complexion
   3. protect you from free radical and sun damage and slow the aging of your skin
   4. improve the elasticity of your skin and delay the formation of wrinkles
   5. provide healing factors that reduce breakouts and relieve irritation
3. Read ingredients on skin care products. Deodorant soaps, alcohol-based toners, and products that contain fragrance can irritate dry, sensitive skin.
4. Use a humidifier to add much-needed moisture to the air.
5. Wear soft fabrics that breathe, such as 100 percent cotton. If you want to wear wool and other rough fabrics, wear a soft fabric underneath.
6. Don’t skimp on hand washing, which can remove harmful bacteria and viruses. If you need to wash your hands frequently, hand sanitizers are a good alternative.
7. Apply hand cream after each hand washing. If more relief is needed, dab petroleum jelly on your hands before bed. If your hands are frequently immersed in water, wear waterproof gloves to help protect them.

Dry skin also can be a sign of an underlying medical condition, such as eczema. If you suffer from very dry skin, you may require a prescription ointment or cream to provide you some relief.

The good news is that you can turn it around very quickly with the right products. You can quickly restore your skin’s natural radiance and should see results within hours – and it should only take 2 minutes a day to have beautiful, luminous skin, no matter how dry your skin might be today.

Why let extra dry skin to show your age, especially on your face, neck and hands. If these tips do not bring relief, you can make an appointment to have a complimentary skin care consult or call to schedule an appointment to see one of our highly-skilled providers at Visage Dermatology.

Vitamin D is important because it protects your body from many different ailments. Maintaining healthy vitamin D levels can protect you from osteoporosis, arthritis, asthma, prostate cancer, heart disease and even eczema. Vitamin D deficiency can cause clinical depression and puts you at high risk for the illnesses above.

Many people don’t even realize that the depression and lethargy that they feel is due to a vitamin D deficiency. Instead they treat the symptoms – when in fact what most people need is a healthy dose of vitamin D. If you suffer from seasonal depression during the winter months then  you should defiantly have your vitamin D levels assessed.

As you can see maintaining your vitamin D levels is essential. Unfortunately a lot of controversy exists around how to boost your vitamin D levels.

Why? Because the best known source of vitamin D is sunlight. That’s right. Your body uses sunlight to convert vitamin A into vitamin D.

Which is why many people exposes themselves to the sun to try and up their vitamin D levels. The problem is, while exposure to sunlight may be a great source of vitamin D, it also causes melanoma – skin cancer.

There are some doctors who will recommend sun exposure to increase your vitamin D levels, but other doctors who maintain that the sun exposure is too dangerous – because of the risk of skin cancer that comes with it.

According to experts from the Cancer Council Australia (one of the sunniest countries in the world) two out of three Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetimes, and roughly 2000 Australians die from skin cancer every year. They also warn us that having a tan is a sign that your skin has already been damaged.

So what should you do? You want the benefits of Vitamin D, but by exposing yourself to the sun you are risking skin cancer instead.

How to get enough Vitamin D without risking Skin Cancer

Limit your Daily Sun Exposure

In summer time you are probably getting enough vitamin D just by walking around in your daily activities. If you really spend all day indoors then you should try to get some sun exposure in the early morning or late afternoon / evening, when the sun is not too strong.

In winter time, or colder climates, you can go out into the sun during the middle of the day for up to 15 minutes a day. That’s all you need for your vitamin D boost. Then you should return indoors, cover yourself up with a hat and protective clothing, and apply a good zinc sunscreen to any areas still exposed to the sun.

Check the UV index in the Weather Report

The weather report will always tell you what the expected UV index is in your area for the day. The UV index is measured on a scale from one to ten. Here is what you should do at the different levels on the UV index:

• UV Index of One to Two: Danger to your skin is fairly low. If it’s bright you should wear sunglasses and if you are very fair (you burn easily) you should always wear a sunscreen with an SPF 30 or more.
• UV Index of three to five: There is moderate danger to your skin under these conditions. You should stay out of direct sunlight during the heat of the day. If you are in the sun, make sure to wear protective clothing, a hat and sun glasses. Use an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen on any exposed skin.
• UV Index of six to seven: This is means there is a high risk of serious skin damage if you are exposed to the sun. You should protect both your skin and your eyes. Stay out of the sun between 10:00AM and 4:00PM if you possibly can.  If you have to be outside, make sure you wear SPF 30 sunscreen or higher, a wide hat, sun glasses and protective clothing. Remember that swimming may cool you down but it doesn’t protect you from the sun. Reapply your sunscreen every two hours.
• UV Index of eight to ten: These are extremely high risk conditions. Take extra care or you will burn quickly. Stay out of the sun between 10:00AM and 4:00PM, wear sunscreen, protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses.
• UV Index of eleven or more: Extreme Risk. Stay out of the sun. Use all of the precautions laid out above, but try to stay out of the sun instead.
• Sun Rules to Remember: Bright surfaces like sand, snow and water increase your UV exposure because they reflect the sun’s UV light. Take extra precautions under these conditions.

If your shadow is taller than you, as it is in the early morning and late afternoon, your UV exposure is lower. If your shadow is shorter than you, as it is at midday, your UV risk is higher.

Natural Alternative Sources of Vitamin D

Instead of exposing yourself to the harmful rays of the sun for your vitamin D  boost, you can eat foods that are rich in vitamin D. Here are some great sources of vitamin D that are really healthy and delicious:

Maitake mushrooms, Portabella mushrooms, Chanterelle mushrooms, egg yolk,fortified Almond milk, fortified orange juice, fortified yogurt – both the soy and the cow’s milk varieties, and Swiss cheese. You can also buy vitamin D fortified milk.

Of these foods, Mushrooms and Egg Yolk provide the highest levels of vitamin D. By eating these two things regularly you can ensure that you are getting plenty of vitamin D without having to be exposed to direct sunlight.

Vitamin D Supplements

If none of the foods above appeal to you, or maybe you are still worried about your Vitamin D levels in spite of eating vitamin D rich foods, then you can always take a good supplement. It’s better to supplement your diet than allow yourself to become deficient in such an essential mineral.

Lastly, medicinal mushrooms contain a form of a vitamin D precursor that can be transformed into usable vitamin D! Go to the next page and learn more about medicinal mushrooms that are rich in vitamin D precursor and helps boost your immune system.