The New Year is here. You are back to the gym and counting calories. You’re focused on being fit and trim and slimming your waistline, but what about your face? More specifically, what’s to be done with your facial skin?

If you’re over thirty, although you may not yet notice, skin decline has already begun. Frown lines are sneaking up, skin is becoming drier and freckles too plentiful. Over forty? The mirror is revealing some disheartening truths. Smooth, soft, wrinkle-free skin has been usurped. Mottled, rough, dry skin with wrinkles and folds has mutinied, and you wonder, whose face is that? The image is foreign to what we remember, and we reject it upon each glance.

What’s happened here? Is it possible to repair this picture and regain the face we’ve always known? The answer is an unequivocal yes, but the background of this picture—your skin—must be clear and smooth. The eyes and lips should be the focal point. The skin should not be a distraction.

Flawless skin is the most coveted of all beauty attributes. Beautiful skin is the most prized feature in every culture. Why? Because beautiful skin trumpets health. In our thirties, while moving past its prime, our skin’s beauty naturally begins to fade. Fortunately, we now have the means to trick nature by slowing this process and reversing the damage time has wrought.

95% of skin aging is caused by photodamage—sun damage. If we were to do but one favor for our skin, it would be to protect it from the sun. The next would be daily use of an antioxidant such as Coffeeberry which, in Lancaster County, is exclusive to the Randali Centre. These two steps will go a long way in keeping our skin healthy, but for those of us beyond prevention, it may be time to pull out the big guns.

Resurfacing the skin with a laser is an excellent way to begin the journey towards skin wellness. With the laser, the thick accumulation of dead and damaged skin cells can be removed, wrinkles and lines can be “sanded” down, and a soft, smooth surface revealed—maybe for the first time in years! At the Randali Centre, we use a fractional laser for skin resurfacing thus limiting your downtime and increasing your safety.

After the laser has done the heavy work, daily skin care with medical-grade products, which include Retinoic Acid, is a necessity. In the process of natural aging, the cells of our skin slow in their activity. Much like my youngest son, they begin slacking off. Acting as a drill sergeant, Retinoic Acid (Retin A) whips these lazy cells back in shape! With increased cellular activity, regeneration and repair can take place, and the skin can maintain maximum health. Proper instruction on the use of Retin A is paramount to success and at the Randali Centre, this is provided on an individual basis. Skin is our specialty and its health should be your goal.

So, this New Year, while you’re working on getting your body in shape, remember-the head bone is connected to the body bones. Don’t ignore your face. Your skin will thank you.

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2011 issue of Lancaster County Woman