Heather Goff, MD, MPH, is an associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Heather Goff, MD, MPH

2025 Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) Fall Conference

 in San Antonio, Heather Goff, MD, MPH, associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, presented a session titled ‘Lifestyle in Skin Health and Disease.’

, Goff highlighted takeaways from this session.

 In this segment of her discussion, Goff touched on how to advise patients regarding the use of sunscreen and inform them on its long-term skin health impacts.

Impacts of Sunscreen and Diet on Skin Health and Lifespan, With Heather Goff, MD, MPH

“Keeping their skin looking even in tone, in texture, and keeping it looking young and wrinkle-free, is one of the biggest reasons that people adopt the use of sunscreen and sun protective behaviors,” Goff explained. “It’s that they just don't want their skin to look old or look bad. It's not skin cancer that's making people use sunscreen. It's making their skin look good. So I think [we should approach] exercise from the same perspective, [stating that] your skin will actually look younger if you begin to exercise.”

Goff highlighted the reasons many patients choose to do various healthy behaviors, noting these reasons as elements clinicians may use in their advice to patients. Goff also spoke about environmental pollutants’ impact on skin health, noting ways to address such issues.

“What we can do is we can use topical antioxidants, because things like cigarette smoke and air pollution do oxidize the lipids that are in our skin,” Goff said. “It's called lipid peroxidation, and one of the major lipid peroxidation end-products is something called malondialdehyde. Topical antioxidants mitigate the formation of lipid peroxidation products…When you apply topical antioxidants, or you're eating more antioxidant-rich foods such as blueberries, for instance, you are consuming or applying electron donors.”

Goff also highlighted a notable element to lifespan increases among older adults, noting the value of exercise and social activity.

“If you reach the age of 60 and you haven't died…the biggest thing that is going to play a role in life expectancy from age 60 to age 80 is actually one’s level of physical activity and lean muscle mass,” Goff said. “But once you reach age 80, interestingly enough, the role of exercise and sociability flips, and how social you are actually tends to be the biggest predictive factor when it comes to achieving a long life expectancy and a life that feels rich and full.”

View Goff’s full video for more information. For any further information on topics such as these, presented at SDPA, check out the latest conference coverage page.

The quotes implemented in this video summary were edited for the purposes of clarity.

Goff had no relevant financial disclosures to include.

Goff H. Lifestyle in Skin Health and Disease. Presented at the Society of Dermatology Physician Associates (SDPA) Fall Conference, November 5-9, San Antonio, TX.

Goff H. Tips on Advising Dermatology Patients on Diet and Lifestyle Choices, With Heather Goff, MD, MPH. HCPLive. November 6, 2025. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/tips-advising-dermatology-patients-diet-lifestyle-choices-heather-goff-md-mph

Videos

This segment of Goff’s SDPA Fall 2025 interview features a discussion of dietary changes and sunscreen use as a means to improve skin health.

 in San Antonio highlighted tips for clinicians in advising patients about exercise, diet, and lifestyle shifts to improve skin health.

Heather Goff, MD, MPH, associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, presented this session and spoke with the 

 editorial team on-site about the biggest takeaways for clinicians. She was first asked why she felt this topic was important to share with attendees at the SDPA meeting.

Tips on Advising Dermatology Patients on Diet and Lifestyle Choices, With Heather Goff, MD, MPH

“One of the reasons that I chose to talk about lifestyle and skin health and disease is that we may be some of the only physicians that a patient may interface with in a year or two years, and a lot of the things that we actually see our patients for end up being something like a routine, benign skin check,” Goff said. “...But in my opinion, any opportunity to interface with a patient is an opportunity to engage with that patient and do things to help them extend their lifespan and their health span.”

Goff highlighted several major points noted in her SDPA session, including misconceptions among patients regarding exercise and its connection to skin health. As she points out, weightlifting and aerobic exercise can make skin appear younger and healthier.

“The big takeaways from a lifestyle and skin health and disease [perspective] would be that you should move around as much as you can, and the age at which not moving around really starts to seem to make an impact is around age 40,” Goff explained. “If you don't pick up those lifestyle choices by then, it's not to say that you never will…It's just that these are the big opportunity years that we have to increase our muscle mass, to maintain our muscle mass, to maintain our health, and to do things while we're still healthy, so we're not trying to do things after disease has already set in.”

Goff noted the value, among patients of all ages, of exercising to improve body health and skin health at the same time.

“We have a need for the pharmaceutical industry, and we have a need for what that can offer us, because it helps in situations where simple fixes don't do the trick,” Goff said. “But there's never going to be a pill that does what exercise does. Exercise is going to hit multiple domains. For instance, weightlifting improves dermal elasticity. It improves the thickness of the dermis, so your skin will look younger if you begin weightlifting or even doing aerobic activity. It also helps with indices of depression. It lowers blood pressure, and it lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease.”

For any additional information on topics like these presented at SDPA, view the 

The quotes used in this summary were edited for the purposes of clarity.

Oizumi R, Sugimoto Y, Aibara H. The Potential of Exercise on Lifestyle and Skin Function: Narrative Review. JMIR Dermatol. 2024 Mar 14;7:e51962. 

In this interview at SDPA Fall 2025, Goff highlights several takeaways from her session on lifestyle and diet choices among patients in the dermatology space.

Heather Goff, MD, MPH

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