10 Ways to Better Looking Skin

Cleanse twice a day.

In the morning, cleanse your face in the shower. This is important because skin works over time at night. If your skin is oily, it produces the most oil while you are sleeping. If you put make up on top of oil produced from the night before, bacteria can get trapped in between and cause a bacteria build up. If skin is dry, a moisturizing cleanser helps restore moisture that you lose at night in cold weather or with the air conditioning running all night. If your skin has any grade of acne, cleansing the skin in the morning and before bed is vital. We don’t physically feel blemishes growing underneath our skin. It happens overnight or during the day under our make up or sweat we produce. Cleansing the skin in the morning starts the process of combating whatever happened during the night. Cleansing before bed gets rid of make up residue. Men’s skin tends to be oilier than women’s but doesn’t get the make up build up that women do. Women, don’t forget to take off eye make up! Men, a good cleanse after a work out is a good rule of thumb.

Use a toner.

There are several reasons to use a toner or a gentle astringent after cleansing the skin. A cleanser does not necessarily get everything off the skin, especially if the cleanser is foamy product. Keep in mind that foam only sits on top of the skin; the cleanser underneath is doing the actual cleaning of the top layer of skin, the epidermis. Toning the skin with a mild product after you cleanse, not only balances your ph, but also helps to get extra dirt, oil and make up off the skin that your cleanser didn’t get. Use a cotton pad for best results. A brownish color will usually appear. This is dirt, bacteria, pollution and old make up. Guys should tone their skin too. Toning will steer oil build up around the nose, and larger porous areas on the skin. Toning prepares skin for the next step of your routine whether it’s a mask or a moisturizer.

Moisturize.

Think of your skin as a plum. What happens to a plum when it doesn’t get any moisture? It turns into a wrinkly prune. This happens to our skin too. Moisture is essential to all living thing and this includes your face and body. All skin types need moisture. There are two types of dry skin. Dry and moisture deficient, being that your skin does not produce the moisture it needs. Both types need a good moisturizer to replenish what is not naturally there. Dry skin that flakes and gets little moisture becomes dehydrated. When your insides become dehydrated, what does it do? It acts out, you get sick. Skin does the same, it acts out, it flakes, it breaks out and becomes irritated or itchy. On the flip side, people who have oily or acneic skin don’t think they need moisture. Think again! Your skin is constantly producing oil. When you cleanse, tone and try to get rid of the visible oil, because you think that is what is making you break out, your skin immediately starts to replenish the oil that you have just gotten rid of. An “oily” plum will most certainly still turn into a wrinkly prune, it just might take a little longer. A dab of a very light or gel based moisturizer will keep the skin healthy. It is very important to moisturize after shaving the face or legs. Your skin will thank you in 40 years!

Exfoliate.

We have all heard this term, now do it! It’s easy. This goes for the face and body. Once a week is fine, twice a week is better! First, determine what type of skin you have. If your skin is thick and oily, an aggressive scrub will most likely not irritate your skin. If your skin is hyper sensitive, meaning anything you put on your face or body gets a reaction, like redness or itchiness, then a very mild exfoliator is necessary, however once a week use is probably sufficient. Combination skin or dry skin can handle a mild to medium textured scrub. Acenic skin should see a doctor or esthetician before using any harsher products. Wash your hands thoroughly before exfoliating. Put a dime size of the product on the tips of your fingers and use circular motions all over the skin. Don’t forget about the creases around your nose, forehead and cheekbones. After a few minutes, rinse with warm water. Exfoliators help slough off dead skin. Dead skin does not immediately fall of the skin, it needs help. Dead skin that sits around eventually compacts making it harder to get all the bacteria out of the skin. Un exfoliated dead skin can also cause in grown hairs. This is why it is extremely important for men to exfoliate their faces before shaving. Exfoliating the skin prepares it for the aggressive razor. Get all of that dead skin out of the way, so the razor can reach the hair easier. Any old, dead skin blocking the hair will certainly cause irritation, bumps, and possible breakouts. For the body, keep a body buffer and body scrub in the shower. There are hundreds of brands to choose from with all types of textured ingredients. Walnut shells, jojoba beads and apricot kernels are very popular ingredients for body scrubs. Try one that suits your skin and your nose!

Get a monthly facial.

If you can afford it, it’s a must! A monthly facial with a professional esthetician will do wonders for your skin. Not only do Day Spas use expensive and professional products, you get procedures done that you just can’t do at home, such as facial massage, extractions and steaming. Estheticians are trained to do special facial massages. When all those great products are being put on the skin, a special technique is used to not only thoroughly cleanse all areas but the sinus areas are opened up, your pressure points are stimulated and your overall circulation gets better. The face needs circulation too. Humans trap all kinds things in the facial area, water, congestion and much more. Massage helps. Extractions should only be done professionally. Estheticians use special techniques, such as exfoliating, using a steamer to keep the pores open, and a special magnifying glass to see and get out what we can’t see just by looking in the mirror. There are all kinds of skin particles that come out of our pores, large and small. Black heads, milia (white heads) and active blemishes. Let a professional do this procedure. Scarring can occur if not done properly. Products used in a spa are professional grade and are not available over the counter. Most of them you can purchase and can use at home. Others are used during the facial and not available to consumers in retail sizes. Using products that are used in your facial is a great way for your skin to maintain its healthiness and overall appearance and keeps your skin prepared for it’s next facial. A gentleman’s facial is very relaxing. A massage on the scalp, face and décolleté are a usual part of the protocol and is well worth the money!

Research skin care products.

