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Skin Care and Anti-Aging Part 1
by Jinny Thomas, EstheticianWhen you think about how large a role your skin plays in your life and all the ways it changes daily, monthly and every year you age, it makes sense to have an on-going relationship with a skincare professional trained exclusively in the health and beauty of the skin.
Skin that is not damaged by sun exposure ages well. Look at the skin on the underside of your arm. All your skin would look like that if it wasn’t sun damaged. Sunlight breaks down collagen and elastic fibers, wearing out the surface, and creating the changes you see when you compare the unexposed skin to exposed skin. Smoking also ages your skin and makes it difficult to heal.
You can prevent further damage and undo some of the damage already done by following these guidelines.
PREVENTING FURTHER DAMAGE
- Do not smoke. (Also, second hand smoke should be avoided.)
- Use sun protection; this does not mean just at the beach or pool but every day, even while in the car.
- Hats and clothes that do not let light through are better than Sunscreen.
- Apply sunscreen with UVA/UVB protection every day.
SKIN CARE AND REPAIR
*CLEANSING - Removes not just dirt, but sebum (skin oil), dried sweat, surface bacteria and debris. The goal is to get as clean as possible without damaging the barrier of the underlying epidermis (surface layer). Some skin is more sensitive to damaging the underlying surface than others. Some skin is greasier and needs more aggressive cleaning.
Delicate skin : Use a cream or liquid cleanser according to personal preference. A good gentle cleanser that we sell is Glymed Physician Elite Vitamin C Cleanser, Pevonia Lavandou Sensitive Skin Cleanser, Solange© Lavender Gentle Cleansing Milk, Vanicream Cleansing Bar, SkinMedica Sensitive Skin Cleanser, Medicalia Gentle Cleanser, Solange© Sensicalm Gentle Foaming Wash (aka: Chamomile Calming Wash), Neova Soothing Milk Cleanser, and LaRoche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser Gentle Wipe-Off Formula.
*Cleansing Formulas that are recommended for Delicate skin also can be used with effectiveness for Dry Skin as well.
Oily skin: A good cleanser for this is a gel cleanser such as Obagi Foaming Gel, Cellex-C Fresh Complexion Foaming Gel, Fenix Therapeutic Face Wash (Gel), LaRoche_Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel, Institut DerMed Gly-Sal Purifying Cleanser, and GlyMed Plus Serious Action Sal-X Exfoliating Skin Cleanser.
If you are happy with your cleanser, you may not need to change. However, cold cream alone as a cleanser is not good.
** Coming Next Week... Part II of Skin Care and Anti-Aging **
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