.jpg)
Steel Roses Podcast
Steel Roses is a podcast created for women by women. Social pressures for women are constant. Professionals, stay at home moms, working moms, we are here to tell you that you are not alone! This podcasts primary focus is providing real honest content shedding light on the daily struggles of women while also elevating women's voices.
All women are experiencing similar pressures and hurdles, and yet, no one is talking out in the open. If these topics continue to only exist as whispered conversations then we further permeate a culture of judgement and shame.
Join Jenny weekly as she discusses topics that effect women in a relatable, honest way.
Steel Roses Podcast
Dr. Mina and Radiant Skin Simplified: Expert Tips on Aging Gracefully and Healthy Living
Unlock the secrets to radiant skin as we chat with the illustrious Dr. Mina, a Harvard-trained dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon. Dr. Mina offers invaluable advice on cutting through the noise of online skincare misinformation and embracing a minimalist approach. Discover why consistency is key to skin health and how simplistic, effective products can make a world of difference, even for those with a hectic lifestyle.
We also tackle the critical topic of aging gracefully. Dr. Mina shares expert tips on instilling lifelong sun protection habits in kids, and transforming sunscreen from a chore into a fun routine. Alongside this, we dismantle societal pressures around aging, advocating for a perspective that views middle age and menopause as opportunities for renewal and self-acceptance. By reframing how we see aging, we not only enhance our well-being but also set a powerful example for the younger generation.
Lastly, we explore the intricate links between diet, stress, and skin health. Learn about the adverse effects of processed foods and sugars. Jenny shares her personal transformation story, shedding light on the benefits of mindful eating and stress management. Our conversation also covers practical skincare tips for those experiencing hormonal changes, ensuring you have the tools to maintain healthy, glowing skin at every stage of life.
The Skin Real
The Skin Real Podcast
Interested in podcasting? Check out Podcasting Unboxed: Your Comprehensive Start Up Guide
Love this content? Check out our links below for more!
Linktr.ee Content
Instagram
Jenny's LinkedIn
Good morning everybody. This is Steel vs Podcast. This podcast was created for women, by women, to elevate women's voices. Today we have with us Dr Meena. Dr Meena is actually a Harvard-trained double-board-certified dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon with over 15 years of clinical and surgical expertise, treating patients of all ages with their skin needs. She has over 15 years of clinical experience and she's a nationally recognized for her simple, effective and proactive approach to skin and aging, helping patients maintain their skin health while boosting their self-confidence. Dr Mina also hosts her own podcast, the Skin Real. This podcast is for people looking for real skincare guidance by true skincare experts, where she emphasizes a holistic and preventative approach to skin health and aesthetics. Dr Mina, welcome to the podcast.
Dr. Mina:Thank you so much, jenny. I love your podcast and I'm so excited to get to be on it.
Jenny Benitez:Well, I'm thrilled to have you on here because, to be perfectly honest with you, I have this discussion quite a bit in my personal like on the side life. There's so much information out there. So one I'm thrilled that you have your own podcast so that you can actually put legitimate factual information out there, Because what I see online I personally know things have to be fact checked and you need to check in and make sure things are legitimate that people are promoting. But a lot of the everyday women that are on social media don't know that this information may not be legitimate and it could actually be harmful for you that you're seeing online. So, thank you so much for doing what you're doing, and I think that that's part of why you started your podcast as well, correct?
Dr. Mina:Oh yeah, sorry, Jenny, I'm going to just bring this down. I just feel like I have a lot more headspace than you do. Oh yeah, absolutely. That is 100% why I started my podcast, because I realized there's so much misinformation out there and, at least for physicians back in the day, it was really discouraged for us to be on social media and be putting ourselves out there. And so then what happened is you have people who don't have expertise or real expertise in skin health and skincare and they're really just trying to sell you something or they just enjoy using products and they're putting themselves out there as the experts. So that's why I realized I need to have my voice out there.
Dr. Mina:This is where people get their information nowadays, and it's not just you, jenny, and your listeners who are confused by the misinformation. It fools me sometimes, or I have to stop myself and say, well, wait a minute, where's the data on this? Show me the studies, because it's so confusing. And the world today I mean getting information is not the problem. Right and for good and bad, anyone can have a megaphone and promote what they want to promote. So it really is up to us as the consumers, as the public, to really do our due diligence to make sure the information we're getting is accurate and safe and effective.
Jenny Benitez:So that's a perfect segue, basically, to some of the questions that I have. So, personally, I keep a very simple routine, but I will say, occasionally I get sucked in to stuff that I see and I'll be on Pinterest or what have you, and I'll say to myself like oh, maybe I should buy a Gua Sha and be doing these things on my face, like I don't really do any of these things. So is there um, I know you focus on like holistic and minimal minimalism and that's sort of where I lean towards. Just because of time, like I don't have an hour to be doing these elaborate skincare routines Are they even really needed?
