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Healthy Skin Every Day

Summary & Participants

"I never use an exfoliant in the morning", "I always use a heavy moisturizer before going to bed". We each have our own long-held beliefs about our skin care products and their virtues. But are these daily routines really good for your skin? Join our panel of experts as they discuss the ins and outs of healthy, daily skin care.

Medically Reviewed On: May 07, 2008

Webcast Transcript

MARTY MOSS-COANE: I'm Marty Moss-Coane. Welcome to our webcast. Take a look at the skin on your body. It's your largest and most familiar organ, and yet I bet you don't do enough to maintain your skin's health. Americans spend millions on body products every day, but are they buying the right ones. How much do you really know about what your skin needs, what type of skin you have, what kind of soaps and lotions are the best for your skin? What about those products that promise younger-looking, wrinkle-free skin. Are they for real?

We'll address the basics of skin care with your guests. Let me introduce them to you. Dr. David Leffell is a Professor of Dermatology and Surgery at Yale School of Medicine, author of "Total Skin" published by Hyperion. Dr. Leffell, welcome.

DAVID J. LEFFELL, MD: Thank you. Good to be here.

MARTY MOSS-COANE: Nice to have you here. Dr. Arielle Kauvar is a dermatologist, Professor of Dermatology at NYU Medical Center, and Vice President of the Dermatology Society of Greater New York. Dr. Kauvar, welcome to you as well.

ARIELLE KAUVAR, MD: Thank you.

MARTY MOSS-COANE: Dr. Leffell, I would like to begin with actually a very basic question, something that people do every single day. How often should we bathe, shower, wash our face?

DAVID J. LEFFELL, MD: Great question. I think that people have to have a very simple routine to follow. You should wash your face once-a-day. You should shower or bathe once a day. When you shower or bathe, don't take a long, hot bath or shower because you'll simply end up drying out your skin.

MARTY MOSS-COANE: What about the kind of soaps that we use? You can go to the supermarket or drug store and you see rows and rows of soap. It's hard to know what's the right kind of soap to buy. Do you want to take that Dr. Kauvar?

ARIELLE KAUVAR, MD: Probably soapless soap, lotions and body cleansers are better for your skin because most soaps actually strip the moisture out of your skin.

MARTY MOSS-COANE: What is soapless soap? Or what's in soapless soap?

ARIELLE KAUVAR, MD: Well, they have a combination of water and oils. So actually, they remove the dirt and debris and actually replenish the moisture at the same time without drying the skin out.

MARTY MOSS-COANE: But if you look at a product that you're buying that's a soapless soap, is it something that will give it away?

DAVID J. LEFFELL, MD: Yes. It will specifically say "soap free cleanser," "soapless cleanser." They have a variety of compounds that fit into the general category that you heard. Cetyl Alcohol is one of them. The important thing is to avoid traditional soap because as Dr. Kauvar said, it literally strips off a very fine layer of natural oils on the skin.

MARTY MOSS-COANE: You said to really wash your face once-a-day. But you come in, it's been hot, you're sweaty, you look dirty. Are you saying at nighttime don't even wash your face then?

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