Even the priciest creams and products may not keep your skin fresh and young if you are not practicing appropriate skin care. In fact, for truly luminous skin the best trick or tool is simply good maintenance. Whether you are looking to preserve your looks or to reverse early signs of aging, our guide of tips and tricks for essential – effective – skin care should help.
Clean Up & Simplify Your Cleanser Routine
We all know enough to cleanse our skin daily, but unfortunately some women make the big mistake of over- or under-cleansing, with unattractive results. Quick tips: • Never skip, even in the winter – Some women make the mistake of foregoing cleanser because they worry about robbing their skin of the oils it needs to stay supple. In fact, facial tissues are so sensitive and tend to build up toxins so quickly, even if acne is not a problem for you, cleansing is still a must to keep your skin free of damaged cells and to help it repair itself.
• Be gentle – While a good cleanser won't dry out your skin, bathing in ultra-hot water or for very long amounts of time certainly can. Scrubbing your face afterward (instead of patting it dry) is another common, destructive habit that damages skin and causes it to roughen, harden, and wrinkle much faster. Persistent texture problems need to be dealt with specifically, but scrubbing only compounds the problem.
What to buy: A mild exfoliating cleanser is a must. If you decide to enhance your tissues' night-time repair by washing up in the evening as well, many dermatologists are recommending the new foaming cleansers from companies like Aveeno® and Neutrogena®. Follow up with an unscented moisturizer.
Also consider: At-home alpha hydroxyl peels every few months can cleanse skin more deeply and thoroughly, and help stimulate even better regeneration.
Clarify & Tone – from the Inside Out
Skin cancer awareness campaigns have us all paying more attention to how the sun damages our skin's aesthetics and health, but sometimes we spend so much attention on topical treatments and environment-focused changes, we easily forget the "inside" factors. Like any other organ, your skin relies on healthy blood chemistry to stay vibrant and nourished, and even small compromises can have obvious consequences. What to do:
• Take your vitamins – A women-specific multivitamin that includes a good dose of Vitamins C and D can make a subtle but significant difference in your skin's firmness, softness, and elasticity. Topical Vitamin E in facial lotion can also help, but it's not a must –upping your intake of fruits, nuts, and dark greens is actually more important.
• De-stress – Beyond just creating "frown lines," stress and anxiety cause big chemical changes to everything from your digestion to your skin surface. These changes speed up your skin's degeneration directly, leaving you looking old before your time, and the best way to prevent them – and enable your body to repair itself afterward – is to find ways to relax.
What to Buy: For a multivitamin, try a women's specific option like Centrum Women's or Women's One a Day. Additional Vitamin D and C supplements should not be necessary, but upping your intake of orange and yellow fruits rich in both vitamins definitely helps.
"Stresslessness" is not exactly something you can buy, but if this is a problem area for you, consider joining a yoga class or adding a new exercise routine – recent studies have found that exercise improves psychological health immensely by reducing stress, anxiety, and even depression.
Also consider: Most nutritionists offer one-time meetings to help women who are already on the right track find out how to make sure their diet fosters healthy tissues.
Clean Up & Simplify Your Cleanser Routine
We all know enough to cleanse our skin daily, but unfortunately some women make the big mistake of over- or under-cleansing, with unattractive results. Quick tips: • Never skip, even in the winter – Some women make the mistake of foregoing cleanser because they worry about robbing their skin of the oils it needs to stay supple. In fact, facial tissues are so sensitive and tend to build up toxins so quickly, even if acne is not a problem for you, cleansing is still a must to keep your skin free of damaged cells and to help it repair itself.
• Be gentle – While a good cleanser won't dry out your skin, bathing in ultra-hot water or for very long amounts of time certainly can. Scrubbing your face afterward (instead of patting it dry) is another common, destructive habit that damages skin and causes it to roughen, harden, and wrinkle much faster. Persistent texture problems need to be dealt with specifically, but scrubbing only compounds the problem.
What to buy: A mild exfoliating cleanser is a must. If you decide to enhance your tissues' night-time repair by washing up in the evening as well, many dermatologists are recommending the new foaming cleansers from companies like Aveeno® and Neutrogena®. Follow up with an unscented moisturizer.
Also consider: At-home alpha hydroxyl peels every few months can cleanse skin more deeply and thoroughly, and help stimulate even better regeneration.
Clarify & Tone – from the Inside Out
Skin cancer awareness campaigns have us all paying more attention to how the sun damages our skin's aesthetics and health, but sometimes we spend so much attention on topical treatments and environment-focused changes, we easily forget the "inside" factors. Like any other organ, your skin relies on healthy blood chemistry to stay vibrant and nourished, and even small compromises can have obvious consequences. What to do:
• Take your vitamins – A women-specific multivitamin that includes a good dose of Vitamins C and D can make a subtle but significant difference in your skin's firmness, softness, and elasticity. Topical Vitamin E in facial lotion can also help, but it's not a must –upping your intake of fruits, nuts, and dark greens is actually more important.
• De-stress – Beyond just creating "frown lines," stress and anxiety cause big chemical changes to everything from your digestion to your skin surface. These changes speed up your skin's degeneration directly, leaving you looking old before your time, and the best way to prevent them – and enable your body to repair itself afterward – is to find ways to relax.
What to Buy: For a multivitamin, try a women's specific option like Centrum Women's or Women's One a Day. Additional Vitamin D and C supplements should not be necessary, but upping your intake of orange and yellow fruits rich in both vitamins definitely helps.
"Stresslessness" is not exactly something you can buy, but if this is a problem area for you, consider joining a yoga class or adding a new exercise routine – recent studies have found that exercise improves psychological health immensely by reducing stress, anxiety, and even depression.
Also consider: Most nutritionists offer one-time meetings to help women who are already on the right track find out how to make sure their diet fosters healthy tissues.