Dr. Mina:Absolutely not. I don't do them either. So yeah, I mean again, I can see sort of the like well, wait a minute, that looks kind of cool, I don't have time for it either. So I would say that this is the number one issue I see with people is that they're not consistent with their skincare. They bounce around, they try different things and it's hard not to, because your feed will say, oh, use this cream. Oh well, maybe I need an eye cream. Oh, maybe I need a neck cream. She looks gorgeous, Let me use what she's promoting, right. So it's super hard not to do that. So you're not alone.
Dr. Mina:But I have a very simplistic skincare routine and I invest in in-office procedures very selectively. So I am not spending a ton of money, I am not always spinning my wheels doing skincare and aesthetic stuff and I'm pretty happy with how my skin looks. So I think it's working and I'm just going to stick with it. But that's what's so hard is that people just don't stick with things and we've got that shiny object syndrome. But yeah, I have a very simple skincare routine. A lot of times people think I'm lying about it. I'm like it's not. But I do invest selectively in in office procedures that I know work. So I'm not like a totally anti. You know aesthetics, cosmetics, but I'm also not doing everything all the time. I'm just selective in what I choose. I'm also selective in the products that I use on my skin and I'm only going to use stuff that I know works. That's simple, that fits into my busy life as a mom, a dermatologist, a wife, an entrepreneur.
Jenny Benitez:Fits into my busy life as a mom, a dermatologist, a wife, an entrepreneur. So if somebody wanted to like myself, like I truly don't research any of these things. So my baseline is I use cream with sunscreen in it, like anti-wrinkle cream with sunscreen in it, wash my face every day. I exfoliate, I think maybe twice a month, like I go very baseline, like I really don't go too crazy. The only reason why I exfoliate is because my pores are so large. So I find that has been very helpful. And then I literally don't wear makeup ever, like that's kind of and that's kind of it.
Jenny Benitez:And my daughters are very young, they're only seven, but they see things and they hear things, you know, when they're watching YouTube shows or what have you. And they'll say to me like, oh, mommy, we should do a skincare routine. So if somebody wanted to and I keep telling them I'm like girls, like when you get a little older, like mommy will help you out and I'll I'll help you figure something out but if somebody wanted to introduce even their kids, let's say, to skincare you know, young girls when would you recommend, like starting anything, because my kids are kids. So would you say like maybe teen years would be a great way to start and then you know kind of build on it from there.
Dr. Mina:Well, jenny, I'll tell you, it starts sooner than you think. I've got a nine and 10 year old and my 10 year old son is always asking me mom, can I give you a makeover? I'm like, oh my gosh, am I so disgusting? I need a makeover. And he really wants me to get foundation and I'm like I don't wear foundation, like I mean, my goal is so your skin looks great. You don't need foundation and you can choose if you want to wear a little mascara, some eyeshadow or blush, but that you really don't need a ton of makeup to have beautiful skin. Let your skin shine through. So what you're doing is perfect. And in fact, I don't even exfoliate. So if you like exfoliating and you think it's good and it's working, go for it.
Dr. Mina:But I'll tell you my skincare routine, pretty similar to yours In the morning. I'm in my mid forties, so I just splash water on my face. I don't need to wash my face in the morning, but if you do, use a gentle cleanser, but it is also totally fine to just splash water on your face and then I use a vitamin C serum, which is something I think my middle-aged ladies may want to start using, or gentlemen, especially if you have any discoloration in your skin, maybe some sunspots, and then I use sunscreen. And sunscreen can be really moisturizing and hydrating and I live in a climate that's pretty humid and so I typically don't even use a moisturizer in the morning, I just have my sunscreen. But if it's wintertime where you live, maybe in the winter you might want to do a moisturizer. Then do your sunscreen, and you got to do it every day. So that's your morning routine and then my evening routine.
Dr. Mina:I do wash my face with soap, with a cleanser, and that's mandatory, okay, cause you want to remove all the dirt and grime and any makeup and oil on your face. And then I do use a moisturizer because I'm in my forties now, so my skin is a little drier. And then I religiously use a retinoid and I've been using this since I was in my late twenties and with a few stops, a couple of years during pregnancy, but I've just routine I use that and I don't even use it every night, but I use it most nights of the week and and that's all I do and I people say well, why don't you exfoliate? Well, I don't exfoliate because my retinoid I use it so religiously like that's my exfoliant.
Dr. Mina:Really, I use it just to the point of a little irritation and dryness, and so I don't feel the need to also exfoliate. But if you think it's helping your pores and you like it, then sure go for it. But the problem is when people start exfoliating every night and they're doing all these harsh things all the time, that's when your skin gets irritated. So I think your routine is perfect, so just keep going and don't get distracted.
