Skin Care:
Posted in Skin Care on 09/06/2008 03:23 pm by umar
Skin Care:Taking good care of your skin can help keep you looking young longer. It can also add to your overall attractiveness. While our skin may appear strong and resilient there are many factors that can adversely effect our skin’s beauty. Sun,air pollution,dryness and harsh chemicals can take their toll. Even our diet has been shown to play a major role in the health of our skin. We provide dos and don’ts and insights into how you can look your best by caring for your skin.
The skin reflects and reacts to your entire being physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual. If you eat well, exercise regularly, sleep adequately and find ways to alleviate the stress in your life, your skin will reflect this healthy lifestyle.
A good skin is an asset for the future and affect not only how people see us, but how we see the world. In our current environment it is so important to protect and care for our skin.
Cleansers:
Cleansing is perhaps the most important step in your skin care routine.
Cleansers are designed to remove all traces of makeup, excess oil, dead skin cells, and dirt. Find a balanced i.e. around pH 5.5 cleanser . A cleanser should be strong enough to get your face clean, but gentle enough so that it won’t strip away your skin’s natural protective oils. The right cleansing routine can make a real difference in the way your skin looks and behaves. Very important don’t over cleanse. You don’t need to pull on your skin or rub too hard. Twice a day is fine.
How to Wash Your Face
Use a mild soap (one with low alkalinity) or appropriate cleanser for your skin type.
First, remove all makeup (tip: if a cleanser doesn’t say that it removes eye makeup, don’t use it for that purpose).
Wash your face gently. Don’t scrub! Scrubbing can irritate your skin.
Rinse your face well with lukewarm water (do not use hot water!).
Pat dry– do not rub — with soft washcloth or towel
TONERS :
Some people never feel that their skin is quite clean enough without the use of a toner after cleansing and before moisturizing.
Toners help remove surface skin cells, soap residue, and excess oil from your skin. They also remove dirt and perspiration from oilier skin types, and can tighten the skin and close pores.
Skin care products are specifically formulated for certain skin types. Using the wrong products on your skin may disguise your skin’s true tendencies. For example, harsh treatment of normal skin may make it seem dry, while poor cleansing of combination skin may make it seem oilier than it really is. Hormones, weather, diet, and other factors can also affect changes on your skin.
How do you determine your skin type? You can try this simple examination to determine your skin type:
Wash your face and do not apply any skin care product to it for the following hour. Then press a tissue to your forehead, cheeks, chin, and nose:
If there’s no oily residue on the tissue, you have normal skin.
If skin particles appear on the tissue or are evident on your skin, you have dry skin. (If dry skin does not improve after moisturizing, you may have dermatitis and should see your dermatologist).
If all areas reveal oily residue, you have oily skin.
If some areas of your skin leave an oily residue (i.e., your T-Zone - forehead, nose, chin) while others do not, you have combination skin. Combination skin is very common.
Caring for Normal Skin :
Wash your face every day, twice a day with a gentle cleanser or a low-alkaline soap (Note: the high alkaline or pH level of most commercial soaps may be irritating to women with dry skin).
Use a light moisturizer.
Protect your skin with sunscreen
(minimum SPF 15).
Avoid products that are very oily or drying.
Caring for Combination Skin :
Wash your face once or twice a day with a gentle cleanser.
Use a light moisturizer on the dry parts of your face (those not in the more oily T-zone area, which includes your chin, nose and forehead).
Use a gentle alcohol-free toner at least once or twice a week to remove excess oil.
Use only non-comedogenic, oil-free cosmetics.
Apply a non-comedogenic, oil-free sunscreen (minimum SPF 15) when you are exposed to the sun.
Caring for Dry Skin:
Clean your skin with “superfatted” soaps (contain fatty ingredients such as cocoa butter, lanolin) or creamy cleansers no more than one or two times a day. Avoid highly alkaline products as they may irritate your skin
Moisturize your skin every day. If your skin is extremely dry, you may want to apply a heavy cream at bedtime in addition to your daily moisturizer
Protect your skin from further dryness by using a sunscreen (minimum SPF 15)
If your skin is also sensitive, avoid products with fragrances or dyes
Caring for Oily Skin :
Wash your face gently with a mild, non-irritating cleanser, no more than once or twice a day. Don’t over scrub. Too much scrubbing can be irritating
Avoid using creamy moisturizers and sunscreens and use “non-comedogenic” or “non-acnegenic” products instead. Non-comedogenic products will not clog pores
Use a gentle alcohol-free toner at least once or twice a week to remove excess oil
If you think your acne is beyond self-treatment, see a Dermatologist. A Dermatologist can help you diagnose your type of acne and provide you with a personalized treatment regimen that works for you
Sun-tanning may temporarily dry out oily skin and camouflage pimples, but acne usually flares up again as the skin begins to shed dry and dead cells caused by sun exposure. Apply a non-comedogenic, oil-free sunscreen (minimum SPF 15) when exposed to the sun.
As you age, your skin becomes drier and craves moisture. Using a moisturizer can help keep skin looking young and feeling soft and supple.
MOISTURIZING:
Most moisturizers don’t actually replace lost moisture. Rather, they work by keeping your skin’s natural moisture from evaporating by forming a barrier between the skin and the air. Moisturizers temporarily trap water in the skin, plumping the skin and giving it a smoother appearance.
A small amount of moisturizer goes a long way on damp skin. For best results, moisturizers should be applied when the skin is wet after bathing to trap the water in the skin. For dry skin, a humidifier in the bedroom will also help. Tip: Showering is far less drying and irritating to the skin than taking a bath. If you must soak in the tub, do so in lukewarm water. Hot, steamy water can dissolve the body’s natural oils.
Selecting the right moisturizer depends on your skin type. Using the wrong moisturizer can have an undesired effect on your skin. For example, using too much of a moisturizer that contains oils on oily skin may cause pores to clog and lead to unwanted acne breakouts.
Beautiful skin is not just for the young; it can be yours at any age. Of course, as you get older you’ll need to adapt your skin care regimen.