Basic skin care routine
Most experts recommend consistently following a daily skin care routine. Such a routine does not have to be complicated or time-consuming. It can be performed by itself or as groundwork for more advanced skin care treatments.
What's My Skintype?
Before we start with the proper daily 4-step skincare routine, you'll need to know your skin type. How you care for your skin is utterly dependent on the type of skin you have: oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive or sun- damaged. Find out what skin type you have?
Know your skin type. Choose products and develop a skin care routine based on your skin type: oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive, mature or even sun-damaged skin.
For example: skin that has rosacea should not use a scrub or overstimulating products.
For your personal skincare consultation call Myra 714-612-2733.
Typical steps
For most people, performing the routine twice daily is optimal. A typical skin care routine includes the following steps:
- Cleansing
Use a cleanser meant for your skin type FC5 N/O or N/D or a self-adjusting cleanser like RE9 Gelee Foaming
- Exfoliate (once or twice weekly)
Exfoliation is the step most people skip in their weekly skincare routine. But trust me, if you start properly exfoliating your skin, you will notice an almost immediate difference. One of the reasons men's skin looks more youthful than women's is because men tend to exfoliate daily when they shave. There are several ways to exfoliate skin: Scrubs, Microdermabrasion, chemical peels and retinoids.
Scrubs work by removing the top layer of dead skin cells that tend to dull your complexion. We find exfoliating skin once a week with a microdermabrasion kit keeps skin glowing year-round.
Make sure you use a gentle scrub with tiny grains. Big grains in cheap scrubs can have sharp edges and tear your skin, this can cause more harm than good.
- Toning (optional depending on skin type and/or product line)
- Moisturizing
A good moisturizer will penetrate, moisturize and benefit the skin. You do not want to use a moisturizer with mineral oil/petroleum products as it will clog your pores and dry your skin.
- Protection
The number-1 cause of wrinkles is sun damage, so it's important to use sunscreen from your early years on even in winter and on cloudy days.
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Optimize for your skin type
The steps of the basic routine should be adjusted to fit your skin type. You should keep in mind that your skin type may change with the season, diet and age. In particular, the skin tends to be oilier in the summer and drier in the winter. As you age, you can adjust your routine to address your changing skin.
Menopause often brings about a change from oily or normal to dry skin. You may need to supplement with a balancing cream. (see Phytoprolief/Prolief)
Shifting from a low-fat diet to that rich in certain fats (particularly essential fatty acids) may turn dry skin to normal. Skin pigmentation affects the degree to which you need sun protection. While sun damages any skin, the damage is far less in dark-skinned people.
Fair skinned people need to be particularly meticulous about sun protection, i.e. minimizing sun exposure, choosing an effective sunscreen and applying it frequently and consistently.