GynoFiles

Biotin is a water soluble vitamin, known as Vitamin B, and excreted in the urine. There is no real toxicity as excess is just excreted. Food sources are egg yolk, wheat, liver, dairy, sweet potatoes, and legumes such as soybean. But the biotin in food is protein bound and gets released by an enzyme. We can manufacture biotin in the small intestine from healthy gut bacteria, so the only source is not technically just from food. Biotin is an essential part of our metabolism of carbohydrates, protein amino acids, and blood fats by being a co-factor known as a co-enzyme that helps us produce glucose from food. Biotin is critical to much of our protein synthesis as well as cell growth, which is why it’s an important co-factor in hair, skin, and nail growth. Biotin can actually cause lab test disorders, including thyroid testing abnormalities, so be sure to disclose to your MD if you are taking this when interpreting tests. Breastfeeding and using acutane are two common rea...

The most dramatic sunburn reactions may occur as a result of not only sun exposure without proper sunscreen protection, but the most dramatic burns can come from exposure to what we call phototoxic drugs or topical photosensitizer substances. Some people also inherently are at risk for more sunburn and in individuals with genetic disorders conferring an increased sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation that comes from the sun. Other compounds naturally exaggerate this effect and can actually enhance one's tan just by taking a pill. So it stands to reason, if there are foods or medications we consume or use, that can worsen sunburn, what about the concept that we can design something we take to prevent sunburn. Well, be on the look out, as those products are beginning to be marketed. In today's New York Times there is an article about products claiming to be a food substance to combat damaging effects of UV rays from the sun. Specifically there are essentially vitamin-rich dri...

Vision is often as emotional as it is physiological! We can be trained to see certain details, and then, ironically, too much familiarity makes us not see the detail either! Often this is true about peering in the mirror at our skin. Physicians are often dismayed at how the healthy color of sunshine gets morphed into leathery and aged skin that is at higher risk of skin cancer, but the patient may still see youthful bronze they desire. In others mistakes in health can cause broken blood vessels and other damage yet what the patient sees is a healthy glow of exercise, which they think is the pink and red in their cheeks. If you want to have sexy, healthy, skin here there some basic health problemsn you may want to correct. If you make any of these skin mistakes you are not likely doing what you can for your skin. The top causes of skin damage: 1. Sun Damage 2. Smoking or smoke exposure 3. Lack of Exercise 4. Too much sugar in your diet 5. Too much salt in your diet 6. Lack of...

When you want to love your skin, but you also love your tan. You are thinking "sun screen save my skin" or "just lather up the baby oil" one last tan can't hurt, right? Well, bottom line, sun screen will protect your skin from sun damage, however, the saving factor can be using antioxidants within the skin to prevent the damage sun is trying to do to your skin. Your skin story should start like this: 1. Do you have healthy skin, for that you need to have a discussion with a health care provider who understands your body and your skin, 2. Can you persevere the health you have in your skin, for that you need MORE sun defense, not just protection, 3. Can you reverse the damage and reduce your changes of skin cancer, again, back to the professional to discuss and to really understand how to not age your skin or in fact reverse again, or dechronify your skin. The FDA has approved 17 agents for use in sunscreens that will provide SPF. Some are organic or ...

Aging skin loses skin elasticity because collagen fibers thin and weaken. The fatty tissue thins as well, and the skin lays more loosely over the surface and where the muscles attach the lines begin to etch and finally deepen. Many factors contribute to skin aging but skin, like many tissues of our body are hormonally sensitive and both estrogen and androgen can affect the skin. Observational studies confirm that estrogen alone (mostly on peri-menopausal and menopausal women) makes skin appear less aged, less dry, and less wrinkled. The evidence also shows that the skin dermal layers thicken and have more collagen content. Most likely the blood flow to the skin is normalized as well. Few studies have been done on women taking both estrogen and progesterone, and none on progesterone alone. Gynos feel it is the estrogen component, not the progesterone component that has the beneficial skin effects. The research is not strong enough for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecolog...