Skin care routine

I am nearly 50 years old, but people still ask me what my skin care routine is. Today's topic is going to be a skincare routine, which is both very important and a little bit confusing for most people.

I mean, this is such an important topic, and a question I frequently receive is, "What ingredients should I be using? Should I be mixing? When should I be using these? How often?" As a result, today I am going to provide some general guidance as well as my own personal tips on how you should build your skincare routine.

I like to think of skincare as a pyramid, with the base being the basic steps, which are really what everyone should be doing regardless of their age, their skin care objectives, and what they're trying to achieve, and the middle tier being the products and ingredients that you would like to include to help you target and achieve your specific skincare objectives, whether those are anti-aging, such as reducing fine lines and wrinkles, acne, or hyperpigmentation, hydrating, etc.

These may be ingredients or extremely pricey products that you may only want to use occasionally, or products that should only be used occasionally due to the way they are structured, or things that simply make you feel better because self-care is a part of skincare, so let's start with the basics and discuss what the essentials of skin care are.

Before anything else, we must consider the skin as a functioning organ. Just as we exercise to keep our hearts healthy, we must adopt daily routines to maintain the health of our skin. Cleaning, moisturizing, and protecting are the three essential steps that maintain skin health.

Because only healthy, functional skin will allow you to accomplish all of your other skincare objectives, having healthy skin is important. As for how frequently to be doing these things, it really depends on your skin type.

Firstly, use the cleansing at the very least cleanse once a day and the most important cleanse is in the evening or before you sleep to thoroughly remove all the oil dirt. Trying to treat acne and trying to tackle hyperpigmentation or fine lines without doing the basics will get you nowhere and frequently cause more irritation and exacerbation of what you're trying to achieve.

Second, you should always moisturize, cleansing without moisturizing can result in even more dry and dehydrated skin, so moisturizing should follow cleansing now in the morning for those who only just wash their faces with water. You should also always use a moisturizer whenever your skin is wet from water or cleansing.

Lastly, sunscreen is also necessary. UV radiation is the skin's biggest enemy when it comes to environmental aggressors that cause skin damage and skin aging, so sunscreen that should be used throughout the day is definitely something that should be incorporated into your daily routine. That's the foundation.

And if you are looking for something different, here are some examples for you. Topical retinoids (some people know it as vitamin A) and alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), especially glycolic acid (Glycolic acid is a water-soluble alpha hydroxy acid that is derived from sugar cane.), are the two main ingredients that you should have in your routine if you're looking for something extra in the middle tier, particularly for anti-aging.

Topical retinoids help stimulate collagen and improve the dullness and texture of the skin. The two actually work really well together, but even though they work well together, we don't recommend using them at the same time unless you can find products that will minimize irritation. Alpha hydroxy acids help with gentle exfoliation but have also been shown over time to stimulate collagen and skin's natural hyaluronic acid production.

I do not recommend layering retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids in the same routine so how may you incorporate these two in your routine using retinoids on a regular basis if you're able to maybe four to five nights out of the week and then incorporating a glycolic acid.

To help with the fine lines and stimulation of hyaluronic acid, leave-on treatments are really what's most effective, so i recommend alternating on a nightly basis or splitting them up based on your days of the week, or even between morning and evening depending on how well your skin tolerates them. Wash off masks are also great if you're just trying to remove some dead skin, which is also a crucial step when trying to achieve a more youthful radiant skin.

If you don't know where to begin, I would recommend starting with these two ingredients. When it comes to treating acne, a similar strategy can be used, but the fundamentals of skin care are still crucial because, as we know, acne-prone skin already has a skin barrier that is somewhat unhealthy due to the inflammation caused by acne, so if you use too many acne treatments or jump right into them without moisturizing and properly cleansing, it actually makes things worse.

The other issue is hyperpigmentation, which makes using sunscreen and maintaining a healthy skin barrier more important than ever. This is because hyperpigmentation is caused by inflammation, which gets worse by dry, itchy skin, which in turn feeds into hyperpigmentation. In addition, many brightening products can also irritate the skin, making it even more crucial to use sunscreen and maintain a healthy skin barrier.

You may potentially achieve your skincare objectives while also having a lot of fun with skincare. I hope you found this article helpful. Please leave a comment below letting me know what skincare routine you currently follow. Thank you for reading.