Dr. Amy Kim is a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon practicing in Atlanta for the past 10 years. She specializes in skin cancer detection, management and surgery. Dr. Kim received her B.A. degree from Boston University College of Liberal Arts and M.D. degree from Boston University School of Medicine. She underwent her dermatologic training at Emory University Department of Dermatology and her Mohs surgery fellowship training at University of Michigan Department of Dermatology. As a dermatologist-mom of 2 young children, Dr. Kim developed and launched a baby skin care line, Baby Pibu™, in 2014. This unique skin care line consists of products tailored towards daily skin care as well as common baby skin conditions. This month, Sharecare is focusing on healthy beauty, bringing you tips on how to keep your skin, hair and nails healthy.
Dermatologist and founder of the Baby Pibu Products skincare line, Dr. Amy Kim, shares advice on how to keep your skin healthy and glowing.
Health Topics A-Z
Healthy Beauty with Dr. Amy Kim: Part 2
Guest
: Amy Kim, MD
From the Show: Sharecare Radio
Summary: Dermatologist and founder of the Baby Pibu Products skincare line, Dr. Amy Kim, shares advice on how to keep your skin healthy and glowing.
Air Date: 8/18/15
Duration: 10
Host: Darria Long Gillespie, MD, MBA
Transcription:
RadioMD Presents: Sharecare Radio | Original Air Date: August 18, 2015
Host: Darria Long Gillespie, MD
Guest: Amy Kim, MD
Sharecare. Helping you get younger, get guidance, get better care, get smart, get fit. RadioMD presents Sharecare Radio with Darria Long Gillespie, MD.
DR. DARRIA: Hi, it's Dr. Darria and I am back with Dr. Amy Kim. We are going to be talking about more things for anti-aging, keeping your skin looking young and beautiful and what to look for in products. So, we left off talking about some of the in-office treatments that you can have when you go to your dermatologist. Amy, you were saying there are a couple of questions to ask?
DR. KIM: Right. I think when you see your dermatologist, and it's kind of cute, I will have a visit with a patient and they will say, “Oh, I've got a quick question,” and their quick question is like, “What can I do?” I'm so used to the question and I'll say, “Well, here's what it comes down to in terms of in-office procedures. One is how much time do you have, meaning what's the frequency that you can end up in a dermatologist's office? Then, number two, is the price point.” So I'm going to kind of give you two examples, kind of on the extreme ends that actually will give you results. The first one is like chemical peels. Even sticking with a superficial chemical peel, and those are the type of chemical peels that tend to make you look pretty red or they should try to make you look like you're red like a sunburn. They'll have you, basically, peel. You usually want to do those chemical peels when you're already using the topical prescription-graded Retin-A or tretinoin. But the superficial chemical peels, you can plan on doing those quarterly, at least. If you are one of those people who just wants to make sure that you are doing the best thing for your skin and doing something pro-active, do a superficial chemical peel quarterly. Those can range from a price point of like $100-$200. The other thing is, be cautious on who's giving you the chemical peels.
DR. DARRIA: Yes. Definitely.
DR. KIM: I mean, in our office the doctors do it at MetroDerm and the reason why is there can be risks. So, the one that we like using, and it can be used on any skin type from a white skin type to a darker skin type, there's one that's called a Jessner's Peel. What's nice about that is, that peel has several ingredients in there and it does not have to be neutralized. What dermatologists see are issues with superficial chemical peels, but particularly the ones like glycolic. It may sound easy to use--glycolic chemical peels--but those actually have to be timed and neutralized with water. So, if somebody is not doing it appropriately, or, let's say, if it's not a doctor's who is doing it, you can have a chemical burn from that type of chemical peel.
DR. DARRIA: Wow.
DR. KIM: So, you have to be careful and just as long as somebody thinking about what they are using on your skin. There’s always a benefit reward/risk reward. So, it's one of those things where when you're doing it, you need to ask, “What are the risks?”
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: So, the second thing you can do in the office that's on the other end of the spectrum is resurfacing lasers. The technology with lasers has really changed and two that I particularly like are ones that are called Fraxel and Fractional CO2 Lasers. Those don't have to be done as often. The way those lasers work is basically those lasers shoot out a laser beam and they target your collagen. So, kind of a simple cool concept with the lasers is that it targets the collagen, actually kind of damages the collagen and as your collagen is repairing, it produces a tighter collagen and, therefore, results in the fine lines and wrinkles looking better. So, initially, because now these lasers can have a price point anywhere from $1000-2000 a pop.
