If there’s one area of beauty most of us would like to improve it’s our skin.
I have had major problems with mine in the past and envy those with flawless complexions. Having a face like a pizza or even a small crop of spots is no confidence booster and it seems like we just get over typical teenage skin problems before we start worrying about wrinkles and age spots.
But skin does respond well to treatment in extreme cases and to a good skin care routine in others and you can improve the condition of whatever skin your genes have landed you with.
Looking After Your Skin in 10 Steps
Of course, there is much more to keeping your skin looking its absolute best than there is room for in this article and we will be looking at each skin condition over time and assessing the very best products and routines but as a starting point these steps will serve as a checklist for improving your skin and you should see quite an improvement if you follow them religiously especially if you have not been looking after your skin very well in the past.
Work Out What Type of Skin You Have
A perfect skin care routine is different for everyone and it depends very much on your skin type. Your skin may be normal, oily, sensitive or dry and you may have accompanying conditions to manage along with your basic skin type. For example open pores and blackheads are often a feature of oily skins. You might also have skin showing signs of damage from the environment or aging such as liver spots or thread veins. Once you know what you are dealing with, you can use suitable products to improve your skin. Using products which are not right for your skin can make things worse.
Choose Products to Match Your Skin Type
Look at the labels when choosing products to make sure they are suitable for your skin. You may even have combination skin (with an oily central panel and drier areas on your cheeks) and need to use different products on each area though if your skin is neither excessively oily nor excessively dry in those places you can usually manage with gentle products for normal skin.
Cleanse and Moisturize Twice a Day
Making sure your skin is clean before putting on makeup and removing makeup and dirt before you go to bed are steps that you must not neglect if you want beautiful skin. Soap and water are generally too drying even for oily skins so use a gentle cleansing product. You can remove this with a toner designed for your skin type or remove the residue with a clean face cloth wrung out in warm water. Then moisturize with a suitable product designed for either nighttime or daytime use.
Protect From the Sun
Even low levels of sunlight can damage your skin and cause premature aging. During the day and throughout the year, use a moisturizer containing sun protection to help prevent sun damage. This will protect you during low levels of sunlight. If it is sunny you need to use a sun block under your moisturizer and maybe a sun hat if you want to keep your face properly protected.
Exfoliate
You can prevent a lot of breakouts and problems by exfoliating your skin. This sloughs off the topmost layer of dead skin cells revealing fresher skin underneath and this removes flaky skin and helps prevent clogged pores. It also means that skin is more open to the benefits of moisturizer and other treatment.
Watch Out For Changes
Even normal skin which has no excessive dryness, oiliness or other problems can change over time and skin often changes between winter and summer, so whatever skin type you have, keep reassessing if your skin care products and routine are working well for you.
You Might Also Like |
||||||||
|
Stay Healthy
You can take lots of supplements for healthy skin but the best thing you can do for it is to lead a healthy lifestyle. Get plenty of rest, sleep, fresh air and exercise and eat a healthy balanced diet. Avoid smoking, alcohol and excessive stress. Drink plenty of plain water to keep your system hydrated too.
Avoid Stretching Your Skin
You can damage your skin by constantly pulling at it, so avoid that whenever possible. For example, when you do your eye makeup avoid pulling your eye area. One of the worst things you can do to your skin is losing a lot of weight especially if you lose and regain the same ten or twenty pounds over and over. The constant stretching and shrinking of the skin is no help at all to skin tone. If you have a lot of weight to lose, do so slowly so that your skin has a chance to shrink along with you. That means no crash starvation diets either.
Be Gentle
Whatever skin problems you have will not be helped by being rough with your skin. This can cause flare ups and redness. Choose the gentlest products you can and use them with a light touch. No skin needs punishing!
Get Professional Help
If you have any problems with your skin, by all means try over the counter remedies and solutions. These will help in many cases, but if you are unable to solve skin problems with these then seek professional help. Some of the best facials and techniques are only available in spas and salons which have specialist equipment and technicians. There are also many very effective treatments for problem skin which are only available on prescription through your doctor.