Marisa Salcines:  Why is skin care so important, Dr. Torres, especially for Latinas?

Dr. Torres:  Skin care is important for everyone, but Latinas do have special problems with their skin, such as dry skin, because of the fact that Hispanics are a mix of races covering the full spectrum from fair to dark.

Even when you see a Latina with perfect looking skin – you’ll find Latinas in the top 10 of any beauty pageant, for example – it’s not something that happens overnight.

It’s achieved by taking care of your skin since childhood.  Number one is wearing sunscreen or sunblock whenever you are outdoors.  After that, there are many other things you can do to promote healthy looking skin – such as not smoking; exercising and engaging in other physical activity; maintaining a healthy diet; and taking the time to pamper your skin. 

Marisa Salcines:  Besides using sunscreen, what is the best way to pamper our skin?

Dr. Torres:  After applying sunscreen every morning, you also have to moisturize the skin with a good antioxidant product. For example, you’ve probably heard of one called Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream. In my work with Olay, I see them developing new versions of their products based on extensive scientific research, and adding essential oils, vitamins and especially peptides.

Free radicals are the biggest enemy of our skin.  These molecules damage the skin where it synthesizes, and this causes blemishes, wrinkles and even skin cancer.  Smokers have a higher incidence of free radicals so this is why smoking does so much harm to their skin.

Marisa Salcines:  So what effect do antioxidants have on free radicals?

Dr. Torres: Antioxidant moisturizers protect your skin from free radicals by acting as scavengers against them.  They also provide an armor of protection so that your skin is not affected as much by them.

Another theory that scientists have put forth is that of tired skin.  Skin cells are continually reproducing themselves over and over and at the same time they are exposed to what we call the daily “insults” of life: sun exposure, cigarettes, pollution and other environmental factors, etc.  As we grow older, the skin grows more tired and this is reflected in its appearance and the multiplying wrinkles and blemishes.

So another benefit of these moisturizers is that taking away free radicals gives your skin the ability to revitalize and reenergize – and when it does it can return to the radiant glow and more youthful appearance it  once had.

The duo of antioxidants and  peptides especially revitalizes the skin. Peptides are like messengers developed to cross the barriers of the skin and penetrate into the cells to wake them up and reenergize the skin.

Marisa Salcines:  Do you think there is more emphasis on skin care now than, say, 30 years ago?

Dr. Torres:  Yes, besides wearing tons more makeup, there wasn’t as much concern about skin care back then.  Now we have all kinds of products to take care of the skin.  Not just moisturizers but products to help exfoliate the skin too.   

Marisa Salcines:  How beneficial is exfoliating to the skin?

Very.  There are two different ways you can exfoliate.  Physical exfoliation of the face and neck scrubs the superficial part of the skin away – in other words, the dead cells.  The other type of exfoliation is chemical, using glycolic acid or another type of acid to peel the dead layer of skin away.

Once this dead layer is removed, light reflects differently on the skin and that makes it look more radiant.  Also, you will see better results when you use hydrating topical products after exfoliating; they will absorb better because they don’t have to go through that additional layer of dead skin.

Marisa Salcines:  Since you mentioned it, how important is it to protect and exfoliate the neck? 

Dr. Torres:   It’s easy to forget about the neck but it’s very important to take care of, especially for women that wear a lot of V-neck blouses. Exposure to the sun is why it is so common to see wrinkles and discoloration around the neck area.  That’s why it’s so important to care for areas like the neck with products like Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, which helps visibly improve the appearance of skin across the face as well as helps visibly improve the appearance of skin across the face as well as firm the look of the skin around the neck and décolletage.

Marisa Salcines:  Is there a difference between winter and summer skin care?

Dr. Torres:  Serums like Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum are better for summer because they are lighter and less greasy.   They moisturize the skin and protect it from free radicals but are more comfortable to apply when it’s 90 degrees and humid.

In winter, you want thicker creams like Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream to protect against the harsher weather, the wind and the cold. Even in winter, concentrate on your face but don’t forget your neck if you don’t want it to show later.

Moisturizer creams and thicker antioxidant products are preferred for the hands as well – another part that is more exposed even during winter and prone to wrinkles and age spots without proper protection.