How do you choose the right skincare products?
The thought of starting a new routine can be overwhelming and sometime can stop us taking steps to make changes. In the industry that is ‘beauty’ there are endless rows of products and endless celebrities endorsing brands. It can be easy to be swept up in hype and marketing and loose science, evidence and ultimately results along the way.
I want to challenge you. Don’t view your skincare as beauty. View skin-care as health, as medicine.
To get you as passionate as me about skin health I am going to go back to basics. Our skin is the largest organ in the body. It provides us with a protective barrier against infections and damage. It is crucial for maintaining temperature control and water loss. And it produces Vitamin D, an essential vitamin for healthy bodies and minds. It is truly amazing! Looking after our skin health is as important as looking after our bodies and minds. Do not view it as anything less. It just so happens that if we look after it we are rewarded by gorgeous satisfaction as well!
Strengthen your skin barrier
Your skin needs to be cleansed from day-to-day dirt, balanced and hydrated in terms of natural oils and its protective barrier needs to remain strong and stable.
If you have visited me in clinic you will know I love to describe the skin as a brick wall. A new house has lovely smooth walls, almost shiny, with no cracks or crevices in the mortar. It is strong. An older house has dully and rough bricks, with deep cracks in the mortar. It is weakened. Imagine your skin cells are the bricks and the mortar are the natural oils and support proteins in the skin. Essential oils are the mortar between the bricks. They literally stabilise the skin.
Now it is easy to understand that your cleanser and moisturiser should be more than a second thought.
Why you need the right cleanser
Dirt and chemicals can sit on the surface of the skin and irritate it directly there, breaking down the protective barrier, eating away at the wall. They can also alter chemical processes in the skin and cause damage and aging deeper down. Washing your face thoroughly is absolutely about removing dirt, but that is not the whole story. Having the right cleanser means that you you remove (and retain) the right amount of oils as well as dirt from your skin.
Find a moisturiser that is right for your skin
When we talk about skin hydration it is not just about water. It is about having the right balance of oils in the skin (I am simplifying a touch here). Our skin has the ability to make oils but depending on your skin type you may have not enough, too much, areas of both or be blessed with ‘normal’ skin. All skin types need hydration, even oily skin. The right moisturiser replaces not just water but these natural oil, in a way that is right for your skin, stabilising the bricks and replenishing the protective layer.
This is why investing in the knowledge to help you choose right cleanser and moisturiser for your skin is THE way to start any skincare routine. Without these 2 things you could be using all the actives under the sun and still have bad skin. (Let’s not get into overloading on actives here just yet!).
See improvement in your skin within days
With just some good quality ‘basics’ you will see improvements in your skin within a few days. Win! You will have less flares of skin conditions such as eczema, acne, rosacea. And when you come to add in adding in actives that are right for your skin, you will experience less irritation and see more results!
Get more from aesthetic treatments
In clinic, it is a similar story. You are really missing a trick if you are considering treatments without spending time on improving you skin care. Ultimately, if the even the basics aren’t right you see less results all round and down time may be longer. This is the case for microneedling to skin boosters, antiwrinkle treatments to dermal fillers.
Don't forget...
Before I sign off today I cannot not mention the 3rd crucial step in any skin care routine,SPF. While I will cover this more in its own blog I have to say… Any age, any skin type, SPF every single day please!
Nailing your ‘basic’ routine is the foundation for any aesthetic journey. During your consultation in clinic, we spend time breaking this down, assessing what you are using already are seeing what achievable next steps will get you results. Book in now to learn more.
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