How It Works: Neurotoxins are used on various areas on the face and neck, to give our skin a refreshed and youthful look. The muscles of facial expression or softened, which is turn allows etched lines and wrinkles to fade away, giving us a more youthful, relaxed appearance. The skin to be treated is cleansed and then a tiny needle …
Putting on Your Products
You are armed with a premium set of skin care bottles, ready to win beautiful skin. But which goes on first? Is it OK if they mix? Some simple rules of thumb: Serum First If you are using any type of serum (often antioxidants are delivered this way), this is the first thing to apply to your newly washed face. …
Applying Retinoids
At West Oak Dermatology, Dr. Gant often prescribes prescription topical retinoids to treat the signs of skin aging. Topical retinoids help skin cells turn over to expose new, fresh skin cells and revitalize the looks and feel of the skin. The results are real, but you have to be diligent about how you start and continue their use, for optimal …
Kissing Frogs Not Required: Warts
Warts are a common problem for both children and adults. We see them more commonly in children, but any age can be affected. Common warts are causes by a type of HPV (Human Papillomavirus), which does not carry a risk of cancer. The virus is contagious and you are more likely to catch it when you have damaged skin. Examples …
I Got Sunburned! Now What?
Your forgot to reapply after that first dip in the ocean. Three hours later you head inside and realize the heat is coming in with you, in the form of a sunburn! The horror! What now? Pain Control: The first word? Ouch! Your skin is swollen, warm and uncomfortable. Ice packs, cool aloe gel, aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil) can help …
4 Keys to Clear Teenage Acne
Acne is a problem that plaques the majority of teenagers at one point or another. The distress and frustration of the patient and parent are palpable when I walk into the exam room. There are a few main points that I like to make sure teenagers and parents understand when we are embarking on a treatment plan. 1. Make a …
ABOUT text
Hi I’m Kate. I am a Board Certified Dermatologist currently practicing in beautiful Northern California . I have been in love with all things skin and dermatology for a long time, and feel lucky I get to help other people with their skin every day. There are lots of fun facts and tips that I wanted to be able to …
Nuts for Coconut (Oil)
Coconut oil is the popular kid on the block now. What started out as an exotic substance (oooo, are we in Hawaii??) is now plentiful. You can find it at Target; in the grocery, pharmacy and beauty sections. Talk about shooting to fame! Let’s briefly extol the virtues of this tropical treat. Coconut oil naturally contains Vitamin E, an antioxidant …
Sunscreen FYI
Depending on your age, you may have grown up with sunscreen (always on since I can remember!) suntan lotion (SPF 2, deep tan but don’t burn!) or oil/iodine (where is my tin foil reflector?). I fall into the SPF 2 category. Growing up, my family gradually got onto the idea of SPF, but the number was always a single digit …
Everybody’s Doing It!
The great thing about living in 2016 is that we have so many amazing beauty products, procedures, treatments and tinctures. We can make our eyelashes sweep, our skin glow, our cheekbones perk back up to their original location. This all can be done without major surgical procedures that would require hiding out for days to recover. A busy mom pops …
5 Skin Truths
There is nothing I like less than a wishy-washy answer to a question “well… it depends…” But in medicine and aesthetics there are a lot of those, as not every treatment is appropriate for every patient; it DOES depend. That is why you seek out the advice and care of someone who understands the variables and will help you find …
No Excuses Skin Care
It doesn’t really matter what the skin “issue” is, so often we struggle with sticking to the routine. I hear things like “I put it on some nights?” or ” I’ve been traveling so I’m off my regular schedule” or “I keep forgetting” etc etc etc. Hey, I’ve been there! I am that person too! I’m tired, I’m busy and …
Microneedling Q&A
We are seeing a surge in press and products relating to skin ‘microneedling’. This is a term that is used somewhat broadly and encompasses several treatments that use short, sharp needles on a pen or roller device to treat the skin. Derma rollers have been around the longest, and often these are what “at-home” needling devices are. In general the …
Vitamin D Dilemma
There is a lot of information and misinformation circulating about Vitamin D. Can you be deficient because you wear sunscreen? Do you need to take a supplement? I will summarize some general info that can help you navigate the Vitamin D dilemma. Our bodies need Vitamin D to maintain calcium absorption for strong bones. It’s also crucial for message delivery …
Skin Hacks
Life hacks are all the rage (I can get lost in one of those lists so easily), so I thought I’d try to add some simple skin care hacks. Not sure these are earth shattering (or fascinating), but here it goes. Athletes foot? Dry, itchy or red skin on your feet or in between your toes? Try dilute vinegar soaks. …
Putting on your Products
You are armed with a premium set of skin care bottles, ready to win beautiful skin. But which goes on first? Is it OK if they mix? Some simple rules of thumb: Serum First. If you are using any type of serum (often antioxidants are delivered this way), this is the first thing to apply to your newly washed face. …
Tools of the Acne-popping Trade
In the office I sometimes pull out a comedone extractor to remove stubborn comedones on my patients. They eye the tool and ask “where can I get that?” I am not afraid to share my sources, but I do have a few words of caution when taking a tool to your face… It works best on open comedones (black heads). …
Prescription Moisturizer?
