Skin Care Articles

Most experts advise regularly following a daily skin care routine. Such a routine does not have to be complex or tedious. It can be performed by itself or as groundwork for more progressive skin care treatments.

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The steps of the basic regimen should be changed to fit your skin type. You should remember that your skin type can change with the season, diet and age. For example, the skin tends to be oilier in the summer and drier in the winter. Menopause often brings 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 turn dry skin to normal. Skin color affects the degree to which you need sun protection. While the sun damages any skin, the damage is far less in dark-skinned people. Conversely, light skinned people need to be more particular about sun protection, i.e. minimizing sun exposure, choosing an the right sunscreen and applying it the correct way.

Normal Programs

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

For most people, executing the routine two times daily is best. Some people with dry and/or sensitive skin may have better luck with once daily washing/cleansing but moisturizing two or more times a day. Most doctors agree that the routine should incorporate exfoliation, but not excessively. A few times a week is sufficient for exfoliation, however some can go without any exfoliation.

One of the most important steps in the routine can be preservation from the UV rays, sun block should be applied as the final step anytime there will be exposure to the sun. It is always recommended to use a single product for protection from UV rays, however some people like to use cosmetics that contain sunblock to save time.

Progressive Solutions

For best skin care benefits, the basic regimen is usually insufficient, especially for people over 30. The addition of a well-selected product or two with wisely chosen, proven active ingredients can further improve your results. For secondary products to work well with your routine you must use them properly. For example if you try and use the secondary treatment without proper cleansing, it will not be 100% effective because it can't work past the oil and dirt on the skin. The over use of the cleansers can also reduce the results of the medication, so be sure to do the research prior to mixing treatments.

A good 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 slightly moist. Since many of the active products have moisturizing ingredients, you can usually skip a separate moisturizer whenever you apply such a product. If you think you need more moisturizing, wait a few minutes for the active product to finish, and then apply any moisturizer over it.