Summer is just a round the corner (yay!!!) and I wanted to find out some skincare tips and recommendations from the expert. I think in many ways we all know much of the basics when it comes to sunscreen and skincare at this point, right? Well…no. Francesca enlightened me about some real basics that I had not known about sunscreen and maybe you didn’t either.
For example, SPF numbers beyond 50 have such a slight incremental difference that it’s almost not worth getting them. Francesca told me that a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 confers 95% protection from burning and skin cancers and SPF 50 gives you 98% protection– going up after that, the percentage becomes so incremental.
The bottom line is just wear a good SPF 15 and it should be labeled Broad Spectrum for full UV protection. But, she did say that “from a purely cosmetic and vanity point of view” someone that is extremely fair should use SPF 50.
So now we know what number SPF to buy, but there are soo many sunscreens on the market that is really hard to decide. What's a sun lover to do?! When I asked Francesca for her opinion of the best sunscreen she told me, she usually steers away from recommending anything, but had to tell me about one product in particular, “What I LOVE for the face is the Shiseido SPF 55 Line because it is cosmetically elegant. It does not leave a white, masky, ghostly look. It feels good on the skin. And people really like it either alone or with their makeup over it.” That sounds great to me. Who doesn’t want be elegant and not ghostly, I ask ya?!
When it comes to the most common misconception about sun and skin Francesca says, “Having a tan, either for real or using a self tanner can serve as protection on the skin against burning and subsequent damage”. So, if you go to the tanning salon or use a self tanner to get a base tan before that fabulous Caribbean vacation, it doesn’t give you any sun protection factor… only sunscreen will do that.
I also have to give my real plug for what Francesca has done for me and my skin. I have been lucky enough to be able to get on her client list and have been seeing Francesca for the last 4 months and I have never been happier with my new skin! Growing up with lots of acne and oily skin, I had what Francesca told me were called “Sebaceous hyperplasia glands” or little (some not so little! Yuck!) bumps all over my face, but especially in the cheek and temple areas.
In order to take care of those and the overall look and feel of my skin, she is doing a combination of a TCA chemical exfoliant and what she calls “Search and Destroy” which is the process of finding and burning off (don’t worry it just stings for a few seconds!) those little bumps. Now I am starting to have skin like a baby’s…. (I told myself I wouldn’t use that phrase, but I had to!)
My treatment is the basic of what Francesca does for people, especially if they don’t want anything invasive like needles (can you say Botox?!) or fillers. I would highly recommend this course of treatment to anyone. Now, that I’m educated and have a baby’s… I’m ready for some safe and protected fun in the sun! –Mr. Beauty Tips
Dr. Francesca Fusco is located in Midtown Manhattan and can be contacted at 212-684-2626.