DR. DARRIA: Wow.
DR. KIM: So, initially what I tell patients is that you probably need two of those. You do one round. It usually takes about a couple of months to really see how the tightening of the collagen helps the fine lines, so you wouldn't do your second one until about two or three months after.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: And then, it's one of those things you can maintain annually. So, I kind of joke with patients and say, “This is probably what the celebrities and stars are doing regularly to maintain things.” But that's something you can then decide for yourself as maybe doing these regular more frequent chemical peels throughout the year and then once you get to a point, you can just maintain an annual resurfacing laser.
DR. DARRIA: Is there a certain age when somebody should consider using peels and then lasers?
DR. KIM: That's a great question. You can start the peels starting in your twenties. Most people really don't need to start spending the money on the resurfacing lasers until you are in your mid-thirties or so. Again, you can get results but is also being somewhat proactive. Just like if you're using a topical Retin-A, it's being proactive to just tighten up the collagen that you have.
DR. DARRIA: Okay. Fantastic. Really helpful. Go talk to your dermatologist. Yes. I agree. It's really important to go to somebody who knows what they are doing because these are medical procedures.
DR. KIM: Yes. Yes.
DR. KIM: You can have chemical burns. You can have other injuries if not taken proper care.
DR. DARRIA: Yes, be cautious out there.
DR. KIM: Okay. Now moving on to sort of some daily issues and lifestyle. Adult acne. What can you do to prevent adult acne? So, somebody is worried about acne and wrinkles at the same time. What do you do?
DR. KIM: You know, here are the things that we see, practically speaking, is that acne is sexist. We see a different acne in men and then we see a different acne in women. Unfortunately, we are seeing more hormonal acne in women and that can be a tougher thing to really treat because sometimes it may take the management of using even birth control pills and try to get it under control. And there is actually a blood pressure medicine that I commonly use, it's called Spironolactone and it can help with the hormonal acne. Guys are different. Guys can just sometimes have a bad flare up and they can just take a round of the traditional acne antibiotics and that can be their reset point. They just have to take a round and it can reset them. So, that's the big difference that I’ll see. What are the lifestyle things that we will see in the summertime is especially in Atlanta, it can be hot and humid. So, yes. People ask, “Can sweating make my acne worse?” Well, yes, it can because sweating can be one of those things that just helps to clog up the pores and as you're clogging up pores you're allowing those bacteria that helps promote acne and other acne-like things called folliculitis--it can make those things worse. I see that happening even with teenagers because—it’s amazing—the same thing. Teenager boys and teenager girls, if they're playing sports, that's another example of how sweating and kind of a lifestyle thing can happen or can affect that. So, the best thing you can do is after you do something sweaty and things like that is to take a good shower.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: One little trick you can do--because it is sold just in the pharmacies--particularly guys and men and who are out in their gyms and they are sweating and that type of thing, if they get kind of the body acne, that's called folliculitis and they're having a flare up, there's something called Hibiclens. We actually use it for surgical preps but it is like an all anti-bacterial thing that you can use and it's a quick little fix to basically help try to clear a breakout, especially for having that body acne.
DR. DARRIA: Okay. Would you use it on your face, too, or just body?
DR. KIM: You can but I see it more effective not with a chronic acne but it's better for the acute flare upset that you get.
DR. DARRIA: Acute flare-ups. Okay. So, should you also wash your face before you work out? Would that help? Or, not worth the effort?
DR. KIM: No. Not really.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: Good question. But usually before, not so much but after, yes. Definitely after.
DR. DARRIA: Very helpful. Okay. When we're looking at products are there any chemicals in particular that we should avoid?
DR. KIM: There are not too many to avoid. I think one thing that sparks some interest and there's a lot written about it are the preservatives that are in skin products and one that is out there is called methylparaben which is basically a paraben and why paraben has got bad press is because it is a chemical that basically has a similar molecular formation to estrogen. So, the thought was that are we applying all this stuff on our skin that contains parabens and is contributing to breast cancer.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: The data out there has not been shown in humans. It has been somewhat shown that parabens can affect hormonally animals in the animal model but there's no proof on humans. But it's one of those things I do think it's a good thing to avoid in a product because there are choices now and products do contain paraben-free.
DR. DARRIA: Okay, what can you find with paraben? Just in our last 20 seconds--to avoid?
DR. KIM: What do you mean? Like what do you look for on the product?
DR. DARRIA: Yes.
