Dr. Catherine Oliveres-Ghouti, dermatologist, was the guest of our program Les Jeudis de la Formation and advised us on the right things to do to take care of your skin and choose the right products. We tell you everything.
Jean-François Lemoine: Do we really need to “nourish the skin”?
Dr Catherine Oliveres-Ghouti : The skin is protected by a hydrolipidic film made of both sebum which comes from the sebaceous glands and water. This protective film of the epidermis against external aggressions needs lipids to fulfill its role. This skin is then provided with supplements such as creams, made from oil and water, adapted to its needs: light cream or more unctuous. But “nourishing the skin” does not just mean putting creams on. In winter, the skin is much drier and it is therefore essential to moisturize the skin either with creams or with foods such as omega 3 which can be found for example in oily fish, omega 6 vitamins E.
JFL: Is “Nourishing the skin” only reserved for women?
COG : The men are more and more applicants because today the man devotes a particular interest to his physical appearance. Its image must remain dynamic, healthy. When mature men want to stay competitive in their profession, they don’t want to “look tired”.
JFL: Can men opt for an evening cream?
COG : Men ask us for treatments to combat skin aging either through botox injections for forehead wrinkles, or through creams adapted to their skin. We recommend an anti-wrinkle night cream because it is at night that the skin regenerates. And in the morning, we recommend a moisturizer for dry, oily or combination skin instead.
JFL: So you advise men of all ages to put on a night cream?
COG : Yes of course. It is essential to moisturize your skin at any age. And there is no age to feel good about yourself!
JFL: How do you take care of children’s skin in winter?
COG : It is advisable to cover children’s extremities to protect them from the cold. The skin of children, before puberty, is thin and very dry because it contains less skin fat and the hydrolipidic film is still incomplete, since the sebaceous glands are practically inactive before puberty. It is therefore essential to protect their skin and provide them with special care with creams.
JFL: What creams do you recommend?
COG : Creams where it is indicated “special child or baby”.
JFL: What do you call nourishing cream?
COG : The nourishing cream is a smoother cream where the fatty phase is more important. It will also contain active ingredients against wrinkles or against dryness. It provides the elements, and particularly fat, necessary for the structure and protection of the skin. There are creams with ceramides, hyaluronic acid which are moisturizing or even creams with vitamin C and antioxidants.
JFL: Does the skin also hydrate from the inside?
COG : Indeed, we realize that people with dry skin do not drink enough, barely a liter of water. The feeling of thirst tends to decrease with age. It is therefore even more important to drink regularly if you are an elderly person. I sensitize them a lot to drink all the time.
JFL: Is this dehydration due to sweating under our layers of clothing?
COG : Not at all. It is especially that our apartments are more heated, that our houses are heated by the ground, that the air is drier. The ideal is to sleep in a cooler room because at night the body temperature drops. It is not good to sweat under the duvet.
It is recommended in living rooms to have a temperature of 20 degrees. For the more cautious, we advise them to wear a sweater than to wear a T-shirt and to have 25 degrees inside. In the bedroom, the temperature should not exceed 17 or even 18 degrees and have a good duvet.
JFL: So we need to humidify the air in our houses and apartments as much as possible?
COG : Yes quite.
JFL: Are cleansing milks gadgets?
COG : Cleansing milk is not at all a gimmick. It is perfect for cleansing your skin. But women today use micellar milks or micellar lotions. Micelles are small lamellae that have the power to eliminate impurities without attacking the skin.
In summer, we will rather use a lighter care cream and in winter we will opt for a more nourishing cream to avoid drying out.
JFL: In the shower, should we favor soap rather than shower gel?
COG : The soap is rather dedicated to people who have thick skin and who support it. Soap is alkaline, the pH of the skin is rather acidic, so we have a soap effect that dries out the skin. We will advise people who can tolerate it a good soap, for example a real Marseille soap with olive oil. Beware of Marseille soaps made in China with fats of rendering! But otherwise, just use syndets which are so-called soap-free shower gels that do not dry out the skin because their pH is that of the pH of the skin.
JFL: In supermarkets, you can see dozens of different shower gels, what are the selection criteria?
COG : I would advise to take a shower gel where it is indicated without soap, preferably not too perfumed because all these perfumes are synthetic and often allergenic, and to take brands that are known for their non-toxic products.
JFL: It appears that one should not take a hot bath in winter. It may seem paradoxical?
COG : The fact of taking a bath causes the skin to be super hydrated and wrinkled without forgetting that it is completely dry. Better to take a lukewarm shower. It is especially important to avoid that there is too great a difference in temperature between the water in your bath or your shower and that of your room.
JFL: You confirm that it is better to take a bath in winter than in summer?
COG : This is heresy. When it’s 40 degrees in summer, you rarely want to take a hot bath!
JFL: Are dermatologists prohibited from using the hammam or sauna?
COG : No, but it is important to respect their precautions.
JFL: Do you think it is essential to exfoliate the skin regularly?
COG : Exfoliation eliminates dead cells on the surface and therefore purifies the skin, but it should not be abused. Once a week is enough. Excessive exfoliation can lead to lesions. We noticed that vitiligo, which is a depigmentation of the skin and which we see a lot in the Maghreb countries, is accentuated in the areas where the hammam glove passes, for example in the armpits, the folds of the the skin. For those who use hammam gloves, it is better to use them in moderation because they can be harsh on the skin.
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