Dr Ryan’s Personal Skin Care Regimen

Almost every day, a patient asks me, “What do you do for your skin, Dr Ryan?” The truth is that for years, I did absolutely nothing for my skin. In fact, until I was around 37 or 38, I purposely tanned my face. I remember skiing at Aspen and trying to get as much sun as possible on my face; I would sit on the deck at Bonnie’s having lunch and rotate my body to follow the sun so my face got maximum exposure! My face was almost purplish, it was so sun-damaged.

As someone of Irish heritage, I am what’s classified as a Fitzpatrick skin type II, meaning that I have fair skin and blue eyes and that I burn easily in the sun. My skin issues pertain mainly to dilated (or “broken”) blood vessels and ruddiness. Therefore, I need a skin care regimen that is very gentle so that more blood vessels do not “break,” which would lead to even more ruddiness. On the other hand, many people with olive skin and brown eyes (Fitzpatrick skin types III and above) have issues with hyperpigmentation (i.e., brown spots or patches), not ruddiness and broken blood vessels. Therefore, these patients often need to focus on beaching creams such as hydroquinone or kojic acid. People with significant sun damage, fine lines and brown spots may need to focus more on products that contain ingredients that help to reverse sun damage; these ingredients include kinetin, retinol or acids. In people with sensitive skin, however, some of these ingredients may be irritating.

In the last five years, I have made great strides with my skin and here’s how I did it.

1. Gentle cleanser and moisturizer – Because of my sensitive skin, I require a very mild cleanser and moisturizer. However, I could never find one that met my exact specifications. So I decided to develop my own. Every morning and night, I use the Dr Frank Ryan cleanser and moisturizer. For people who prefer their skin care products to be paraben and sulfate-free, I also have a paraben and sulfate-free cleanser. The products are aloe-based, and contain ingredients like sage and arnica.
   


2. Broad-spectrum, high SPF sunblock – This is the most important thing for good skin. About five years ago, I began using a daily moisturizer with an SPF of 15. After a year or two of doing that, it occurred to me that I should probably use something stronger. So I tried many different sunscreens and concluded that the Skinceuticals SPF 45 was the best, in my opinion. It does not leave the skin white and provides excellent broad-spectrum coverage, since its main ingredient is zinc oxide, still the best sunblock out there in my book. This alone began to improve my skin dramatically. Other excellent sunblocks are made by Epicuren and Fenix. I am currently formulating my own sunblock for the Dr Frank Ryan line.
   


3. Skin Refining Gel – My secret weapon is the Dr Frank Ryan Skin Refining Gel. This product is very difficult to categorize, but in general, it serves to minimize or even eliminate the appearance of pores, fine lines and irregularities in skin texture or tone. It contains several topical vitamins, arnica and alpha-lipoic acid and is lightly tinted. Remarkably, many men are absolutely hooked on this product, because it improves their skin significantly, but is not considered “make-up”. When people comment on my skin, I always confess that I had a little help from my Skin Refining Gel.
   

There are many, many excellent products on the market that I don’t use only because they are not what my skin needs. Product lines like Kinerase and Epicuren are excellent and we carry both lines in my office. Individual products like Renova and Tri-Luma and Cellex-C are all excellent.

Bottom line: each person needs a skin care regimen specifically designed for his or her own skin type. A product like Renova, which would be beneficial for many people, would simply be too strong and irritating for my sensitive skin. On the other hand, a simple, gentle skin care regimen like I use would simply not be strong enough to help someone with severely sun-damaged, weather beaten skin.

Next up: the laser and light therapy devices that I have used – and to continue to use – to improve and maintain my skin.