Fun in the Sun!

Fun in the Sun!

How honored was I when top NYC dermatologist
, Francesca Fusco
agreed to be interviewed for Reflections? Very! Although
Francesca is my dermatologist; I know that she is amazingly busy
and sought after, so I was thrilled when she agreed to answer some
questions about my treatment, skin care recommendations and getting
clear about sunscreen.
So...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
and maybe you didn't either.
For example, SPF #'s beyond 50 have such a slight
incremental difference that it's almost not worth getting them.
Francesca told me "A sunscreen with an SPF of 15 confers 95%
protection from burning and skin cancers and SPF 50 gives you 98%
protection from there going up the percentage is sooo incremental.
So, 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 # 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 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!

*Francesca is located in Midtown Manhattan and can be contacted at
212-684-2626