Staying Healthy Archive

Chemical peels can help improve your skin, if you choose the right product and follow safety instructions.

As you age, your skin changes, and not always in a good way. Some of the most common problems are caused by sun damage, including dark spots, rough texture, fine lines, and wrinkles. Chemical peels, which use a chemical solution to remove the top layers of the skin, are billed as one way to target these changes and improve the skin. Peels can be done at home, in a medical spa, or at a dermatologist's office. But the question is, are they really effective or good for your skin?

Dr. Hye Jin "Leah" Chung, assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, says yes, chemical peels can help your skin. But that endorsement comes with a caveat, she says. "They are beneficial as long as you use the right agent and the right technique," says Dr. Chung. Used incorrectly, chemical peels can be harmful and even cause burns or pigment changes.

With summer approaching, you need to be more attentive about sun protection.

Men have many skin challenges as they age. They develop wrinkles, lines, spots, and discoloration. Older men also are at greater risk for the two most common skin cancers: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Without adequate sun protection, these conditions can become more frequent and severe.

In the journals

Afternoon naps can recharge a weary body; now research has found they also may boost cognitive function. An observational study published online Jan. 25, 2021, by General Psychiatry looked at 2,214 healthy people ages 60 and older in China, where afternoon naps are common. The participants were asked about whether they napped at least five minutes after lunch. Two-thirds took naps, and the others did not.

Everyone then underwent testing to measure various mental skills, such as memory, naming, attention, calculation, and orientation. The researchers then obtained more specifics about their napping habits, including how long they napped and how often per week.

Whether you're new to walking or a seasoned stroller, here are some ways to boost your routines.

Walking is one of the most straightforward exercises. You just need a good pair of walking shoes, and off you go.

Like any kind of cardio activity, walking can improve your heart health, strengthen your immune system, and help you manage your weight.

Exercising, avoiding pollutant exposure, controlling weight, and other strategies may help you breathe easier.

You may not know it, but your lungs — like many of your organs — have some backup power to get you through situations that stress your health. This excess capacity, called physiological reserve, helps your lungs weather infection and chronic disease.

Lung reserve is robust when we're young, but it diminishes over time as part of the normal aging process. Smoking or long-term lung diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema can accelerate that decline. Diminished reserve makes us more vulnerable to a new or sudden lung problem. "If you get a severe infection and start with lower lung function compared to when you were younger, you have less reserve capacity and you won't tolerate the infection as well," says Dr. Richard Schwartzstein, chief of the Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine Division at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

It takes a one-two punch to lower these risks for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

High cholesterol has long been known as a bad actor in heart health. Too much LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood can lead to fatty deposits in your arteries and the formation of artery-narrowing plaque (atherosclerosis), heart attacks, and strokes.

But LDL doesn't act alone. Chronic inflammation — a persistent activation of the immune system — also fuels heart attack and stroke risks. That means you must address both high LDL levels and chronic inflammation to protect your health.

In rare cases, people who have had cosmetic dermal fillers experience swelling after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, but this shouldn't stop people with fillers from being vaccinated.

Scientists are beginning to understand the natural biological processes that control aging, and they have made exciting discoveries about tinkering with the process. For example, they've been able to make aged cells act like brand-new cells in lab experiments; they've figured out how to make worms live five times as long as they normally would; and they've been able to keep mice from becoming obese and from developing diabetes, kidney failure, and heart failure.

Exciting benefits of walking for heart health, including lower risk of heart attack and stroke

Why should you start walking for heart health? Walking doesn't get the respect it deserves, either for its health benefits, its value for transportation, or its role in recreation.

Aerobics, walking and health

Ever since the 1970s, the aerobic doctrine has dominated the discussion of exercise and health. In a scientific update of your high school coach's slogan "no pain, no gain," the doctrine holds that the benefits of exercise depend on working hard enough to boost your heart rate to 70% to 85% of its maximum, sustaining that effort continuously for 20 to 60 minutes, and repeating the workout at least three times a week.

Excluding the wrong foods and following eating plans that are too restrictive may do more harm than good.

If you've ever made a New Year's promise to eat more healthfully, then you know how easy it is to slip back into less healthy eating routines. "People go into these plans with the best of intentions, but sometimes they don't have the best information to support their changes," explains registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital (www.brighamandwomens.org).

Whether you've chosen an eating plan to lose weight or to address a health problem (for example, a low-salt diet to help lower your blood pressure), it's important to understand the little things that can throw you off track.