At home skin care is necessary to keep your skin looking as healthy and youthful as possible. Without a regular skin care routine your skin is more likely to experience wrinkling, dryness and flaking or breakouts. Taking care of your skin doesn’t require a lot of time if you develop a routine that works for you. A simple four step process is all most people need.
First things first: Know your skin type. Is your skin oily, dry, combination (normal) or sensitive? Do you have extensive sun damage? Oily skin is generally shiny, especially in the T-zone (forehead, down the nose to chin) and is often prone to blackheads and breakouts due to the overproduction of oil in the sebaceous glands. Dry skin feels tight, especially after cleansing. There is a tendency to develop fine wrinkles, flaking and red patches. Combination is just that, areas of both oily and dry with a slightly oilier T-zone and dryer patches on checks and possibly forehead. Sensitive skin tends to be thin, and delicate with fine pores. Irritation from sun, cosmetics, red patches and itchy spots generally mean sensitive skin. Sun-damaged skin tends to have wrinkles, broken capillaries and often darker patches, a leathery texture and feels tight. Once you determine your skin type you can obtain the correct products for at home use. For the benefit of this article all products recommended will be from the DermAware line.
Step 1: Cleanse. Avoid bar soaps. Period. Remove eye makeup with a makeup remover. The skin is so delicate and sensitive you don’t want to pull or rub too hard. For Oily skin, Foaming Cleanser is best for oil and shine control. For Dry skin use Heavy Cream Cleanser with hydration control. For Combination/Normal skin, Anti-Oxidant Cleanser with age and pigment control is a good choice. Sensitive skin should use Pure & Gentle Cleanser with redness and acne control. Sun damaged skin will benefit from the Wrinkle Free Cleanser, however if severe dryness is an issue, the Heavy Cream Cleanser could also be used as well as the Anti-Oxidant Cleanser if skin type is more normal but with sun damage.
Step 2: Exfoliation. This is the step most people skip in their weekly skincare routine and it is arguably the step that will show the most noticeable immediate results. Facial scrubs, microdermabrasion and chemical peels all do the job. Chemical peels can take up to a year from your face in just a one hour appointment. DermAware’s Nitty Gritty Scrub is a great every day scrub. End of the Line Gels and Lotions are a wonderful nighttime mini-peel.
Step 3: Moisturize. This is especially crucial if you have dry skin. Always moisturize after exfoliating. If your skin is tight it is telling you it needs moisture. DermAware’s Anti-Oxidant -Super Hydration and Wrinkle Recovery moisturizers target extra dry, dry and post peel or microdermabrasion skin. The Oil Free Anti-Oxidant Moisturizer targets oily, combination and sensitive skin.
Step 4: Apply Sunscreen!!!! The number one cause of wrinkles is sun damage so it is crucial to use a daily sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher even in winter and on cloudy days. Use a moisturizer with sunscreen to eliminate a fourth step. The best trick is to buy two moisturizers -One for day with sunscreen and one for night. Do not use moisturizers with sunscreen at night as the ingredients in them are not meant to be worn 24/7 and can aggravate skin especially when slept on. For a great day time moisturizer with sun protection try DermAware’s Screenplay SPF 30.
