Why? How? and What?
We all have only one face we were born with that will be ours until our time here is up. Our face is the first thing people look at when we meet each other in person and lately, on video chats. It’s to our advantage then to look after it to the best of our capacity.
In order for us to optimize the image we project, we will want to have a healthy-looking complexion. A daily skin routine will help do this for us. During this process, we have the ideal opportunity to notice any issues or areas that need special attention. Also, as we age, our skin care requirement will shift and so will the products we use.
There are countless products on the market each with their own claims and uses. How do you navigate this maze that is skin care products? I hope this short blog will help clarify some of the uncertainties.
Our skin type can be either dry, oily or normal or a combination of these. This is determined by our genetics and can change over time and seasons.
Skin Cleansers:
Are products that help remove dirt, oil, makeup, pollutants and impurities that build up on our face throughout the day. This clears our pores and prepares the skin for other products or treatments we may want to use. When choosing a skin cleanser, chose one for your specific skin type and need.
Types of Cleansers:
Milk, cream or lotion will be a good choice for normal to sensitive skin. It is to be applied to your wet face then removed with water.
Gels or Foams are usually a good option for people with oily skin.
Specific Cleansers such as Alpha or Beta Hydroxy can also be used to help exfoliate daily at home.
Double Cleansing?
This is a two-step method of cleaning the skin. If you wear a lot of make up or if you work or live in a polluted environment double cleansing will be for you. The first pass to remove the make-up and SPF and the second pass simply cleanses the skin.
It would be so easy if we could just use soap. So why not? The pH on our face is approximately 4.7 (neutral pH being about 7) so it’s more acid than alkali. Soap contains sodium hypochlorite which makes it alkaline between 9-10. If we use bar soap, we disrupt the pH balance that keeps the bacterial flora on our face active and functional. Soap will also remove natural oils that help keep hydration inside the skin’s layers to keep it moist. Hydration loss will then cause an overproduction of oil from the skin which then leads to clogged pores and possibly acne.
To Tone or Not to Tone:
Toners can be confusing. There are water-based toners with added active ingredients like plant extracts and essential oils that are made to address a variety of skin types. There are hydrating toners, calming and soothing toners, and astringent toners.
What Do Toners Really Do?
They shrink pores, restore skin’s pH balance, refreshes the skin, add moisture, remove excess oil and add a layer of protection.
Some toners like rose water and vitamin E hydrate, chamomile soothes, tea tree oil helps remove excess oil and fight bacteria, Aloe Vera calms inflammation and redness and plant stem cells ingredients are used as antioxidants and anti-aging.
Moisturizers:
Our blood vessels bring moisture to the middle layers of the skin (Dermis). This moisture then travels upward and outward from these deeper layers of the skin to be released into the atmosphere.
What moisturizers do is trap the moisture in the skin to prevent it from evaporating or they restore moisture that has already been lost in the outer layer of the skin.
The types of moisturizers can be confusing but I’ll try to explain them in simple terms.
We have the older generation of Occlusive moisturizers. (ie Vaseline) They create a barrier over the skin, trapping the water inside the skin. This stops 98% of moisture loss but they can be messy clog pores and are not aesthetically appealing.
Then we have the Emollients. These would include your creams, ointments, lotions, and gels. These are usually preferred over Occlusives as they leave less of an oily, sticky feeling on the skin because they penetrate deeper, making the skin feel soft and flexible. People with dry skin will opt for the creams or ointments, combination or oily skin should opt for lotions or gels. Personally, I use a cream in the winter months and a lotion in the summer as my skin is dryer in the winter.
Humectants work by attracting moisture to the skin and locking it in. Their chemical composition includes hydroxyls (oxygen and hydrogen atoms) which love water. Humectants also stimulate the production of ceramides, which is our skin’s natural waxy molecules that support the structure of the skin.
In dry conditions, humectants draw moisture from the skin cells in the lower layers instead of the air. Over time, this could lead to dryer skin. Therefore, it’s better to pair a humectant with an occlusive which would seal in the moisture.
Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is one such humectant. One gram of it can adsorb six liters of water or 100 times its own weight. Aging skin can reduce this effectiveness. In any case, when HA applied to the skin, the result is a visible improvement in the skin’s moisture and complexion. HA is often added to serums, lotions, creams and injections.
When to Apply a Moisturizer:
We should be applying a moisturizer in the morning and in the evening with our oral care routine like brushing our teeth.
Daytime moisturizers should contain sun protection factors (SPF) and a blend of antioxidants that address insults created by environmental exposures and damaging sunlight. If your moisturizer doesn’t contain SPF you should apply one that contains at least 40 SPF after your moisturizer before heading outdoors.
The night moisturizer should aim to soothe, calm and repair the skin from the day’s traumas. For this purpose, they would contain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to help with the repair process.
Therefore, your basic skin care routine should start with a skin cleaner for one or two passes, followed by a toner and the moisturizer with SPF for daytime. Add a SPF lotion if your moisturizer doesn’t contain one. You must re apply the SPF if you are outdoors for many hours.
Why should we pay more for professional or pharmaceutical grade products?
Cosmetic or retail skin care products only work on the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Pharmaceutical grade or professional skincare products penetrate deep into the thick subcutaneous layer of living tissue called the dermis; and they are required to contain 99% pure active ingredients.
Also, consumer retail products are produced in very large batches and lack active ingredients, at least at a concentration to actually have an effect on the skin. Professional products have higher quantities and percentages of those active ingredients to ensure efficacy.
If you would like to use a professional brand of products, speak to your aesthetician regarding skin care products that are appropriate for your skin type. They usually have one or two specific brands that they use and recommend. At LCI Medi Spa, where I provide medical aesthetics, we use Vivier and Derma MD skin care lines.
I hope this helps demystify basic skin care. In my next blog, we will dive into the types of intense skin care treatments like serums, masks and eye creams.
Chi Medical Aesthetics 