Jenny Benitez:You know what I started doing too, Dr Mina, Because I think people when they think skincare they just stop right, and guys, you can't see me, but they stop right at the jawline and what I was talking with one of my coworkers about, because we both turned 40 last year. So we were both like kind of swapping, like all right, what are you doing to stay like kind of fresh looking. And we both agreed that, like when you're putting moisturizer on with sunscreen, whatever skincare you're doing, like we carry it all the way down to our chests, Like I put you know the SPF and I use like the anti-wrinkle cream, Like I bring it all the way down my neck and onto my chest and my collarbone. So I'm like this is all skin here and I've seen, as ladies get older, like the neck area seems like it's neglected. That's like the problem here.
Dr. Mina:Yeah, yeah. I'm so glad you brought that up because, yeah, we tend to think of skincare as just our face. I am guilty of this too. If I could go back in time, I wish I had been using my retinoid on my neck and on my chest and even on the tops of my hands, because I can see a difference in the tops of my hands versus my face.
Dr. Mina:So neck skin. It's thinner than our face. It doesn't have as many oil glands, it ages faster. So you'll notice changes in your neck before you necessarily do your face. So great point. Don't just stop at your jawline, Continue it down onto your neck, onto your upper chest certainly for sunscreen as well. If you're wearing short sleeves, you want to put it on your arms, but, yeah, I wish I had done that earlier, because that area it's harder to treat once there is damage. So prevention is key.
Dr. Mina:Now, Jenny, I did want to answer your question about what do you do with kids and skincare and stuff like that, because it does happen sooner than you think. My kids are nine and 10, and they've been interested in skincare for a while now, and I think the main thing I'd recommend is model really good, healthy skin habits yourself, because that's the first thing. Our kids are watching us. They're watching what we do. If they see mom is constantly criticizing herself, looking in the mirror, talking about how ugly she is, how old she is and all her flaws, that's going to negatively resonate with them. So, even if you think those thoughts, try not to think those thoughts but try to not say them out loud so your kids hear them and let them see you having a simple skincare routine, not using a thousand products, using sunscreen every day. I would say that's the biggest tip we can or biggest, you know, help we can give our kids is instilling the importance of sun protection at excuse me, instilling sun protection at an early age. That's the best like anti-aging secret ever. So if they see you putting sunscreen on, they're going to do that. If my kids see me, when I go for a walk we go to the park I have my hat on they get their hats on.
Dr. Mina:Now, as they get older, they're going to want to have a little more fun. I'm really not into fragrances, but my children love products with fragrances so they don't have particularly sensitive skin. So every now and then we'll have like a fun smelly hand soap, things like that. But I would say, don't just assume your children know what to do, especially with boys, and they may be embarrassed or afraid to ask you. So help teach them.
Dr. Mina:Okay, this is where we wash our body with soap or a cleanser. This is where we. This is what we use on our hair and this is the order. We do shampoo, then we do conditioner. Don't just assume they know that conditioner goes after. So helping walk them through their routine and what they should be using, and then let them maybe pick out a product that they really like, and I think the best is sunscreen, because that's really key at this age.
Dr. Mina:My son really loves Ariana Grande and he was super pumped when I guess she endorsed Elta MD once and he saw that I like Elta MD. So now I get him that sunscreen. He uses it on his face because his favorite celebrity uses it, which is not always the best thing to follow, but it's also a good sunscreen and so I'm like you know what? If that's going to get you to wear it every day, I am more than happy to buy it for you, and so let them have a little fun with it day. I am more than happy to buy it for you, and so let them have a little fun with it. But certainly I'm not buying my children vitamin C serums. They do not need retinols, they do not need to boost their collagen. Their collagen is the highest it's ever going to be. So all of that anti-aging nonsense just has to go the best anti-aging for children and even up to teens and young adults, is sunscreen.
Jenny Benitez:You know it's um, regarding, like the highlighting of the flaws. I'm very much like I own my age. You know that's because I know so many women that you know when they are getting older they're like oh no, I'm not, I'm not 40. I'm 35. And you know they're lying about their age or you know they're desperately trying to like, kind of hang on to this, I look like this in my 20s.
Jenny Benitez:This is how I want to continue to look and I've tried to very gracefully kind of take it on like I'm owning this. I'm owning my gray hair, I'm owning my wrinkles, because it took me a really long time to get here. I'm not trying to put any of that under the carpet. I had to work hard to get here. So I'm totally fine with all these marks of like wisdom in my mind. Like this is how I try to present it to my kids too, because they they're the times where I have said like oh, mommy has to like you know, I haven't gotten to work out all summer because my kids are home, you know. So they're like, and I'll say like, oh, mommy really needs to get back to the gym. And they actually are the ones who will say to me like mommy, you're perfect, exactly the way you are, and I'm like oh, thank you.
