Skin care is a crucial part of any beauty regimen. It can make or break your complexion, and it’s a daily practice that shouldn’t be skipped.
While every person’s skin care needs may differ based on their unique needs, most agree on the basics: washing with cleanser and slathering on moisturizer. However, the order in which you apply your products is also crucial.
Hydration
Hydration is one of the most important factors to consider when putting together a skin care routine. Without it, your other skincare goals are going to be much harder to achieve. Learn here about essential skin care advice for more tips.Hydration allows your skin to complete its innate function of acting as a natural barrier against external stressors and irritants. This means that it’s able to keep out things like dirt and bacteria, and is also more resilient against the aging effects of the sun, pollution, and other harsh conditions.
The first step in ensuring proper skin hydration is to drink plenty of water each day. This will help to give your skin a healthy glow and help to prevent signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. Drinking water is also helpful in reducing the appearance of dark spots and other discolorations, as well as regulating oil production and minimizing breakouts.
Incorporating a moisturizing serum that contains hydrating ingredients into your routine is also a great way to add some extra nourishment to the complexion. This is especially effective for those with dry skin, as it can help to plump the cells and smooth out the texture of the skin. If you’re struggling with dryness, you may also want to avoid hot showers or baths, and use a humidifier in the winter to help maintain an ideal environment for your skin.
You should also make sure to rinse and wash your face in the morning and at night, depending on your skin type. If you have oily skin, it’s best to wash your face both in the a.m. and p.m. to balance the pH levels, while those with dry skin can usually get away with washing in the a.m. and using a hydrating serum at night to ensure that their complexion is adequately hydrated.
It’s important to note that while hydration is essential for the skin, overdoing it can be detrimental. Hydration is best achieved through drinking water and applying a nourishing moisturizer that includes hydrating ingredients, rather than excessively washing the face or applying an exfoliating toner with drying ingredients.
Exfoliation
As we age, the skin’s natural cell regeneration process slows down. This means that dead skin cells start to accumulate on the surface of the skin, which can leave your skin looking dull and dry. Exfoliating helps remove these dead skin cells to promote healthy cell turnover and keep your skin looking fresh and radiant.
There are a few ways to exfoliate, including physical scrubbing and chemical exfoliation. Chemical exfoliants use ingredients such as glycolic acid or salicylic acid to dissolve dead skin cells on the skin’s surface. This type of exfoliation is better suited for those with sensitive skin because it doesn’t require physical contact and is less likely to cause an allergic reaction.
Physical scrubbing involves physically rubbing the face with a scrub to remove the outermost layer of skin cells. While this type of exfoliation can be effective for those with oily or thick skin, it may be too harsh for those with drier or more sensitive skin. Physical scrubs can also tear the delicate facial tissue, especially if you overdo it.
Regardless of your skin type, you should always exfoliate with care. If you have sensitive skin, opt for a chemical or physical exfoliant with smaller granules such as ruby crystals or jojoba beads. These granules are more uniform in size and shape so they’re less likely to irritate or tear the skin. It’s also best to exfoliate your skin no more than once or twice a week.
Exfoliating can be one of the most important steps in your skincare routine, but it’s important to do it correctly. Whether you choose to exfoliate with a chemical or physical product, or both, it’s important to use a gentle cleanser before and after exfoliating. This will ensure that you’re not removing too much of your skin’s protective barrier and expose it to unnecessary damage.
If you’re using a toner that contains an exfoliating ingredient, it’s best to apply it in the morning before everything else. If your toner is non-exfoliating, you can use it at any time of day. Just be sure not to combine an exfoliating product with a retinol or other products that can disrupt your skin’s natural pH balance.
Sunscreen
The sun is one of the biggest causes of skin damage, which is why it is so important to protect your face and body from the sun’s UV rays. Sunscreen can help prevent sunburn, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and other signs of aging and, when used regularly with other protective measures like wearing wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses and covering up with clothing, can significantly lower your risk of skin cancer.
A good sunscreen should contain a broad spectrum of protection. It should block both UVA and UVB rays, which can cause sunburns and cellular damage that leads to skin aging. A great sunscreen will also contain ingredients like soothing niacinamide and ceramides, which can help restore your skin’s natural barrier.
Sunscreen should be applied generously and regularly (at least every two hours) when spending time outdoors, even on cloudy days. Choosing a product with a higher SPF value is also important as it will provide a greater level of protection.
If you are unsure what type of sunscreen is best for your skin tone, it’s recommended that you visit a board-certified dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon. They will be able to recommend the most effective and safest sunscreen for your skin type.
It is also important to note that sunscreen should be used year-round, not just during summer months or when going on vacation. Because the sun’s UV rays are present all year round, protecting yourself from them on a daily basis is vital to preserving your skin’s health and beauty.
A sunburn can be painful and uncomfortable, but it is even more dangerous in the long term. By making sunscreen a daily part of your routine, you can dramatically lower your chances of developing skin cancer, which is more common than you might think.
A sunscreen can be as easy to use as your cleanser, toner and moisturizer. It can be easily found in most beauty stores and comes in lotion, cream, stick and other forms, so it is possible to find a product that will work for any skin type or age group.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a science-backed, dermatologist-favorite ingredient that may slow early skin damage, prevent sun damage, and improve the appearance of wrinkles, dark spots, and acne. It also functions as an antioxidant, fighting harmful free radicals that come in contact with your skin from the outside (like air pollution) and from inside your body, like the way your metabolism works.
While you can find vitamin C in a wide variety of skin-care products, serums are typically the best choice because they contain higher concentrations of the ingredient and have smaller molecules that penetrate more deeply into the layers of your skin. If you decide to add a serum to your routine, Ordovas recommends starting with one containing less than 10% concentration and working your way up over time to avoid irritation or redness. You should also patch test a serum before applying it to your face (and any other acidic products, including retinol) to make sure you don’t have an allergic reaction.
It’s important to choose a high-quality product because “not all forms of vitamin C are created equal,” Dr. Chiu explains. She recommends choosing one formulated with L-ascorbic acid, which is the only form of vitamin C that’s known to be active and easily absorbed into your skin. Other forms of vitamin C are not active and need to be converted into L-ascorbic acid by the body, which can decrease their effectiveness.
In addition to brightening and soothing the skin, topical vitamin C can also help prevent hyperpigmentation, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, fade discoloration, and soothe inflammation. It’s also been shown to boost collagen production, and “when paired with vitamin E, it can improve antioxidant performance for even better results,” Dr. Chiu says.
Just be careful to avoid using vitamin C at the same time as other exfoliants or harsh treatments, because this can cause an overabundance of hydroxy acids in your skin that can cause redness, peeling, and flaking. You should also avoid combining it with alpha-hydroxy acids, such as glycolic or lactic acid, or beta-hydroxy acids, such as salicylic acid, because they can change its pH and render it ineffective, Dr. Chiu warns.
