Who would not want to have a flawless and glowing complexion? But how often it is that we take our skin for granted, we see ourselves in the mirror every day yet often we don’t see our skin right before us – even when the skin is the largest organ of the body!
The skin plays a critical role in maintaining our health – it provides a protective barrier against external environment and bacteria or toxic substances, helps to regulate our body’s temperature and allow us to feel sensation such as touch, warmth or cold. Taking care of your skin starts with knowing the basics of good skincare.
Here are six skincare tips for you to achieve great skin.
Knowing your skin type
Taking good care of your skin starts with knowing your skin type. This is the important first step because it will determine your skincare routine to follow and the types of skincare products which are suitable for you.
Skin types are commonly classified into four types – Normal, Oily, Dry and Sensitive. There is a fifth type known as Combination, with different skin types in the T-Zone area and cheeks. Remember, aging skin is not a skin type. Aging is a natural process and everyone has to deal with aging skin at some point in time.
If you have normal skin, you are among the lucky ones. Your skin is well-balanced and healthy, with a smooth texture and blemish-free complexion. Oily skin is due to the over-production of sebum by the sebaceous glands. Oily skin is often characterized by the presence of acne. Causes of excess sebum include genetics, stress, hormone imbalance or medications.
Dry skin is largely due to the skin producing less sebum, which provides a protective barrier against moisture loss. Your skin feels dry and rough. Sensitive skin often suffers from irritations, redness or itchiness. Sensitive skin can be affected by allergies, exposure to external factors such as sun or use of wrong type of skin care products.
You can read more about skin types here <link to skin type>
Build your own personal skincare routine
Once you have determined your skin type, it is time to move on to building your own personal skincare routine. A typical skincare routine will consist of a number of steps and may look like this, in order:
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Serum
- Acne / Spot Treatment
- Moisturiser
- Sunscreen / Night Cream
Design the skincare routine to suit your skin type as well as any existing skin conditions. Once you have a skincare routine which is suitable, it is time to commit to the skincare routine.
Remember that your skin conditions may change due to the natural aging process, changes in health, hormonal balance, exposure to external factors such as sun exposure and stress factors. You don’t have to change entirely your skincare routine but make the changes to respond to your skin conditions.
Understand your skincare products
There are an astronomical number of skincare products in the market. Making an effort to understand the different skincare products and the active ingredients which are suitable for your skin type is worthwhile. The type of skincare products you should use is determined by your skin type or by specific skincare issues you may encounter at any point in time.
For example, if you have to deal constantly with acne problems, a product with Micro Silver – a potent anti-bacterial and anti-inflammation agent – will definitely be an advantage. If you have dry skin, consider a powerful hydrating booster such as Hyaluronic Acid. For aging skin, Vitamin C is great for its potent anti-oxidant, skin repair and skin brightening properties.
Understanding your skincare products will allow you to assemble your ideal repertoire of skincare products with the most suitable active ingredients to help you to achieve the best skin you ever dream of!
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Eat healthy and manage your stress
Good nutrition is the basis for great skin. Foods that are good for general health are usually good for the skin as well. These include food high in anti-oxidants, such as carrots, apricots and other yellow & orange fruits and vegetables, tomatoes, dragon fruits, apples, berries, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, peas, lentils, fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel. In fact, many plant extracts such as apples, chamomile flowers, green tea and burdock root have many good skin benefits and are widely used as active ingredients in skincare.
Avoiding or minimising processed foods, foods high in refined sugars and carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats in your diet. You can read more about food for a fabulous skin here. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/eat-your-way-fabulous-skin
Manage your stress level
Your stress level or anxiety can affect the conditions of your skin and the body’s overall health. For example. when you are stressed, many of us have experienced acne outbreaks. In fact, one recent research has shown that anxiety and stress are factors which exacerbate acne conditions. This is especially worse if you have oily skin and acne-prone skin. Stress can also dry out your skin and prolonged stress will make your existing skin problems worse.
Get enough sleep and exercise
The term “beauty sleep” aptly refers to how sleep will affect your skin conditions. Studies have shown that poor quality sleep is associated with increased signs of intrinsic aging, reduced effectiveness of the skin barrier function, reduced kin hydration and a decrease in skin elasticity.
You can read more about a good sleep and its effects on your skin here https://www.sleep.org/articles/how-sleep-improves-your-skin/
And don’t forget the exercise. What’s good for your general health will be good for your skin. When you exercise, you increases your heart rate and improves your body’s blood circulation – which can help to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the skin to keep the skin healthy, promotes collagen production, and promotes new skin cells which keeps the skin looking glowing and is also helpful for anti-aging, Moreover, adequate exercise helps to reduce your stress level.