Skin Care GuideThe Ultimate Guide to Skin Care

Our skin like other body parts is not invincible, when it comes to being susceptible to damage. As it is necessary to get monthly haircuts and weekly manicures as part of your grooming regime it should also be a necessity and not a luxury to take care of the most important organ of your body, the skin. And the time to start doing that is now.

Too young to care.

It may seem unimportant to contemplate doing anything about your complexions before reaching your thirties. However it is in our twenties that the effects of aging begin to be visible in our complexion. As we mature, biochemical changes occur in elastin and collagen, the connective tissues that give skin it’s firmness and elasticity. Genetics also play a part in this, which is why these changes occur at different times in different people.

As skin becomes less elastic, it also becomes drier, and the fat padding begins to disappear. This causes the skin to sag and look less supple. Ultimately wrinkles will appear. Then one day, after glancing in the mirror you suddenly notice those crows feet creeping in around the corners of your immaculately decorated eyelids, or you notice that your lip potions have sadly waded into the spider like crevices above the lips. It is normally then, when decisions are made to go out and get a miracle cream or maybe a facial.

Aging can be slowed down, and you can do your part to promote a younger complexion even as you mature. All it takes is a little TLC, but start NOW! The sooner you start to nurture your skin the more chance you have of a age-less complexion. All it takes is a short monthly visit to a skin care specialist, or a few minutes a day, taking care of your skin at home.

Skin care starts at home

Enjoying a monthly facial is an excellent idea. Having your, face, neck and shoulders massaged for an hour and a half will most definitely put you into a state of euphoria and your skin will feel revitalized and renewed. And for those of you who haven’t got time for a full treatment, you will be pleased to know that the New York style facial is now available, which takes only 15 minutes, perfect for a quick lunch hour treat. Making time for a facial is important, but more so it is of the utmost importance to maintain this caring act at home. Your skin needs twice daily nurturing to keep it clean, moist and protected and it only takes ten minutes a day.

Easy as ABC

A good skin care regime is neither complicated nor laborious. A quick 1, 2, 3 step is a great start. This means a twice daily cleansing, toning and moisturizing. it only takes 5 minutes each time, that’s just 10 minutes a day.

Cleanse: Use a liquid, cream or foam cleanser. And gently massage your face to remove all dirt and make-up. Then rinse. Do not use soaps as they can be overly drying and also clog pores.

Tone: After cleansing saturate a cotton pad, and stoke over face and neck, this will work to remove the last traces of cleanser and also close your pores.

Moisturize: Apply your cream with upward motions to both the face and neck. Avoid eye area.

This is all you need to get you well on your way to a healthy and more radiant complexion.

Your only young once!

This might be the case, however there is absolutely nothing wrong from being in denial of your age for as long as you fell fit!

For those concerned about skin maturity or maybe suffer with problem skin there are extra steps that you can take to ensure healthy skin.

A weekly exfoliation will uncover fresh new layers of skin. Look for exfoliators that contain enzymes as these will dissolve dead skin cells without being too abrasive. This will give your skin a healthy glow.

For optimum results, immediately after using your exfoliator, apply a masque . Check the ingredient lists for anti-inflammatory agents such as cucumber or chamomile, these will work to calm and soothe your skin, so that it emerges, refreshed,, refined and revitalized. Always a good thing!

Obviously the more you care for our skin, the better you are going to look. And that alone will give you a new lease of life. There are also eye creams and gels that reduce fine lines and firm the area around the eye. Thus helping to prevent further wrinkles.

Doctor my Eyes!

Eye crèmes are a vital part of your skin care regime. The skin around your eyes is much finer than the rest of your face and body and cannot absorb a heavy moisturizer. If you were to compare the thickness of skin on the various parts of our body to paper. The delicate eye area, would be like tissue paper, the face like writing paper, and the neck and body like wrapping paper this is why it is important to use lighter crèmes that are specifically made for the delicate eye area. If you were to apply your usual facial moisturizer to the eye area, the moisturizer would have no where to go, and would in fact create puffy, baggy eyes. Also for the same reasons never use eye crèmes on the eyelid before going to sleep. However you can use an eye gel sparingly under the eye area.

Going below and beyond

Once you have achieved your basic skin care regime, your skin will be like a clean canvas ready to absorb all the nutrients found in anti-aging formulas. These include products containing liposomes, night crèmes and also serums. When crèmes containing liposomes are applied to the skin, the liposomes are deposited on the skin and begin to merge with the cellular membranes and then release their active ingredients. Serums go one step further, they are able to penetrate below the skin wall and attach themselves to emerging skin cells promoting healthy new skin cells. Serums come in the form of droplets and are applied sparingly under your moisturizer.

