Q: Why does my skin wrinkle and sag?

A: The way your skin ages is determined by two factors: 1) Intrinsic – based upon your genes; and 2) Extrinsic – based upon your lifestyle. Fortunately, who your parents are accounts for only 20 percent of how your skin ages. The other 80 percent is determined by how you treat your skin: sun exposure, smoking, nutrition, stress level, etc. Of these, by far the most significant is UV light exposure from the sun, which breaks down collagen and elastin (molecules that form the scaffold supporting our skin), and directly damages DNA, which is critical to cellular function. It also creates free radicals, which then react in the cell to cause random biological damage. These effects result in 90 percent of the premature aging of our skin. Loss of integrity of structural molecules like collagen and elastin then allow the skin to fold and to sag. So certainly don’t smoke, and pay careful attention to what you eat, but most importantly, protect your face from the sun.­

— Reginald D. Rice, Jr., M.D.
Board Certified, Facial Plastic Surgeon
4300 Golden Center Drive, Suite D, Placerville
530-344-2000, ricemedgroup.com

Q: I just began renovating my kitchen. When is the appropriate time in this process to install the new hardwood floors?

A: New hardwood floors should be the very last project done on your kitchen remodel, unless you have a separate finish contractor doing your baseboard and cabinet shoe moldings. Keep in mind that most flooring contractors are trained and well-equipped to perform finish work, so you should be able to have the flooring installer be the last contractor in your home.

­— Jared Sattler
Dick’s Carpet One Floor & Home
6516 Commerce Way, Diamond Springs
530-642-4200, dickscarpetone.com