Dr. Mina:Oh, that's sweet, yeah, I mean gosh, if you. I think we, yeah, we do need to reframe aging, especially middle age for women, because I even the other day was asking a patient who was about my age and I'm 44, and I don't shy from saying that I said something about, like do you think you could be in perimenopause? Some of the symptoms she was having, and she was just like, oh my gosh, no, no way, no, I'm not there. You know, it's like that still has such a negative connotation, like, ooh, you're past your prime, you're old, you're, you know you need to be like put out to pasture. But it kind of shocked me that she was so that visceral reaction she had to that it kind of made me sad and we really got to reframe this because we're going to spend as women, hopefully the majority of our life or almost half, depending on how long we live in menopause or postmenopausal. So we need to kind of get over this thought like we're worthless after we can, we can no longer have children and we're in our late forties, fifties and beyond, you know.
Dr. Mina:Then there's you know there's really no point to being here, like I feel like this is like your your second, uh, second wind and like a chance for like rebirth. And you've raised your kids and in you've launched them and now like what's next for you? So yeah, I know I'm not quite like into totally embracing my gray hair. I have to be honest and that's okay. Like not everyone is gonna accept aging the same. But I also am not trying to stamp out every sign of growing older. I just want to look and feel the best I can at every stage of my life. I'm not trying to be 20, but I do want to be as healthy as possible, as vibrant as possible, and I feel good on the inside and I want that reflected on the outside and that's going to look different for everybody, which is why I'll say it's not like a one size fits all. You are a true, true minimalist and that's amazing and wonderful and I'm like somewhere in the middle.
Dr. Mina:But what I don't want people to feel is this I call it the hot girl hamster wheel where, as you're in your, all these little personal beauty things add up and at first it's like you're in your you know each all these little like personal beauty things add up and at first it's like you're coloring your hair, and then you're getting Botox and then you're getting filler, and now we're getting bias stimulants and now we're doing laser hair removal up. Now our hair's falling out, so we're doing minoxidil and POP, and now we're we're sucking out fat and then we're reinjecting fat and we're cutting out fat. Oh, we got to do a mommy makeover.
Dr. Mina:It's like it never ends and we keep adding to it and adding to it and it's exhausting. So at some point we're going to just get so overwhelmed, either financially or with our time. And that's when I just encourage people to say think about what you're really doing. And are you doing it because you really love it and you really like it? And are you doing it because you really love it and you really like it, or are you doing it because you are simply so terrified of what might happen if you just allow yourself to be your age and to get older? So that's where I say just do a hot girl hamster wheel audit. What are the things you're doing? And are you really doing it because you love how it makes you feel, or is it more like an obligation, or you feel like you have to?
Jenny Benitez:Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because there's so much. There's so much. It is so overwhelming, and especially for someone like me. That's like I am definitely a minimalist, like I said, never wear makeup. So when I do, by the way, wear makeup, my husband's like wow, you clean up really well For for skincare truths like what are you seeing trending? That's driving you nuts, because I know something specifically in my head and you've touched it lately and if you don't say it, I'm going to say it. But there's things that are put out there that are trending right now on social media. Is there something top of mind for you that you're like this is not accurate and it's all over the place, like it shouldn't even be out there?
Dr. Mina:Gosh, I mean so many. I'm not sure what you're talking about, but you'll have to tell me. I think the whole thing about sunscreen causing cancer just needs to stop. It's really dangerous and I think the people putting this out there especially these celebrities it's really really irresponsible. I believe in science, I believe in data and there's zero studies showing that sunscreen causes cancer, period. So I think, if you're worried about chemical sunscreens, use a mineral sunscreen like zinc or titanium. Don't forget hats, don't forget shade, don't forget clothing if you're real worried about using sunscreens. But you don't need to be.
Dr. Mina:And it really irks me when these celebrities, who have these like bottomless pits of money and can spend it on whatever they want, are telling people not to use sunscreen that it causes cancer because you know they can turn around and go spend a hundred thousand dollars on procedures and things like that to to help their skin. The common, normal person is not going to, and I treat skin cancers all day, every day, and the number one thing I hear from my patients, who tend to be 60s plus, is that I wish I had known. I wish I had known that there wasn't that emphasis back then on sun protection. But we know it now. So I just wish that would go away.
Jenny Benitez:That was pretty much. That was exactly it, because my like I said like I'm not on social media. The podcast has its own social media stuff, but I personally am not. So my husband will bring things to me and say, hey, look at this, and he'll send me articles. And I started seeing all these things he was sending me that said, like sunscreen causes skin cancer, and I'm like, oh great, now we're going to have a whole generation of people that are somewhere in their mind thinking sunscreen causes skin cancer and they're going to stop using it. Yeah, that which then is going to have a detrimental effect to them and they could potentially develop skin cancer, and that that kind of thing is the type of thing I wanted to highlight, because there's so many things like that out there and everyone just is like, oh, it's trending, it must be true, everyone's regurgitating this information. Now it definitely has to be true and I've said it before on other podcast episodes when you see something online, it doesn't mean that it's factual.
