Stress and Our Skin

By Dr. Christine Rodgers

As a female plastic surgeon "of a certain age," and one who sees women of all ages daily with emotional and physical problems of every kind, I am acutely aware of the changes that occur in our skin with stress. By stress, I am referring to environmental, hormonal, medical and normal aging influences that detract from a youthful appearance of our skin and cause us to look and feel older than our actual age.

As I went through treatment myself for breast cancer, I looked more carefully at the skin of my patients who were under their own personal stress as well.  With stress, we had lost some of our skin's natural luminosity and developed a tired, grayish tint that reflected the stresses mentioned above.    I wanted to do something for my "ladies" that would help them look better, as I truly believe if one looks good, one will feel better and be better able to deal with life's inevitable daily little and not so little traumas.

I began to look at the various skin care lines in stores and online and also examined more carefully some of the ingredients in these lines and the claims that they made. I was dismayed to see that, in addition to the usual suspects, i.e. phtalates, parabens and sodium lauryl sulfates, there were ingredients such as growth factors, stem cells, phytoestrogens, soy and DMAE that promised amazing rejuvenation results, but did not mention potential side effects that could prove quite damaging to a woman's overall health.

One of the most disturbing entries into the realm of skin care rejuvenation is the introduction of EGF and TGF beta growth factors into certain skin care lines. The evidence is controversial with regard to TGF beta, but recent studies indicate that TGF beta deregulates the body's cancer control mechanism in breast cancer, i.e. causes cancer to spread more rapidly. I recently attended a symposium where one researcher touted the effects of this growth factor in his anti-aging skin care research and then quickly glossed over the potential for the unknown biologic activity of this agent. It is well known, without a doubt, that EGF is a growth factor that is definitely over expressed in breast cancer, but there are a number of skin care lines (very well known and very expensive at that) that choose to ignore this evidence and continue to produce products containing this growth factor. I am disturbed by this disregard for the potential harmful effects of such products on the health of my women patients (and myself!). I am dedicated to providing safe and effective products for women, which take into account the overall health of the skin and body. Thus, EnPointe Skin Solutions is the answer.

My skin care line addresses the concerns of women everywhere from anti-aging to acne to loss of luminosity of the skin. Most importantly, it is a line that contains ingredients that promote the health of the skin, effectively address anti-aging issues of the skin, yet at the same time, are safe for women to apply. The purpose of this article is not to promote my skin care products uniquely but to let women know that just because they see a product on the shelf of well known department stores, it is not a guarantee that all ingredients in the line have been carefully researched and have been proven safe.

Dr. Christine Rodgers is in the practice of empowering women.  As a Harvard trained, board certified plastic surgeon and breast cancer survivor, she has intimate knowledge of the common skin and body problems that develop with age, illness, stress, environmental and hormone-related conditions.  As a woman doctor, she has seen the damaging effects of stress on her patients’ skin and bodies, and has always responded with nurturing and impeccable treatment.

Since 1990, Dr. Christine Rodgers has had a successful private plastic surgery practice in Denver, Colorado. Her expertise in the field of plastic surgery includes cosmetic surgery, i.e., facelifts, eyelid lifts, liposuction, abdominoplasty, body contouring, breast augmentation, breast reconstruction post mastectomy, breast reduction, labia reduction and rhinoplasty. She has been recognized in the community as a “Top Doc” of plastic surgery and has won awards for her work with breast cancer patients.

For the last seven years Dr. Rodgers has developed and launched her own skincare line call EnPointe Skin Solutions which provides high quality, healthy and effective ingredients to reduce the signs of aging and the effects of stress on the skin.   Dr. Rodgers and EnPointe Skin Solutions have been featured in numerous magazines such as Vogue, More, Self, WWD, Life & Style and 5280.  EnPointe Skin Solutions won the award for Honest Beauty Break Out Brand of the Year for 2010 from HBA Global Expo.