Skin Republic

Dear Dr. Jen,

I am 66 years old.  I have very few noticeable wrinkles but I have plenty of brown spots.  What cream can best get rid of them?

Christine

Dear Christine,

Brown spots can catch us by surprise right around in your 50s or 60s.  It is at this age that cumulative sun damage appears, from the time we were children up to the present that we had been exposed.  Living in a city so close to the beach also means we’ve had more sun exposure experienced compared to the average city-dwelling Filipino.

Tretinoin-based products can help lighten the superficial brown spots and prevent wrinkles.  It would be good to use it in conjunction with other lightening ingredients such as licorice, hydroquinone, vitamin C, glycolic acid, or mandelic acid, etc. 

Some also have very stubborn brown spots stemming from the deeper layers of the skin, the dermis.  These are only removed by doing chemical peels and laser. Your PDS dermatologist will determine which peel to use, as well as the concentration.  As for the laser, ask if the machine being used is FDA-approved  and if the physician operating it is certified.

 At this point it is almost imperative to use daily sunscreen to prevent new ones and an over night cream to get rid of existing ones. Give it a few months and you will see the difference!  For faster results, go for peels and/or laser.

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Dear Dr. Jen,

How does vitamin E help my skin?  It is found in some moisturizers and I don’t know how it works.

Janice

Dear Janice,

Vitamin E is a good antioxidant and combats free radicals formed by sun damage, smoking, pollution, etc.  Application of vitamin E speeds up repair.  It is found in many cream vehicles but to be on the safe side just look for labels with “hypoallergenic” on it to ensure that you don’t get any unwanted reactions.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin so if you want to take it in capsule form, be sure to do so in moderation.  Excess (fat-soluble) vitamins like vitamin E are stored and not passed out in the urine. So you don’t want to take too much and get hypervitaminosis.  You can also take vitamin E-rich foods like almonds, nuts, peanuts, corn oil, sunflower oil, apples, asparagus and tomatoes.