Jenny Benitez:There was this I don't know if you remember this, because this was a a very long time ago when, like, the internet kind of first started bubbling up as like something that people were, you know following and getting information on, and it was just like a. It was an advertisement for something and it was a young woman and she said she's talking to her friend and she's like, yeah, you can believe anything on the internet. And then this guy walks up and she's like this is my French boyfriend. I met him online and he was clearly not French, clearly not. And he was like and he's like, oh bonjour, and it's like that kind of thing. It's like you really can't believe everything. It doesn't matter who's promoting it, you have to really look into it. So I'm glad that that's where your head went, because that was driving me insane and I'm like this is the worst thing we could be putting out there right now is that sunscreen is bad for you.
Dr. Mina:Yeah, and I've even seen like parent. I mean, I think in general I see a lot of parents protecting their kids, and especially little ones, but I've also seen parents where they're like they refuse to let their kids wear sunscreen and their kids are. Their skin is burned, it hurts, like I saw a baby at the or a young girl at the pool crying because she had a terrible sunburn and it's just, it's. It's really really dangerous and irresponsible and these sunburns we know before the age of 18 significantly increase your risk of melanoma. So I would just say trust the doctors, the scientists, the researchers who are putting out these studies over an influencer, a celebrity, who has no, you know, has no validation to what they're saying. They just have a large audience, which is unfortunate.
Jenny Benitez:Yeah, agreed. So for we've mentioned and we've touched on skin cancer a little bit for prevention and, you know, maintaining your skin health, what would you guide the listeners to be doing?
Dr. Mina:Yeah. So if you're, especially if you're someone who's like I don't want cosmetic stuff, I'm going to age gracefully Amazing More power to you. I love that and that's why I say skincare is really whole body care. There's so much you can do just by taking care of your body. Save, like the in-office cosmetic stuff. That's like the icing on the cake, that extra 10% if you want it.
Dr. Mina:So I would say, taking care of your body first and foremost. Your skin is an organ, just like your heart, your brain, your lungs, and everything works together. It's not like we can just treat our brain, just treat our eyes, just treat our skin, so it all has to happen by whole body care. So it sounds simple, right, but it's super, super hard. Watch what you eat.
Dr. Mina:So we have a epidemic in our country right of obesity and inflammation and these chronic metabolic conditions because of our diet and we do know that eating highly processed foods, lots of sugars, which I couldn't believe how much sugar is in literally everything we eat, unless you are cooking at home yourself. So be mindful of the amount of sugar you're eating. It really should be around 26 grams a day, but I mean you can easily eat that in one protein bar or something you think is healthy. So just be mindful of that. The sugar actually binds to our collagen and forms these things called advanced glycation end products, which makes it brittle and breaks apart more easily. So usually we recommend things like the Mediterranean diet a focus on lean proteins, healthy fats, whole fruits and vegetables, lots of fiber, and really minimizing the packaged food, the processed food that is so key. Sorry, Jenny, I'm getting thirsty. Oh, you're fine.
Jenny Benitez:I was gonna say that that we, my, we went on like sort of a health journey in my house, my husband and I, and it started, like I want to say like five years ago or six years ago or so, and it started out with like with him. He was not feeling well, I wasn't feeling well either, but you know, typical woman, I wasn't prioritizing myself. I was like, oh, I don't feel well, that's fine, I'll figure it out eventually, keep going, I'll keep going, it's fine. But he wasn't feeling well. So we started to like really overhaul our diet. So I ended up. He started it but I finished it because he kind of he, he went a little bit back. He eats more of a Mediterranean diet with the lean proteins. I go all in vegetarian, but we have cut out entirely the processed foods because of what happens with processed foods, how the impact it has on your body, the, the amount of fat it puts into your bloodstream.
Jenny Benitez:And I've said to him since this overhaul that we've done with our diets I've gotten compliments many times over that like I look, like I'm glowing, which I'm always like I'm not pregnant, don't worry, don't worry anybody, I'm not there anymore, I don't have any more kids. But like and and my, you know, my family will tell me, like you know you, you do, you look really healthy, like you look really good, and it's along like the lines of what you just said. Like I don't eat, like heavy sugars, I actually practice. I've been doing it for a little over a month now, so I'm probably going to stick it, stick with it. I actually kind of enjoy it.
Jenny Benitez:But I've been doing intermittent fasting, you know, maintaining very healthy practices and, to be perfectly honest with you, minimize, minimizing as much stress as I can, has been like a huge impact. So one thing that I also wanted to have you talk about a little bit too is the effect of stress and cortisol on our skin, and how and and I know that I've, and you can physically see it in women that our skin is impacted directly from stress and cortisol. And if I'm, if I'm saying I was going to say, if I'm saying that incorrectly, you can correct me. Yeah, no.
Dr. Mina:We are learning more about. Like increased inflammation period in our bodies affects everything, all our organ systems, including our skin. And yes, stress, you know, in some ways stress can be good. A little stress can sort of motivate us. I mean it's unrealistic to think, oh, life's going to always be stress-free and we're relaxing on the beach. You know, like a little stress is good.
