How to Take Care of Your Skin

 

We know how important taking care of your skin can be but what’s the best way to implement a skincare routine? It can be difficult, especially if you’re coming in blind. Here are some things you need to know about skincare and products you should try out. 

How to Take Care of Your Body Skin

Your skin is the largest organ of your body and believe it or not, it is your body’s biggest line of defense between you and infections. That’s why it’s incredibly important that you take care of your skin, especially as you get older. Proper skincare and a healthy lifestyle can help delay natural aging. Here are some of the benefits (1) of a skincare routine”

  • Results - When you implement a skincare routine, you refuel your skin every day, boosting the self-healing properties
  • Slow down aging - Believe it or not, our skin actually begins aging in our 20s. A healthy skincare routine can slow down the unwanted effects of aging
  • Protect yourself - As mentioned earlier, your skin is the biggest barrier between you and viruses
  • Boost your self-confidence - The better your skin looks, the more confidence you will feel in yourself

It’s important to find a skincare routine that is easy for you to follow. It isn’t something you can only do once and expect instant results. It’s a process and will take time. 

How Can I Get Flawless Skin Naturally?

You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on skincare products to achieve great looking skin. More often than not, the best, most natural products can be found in your pantry, spice drawer, or refrigerator. Here are some natural tips and some products that you more than likely already own:

  • Lemons - Lemon juice is high in vitamin C which helps lighten the skin
  • Coconut oil - Coconut oil can moisturize the skin, keeping it clean and infection-free
  • Honey - Honey is full of vitamins and minerals that nourish the skin
  • Olive oil - Olive oil has vitamin E which hydrates the skin and restores elasticity
  • Oatmeal - Oatmeal soothes the skin and exfoliates the dead skin cells

By using these products, you can ensure that you aren’t using a product that has harmful additives. 

What Should My Skincare Routine Be?

If you’re looking to keep your skin as healthy as possible, experts recommend implementing both a daytime and a nighttime skin regimen. There’s also a proper order to follow in order to get the best results. Here is the order you should follow for your daily routine at home:

  1. Cleanser
  2. Toner
  3. Antioxidant serum
  4. Eye cream
  5. Spot treatment
  6. Moisturizer
  7. Sunscreen

Here are the nigh care skin steps you should be following:

  1. Double cleanser
  2. Toners, essences, and boosters
  3. Eye cream
  4. Treatments, serums, and peels
  5. Moisturizer or night cream

Experts believe that when you apply your products is just as important as what you apply. To better ensure consistency, keep your routine simple. This will make it easier to follow. 

What Are the Best Skin Care Products Recommended by Dermatologists?

When looking at skincare product reviews by dermatologists you will notice one thing, they seem to always focus on the ingredients rather than the product itself. That’s because dermatologists are more focused on the right ingredients rather than the product. Here are some ingredients the experts recommend seeking out:

  • Glycerin - the backbone of moisturizing products
  • Ceramides (Sarah-mides) - This is naturally found in the skin
  • L-Ascorbic (ass-score-bick) acid (Vitamin C) - This is an antioxidant that works to reverse damage from UV radiation
  • Tocopherol (toe-co-feral) (Vitamin E) - This offers similar properties as Vitamin C. When combined they form a power duo
  • Retinol - An important ingredient for any nighttime product
  • Niacinamide (Nii-uh-sin-uh-mide) (Vitamin B3) - Controls oil while also hydrating the skin
  • Spermidine - Induces autophagy which is the body’s process of replacing old cells with new cells

Look for products with these ingredients and you should be golden. You can find these ingredients in skincare products or you can find some of these ingredients in supplements. 

What is the Best Skin Care Routine for Dry Skin?

In order to get the most out of a routine, you need products that are designed for your skin type. Therefore, it’s important to know whether or not you have dry or oily skin. If you have dry skin, here are some products that you should be looking for:

  • Hydrating cleanser - this product will leave your skin feeling clean and hydrated
  • Hydrating toner - toners will provide an added boost of hydration
  • Chemical exfoliant - a chemical exfoliant removes dead skin cells from dry skin
  • Hydrating serum - it’s recommended that you begin using serums in your 30s as serums replenish the skin
  • Eye cream - the area under your skin is especially prone to dryness, which makes taking care of it extremely important

If you have oily skin, it’s best that you avoid these products, as they may be detrimental. 

What is the Best Skin Care for Acne-Prone Skin?

Acne can ruin our self-confidence, leaving us self-conscious and afraid to leave the house. Much like dry and oily skin, acne-prone skin will require its own unique products. Here are some ingredients to look for if you have acne-prone skin:

  • Salicylic (sally-sill-ick) acid - helps prevent pores from being clogged
  • Benzoyl peroxide- kills bacteria that contribute to acne
  • Adapalene (Uh-day-puh-leen) - regulates skin cell turnover to keep pores free of oil and inflammation

Products with these ingredients will give your skin the acne-relief that you’re looking for. 

What Age Should You Start Using Toner?

It’s very important that you take care of your skin as you get older. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take care of your skin. In fact, dermatologists recommend that children as young as two years old should be practicing safe skincare. Here is a recommended timeline:

  • 2-5 years old - At this age, it’s important to teach children the importance of washing their hands and face. Only use gentle wash and lightweight lotion
  • 6-9 years old - This is around the time children should be introduced to facial skincare routines. Only use a gentle facial cleanser
  • 10-13 years old - These ages will bring huge skin changes as their bodies begin to develop at a rapid rate. Good skincare at this age will ensure healthy skin into the teen years
  • 14-20 years old - This is around the age where toner should be introduced

The big reason why you should introduce routines to younger children is so they can develop healthy habits. 

How Do I Start a Skincare Routine?

When it comes to skincare 101 for beginners, it’s highly recommended that you start with a basic three-step routine. Cleanse, moisturize, and apply sunscreen. These are the basics and will ensure that your skin is healthy without needing to spend too much time or money on your routine. 

As mentioned earlier, the first and most important thing that you need to do is determine your skin type. Different skin types have varying needs that need to be met by skincare products. Skin can be classified into four different types - oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, and combination skin. If you’re unsure what skin you have, a dermatologist can help. 

What Supplements Can Help?

There are several different supplements you can take to aide in the anti-aging process. For example, Vitamin C supplements can help reduce the effects of UV radiation. Another popular supplement for anti-aging is spermidine

As mentioned earlier, spermidine helps induce autophagy throughout the body. The process can also be induced by fasting, reducing calorie counts, and reducing the number of nutrients you eat. By taking spermidine supplements, you can help ensure that the autophagy process is induced, helping reduce the unwanted effects of aging. 


Resources: 

1. Skin care: 5 tips for healthy skin

 

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  • Don Moxley - Director of Applied Science

    Don Moxley is the Director of Applied Science at Longevity Labs. Moxley draws upon his career as an athlete, a sports scientist, and an instructor to lead and educate on the science of autophagy and longevity.