Health and Wellbeing Tips

A typical skin care routine would include the following steps: washing/cleansing, toning (optional depending on skin type), moisturizing and sun protection. 

For most people, performing the routine twice daily is optimal. Some people with dry and/or sensitive skin may do better with once a day washing/cleansing while moisturizing two or more times a day. Some experts feel that exfoliation should also be part of a basic routine. However, daily exfoliation may be excessive and may lead to chronic irritation in some people. Exfoliation once or twice a week is usually sufficient. People with fast natural epidermal turnover may need less or none at all.

The purpose of washing/cleansing is to remove dirt, makeup, grime, contaminants and so forth from the surface of the skin. Proper cleansing not only removes impurities but also clears the way for the penetration of active ingredients you may want to apply afterwards. Cleansing may be beneficial or damaging, depending on how you do it.

Most people should cleanse their face twice a day, usually in the morning and before going to bed at night. It is best to use warm (lukewarm) water and a mild cleanser (free of harsh detergents, soaps, alcohol or other irritants). Here is the key steps and recommendations to follow:

Gently run cleanser all over your face with your fingertips for about 20-25 seconds.

 Splash running warm water in your face several times to rinse off the cleanser until there is no more residue on your skin. Do not direct the stream of water onto your face.

 Take a clean towel and gently pat your face. Make sure it remains moist.

Apply a moisturizer or an active skin care product of choice onto clean, moist skin. Massage product into your face by gently tapping with your fingers until it is absorbed. No pulling or tugging.

 Toning is often touted as an essential step in a skin care routine. It is not. At least not always. The only exception is very oily skin. If you have oily skin and after cleansing it remains sticky or oily, you might benefit from applying toner after cleansing. Otherwise toning may do more harm than good.

Most toners contain alcohol and/or witch hazel. Both are drying and irritating, especially if you have dry or sensitive skin. If you still feel you need a toner, use a soothing toner free of alcohol or witch hazel, such as alcohol-free toner with Chamomile.

You do not want to strip every last molecule of oil from your skin. Only grime, makeup and excess oil on the surface needs to be removed. The underlying thin coat of fresh sebum is best left undisturbed. Toners, especially alcohol-based ones, tend to strip everything off, leaving the skin dry and/or irritated.

 Contrary to popular belief and opinions of some experts, moisturizing is not a universal “must do” of basic skin care. Not everyone needs moisturizing. In fact, poorly selected and misused moisturizers may do more harm than good.

People with oily skin do not need to moisturize because the abundant sebum they produce has more than sufficient emollient and moisturizing effect. People with normal skin do not necessarily need to moisturize since they too produce enough sebum and other natural emollients and humectants. Under some circumstances (e.g. dry climate, frequent water exposure, etc.) people with normal skin may want to apply an oil-free moisturizer after cleansing to prevent the development of dry skin. Moisturizing does benefit dry skin (and dry areas of combination skin) by improving the skin’s barrier function, reducing irritation, sensitivity as well as creating a plushier look. However, moisturizing alone does not seem to have a major impact on the development (and prevention) of wrinkles and other signs of skin aging.

Exfoliation is a technique where the layer of mostly dead epidermal cells on the outer surface of the skin (a.k.a. stratum corneum) is removed to expose fresher mostly living cells. Potential benefits of exfoliation include fresher, brighter looking skin, better penetration of active ingredients of skin care products and, for people with excessively oily skin, a varying degree of reduction in oil secretion.

It is debatable whether exfoliation reduces file lines, but it generally does not improve significant wrinkles since its effects do not reach the dermis where wrinkles are formed.

Routine exfoliation should not be confused with deep chemical peels, laser peels and other semi-invasive wrinkle treatments methods. The idea of such methods is not to strip the dead cells from the epidermis (as routine exfoliation does) but to create controlled trauma to the dermis, the deeper layer responsible for structural integrity of the skin. The subsequent wound-healing response and skin remodeling help to wipe out some of the wrinkles. Procedures like deep chemical peels are aggressive treatments to be done infrequently by trained professionals. Their mechanism of action is different — they are not simply intense versions of routine exfoliation.