Dr. Mina:But when it's this chronic stress and you're not eating well, you're not sleeping well, it's like all these things just compound and um and and so stress will increase our cortisol levels and that's sort of our fight or flight state, which is helpful If you've got a deadline and you got to push through or you're, you know, training for something, but it's not good all the time and I just you know I can't speak on like all the other organ systems, but when you're stressed, I mean, just think about it how your skin looks and it's also probably compounded with your lack of sleep and what you're eating, because when you're stressed we don't eat well. But stress can increase. It can make you have acne and breakouts. That's probably like super common for people. You'll notice that increases the androgen levels and you can get acne and more sebum production. You will get more dehydrated in the face because you're not sleeping well and you also may get sort of puffiness around your eyes. So stress is huge. And again this goes back to like learning to prioritize ourselves, especially as women in midlife or if you've got young children right, like I know I was not.
Dr. Mina:It wasn't until I was 40 that I made a conscious effort to really focus on my health and I had noticed this. I've always been thin or slender and I never really had to worry about my weight, but all of a sudden I had gained about 10 pounds over a decade, which I'm 5'4", so that's not nothing. I'm thinking like what's going on? It was just this slow, little few pounds every year, but after 10 years it was 10 pounds and that was when I was like wait a minute, I can't just be on autopilot anymore. I need to actually think about these things and prioritize my health, and I'm not perfect. I definitely workouts are the first thing to go and I need to be better on that. And I still I do eat sugar. I'm not saying I'm, I'm one of those people who just totally eliminates it, but I'm more mindful of it and I'm really am good about not eating packaged stuff and I really try not to eat processed stuff.
Dr. Mina:So if I'm going to eat sugar, it's going to be like a delicious piece of cake or some ice cream instead of like a package thing and just trying to make time for things that I love, like yoga, reading, getting to bed early. I think, as women, we think of a thousand reasons why we shouldn't be doing that. And there are other things we should be doing, but that just needs to be number one, two and three. Like when you put on your oxygen mask on the plane, you put yours on first, so then you help everyone else.
Jenny Benitez:I struggled for many years, exactly almost like what you just said. I didn't really start to prioritize myself until I was like 36 or 37. Like it was much later those years were. It was from 2016, all the way through 2019. When my kids were really young, I had horrible sleep habits. I was working around the clock, constantly stressed out, really was just not taking care of myself. I wasn't eating well, I was drinking alcohol like it was just a lot. It was terrible.
Jenny Benitez:And I went to the doctor and I was like I'm trying to lose weight, I don't feel well, my joints hurt but nothing's working. And I explained my lifestyle and at that time I was only getting about two hours of sleep a night and it was spread out throughout the night. It wasn't even in a solid block. And she told me she was like you are taking years off of your life and I remember in the moment I was so frustrated because I'm like I don't sleep well because my kids wake up, and there was three of them at once and they were waking up every two hours, so it was kind of just like cycling through the night. And she was like you have to sleep more and I was like tell me how I can sleep In that moment. I just I couldn't get there.
Jenny Benitez:As soon as I could, though, I started making sure that I was like doing more for myself, because, as you just said, like if you're not maintaining yourself, like what they tell you on the plane, you have to put your oxygen mask on first in order to be able to help other people, because if you go down, my husband will say quite often, you're like the ship. If the ship goes down, like the rest of us are going down, kind of thing. So I'm glad you went into that, because it is important and, as you said and as we've been talking about, you don't have to have this elaborate, ridiculous routine. It doesn't have to take 45 minutes. It truly is. Yeah, it shouldn't, it doesn't have to.
Jenny Benitez:So I have something I was considering, and I'm going to book it for September, when my kids are back in school and I can actually take a minute for myself, since they've been home all summer. I wanted to do like a facial, some kind of treatment for myself, as like a treat for myself, because this has been a very stressful summer. I'm going to be honest some kind of treatment for myself as like a treat for myself, because this has been a very stressful summer. I'm going to be honest For someone who doesn't do that on a regular, what would be a good? Something good to look into that would be healthy for my skin? That wouldn't be like way over the top and it's like you don't really need to be doing all that.
Dr. Mina:Yeah well, so I think doing something fun a treat for yourself is amazing, whatever that looks like for you. I have personally never had a facial, so I cannot speak to that. I'll do a deep tissue massage all day, every day. That is my go-to. I just absolutely love that. But I know people who really love facials.
Dr. Mina:But I would think, if you're really looking for something to impact your skin, first of all, everyone's different but I would see a dermatologist who can kind of guide you through. But I think it really depends on what bothers you. If you want sort of some collagen boosting, you might want to consider doing some sort of laser treatment or microneedling can be helpful. If you've got a lot of sun damage, you want to sort of even out your complexion. Certain lasers chemical peels, can be helpful. If you've got a lot of sun damage, you want to sort of even out your complexion. Certain lasers, chemical peels, can be a great option.
