How to look after your skin

Now that you understand what your skin type is and what skin conditions/concerns you may have, you can look at how to look after your skin. I hope now you understand that cleaning your face with soap and water, whilst may work for some, will not be right for most due to the natural PH levels in our skin. In fact some products will work against our skin barrier and cause damage. Sometimes damage shows straight away and other times it will be a slow process. You could develop allergies/sensitivities or signs of aging skin develop earlier/stronger. If you are not concerned about how your skin looks, then focus your routine on improving your skin health. Having sore, irritated, unhealthy skin is not fun and can leave you in pain. As I have said before, it is often a forgotten organ when it comes to our health.

Hard truth...

It is never too late to start looking after your skin. Reversing sun damage, signs of aging is a different matter and more extreme solutions maybe needed alongside a skincare routine. A good skincare routine is not going to reverse aging but it can delay the signs. A good skincare routine can help your skin conditions and health. Our skin works tirelessly for us and if it's not looked after you can put your health at risk and it will continue to develop signs of aging (lines, uneven complexion, lack of tone, lose plump-ness etc) which is why it's never too late to start. If you are a living human, you will have skin and your skin needs care, just like the rest of your body.

Skin care is for everyone both male and females. Males have thicker skin, so their skin condition will be different and it may feel unfair that they don't need as much products to help their skin but it is just that they are different. Their skin still needs to be properly cleansed and will still have a type and will still show signs of aging.

Looking after your skin, is not hard. It is an organ, working and connected to the rest of your body so it makes sense that you look after your overall health. By this I mean, what is good for your body is good for your skin... It might seem boring but...

Eat well, a balanced diet. There are lots of resources on what this looks like. If you're unsure use the NHS app, if you're struggling contact your GP surgery as they may run programs to help you alongside a pharmacy or health coach.

Drink enough, and I don't mean coffee's or energy drinks I mean water without caffeine or sugar. Move your body, our lymphatic system operates through movement (in basic terms think puffiness), getting your heart pumping blood to bring all the nutrients to our tissues and cell regeneration.

Sleep, don't watch that extra episode - your face will tell everyone! Seriously, sleep is a very important part of our health and having a good sleep routine will benefit you.

Manage stress, I feel that stress is a part of living and what is stressful for one person can look very different to another. Do not judge or deny your stress triggers, discovery and acceptance will then help you manage what you are facing. There is a lot of resources regarding self care and mindfulness so if one practise doesn't help, try something else.

Don't smoke, it's not great for your body and it's definitely not good for your skin. Switching to vapes may help kick the habit but that is still not good for your body or your skin. The muscles used to smoke/vape will cause more lines and deplete your skin of nutrients.

Especially for skin health:

Go outside with with sun protection on your skin! We need the daylight, our skin helps with vitamin D absorption. However, we do not need to sun worship and you should wear sun protection all year round. This is due to UVA and UVB rays. The UVB rays make our skinned tanned (increases melanin production) but aka damages our skin. The only healthy tan is fake tan. It can lead to sunburn, which causes long term damage to our skin. After the initial sunburn has gone the damage can remain deeper down and can lead to different outcomes from sun spots to cancer. UVA rays are not as strong but are all year round and can penetrate through windows. The effect of UVA causes our skin to age faster. I cannot stress enough, wear sun cream! if you only do one thing, let it be this.

Clean your skin, we have to physically clean our skin - we don't physically clean our other organs but this one we do. It's not a case of show your face some water, or put it under the hot shower, your skin needs to be properly cleaned. Your face also includes your neck and upper chest so make sure this is part of your routine.

Clean skin absorbs all the fancy serums and moisturisers etc you may wish to buy so rushing this step is a waste of money and time if you like these types of products. When you have a facial, we spend time thoroughly cleaning your skin for this reason. I will write a post regarding about cleansers, it's important to choose the right product for your skin type, concern and age range. This is because you want a product that is suitable for your skin.

As I have mentioned before - use sun cream - this is the most basic and important aspects of looking after your skin. It's really important to wash sun cream off. It is a heavy product and can block pores. If not removed properly that could lead to blocked pores, acne outbreaks and future applications of sun cream sitting not working as effectively.

How to clean your skin

Use warm water - if having a shower, angle your face so the hot water is not direct on your face as this will dry your skin out. Skin that is dried out, is more prone to lines and signs of aging. Use a washcloth, this helps remove dead skin cells and the warm water helps open up pores to cleanse them. Use your cleanser as per instructions. You have purchased a cleanser so use it properly to get the most out the product. Just to add - micellar water is not cleanser - this is make-up remover. A cleansing wipe, is not as good as a traditional cleanser.

If you're still unsure or feel ready to take a step in caring for your skin, let's book a consultation or ask me a question