What to look for

The thought of shopping for skin care items can tedious and knowing which ingredients to look is daunting, so here are a few suggestions of what ingredients to look for when starting your skin care regime. When choosing your cleanser toner and moisturizer look for the following ingredients, which will vary depending on your skin type:

Dull dry skin… oxygenating essential oils including: Peppermint, Geranium, Rosemary, Cyprus, Thyme, Anise and Cinnamon

Oily or acne prone skin…anti-bacterial and oil blotting extracts including: Camphor, Eucalyptus Oil, and Witch hazel

Mature Skin…Liposomes, serums. Sunflower, jojoba and hazelnut are rich lubricants.

Exfoliators…ENZYMES are the gentlest and yet most effective form of exfoliation. Papaya being the most effective

Once you start on the road to good skin care, your skin will crave it. Remember, a good diet, exercise and drinking lots of water will also help improve your complexion. With just ten minutes a day you will soon see results and others will also notice.

So start your twice daily skin care regime and , when you just don’t feel like it, remember just 10 minutes a day keeps those winkles away.

Ancient civilizations made use of various natural resources as organic skin care treatments, and honey had been the most usable resource amongst them. It’s for sure that Cleopatra often washed in a rose petals and milk bath to maintain her skin soft.

Honey, included with a variety of common pantry ingredients, got a long tale to tell in terms of a natural skin care moisturizer and has been widely usable all through the centuries, chiefly by the Greeks.

The classical beauties of the period made use of honey like an organic skin care treatment to let the skin be delicate and young-looking. Dairy products were considered as a preferred of the gentry, in addition olive oil was under wraps, Italian, natural skin care recipe ingredient.

The industry of skin care has got the most out of natural items like a stand for countless invigorating natural skin products starting from exfoliators and toners to moisturizers that takes care of assorted situations comprising aging skin.

The usage of mint is often restricted as a herb for cooking, but mint being a herbal plant is widely used in Ayurveda for curing various skin ailments. Facts provide that mint has anti-inflammatory properties and it not only protects the skin from physiological damages but hydrates and rejuvenates the skin.

The following mint face-pack can be made at home for treating acne, pimples and moisturizing both dry and oily skin:

Make a fine paste of mint leaves, add rose water, a spoonful of cornmeal and egg-white. Apply a smooth coat over the face and wash-off when dry.

In a study conducted by British Journal of Dermatology, it is found that female smokers experience ‘dotty skin’.

It also says that smoking is not one reason for women developing marks on their face. Stress, pollution, hormonal alterations, occupation, exposure to steam and heat for longer hours etc. lead to non-inflammatory acne. As skin make-up varies from individual to individual so all smokers may not experience such dermatological problems.

Nevertheless, smoking is found to aggravate such problems which actually highlight health problems within. There is a world wide awareness campaign going on against smoking because smoking causes infinite damage to smokers and surrounding people.

The study also found that smoking reduces skin secretions like Vitamin E and thereby does damage to the skin all over the body. As the skin on the facial region is more sensitive than the other parts of the body and is the most exposed part of the body, the face is affected severely compared to the other parts of the body.

During teenage we develop the habit of smoking and carry on with it until we suffer from major diseases that prevent us from smoking. From our personal experiences we have found that smoking affects the color and smoothness of our lips. Lips become dark and rough.

We try rubbing lemon and honey and other home made therapies on our lips for sometime only. It is often heard that the smoker tries to stop smoking but finds it difficult to give up this obnoxious habit.

Good clothes are important as they make us look good but something more important then that is a good skin. Cosmetic Aesthetic Expert Dr. Cheryl Perlis has penned down seven tips that can make your skin the next best thing to wear. I am sure you have got my point, so, check these out.

1. Exfoliate your skin regularly so that your dry, flaky skin is no longer there. A good exfoliate will be the one which will contain Retin A, Renova or Retinols. Apart from using home remedies as defoliators, one should also go for professional peels once in a month.

2. Revitalize your skin with some good gels like Collagen and Elastin Gel by Clayton Shagal & Witch Hazel, which helps in replenishing and rejuvenating your skin. It also relieves your skin from sunburns. Other methods include a treatment with the Laser Genesis or a photo facial.

3. Make sure that you moisturize not only your face but your body to as it prevents wrinkles and helps in keeping your skin smooth which is an extra advantage. Also remember that creams replenish more deeply then lotions. Ponds cold cream is one of the best products.

4. De-Wrinkling your skin is another effective method that brings back life to your skin. Dermal fillers like Restylane and Juvederm helps adding volume, where Botox does the same too. Vaseline is one thing that can make you do away with Botox and likes.

5. Lips are an important part of our face and believe me, they can also look bad if not taken care of properly. Use good quality lip balms every now and then. A good lip balm will consist of Vitamin E and wax.

6. Hydration of your body is very important. Make sure you drink a lot of water, which actually accounts for half the weight you have.