Confused about the perfect skin care regimen?????
The key is to understand your skin type, choose suitable products and then design a simple, short and effective routine. A few minutes diligently spent every day are enough to maintain a healthy and glowing skin.
I have tried to outline the six pillars of a basic skin care regimen and the tips to customise them based on your skin type.
Cleansing is the most important part of skin care. It prevents deposition of dirt and toxic substances in the skin pores. A cream based face wash once a day works best for dry skin. For combination or oily skin gel based face wash should be used twice a day. Always pat your face with a soft napkin or tissue; never rub it.
Toning is another key step often missed though it literally takes only few seconds for toner application. Toner does wonders to your skin and should be immediately applied to the neck and face after cleansing. Use a cotton ball for application. Toners with high alcohol content work well for oily skin. However they should be strictly avoided for dry skin as application would cause further moisture reduction. Natural toners containing rose water or aloe vera extract work best for dry skin.
Moisturising follows cleansing and toning as an essential step. Oily or acne prone skin does not need a moisturiser is simply a myth because moisture and oil (sebum) produced by skin are completely different. For oily skin, water based products work best. Same goes for if you are in the hot and humid weather. Oil based moisturisers are more suitable for dry skin and cold dry weather. Apply a coin sized portion to the neck and face twice daily with upward strokes. For the body, lotions work better than creams and are easier to apply.
Sunscreen application is a must irrespective of the weather. Ultraviolet (UV) rays affect the skin even in cloudy weather or when indoors and are responsible for 90% of skin ageing. UV exposure results in uneven skin tone, pigmentation, fine lines wrinkles and even cancer. Even if makeup has some sun protection factor (SPF) in it, sunscreen should not be avoided. SPF 30 sunscreen applied thrice daily with a gap of three hours should be sufficient to protect the skin against UV damage. If you have an oily skin try the gel-cream based formula ones rather than avoiding sunscreen application completely. If you are going to the beach or are going to be directly exposed to the sun for a longer duration suitable higher SPF sunscreen should be applied.
Exfoliation is important to get rid of piled up dead skin. Skin’s capacity to regenerate its outer layers slows down with age resulting in piling up of skin cells on the surface. This gives a dull appearance to the skin and hinders penetration of skin care products like moisturisers rendering their application ineffective. Apricot scrubs generally suit all skin types. Exfoliate your skin once a week.
Facials offer face massage which promotes lymphatic drainage and improves blood circulation. It is important that the massage strokes are applied correctly. Go for a facial at least once a month from a qualified therapist.
(written for City Masala magazine [Florida, USA] Sept’17 issue)
dermagirl 