Skin Care

10 Habits That Piss off Your Dermatologist

Here, the mistakes that make your derm bristle -- and are wrecking your complexion

by Emily Woodruff | 1 COMMENT

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You're Sacrificing Your Skin for Vitamin D You don't have to specifically go out in the sun without sunscreen to get vitamin D, says New York dermatologist and skin cancer specialist Dendy Engelman, M.D. "You can get all the required levels of vitamin D through oral supplementation and incidental sunlight," she says. She's talking about the parts of your body that aren't generally slathered in sunscreen when you're out walking the dog, such as your hands or scalp.

Besides, if you really want to get your D the old-fashioned way, there are healthier ways to do it than risking skin cancer and wrinkles. Think salmon, tuna, eggs, and fortified milk and cereal.

The vitamin D theory as an excuse for going sunscreen-free especially ticks your derm off when you're doing it at a tanning salon, which gives fake-bakers a strong dose of UVA rays. Engelman says that these rays are much more damaging and dangerous than natural sunlight's UVB rays. "UVA rays penetrate deeply, degrade collagen and cause cancer," says Engelman.

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