Does such a thing exist? Actually, yes, in several forms. I would like to take this time of year to focus on one of my skin-saver ‘scripts. Winter is dry, scaly skin time. Everyone loves the hot cocoa and fires and the chunky sweaters but no one is singing about the gross scaliness happening on our feet and hands. Enter …
Lip SPF
You hear so much about how to protect your skin from the sun, but what about your lips? Dutifully slathering on the sun block can still miss one very vunerable part of your body. And here is the scare message, skin cancer occurs on the lips quite frequently, particularly because it’s a spot that often goes without protection. So, …
New Mineral Sunblock Spritz
The quest for easy, good quality sunblock for the family continues. I have been watching the Babyganics brand for awhile, but finally bought in when I saw their Cover Up Baby Moisturizing Suncreen Spray SPF 50. Zinc oxide along with two chemical blockers make up the active sun-protecting components. This is a pump spray so each spritz puts out a …
CeraVe Tries Eyes
I’ve made no secret of my love for the CeraVe brand when it comes to moisture. They blazed a trail for incorporating the most potent hydrating ingredients into daily use lotions. At the start of the new year they debuted their Eye Repair Cream. I stumbled upon it in the drugstore and couldn’t get it to the register fast enough. …
Spray-on Soft Skin?
We all know about a spray-tan is but how about a spray-moisturizer? I guess this isn’t the first go-around for spray-on moisturizing lotions, but it’s the first in a long time so I have to comment. Our skin needs moisture. It’s crying out for it, actually. Big beauty companies are always trying to find new ways to dress up moisturizer. …
New Year, New Blush
Welcome to 2014! I don’t know about you, but even though it’s a new year and fresh start, I sometimes can use a little help with looking fresh (read: awake). Typically I enlist a blush to bring me to life…pretty sure I’m not the only one. While I do love (and will always love) Benefit’s Benetint for that natural rosy-cheek …
Intensive Repair to the Rescue
I don’t know about you, but the dry, cold air hit us BAM quick this year. My skin is still in a panic, gasping out cries for moisture! please! Diligent hand washing and overuse of hand sanitizers are making my hands suffer the most. I’m quite sure you know what I’m talking about. It isn’t pretty and it sure doesn’t feel …
Vasanti’s Brighten Up!
Exfoliation is an important part of your beauty routine, if your skin isn’t too sensitive to tolerate it. You remove dead skin cells to allow your freshest face to show. I found this scrub in my monthly Birchbox this spring. I haven’t tried zillions of scrubs, but I have had a few. This one blew me away. The micro-particles in this “enzymatic …
Moisturizing Sunscreen by EltaMD
I can only go so long without reviewing another sunscreen. They are the cornerstone of my professional life, not to mention a mainstay of my daily life. Why wouldn’t I want to try everything out there? EltaMD is a brand most commonly dispensed by physician’s offices. It prides itself on a variety of unique formulations based on skin type and …
Stila’s BB a Bust?
I’m venturing back into a world where I might not belong…that thin line between skincare and makeup. I can’t help it. The built-in excuse to buy more products because “I should do a review of it” is just too tempting. For the past three days I have been doing a trial run of Stila’s Stay All Day Beauty Balm with …
