Television and magazine ads today have a strong presence in the science of skincare. The emphasis is on youthful looking skin. Their promise is – follow their lead and this will make you happy. In some cases this may be so. However, we as professionals take a more realistic approach. Our goal is to find out what products you’re using, how you’re using them, what changes you’re anticipating and how you monitor your success.
There is no such thing as a miracle in a bottle. Also there is no one ingredient that will turn back the clock. Skin care is like your life. Everything you do is an ingredient which makes your particular lifestyle. Like baking a cake everything has a purpose; an egg to bind, water for moisture, oil to smooth etc. From your attitude upon waking, choosing your breakfast nutrition, to orchestrating peace of mind. Healthy mind, body and skin are ‘a lifestyle’ commitment.
Skin care is one component in having a healthy skin. That’s our specialty! Knowing what product and their ingredients will do for you. However, everything you put into your body and how generally you treat it affects your overall being including your skin.
My experience has been that most women feel that a moisturizer is most important and assume they are getting the most out of it without preparing the skin. Have you ever polished over a dirty wood floor? Were you happy with the results? Is it the polishes fault? Cleansing and toning the skin in preparation before applying specialty serums and moisturizers works in much the same way.
In earlier articles I’ve lamented over the topic of skin’s main purpose which is keeping everything out of the body. The stratum corneum or topmost layer of skin is a unique protective inter-locked covering making it hard to penetrate for pretty much any product. That barrier has to be softened to open and allow penetration.
Professional treatments spend the first 15 minutes to soften and open the skin to get active ingredients down into a safe layer to improve the skins functioning and appearance.
Water is a natural softener but when the skin is softened your cleanser and toner have additional work do to. That is why not all people can use the same cleanser. Sensitive skins need gentle softening while oily thicker skins need ingredients to break through the oil without damaging the natural moisture level.
Vitamins are good to take internally since we are told that most foods are vitamin depleted before we get them. But of course consulting with a doctor, dietician or nutritionist may be to your advantage. Many vitamins are usurped by your inner functioning so vitamins in skin care are dedicated for the skin. The skin is the last organ to be fed by many internal supplements making it imperative for skin care to be the delivery system.
We wash and remove product with water. Tap water has a governmental controlled pH of 7. Our skin’s surface has an approximate pH of 5.5 to 6. This is a comfort zone for your skin. For example, when you’ve cleansed your face and felt tight afterward the tightness proves that this cleanser has changed the pH and may be too harsh for your particular needs. And the very fact that water is a pH of 7 already has taken the skin from where it should be. That is why moisturizers feel so good when this happens. You’ve stripped the skin and remedied with a band-aid known as moisturizer. It may not be the best one for you but it solved your immediate problem.
Controlling your skin’s rate of ageing is a lifestyle commitment. Simply purchasing a jar of night cream will not get rid of the wrinkles. It starts with everything you do. It starts with a proper cleanser and continues with re-hydrating the body, protecting it, nourishing it, to a good night sleep. It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul, the skin is a statement of your overall health.
Let a professional esthetician make this part of your life easier. If you’ve had years of costly mistakes supported by the person you see in your mirror, start your lifestyle change today.