Internal and External aggressors and our own natural body clock contribute to our skin aging more quickly and can increase the potential for harmful disease.
To maintain healthy skin, it is essential to look after it well, after all skin is our largest organ and our outer most barrier to the environment.
A simple daily routine is essential to your skin health and keeping your skin in optimal condition and can be achieved in a few easy steps.
1. Cleanse – Cleansing the skin is the first important step in anyone’s skin care routine. Cleansing the skin removes impurities, environmental toxins, oil and a natural build-up of old skin cells. Finding the right type of cleanser for your skin type is important so you don’t dry it out or irritate it. Most cleansers are either wash off or milk cleansers and most recently oil cleansers that emulsify upon mixing with water. It is important that cleansers do not disrupt the acid mantle of the skin so gentle cleansers are best. A rule of thumb especially if you wear sunscreen and makeup is to cleanse twice. This ensures a thorough removal of all impurities and enables more efficient use of any additional products applied to the skin thereafter.
2. Serums – Generally speaking serums are a thin viscosity, almost water like, and are applied to the skin after cleansing. Serums range from being superficially hydrating (hyaluronic acid serums) to more potent, result orientated options when looking to treat specific skin conditions such as hyperpigmentation or melasma.
Serums can contain many active ingredients such as peptides (proteins) that help to initiate our skins natural response to produce collagen and elastin and other important cellular functions. Serums must be applied to clean dry skin for best absorption and efficacy.
3. Moisturising – Moisturising our skin is probably one of the most important steps in our skin care routines. Moisturisers help maintain a healthy skin barrier by hydrating and protecting it. Having hydrated skin not only helps the skins other functions but can also help and prevent many skin conditions from worsening.
Finding the right moisturiser depends on your skin type, age, and skin condition but generally speaking a couple of tips are to use a lighter moisturiser during the warmer months when our bodies natural oil secretions are higher and a heavier, more hydrating moisturiser in the winter or cooler months.
If you are unsure of which type of moisturiser to use. Ask for direction from your skin health professional.
4. Sunscreen – The most important step in everyone’s skincare routine is sun protection! Using an SPF daily is imperative to long term skin health and of course help in the protection from the potential formation of skin cancers.
SPF (sun protection factor) must be worn daily over the top of your moisturiser. Your moisturiser is doing one job already, your sunscreen does another so its important to use both.
There are two different types of sun protection, chemical and physical.
Chemical based sunscreen are lighter in texture and provide protection by going beneath the skins surface absorbing UV rays and dissipating residual energy as heat.
Physical sunscreens are generally thicker in texure (comprised of natural minerals such as zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide and provide protection by sitting on top of the skins surface, reflecting and scattering UV rays.
So which should you choose?
Any solar protection is better than none at all. Both chemical and physical sunscreen provide protection, so choose according to your personal preference and lifestyle. If in doubt consult with your skin health professional.
Sunscreen Best Practice: Always use solar protection, every day – even when you are not going out into the sun and reapply every few hours.
BLOG- by Victoria Branch – Dermal Therapist