Before spending a lot of money on different skin care products,do some quick research. Advertising can be deceiving. Remember, nothing can get rid of wrinkles, cellulite or genetic acne. There are products and procedures that can reduce the appearance but never fully eradicate the inevitable. It might take years to find something that works for your skin. Seeing a dermatologist is great, but remember, dermatologists are doctors who prescribe and treat skin diseases like psoriasis or grade 3 acne. If you have the occasional break out or flakiness, do not spend the money on a doctor; get a facial with a thorough skin analysis from a professional. Those cosmetic counter ladies do not count! Then, start researching skin care that could be right for you. There are different levels of skin care. Grocery store products (this includes Target and Walmart); over the counter (Lancome, Estee Lauder) and professional brands that can only be purchased in a Spa. These products are usually the most expensive, but overall the most effective. If you can, get samples from each of the categories and try them out on your skin. If the store bought products seem to keep your skin healthy, your pocket book will thank you. If you need spa products, save up! Your skin will thank you, as long as you are taking care of it and taking time to not over use or irritate. If something works, keep using it. It takes a few weeks for your skin to get used to a new product. Skin does become immune to products over time, but it is good to change with your skin, don’t work against it. Just because you have a break out, it could be due to hormones or stress. Younger eyelids don’t necessarily need an eye cream, however in your late thirties, both men and women will certainly benefit from a nightly eye treatment.

Wear sunscreen.

This is a no brainer. With the amount of skin cancer on the rise, there is really no excuse. The sun protection factor is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen product. The higher the SPF, the more protection a sunscreen offers against UV-B or the ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn. The SPF indicates the time a person can be exposed to sunlight before getting sunburn with a sunscreen applied, relative to the time they can be exposed without using a sunscreen product. There is a lot of confusion about what SPF type of product we should get. 5, 10, 30? Here is a tip: someone who would burn after 12 to 15 minutes in the sun would expect to burn after 2 hours if protected by a sunscreen with SPF 10. The SPF is actually an imperfect measure of skin damage because invisible damage such as aging, pigmentation and sunspots is also caused by ultraviolet light (sun), which does not cause reddening or pain. There are several cosmetics and skins care products on the market with SPF, use them! European products have a different measure all together. If you live in an area with a lot of sun and wind, use a sunscreen everyday. If you are going to the beach or the park, don’t count on your moisturizer or pressed powder. Use an SPF 30 with titanium dioxide and don’t wear make up. Re apply every 2 hours, despite what the bottle says. Be safe and don’t burn!

Wash your make up brushes & throwaway disposable razors.

Dull blades and dirty brushes are a recipe for bad skin. Used make up brushes trap all kinds of things, old make up, oil and dead skin. Good cosmetic brushes are usually made from squirrel or soft goat hair and are very dense to trap powder to transfer to your face. Just as it traps color, it also traps bacteria, which goes back and forth from make up to your skin, day in and day out. The more you use, the more oil and dirt gets trapped in the brushes. This doesn’t help our skin stay clean. Sponges are even harder to keep clean. Think of the sponges in your skin and the food that it traps in its pores. Brushes and sponges need to be cleaned. Once a month, use a brush cleaner to get excess color, dirt and bacteria out of your implements. Lay them out on a clean washcloth or paper towel. It usually takes around 24 hours for them to dry, in this case, you might want to keep a back up set of brushes. Disposable razors need to be thrown away when they become excessively dull and dirty. Not only are they useless, but also they trap dead skin, hair follicles and sometimes blood. You might not be able to see it, but it is very much trapped in there. Razors can also rust and this is never good for the skin. When your razor is not doing a very good job of shaving hair on the body and face, it has run it’s course and needs to be disposed of. New razors aren’t nice to the skin at first, but they are clean, new and will be comfortable to use in time. When they are too dull, it’s time to go! Keep your implements clean and safe and your skin will thank you!

Throw away old make up and old skin care products.

Even though most cosmetics and products have preservatives, they also have a shelf life. A time line of how long they can sit on a shelf unopened and a life span of how long they will last once the product is open, which is typically displayed on European products but slowly crossing over to American bottles and jars. Un opened shelf life is usually around 3 years. Products are made up of several ingredients, water or aqua typically being the first. After 2 or three years an opened product will start to separate. The heavier, creamier substances will move to the bottom and oils will move to the top of the bottle. Even if you shake the bottle, the ingredients will separate, emulsify (go back to original state) and become inactive. All ingredients, active and inactive are important. They balance each other out to make the product work, just like medicine. When ingredients become inactive, they are useless and unfortunately, the product needs to be thrown away. When opened products go bad, it is even more important to get rid of them. Opened products get contaminated immediately from air elements, dust, dirt and dead skin get in, even if you can’t see it. Also, whatever type of product it is, over time, the excess will start to dry up and clog the lid. Opened products will eventually separate over time as well and need to be thrown away. If you have a moisturizer longer than a year, watch for signs of the product getting old and when it does, it is time for a new one, do not use it up, you might have a reaction to an ingredient that has gone rancid. If the product has a bad smell, get rid of it and open your new bottle. Products these days are concentrated and made to last, but they still go bad and need to be disposed of.

Do not smoke.

Smoke does severe damage to skin, teeth and nails. Nicotine use can stain teeth and nails a yellowish color. Premature facial wrinkling in young people is associated with smoking. Research has been done on several age groups to see the effect of smoking on premature aging. A higher degree of premature facial wrinkling was observed among current smokers by comparison with non-and past smokers. Those who had smoked heavily at a younger age in the past had less facial wrinkling than current smokers. Researchers considered this indicated a strong correlation between cigarette smoking and skin wrinkling. The smell and toxicity of nicotine gets trapped in our pores and causes a horrible smell when opened. Yuk! Smoking is bad for the skin, period. If you want better skin and you are a smoker, you should consider a different habit!

For better looking skin, remember the golden rule: treat it, as you would like to be treated, with tender loving care!