DR. KIM: If you are reading the ingredient list, you don't want to see “methylparaben”.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: So, that's what you're looking to avoid if we're going to look to avoid something.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: And then one final tip you can do as you get older is that just avoid kind of soap products that can be further irritating to your skin.
DR. DARRIA: Further drying. Okay. So, lessons today: sun protection, sun protection. Everybody needs to be using a Retin-A, and you don't need to shower before you work out. You're listening to Sharecare Radio. This is Dr. Amy Kim founder of the Baby Pibu skincare line and a dermatologist at MetroDerm Atlanta. Find her @BabyPibuProduct on Twitter.
You're listening to Dr. Darria on Sharecare Radio. Thanks for listening and stay well.
RadioMD Presents: Sharecare Radio | Original Air Date: August 18, 2015
Host: Darria Long Gillespie, MD
Guest: Amy Kim, MD
Sharecare. Helping you get younger, get guidance, get better care, get smart, get fit. RadioMD presents Sharecare Radio with Darria Long Gillespie, MD.
DR. DARRIA: Hi, it's Dr. Darria and I am back with Dr. Amy Kim. We are going to be talking about more things for anti-aging, keeping your skin looking young and beautiful and what to look for in products. So, we left off talking about some of the in-office treatments that you can have when you go to your dermatologist. Amy, you were saying there are a couple of questions to ask?
DR. KIM: Right. I think when you see your dermatologist, and it's kind of cute, I will have a visit with a patient and they will say, “Oh, I've got a quick question,” and their quick question is like, “What can I do?” I'm so used to the question and I'll say, “Well, here's what it comes down to in terms of in-office procedures. One is how much time do you have, meaning what's the frequency that you can end up in a dermatologist's office? Then, number two, is the price point.” So I'm going to kind of give you two examples, kind of on the extreme ends that actually will give you results. The first one is like chemical peels. Even sticking with a superficial chemical peel, and those are the type of chemical peels that tend to make you look pretty red or they should try to make you look like you're red like a sunburn. They'll have you, basically, peel. You usually want to do those chemical peels when you're already using the topical prescription-graded Retin-A or tretinoin. But the superficial chemical peels, you can plan on doing those quarterly, at least. If you are one of those people who just wants to make sure that you are doing the best thing for your skin and doing something pro-active, do a superficial chemical peel quarterly. Those can range from a price point of like $100-$200. The other thing is, be cautious on who's giving you the chemical peels.
DR. DARRIA: Yes. Definitely.
DR. KIM: I mean, in our office the doctors do it at MetroDerm and the reason why is there can be risks. So, the one that we like using, and it can be used on any skin type from a white skin type to a darker skin type, there's one that's called a Jessner's Peel. What's nice about that is, that peel has several ingredients in there and it does not have to be neutralized. What dermatologists see are issues with superficial chemical peels, but particularly the ones like glycolic. It may sound easy to use--glycolic chemical peels--but those actually have to be timed and neutralized with water. So, if somebody is not doing it appropriately, or, let's say, if it's not a doctor's who is doing it, you can have a chemical burn from that type of chemical peel.
DR. DARRIA: Wow.
DR. KIM: So, you have to be careful and just as long as somebody thinking about what they are using on your skin. There’s always a benefit reward/risk reward. So, it's one of those things where when you're doing it, you need to ask, “What are the risks?”
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: So, the second thing you can do in the office that's on the other end of the spectrum is resurfacing lasers. The technology with lasers has really changed and two that I particularly like are ones that are called Fraxel and Fractional CO2 Lasers. Those don't have to be done as often. The way those lasers work is basically those lasers shoot out a laser beam and they target your collagen. So, kind of a simple cool concept with the lasers is that it targets the collagen, actually kind of damages the collagen and as your collagen is repairing, it produces a tighter collagen and, therefore, results in the fine lines and wrinkles looking better. So, initially, because now these lasers can have a price point anywhere from $1000-2000 a pop.
DR. DARRIA: Wow.
DR. KIM: So, initially what I tell patients is that you probably need two of those. You do one round. It usually takes about a couple of months to really see how the tightening of the collagen helps the fine lines, so you wouldn't do your second one until about two or three months after.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: And then, it's one of those things you can maintain annually. So, I kind of joke with patients and say, “This is probably what the celebrities and stars are doing regularly to maintain things.” But that's something you can then decide for yourself as maybe doing these regular more frequent chemical peels throughout the year and then once you get to a point, you can just maintain an annual resurfacing laser.
DR. DARRIA: Is there a certain age when somebody should consider using peels and then lasers?
