Get glowing skin for a season of holiday parties

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

With the holiday social swirl in full swing, one wonders how it’s possible to keep skin looking decent with all the cold weather, late nights and extra glasses of sparkling wine during the next couple of weeks.

Beverly Hills based dermatologist, Dr. Harold Lancer, whose client list reads like an A-list party invite, shares the skin secrets of stars such as Beyonce, Ryan Seacrest, Hugh Jackman and Ali Larter, who all drop by the dermatologist’s office for peels, scrubs and regular treatments to get that red-carpet-ready face.

Dr. Lancer offers the following advice in order to keep stressed and tired skin looking rejuvenated despite all the holiday merriment this season, or to get skin looking its best in time for a special social gathering.

Every day for a week, he recommends drinking an 8-ounce glass of pomegranate juice and using two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with your salad twice a day. So for those of us who don’t currently eat salad twice a day, add “eat more salad” to this list as well. Hey, more salad couldn’t hurt.

On skin, use a mild exfoliant, followed by a hyaluronic serum (hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring component in the body that has been shown to reduce the signs of aging and reduce redness in the skin) Dr. Lancer has a potion called Rapid Redness Relief that’s chock full of the stuff. Then using tepid water, wash your face with a non-soap cleanser and finish off with a splash of cold water (the blast of cold helps to tighten pores). Finally, he suggests slathering on a vitamin C-based sun block, so your skin gets antioxidants and protection from the sun.

Sounds like good advice, not just for this busy holiday season, but for all year. And I’m willing to try any regimen that might get my skin to sparkle like Beyonce’s flawless face.

-- Melissa Magsaysay