Skin Care Articles

Most dermatologists advise regularly following a daily skin care routine. Such a routine does not have to be complicated or tedious. It can be performed by itself or as preparation for more advanced skin care treatments.

The Regimen for Your Skin

The steps of the general routine should be changed to fit your skin type. You should remember that your skin type can change with the season, diet and age. One change can be a result of menopause, women have been know to change from oily skin to dry skin while going through menopause. A change in the diet can also impact the skin, a diet that has more fat will cause the skin to produce more oil.. Although the sun will be harmful to any skin, the color of skin makes a difference in the type of sunscreen needed. Light skin needs more care while dark skinned.

Radical Cures

For best skin care benefits, the basic routine is usually insufficient, especially for people over 30. The addition of a well-selected product or 2 with wisely chosen, scientifically proven active ingredients will further improve the outcome. For secondary products to work well with your regimen you must integrate them into the process properly. For example if you try and use the secondary treatment without proper cleansing, it will not be 100% effective because it will not work past the oil and dirt on the skin. The over use of the cleansers can also reduce the outcome of the medication, so be sure to do the research prior to mixing treatments.

Typical Steps

The most common daily method for skin care would require washing, toning, moisturizing, sun protection.

For most people, performing the routine twice daily is optimal. Some people with dry and/or sensitive skin may have better luck with once a day washing/cleansing while moisturizing two or more times a day. Most experts feel that the routine should contain exfoliation, but not in excess. Exfoliation once or twice a week is usually sufficient. People with fast natural epidermal turnover may need less or none at all.

One of the most important parts of the regimen can be safeguard from the UV rays, sun block should be used as the final step anytime there will be exposure to the sun. Some people use skin care products with added UV blockers. It is always better than no sun protection at all and it can save time. However, using a single, specially formulated sunblock appears to be more effective.

A good time to apply 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. Most of the secondary treatments contain some kind of moisturizing ingredients so the need for additional moisturizer is minimal. If it is needed wait for the other treatments to do the job before adding anything.