Skin Care 101

Did you know skin is body’s biggest organ?

Skin plays an important role in protecting us against pathogens (things that causes disease) and excessive water loss. The skin covers and protects everything inside the body. It helps keep body at just the right temperature and allow us to have the sense of touch.

The skin keeps infections out of the body and keeps us from getting sick. Thus, it is crucial that we take extreme measures in taking care of our skin. By doing so, you are helping your skin do its job. Early care of your skin will help prevent future problems like wrinkles and even skin cancer. Most people dream to have skin that is healthy inside and radiant outside. They concentrate on skin care for their face because it is most noticeable and the most sensitive part of the skin.

Clean skin is happy skin. The easiest way to keep your skin happy is by keeping your hands clean. This is important because our hands can spread germs to the skin. Another way of keeping our skin healthy is by doing a daily skin care regimen. A daily skin care regimen should include:

Cleansing

Cleaning twice day to remove plain dirt, pollutants and all that ends up on your face.

Exfoliate

Dead surface skin cells give skin a dull look. Do this 2-3 times a week.

Tone

A good toner is essential to refine pores and tone the skin. It should be used each day after cleansing and after removing a mask. A toner will also help to remove any stray makeup or dirt which may have been missed by the cleanser.

Moisturize

Moisturizing your skin help keeps the skin cells hydrated, thus making the skin softer and more youthful. Apply moisturizer after every cleansing. It is a misconception that people with oily skin doesn’t need moisturizing because everyone’s skin needs moisturizing. They should know that one of the reasons their skin is oily is because it is lacking moisture and it is trying to compensate. When you apply foundation, it glides on smoother and is less streaky looking.

Protect

Skin needs daily protection from the sun and environmental pollution. A good foundation with SPF (sun protection factor) will help protect the skin from damage.

When talking about skin care regimen, most people will think of everyday skin care routine. But apart from that, you should also include your diet and water intake in your skin regimen. When doing skin care regimen, the products used must be suitable for your skin type. Your skin type is determined by how much or how little oil your skin produces. Genes, diet, stress level, medication and even daily skin care regimen all determine how much oil your skin produces. Rona Berg, the author of best-selling Beauty:The New Basics suggests a skin test to see which type your skin belongs to. Wash the face, pat it dry, take a few pieces of tissue paper and press on different spots on the face. Generally there are 5 basic skin types;

Normal

If skin is normal type, the tissue will not reveal any traces of oil. It looks clean and smooth and has a good circulation and healthy complexion.

Dry

If the tissue doesn’t stick or pick up any oily spots, your skin is dry. If skin is dry type, your face will feel flaky, dry and tight after you wiped it. It can easily develop wrinkles, fine pores and also prone to aging and irritating.

Oily

If your skin is oily, the paper will stick, pick up oily spots and become translucent. Problematic area of oily skin is the cheeks, nose and forehead. The skin looks greasy, thick, coarse and shiny. It has enlarged pores and tends to break into acne. On the bright side, oily skin is not prone to aging and wrinkling.

Combination

When you wipe your face, people with combination skin will have traces of oil coming from the nose and forehead but will be clean in the areas that touched the cheeks. This type of skin has patches of both dry and oily skin and it requires different types of care.

Sensitive

The skin is usually very dry, tends to feel tight and becomes inflamed and irritated easily. It develops reddish and scaly areas, can be itchy and tingly, and prone to breaking into spots. It is most problematic and fragile type of skin.

If you use the right products regularly, you will go a long way toward protecting your skin.

source: skinway