Dr. Mina:And for some people, if you're starting to, people are telling you why are you angry? Or you look so upset, you might be getting those 11s, those lines between your eyebrows which just people don't want to be told. You look angry when you're having a good day, right. People don't want to be told you look angry when you're having a good day, right. So a little Botox there can do wonders and actually really help brighten your skin too.
Dr. Mina:I know some people are really just afraid of Botox or they're afraid they're going to look weird. I think when people are scared of Botox, they've seen bad filler and they think that that is Botox. And I'm saying Botox. There are tons of brands, it's botulinum toxin. But you can actually do it in a really, really natural way where you still look like yourself, you can still emote. But a lot of times if people are telling you you look angry or mad, then that's a no-brainer for a little bit right there. But I yeah, I think I'm more power to you. Definitely go treat yourself, enjoy, have some fun, whatever that looks like for you.
Jenny Benitez:I'm also all about the deep tissue massage. Yeah, it's funny because someone had gotten me a gift certificate and it was either you could pick a facial package or you could go for the massage, and I was like, oh gosh, I think I would probably go for the massage too.
Dr. Mina:Oh, yeah, all day, all day.
Jenny Benitez:That's where my head was going Um so for um, skin changes with like perimenopause and menopause. Like I noticed, I've never had an issue with acne, I've always. I've. Actually, I was very lucky I never had an issue with it. Um, for some. I just turned 40 last year. This past year I noticed every month, like clockwork with my cycle, I'm breaking out, like almost every single time, and so I started making sure that I. That's actually where why I ended up starting doing the um, the uh, uh, not microdermabrasion. What was I saying? Oh, exfoliating. That's why I actually started exfoliating, because I noticed that, like monthly with my cycle, I was starting to break out, which I was like this is ridiculous. I'm 40. Like, why is this happening now? Are there any other skin changes that we should kind of just take note of and maybe be aware of and help us prepare for perimenopause, menopause?
Dr. Mina:Yeah, so what you're going through is totally normal and super, super common. Sometimes people will call it hormonal acne, but the reality is all acne has a hormonal component. But what happens during perimenopause is our estrogen levels can fluctuate wildly. Some months are really high, some months are really low, and it's not the estrogen per se that's causing your acne, but it's the relative amount of your androgens, which can seem higher or lower based on the amount of estrogen that you have. So you can get acne at any age. We have neonatal acne in little babies and you can get it when you're older, which seems unfair. But yeah, it's not just for teenagers. But yeah, I love how you're doing the exfoliant. Hopefully it's something that has like a salicylic acid. That can be a great option if you're struggling with acne and you know. If it's not getting better with over the counter stuff, then you know, see a dermatologist.
Dr. Mina:But the most common thing people notice is skin dryness, that our skin barrier is not as good at holding on to moisture as it used to be. And so you may have. I've had oily skin my whole life and now I'm using a moisturizer much more often because my skin is drier. That's the number one, and then also loss of collagen, and a lot of times people will come to me feeling like their face is falling, their face is melting, they're noticing jowling that they haven't had before, and then crepey skin. So they might also be losing fat and muscle as they get older and they're losing that collagen, so the skin has more of a tissue paper. Look to it as well. So these are all very common things that happen and really due to our decreasing estrogen levels.
Jenny Benitez:I actually, this past year, started taking collagen every day. I've always I had years ago had been using, like, a powdered collagen, and then we like ran through the container and my husband and I were both using it. My husband who, by the way, is going to be 50 next year he just turned 49. He still looks like he's 35. Meanwhile people literally say to me they're like so you're 40. And I'm like how did you? I'm like, I don't, you don't even give me 39. Like they just right on the money. So I started using liquid collagen this year and I wanted to ask you is there a big difference between powder collagen and liquid collagen, like in your opinion? I know that you know we could go down a rabbit hole of research, but have you seen that there's a major difference between which one you go with?
Dr. Mina:So the studies have shown that the most beneficial is hydrolyzed collagen collagen that's already been broken down a little bit. That's easier for absorption. So I would say it's less important whether it's powder, liquid capsules, it's just making sure that it's a hydrolyzed collagen and that's what the studies show. I do think we need more research on this, but it's certainly easy enough to try. No side effects, really, except maybe your wallet. You don't have to spend a fortune, though. I did start using a powder from Costco that I'm like. Well, we'll give it a try, we'll see. I think if you're using that, thinking it's going to solve like, all your problems on your skin, you're going to be disappointed, but there have been some studies showing that taking hydrolyzed collagen can be helpful. Okay.
Jenny Benitez:That's good to know. Yeah, it was interesting. What, what, what sucked me into it? It was one of those like late night scrolling, scrolling, and I was like they were showing all these like crazy before and after pictures and they're like in three months time, like you're gonna see this wild transformation. And yeah, I bought into it because it was like 1130 at night and I was like, oh, I want to, I want to be transformed. I haven't seen a wild transformation, but I haven't seen anything go south either. So I'm like, well, collagen, it's not hurting me.
