5 Simple Skin Loving Changes to Make Now
By Kendall Farr, Licensed Esthetician, SPADA Skincare
Is it time for a review of the skin care products on your bathroom counter? Maybe you have never developed a specific skin care routine. Or you have, but you aren’t consistent in using it. Or maybe it’s the multi-step regimen you bought that seemed like the solution to all your skin issues, but it hasn’t produced visible results. In the spirit of self-care for Valentine’s Day, why not love-bomb your skin with expert guidance and a new routine that addresses your skin type and specific concerns?
Evolve Your Skin Care
Using skin products in a thoughtful, targeted way is the most efficient way to care for your skin. Whether your issue is inconsistency (you frequently skip cleansing your skin) or zealotry (you are ‘all-in’ and over exfoliate with scrubs or peels in the pursuit of glowing skin) it’s smart to reevaluate your routine periodically. Are you using the right formulations and active ingredients for your skin at your stage of life? Our skin evolves and changes with age and the progressive hormonal shifts that happen with the aging process. If you haven’t changed your skin care routine for decades, you are not giving your skin the support it needs to thrive. More to the point, you are not aiding the cellular turnover that keeps your skin regenerating, healthy and more youthful looking.
5 Essentials for Healthy Skin
1. Skincare 101 – The Double Cleanse
The best way to cleanse your skin is with a non-drying, sulfate free cleanser that’s formulated for your specific skin type. Be sure you’re cleansing correctly. Cleansing once in the morning and then double cleansing in the evening is the most effective way to remove all traces of oils and pigments from make-up, impurities, and pollutants, not to mention the 30,000 to 40,000 cells your skin sheds every day.
Skipping a cleanse (or doing a half measure like splashing a bit of water on your face) causes film that contributes to surface dullness, dehydration, and congestion that creates those bumps under your skin’s surface, milia, or acne breakouts. When you don’t remove deep-set dirt from your pores, any serums or moisturizer you apply are rendered virtually useless. They can’t penetrate the film left on your barrier. Try a cleansing oil that deeply penetrates the skin like G.M. Collin Sensiderm Cleansing Oil for a soothing and effective first cleanse that breaks up surface grime. Follow this with a cream or gel formula cleanser for your second cleanse. Read more about the right way to cleanse your skin here.
2. Use SPF. Every Day
UV damage is the number one cause of skin aging. You may have landed on a great skin care routine but if you are casual about SPF—or skip it altogether—you are doing irreparable harm to your skin. Daily, consistent sunscreen application is critically important for ‘face preservation’. And this goes double for the thin and vulnerable skin on your neck and chest. It’s important to completely shield both areas with separate and adequate applications. Every day. G.M. Collin SPF 50 High Protection Veil offers broad spectrum mineral protection that feels light on the skin. For a clean, tinted mineral formula plus hyaluronic acid, smooth on G.M. Collin CC Cream for coverage with a dewy finish.
3. Use Vitamin C Serum
A potent antioxidant, vitamin C prevents or reduces cell damage by fighting off the highly reactive molecules known as free radicals. And its power isn’t limited to antioxidant protection. It also triggers the skin to strengthen itself through the production of collagen and elastin. There’s more. Vitamin C contains a property that inhibits the skin’s melanin production, the process that causes brown spots and hyperpigmentation. With regular use, it can help prevent dark spots from forming in the first place.
Choose a serum with L Ascorbic acid, the most stable form of vitamin C. Consistently proven to penetrate the skin at the deepest levels, its effectiveness increases with an assist from Ferulic Acid, a plant-based antioxidant. This power duo is found in G.M Collin Vital C15 Serum a light, silky formula that contains 15 percent L Ascorbic acid, Ferulic Acid, plus Camu Camu an antioxidant extract derived from plants native to the Amazon rainforests. Read more about vitamin C here.
4. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Simply put, drink water. Lots of it. Sugar, alcohol, and elevated stress levels impact the skin in a range of negative ways. One issue they all aggravate is chronic dehydration, a condition that leaves skin looking uneven and dull. You may also experience fine lines, itchiness, and flakiness. Drinking lots of water keeps all your organs well hydrated. For the largest organ of your body – your skin – increased water intake keeps skin cells well hydrated, reducing dryness and aiding skin elasticity. Drinking water also boosts blood circulation and helps to flush out toxins that cause inflammation.
5. Prioritize Sleep
An irregular sleep routine is bad news for your skin. While we sleep our skin goes into repair mode, replacing damaged or dead cells with fresh new ones, and repairing any environmental damage. Good sleep increases blood flow to the skin and contributes to its essential structural work, like rebuilding collagen and elastin. Skimping on sleep (get eight hours, more if you can), prevents this vital maintenance work from happening and instead increases levels of inflammation. And inflammation is aging. A lack of sleep also aggravates conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, and allergies. Sleep is skin’s natural rescue remedy so allow your body the time it needs to restore itself for the next day.
Skin love equals incremental change. Adding simple steps to your routine each day (and night) will lead to lasting skin improvements. Consistency is the key. If you are confused about the best way to launch a new routine, book a facial with one of SPADA’s skin pros now.