Patients want to feel good about themselves and what they are doing to take good care of their skin, and ward off the aging process for as long as possible. Here are some helpful hints on how to put your best face forward.
Drink Enough Water
I am sure you are tired of hearing this, and wonder how much water is ENOUGH water. This is an easy, but very important way of staying hydrated. Along with being the largest organ, the skin is one of the last organs to get hydrated. This is often comes as a surprise, as most don’t consider the skin an organ, but it is! It is a real tattletale on whether or not you have had enough water for the day.
In order to determine how much water you should consume in a day, try this little trick. Take your body weight, divide it in half, and that is the total number of ounces of water you should drink in a day. An example would be that a 130 pound woman should drink 65 ounces of water every day.
Chemical Peels – True Exfoliation
The reason you need to do these in office procedures is because when we were younger, our skin cells would turn over, or shed, about every 28 days, but as we age (like everything else) this process slows down. You can be shedding the dead surface skin cells every 40 or even 50 days. These excess cells tend to make the skin look sallow and older, and can even promote blemishes. You need good products and regular treatments that can prompt skin cells to turnover and actually trick the skin into thinking it is younger. Because we no longer naturally do this monthly, these treatments are recommended once per month to replace the body’s natural shedding and renewal process. You will notice smoother, softer and more radiant skin as a result.
Why would you do this, when you can buy that new apricot scrub in the drug store for so much less? One BIG reason is because apricot seeds and other rough physical exfoliants can actually cause microscopic tears in the skin and cause problems. An important fact to remember and consider when the grocery or drug store products look tempting because of the lower prices, is that using these products may cause more problems than you already have with your skin. You can’t really get comparable exfoliation to a chemical peel over the counter.
Sunscreen—yes or no?
A resounding YES!!! Using a daily sunscreen is one of the very first and most beneficial changes you can make in skin improvement. Typically, signs of aging such as little mouth lines, crow’s feet and sunspots, are not things that you should see until your 60’s. If you see them before then, it is because you have caused them yourself—by too much sun exposure. Even though we can’t erase the damage already done, you can prevent it from progressing rapidly.
You only need to remember to not use too much sunscreen. The entire face can be covered by using a quarter size of sunscreen. Also know that the sunscreen in your make up and what you get in a separate sunscreen are not equal.
At this point, some of you are thinking that you don’t even go out in the sun, so why wear a sunscreen? Although it may be surprising, even sitting in a cubicle all day, you can be getting exposure to sunlight that can damage and age your skin. If you sit near a window, or drive in your car, UVA rays can come through and do damage to your skin. There is even some evidence that fluorescent lighting can have an impact. So, good advice tells you to wear your sunscreen every day—whether outside or inside.
Retinol—more is actually worse.
Retinol is a form of Vitamin A, which is used to fight acne, as well as the signs of aging. It accomplishes this by increasing cellular turnover and increasing collagen. By applying it too often, it will irritate the skin. People used to think that heavily peeling skin went hand in hand with using Retin A, but really this is a side effect of using it too much. Ideally, it should be used at night only and about 3 times per week. Beleza offers retinol options for sensitive skin types and retinols designed for continuous use which will NOT promote this visible irritation.
Exercise
Those of you who exercise a lot may have noticed some breakouts after excessive sweating. Now you don’t have to sacrifice your sensational skin for a better body. Just take advantage of all the gym has to offer, including the showers. After working out, shower or wash your face right there at the gym, ridding your face of the dirt that perspiration can stir up. The steam room for a few minutes will open up the pores and reduce your chances of breaking out.
The Importance of Quality VS. Quantity
If you are anything like most of the population, you have a drawer full of skincare products that looked wonderful and when you brought them home, you weren’t so pleased. Into the drawer they went with the rest of your collection. For most of us a visit to the drug or grocery store just doesn’t cut it.
If you are truly committed to elevating the health and appearance of your skin, then you are more likely to get better results from products recommended by a plastic surgeon, aesthetic nurse, or dermatologist. This may frighten those of us who watch our pennies, but in the long run it will ACTUALLY SAVE you money.
Being honest about getting older and investing in a few clinical grade products and treatments, rather than lotions and potions out of the bargain bin will help older women hold onto a youthful glow. But the commitment doesn’t end there—-younger people need to develop healthy habits, like protecting their skin with proper grade sunscreen, for a lifetime of smooth, supple skin.
We hope these hints change the way you look after your skin.