DR. KIM: That's a great question. You can start the peels starting in your twenties. Most people really don't need to start spending the money on the resurfacing lasers until you are in your mid-thirties or so. Again, you can get results but is also being somewhat proactive. Just like if you're using a topical Retin-A, it's being proactive to just tighten up the collagen that you have.
DR. DARRIA: Okay. Fantastic. Really helpful. Go talk to your dermatologist. Yes. I agree. It's really important to go to somebody who knows what they are doing because these are medical procedures.
DR. KIM: Yes. Yes.
DR. KIM: You can have chemical burns. You can have other injuries if not taken proper care.
DR. DARRIA: Yes, be cautious out there.
DR. KIM: Okay. Now moving on to sort of some daily issues and lifestyle. Adult acne. What can you do to prevent adult acne? So, somebody is worried about acne and wrinkles at the same time. What do you do?
DR. KIM: You know, here are the things that we see, practically speaking, is that acne is sexist. We see a different acne in men and then we see a different acne in women. Unfortunately, we are seeing more hormonal acne in women and that can be a tougher thing to really treat because sometimes it may take the management of using even birth control pills and try to get it under control. And there is actually a blood pressure medicine that I commonly use, it's called Spironolactone and it can help with the hormonal acne. Guys are different. Guys can just sometimes have a bad flare up and they can just take a round of the traditional acne antibiotics and that can be their reset point. They just have to take a round and it can reset them. So, that's the big difference that I’ll see. What are the lifestyle things that we will see in the summertime is especially in Atlanta, it can be hot and humid. So, yes. People ask, “Can sweating make my acne worse?” Well, yes, it can because sweating can be one of those things that just helps to clog up the pores and as you're clogging up pores you're allowing those bacteria that helps promote acne and other acne-like things called folliculitis--it can make those things worse. I see that happening even with teenagers because—it’s amazing—the same thing. Teenager boys and teenager girls, if they're playing sports, that's another example of how sweating and kind of a lifestyle thing can happen or can affect that. So, the best thing you can do is after you do something sweaty and things like that is to take a good shower.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: One little trick you can do--because it is sold just in the pharmacies--particularly guys and men and who are out in their gyms and they are sweating and that type of thing, if they get kind of the body acne, that's called folliculitis and they're having a flare up, there's something called Hibiclens. We actually use it for surgical preps but it is like an all anti-bacterial thing that you can use and it's a quick little fix to basically help try to clear a breakout, especially for having that body acne.
DR. DARRIA: Okay. Would you use it on your face, too, or just body?
DR. KIM: You can but I see it more effective not with a chronic acne but it's better for the acute flare upset that you get.
DR. DARRIA: Acute flare-ups. Okay. So, should you also wash your face before you work out? Would that help? Or, not worth the effort?
DR. KIM: No. Not really.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: Good question. But usually before, not so much but after, yes. Definitely after.
DR. DARRIA: Very helpful. Okay. When we're looking at products are there any chemicals in particular that we should avoid?
DR. KIM: There are not too many to avoid. I think one thing that sparks some interest and there's a lot written about it are the preservatives that are in skin products and one that is out there is called methylparaben which is basically a paraben and why paraben has got bad press is because it is a chemical that basically has a similar molecular formation to estrogen. So, the thought was that are we applying all this stuff on our skin that contains parabens and is contributing to breast cancer.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: The data out there has not been shown in humans. It has been somewhat shown that parabens can affect hormonally animals in the animal model but there's no proof on humans. But it's one of those things I do think it's a good thing to avoid in a product because there are choices now and products do contain paraben-free.
DR. DARRIA: Okay, what can you find with paraben? Just in our last 20 seconds--to avoid?
DR. KIM: What do you mean? Like what do you look for on the product?
DR. DARRIA: Yes.
DR. KIM: If you are reading the ingredient list, you don't want to see “methylparaben”.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: So, that's what you're looking to avoid if we're going to look to avoid something.
DR. DARRIA: Okay.
DR. KIM: And then one final tip you can do as you get older is that just avoid kind of soap products that can be further irritating to your skin.
DR. DARRIA: Further drying. Okay. So, lessons today: sun protection, sun protection. Everybody needs to be using a Retin-A, and you don't need to shower before you work out. You're listening to Sharecare Radio. This is Dr. Amy Kim founder of the Baby Pibu skincare line and a dermatologist at MetroDerm Atlanta. Find her @BabyPibuProduct on Twitter.
You're listening to Dr. Darria on Sharecare Radio. Thanks for listening and stay well.
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