Skin Care Basics

Skin Care Basics

Your skin is your body’s largest organ and makes up roughly 18% of your weight. It serves as a protective outer layer that keeps in moisture and keeps out invasive organisms.. It protects your organs against injury, regulates the body’s temperature and has self-healing capabilities.

The best way to maintain healthy skin is to prevent skin damage from occurring in the first place. Wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation are all the result of skin damage from overexposure to the sun. The aging process for skin is unavoidable. As we age, skin becomes dryer and thinner. Frowning, smiling or squinting, cause wrinkles over time from repeated movements of facial muscles. Stress, gravity and obesity also contribute. It also then becomes more susceptible to bruising.

The first and most important step in taking care of your skin and preventing damage is plain and simply to have a good skin care routine. Future topics will be adding products to treat some of your concerns but I’ll just start with the basics.

Skin Care Routine

A healthy skin care routine can reduce the symptoms of aging in the skin and create healthy skin in the future. :

·         Use eye makeup remover or a pre-cleansing product to remove eye makeup every night.

·         Wash your face using a cleanser made for your skin type and lukewarm water in the morning and at night.

·         Exfoliate your skin once a day. There are products for exfoliating that are only safe to use twice a week. Make sure you’re familiar with your product.

·         Apply a toner made for your skin type. This will hydrate and ready the skin for the next step.

·         Apply a moisturizer specifically for your skin type in the morning and before bed. Make sure to choose a daytime moisturizer that contains an SPF. It’s not recommended to use a moisturizer with an SPF at night.

·         Wear sunblock when outside. Always reapply as product directions specify.

·         Do not use tanning beds. Besides the obvious dangers such as burning, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation and cancer, these beds are not regulated by the government and therefor do not have to meet sanitation guidelines.

·         Maintain a healthy diet and drink lots of water. This will keep skin hydrated and healthy.

·         Get an adequate amount of sleep every day.

·         Don’t smoke cigarettes. Smoking can accelerate the aging process through asphyxiation of the skin.

·         Avoid stress. Stress causes a chemical response in your body that makes skin more sensitive and reactive. It can also make it harder for skin problems to heal.

·         Get monthly facials from an esthetician. A skin specialist can help recommend the proper products and home care to resolve issues and maintain healthy skin.