Dr. Jeanine Downie’s Summer Skin Care Tips

I couldn’t think of anyone better to ask for summer skin care tips for women of color than Jeanine B. Downie, M.D., noted board certified dermatologist. Dr. Downie is the director of her own practice; Image Dermatology P.C. in Montclair, N.J. and has extensive training and experience in all aspects of dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, laser and dermatologic surgery.

Dr. Jeanine Downie

Here are Dr. Downie’s sun-kissed summer skin tips:

Hot Mama Daily: What are your summer skin care tips for women of color?

Dr. Jeanine Downie

• Wear sunscreen with UVA/UVB blockers every day rain or shine, in winter and summer regardless of skin tone or ethnicity.  Melanin will not protect you against sunburn or melasma.
• When you wear sunscreen and bug repellant together, it decreases the sun protection product by 50 percent. So wear the sunscreen during the day and apply the bug repellant in the evening.
• Don’t scratch bug bites because it can leave marks that are harder to get rid of on darker skin.  Instead, use ice on bites.
• Use lighter amounts of fragrance during the summer.  If you’re putting fragrance on and going out in the sun — especially with citrus perfumes– you can get sun blisters.
• Use gentle body washes, soaps, and cleansers all year round for the body and face. I like Aveeno body wash and Cetaphil cleanser.  I have melasma, so I like a lot of the glycolic acid washes for the face. 
• Don’t skip moisturizing. I recommend Cetaphil and Aveeno moisturizers.
• Put lotion on your feet, because we can see them! If you can’t do a salon pedicure, do one at home.

HMD: You mentioned melasma.  What is this skin condition and what’s the best way to treat it? 

Dr. Downie:  Melasma is a common skin condition that occurs predominantly in women and is caused by excessive production of melanin.  Up to 80 percent of women get melasma during hormone changes such as pregnancy. It also occurs in about one-third of all women taking the pill, and in women using hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  Signs of melasma include irregular brown patches and spots on the cheeks, forehead, nose, or upper lip. With women taking HRT, you can see patches on the forearm. This condition is treatable.

If you have melasma, blend sunscreen all over the sun exposed area. I recommend Triluma fade cream.  It’s a low potency steroid, retinoid, and hydroquinone.  I have melasma and I’ve been using Triluma on and off since 2003. To fade dark spots, a 2 percent Ambi cream is okay, but won’t work work as well as Triluma, which has 4 percent hydroquinone.

The retinoid bumps up collagen and elastin, and hydroquinone is found in many foods like coffee, tea, rice, berries, and onions.  For treatment of melasma I also recommend alpha-hydroxy and salicylic acid peels.  These peels are safe for all skin types, and should be done once a month for 6-8 months.

HMD: Do you recommend microdermabrasion? 

Dr. Downie:  It’s like a cat licking your face.  It feels good but it’s not very effective at all.  A silk peel with hydroquinone is the next generation of microdermabrasion.  But if you do micro, [I think] the Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Microdermabrasion kit is just as effective as professional micro.  The problem is that [many microdermabrasion procedures] are done in salons without medical supervision. Glycolic facials are [also] more effective than micro.

Image credit: Dr. Jeanine Downie