Let it Glow: Get your skin in shape for the holidays! by friend and Dermatologist, Dr. Noelle Sherber

If you want to be mistletoe-ready and radiant for the holiday parties ahead, now is really the time to start prepping your skin. What can you do that will make a significant difference in the look of your skin by Thanksgiving? Exfoliate!! Even if you're already using an exfoliant, here's a guide to get glowing:

{I've tried to give you links to as many of the products I mention as possible on www.sephora.com since now through 11.3.10 you can get 20% off everything with the Friends & Family code FF2010.}

Scrubs are commonly used exfoliants, but they only whisk away dead surface skin cells - while they can make your skin feel smoother, they can also be irritating, especially for acne-prone skin. If you love scrubs, a sugar scrub used in the bath or shower prevents you from over-scrubbing since the crystals will dissolve on your warm skin before you have a chance to overdo. Fresh makes brown sugar scrubs for face and body that are moisturizing and exceedingly spa-like. One of my favorite affordable luxuries: Sara Happ Lip Scrub in Brown Sugar buffs your lips to perfect softness {this makes a great stocking stuffer, as I have yet to meet someone who doesn't love it}... Afterwards, you should moisturize by slicking on either the matching Lip Slip if you want something glitzy, La Mer lip balm if you want something more deeply hydrating, or there's always trusty Aquaphor, which remains one of the best lip balms ever.

Moving on from the scrub-a-dub approach, enzymatic exfoliants rely on ingredients from papaya (papain) and pineapple (bromelain) to dissolve dead skin cells. These are great for sensitive skin and for mommies-to-be {in pregnancy, salicylic acid should be avoided in particular}. The advantage of these is that you really can't use them too often - I recommend them for daily use to keep your skin smooth, clear, and soft. AmorePacific's Treatment Enzyme Peel has added EGCG antioxidants from green tea, and its just-add-water powder formulation makes it truly perfect for travel!

Alpha hydroxy acid exfoliants like glycolic acid, lactic acid, and malic acid are the best for anti-aging because they stimulate collagen production, in addition to freeing up surface dead cells to be rinsed away. Beta hydroxy acids like salicylic acid dissolve in oil, which makes them better for clearing out your pores than for anti-aging. {If you're having frequent or persistent breakouts and want your skin to be clearer by New Year's Eve, now's definitely the time to see a board-certified dermatologist since acne treatments take 2 months before significant improvement becomes noticeable.} An easy-to-use system with a mix of alpha and beta hydroxy acids is MD Skincare Alpha Beta Peel, which comes in versions for face and body.

So, how to mix the perfect holiday cocktail of exfoliants? I like multitasking products that rely on a synergy of all of the above ingredients - Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment has enzymes plus alpha and beta hydroxy acids, as well as beads that you use to give a gentle slough after the treatment has been on for a few minutes. The key is to treat skincare like exercise - do something every day! You might want to do an acid treatment over the weekend when you have more time, a scrub when you need a pick-me-up, and then rely on non-irritating enzyme products on the other days of the week, for instance.

If you're a fan of the quick fix, an in-office procedure {like the MicroLaserPeel which is very popular with my patients before the holidays} can make dramatic improvements in texture and tone with just one treatment.

A few other tricks to be a real glow-getter: apply a super-hydrating hyaluronic acid serum like SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel after you exfoliate, and dab on a few extra drops where you want to have a fresh-scrubbed sheen, like the top of the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose.

Wishing you and your skin a bright and beautiful holiday season!

Noëlle Sherber, M.D., F.A.A.D.