Skin Care Articles

Most experts advise consistently following a daily skin care regimen. Such a routine does not have to be complicated or time-consuming. It can be executed by itself or as preparation for more progressive skin care methods.

The Regimen for Your Face

Everyone has a different skin type, so the standard routine needs to be fit to work best with your skin. Skin can change from a many factors such as weather, diet, or age. In particular, the skin tends to be oilier in the summer and drier in the cold months. Menopause can bring about a change from oily or normal to dry skin. Also, a shift from a low-fat diet to that rich in certain fats (particularly essential fatty acids) can change dry skin to normal. people don't need to be as alert when in the sun.

Using Advanced/Active Treatments

For best skin care results, the basic routine is usually insufficient, especially for people over thirty. Adding a well-selected product or 2 with wisely chosen, scientifically proven active ingredients can further improve your results. For secondary products to work well with your routine you must use them properly. In particular, if you apply products to skin that has not been cleansed, the penetration of active ingredients is reduced. If you cleanse, moisturize and then apply advanced products, the results of active ingredients may still be diminished because the moisturizer has occluded some the pores.

Usual Regimens

A normal skin care routine would contain the following steps: washing/cleansing, toning (optional depending on skin type), moisturizing and sun protection.

For most people, performing the routine 2 times daily is best. Some patients with dry and/or sensitive skin may have better luck with once daily washing/cleansing but moisturizing two or more times a day. Some doctors think that exfoliation should also be part of a basic regimen. However, daily exfoliation can be excessive and may lead to chronic irritation in some people. Exfoliation once or twice a week is usually sufficient. People with fast natural epidermal turnover may need less or none at all.

Protection from ultraviolet light (both UVA and UVB) is critical for any skin care routine. A good UNA+UVB sunscreen should be put on top of your moisturizer or other treatments as a final step of the regimen whenever sun exposure is expected. It is always recommended to use a product made for protection from UV rays, however some people like to use cosmetics that contain sunblock to save time.

The best time to use secondary products is right after you washed/cleansed, rinsed and slightly patted your skin with a towel, i.e. when your skin is clean, warm and still moist. Most of the active products contain some kind of moisturizing ingredients so the need for extra moisturizer is minimal. If it is needed wait for the other products to do the job before adding anything.