Dr. Mina:Yeah same here. I probably used it about four months. Honestly, I can't see a difference, but to your point, I haven't seen a decrease.
Jenny Benitez:So I'm like maybe I'm just keeping it together at this point. Yes exactly so for maintaining just a healthy skin routine and maintaining your healthy skin, but just maintaining some kind of routine throughout stages in life. What's the basics and I think we touched on it, but just kind of reminding the listeners basic skincare.
Dr. Mina:Yeah. So I mean really what we talked about earlier gentle cleanser If you're in sort of your 30s, mid to late 30s, plus maybe incorporate a vitamin C serum. Sunscreen's a must If you do nothing else. Sunscreen and sun protect, I should say the people I see who have the best looking skin in their 80s and 90s have protected themselves from the sun and it makes a huge difference. And I'll even say, like for the listeners take a look at sort of the inner part of your arm and then the outer part of your arm and if there's a noticeable difference, that's the sun or your stomach versus your arms and legs. Right, like that's. That's the power of the sun and it compounds over your, your years and decades. So sunscreen, sun protection, is key, especially if you are like I'm never going to do cosmetic stuff. More power to you, then vigilantly sun protect, moisturizer. And then I'm a big fan of retinols and retinoids. I think it's a super, super powerful anti-aging product.
Dr. Mina:Boost your collagen better than anything out there. You don't need a separate neck cream, eye cream, anything like that. I use mine all over my body. Don't forget to include. Don't just treat your face, bring it on down to your neck and chest and I do the tops of my arms now. Wish I had started that earlier, though, but there are in office things you can do, especially if you're looking for like a pickup.
Dr. Mina:I love biostimulants. I think these are like a secret, powerful weapon If you are open to cosmetic things. What I like about biostimulants is it stimulates your own collagen, and I joke that now that if you're in your late 30s and 40s, this is your collagen banking era, where we know our collagen's declining and there's going to be a big drop with menopause, so boost it as much as you can. Take that collagen supplement if you like, but things like biostimulants 100% are going to get your collagen improved and I like it because it's your own collagen. You're not going to look fake and weird and chipmunky and stiff and balloon-faced. It's your own collagen. We inject these little particles in water and it stimulates collagen, so I really love doing that and I think it's a super natural way to just maintain. Things like microneedling or doing some laser procedures or chemical peels can be amazing. Especially, I think just having a beautiful complexion makes everything else better, like who cares about a little skin laxity and lines and wrinkles when your skin is glowing and beautiful and even so.
Dr. Mina:So for a lot of people I'll say let's, let's worry, let's get your skin complexion evening uniform first, and then we can tackle, like other things that bother you, and a lot of times those other things become significantly less noticeable. So yeah, those are like my top, top pearls.
Jenny Benitez:I love that, because I love that you're not saying like you have to spend thousands of dollars on skincare items. Like I mean that's really not. And that's where I see, like everyone goes like really big and bold and elaborate. I'm like, yeah sure, Like I'm sure that there's some wonderful, very expensive products out there, but like you don't really have to you can't go over the counter, so I think that's wonderful, yeah, and.
Dr. Mina:I'll just add, like I get asked a lot about LED face mask and this is one where I'm like, well, maybe I should be doing that, you know. So, like they do, some studies have shown there are some LED face masks that work and if you wanna incorporate that into your routine in the morning when you're meditating or journaling, there's no harm in doing that either. I don't do it yet I'm not saying I'm never gonna do it, but again, like you don't, there's stuff out there that works. It doesn't mean you have to do everything. So pick what you like and again, like you don't. The goal is not to be on this like hamster wheel with a thousand to-dos for your routine. If you want to do an LED face mask, go for it. If you want to do biostimulants, go for it. I'm going to do biostimulants over LED face mask.
Jenny Benitez:You may want to do the other way around, but you don't have to do everything that's out there just because it does work or it can work. Yeah, I love that. I love the simplicity that's. That's sort of my, that's like my, my vibe. The whole thing it's like well, let's keep it simple. Listeners, if you are interested in hearing more from Dr Mina, check out her podcast, the Skin Reel. That's really going to be a really great baseline to getting really truthful, factual information. You can also check out theskinreelcom. I was browsing through and I'm like there's loads of information there and you can sign up for more information, so I want to direct you there too. That link is going to be in the podcast description. Dr Mina, thank you so much for coming on today and helping to really help, you know, get us in line with our skincare.
Dr. Mina:Yeah, absolutely, and I would just encourage all your listeners they can follow me at Dr Mina Skin and if you're wondering what are some of the over-the-counter products that I actually recommend and use myself, I have a free guide that I can send to you at theskinrealcom forward slash guide and again, these are products I actually use and recommend Wonderful.
Jenny Benitez:Thank you so much, dr Mina, and thank you, listeners, for joining us today. We'll see you on the next one. Thank you, take care.
