Understanding Skin Care for Your Daily Health

 

The phrase skin care brings to mind three things: skin cancer, dry skin and a long aisle of beauty products at your local drugstore. But it’s more than a surface-level concern. While a skincare essentials routine may sound like high maintenance, in reality, the steps for healthy skin are not only necessary, they’re easy to implement too.

“Investing early in the health of your skin, with regular skin care, will not only better protect it from the harsh effects of winter, but also keep you looking and feeling your best throughout the year,” says Steven Nwe, DO, a dermatologist with Northwestern Medicine. “The key to skin resiliency is knowing your skin and treating it well.”

First, you’ll want to take into account your skin type. The primary skin types are dry, oily or combination and while your skin may get drier or oilier based on the season, the majority of the time it should be relatively consistent.

What Belongs in Your Skin Care Cabinet

Next, you should know what makes up a healthy skin routine. Which is to say, what types of products do you really need to keep your skin healthy and clean?

Cleanser

Cleanser is what you’ll use to wash your face and it’s important to use a product intended for your face – not just whatever bar or body wash you have lying around. You’ll want to wash your face gently and take care not to scrub too hard. Then, rinse with warm water, because hot water removes natural oils and causes your skin to become dehydrated.

Finding the right cleanser for you may be a process of trial and error. If you have dry skin, you’ll want to use one without alcohol or fragrance. If your skin tends to be oily, you’ll want to look for an oil-free option, and you may want to consider using a toner as well.

Toner

Toner is applied after washing your face and can smooth, soften and calm skin. Toners often contain ingredients that replenish and restore nutrients to your skin and can diminish redness and dry patches.

Moisturizer

Like cleansers, moisturizers are for everyone and should be used every time you wash your face. And like cleansers, a little trial and error is totally normal when you’re looking for the right one – oily skin, for example, can benefit from lightweight, oil-free or gel products. Moisturizers prevent your skin from drying out, leaving your skin hydrated and smooth. They are most effective when applied while your skin is slightly damp to seal in moisture.

Sunscreen

Some moisturizers include SPF, but it doesn’t hurt to double up with sunscreen as well – particularly if your moisturizer has an SPF below 30. By now, you should know the lines well: Apply sunscreen every day, even when it’s gray or cold, even when you’re covered up. When you are exposed, reapply every two hours. Make sure your sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB rays. If skin cancer and sun damage aren’t enough to convince you, UV exposure is also the number one cause of wrinkles, uneven skin tone, loss of firmness and aging signs.

Exfoliation

Here’s a product you might not need or want to apply every day. If you have dry skin, including winter-air-induced dry skin, you may exfoliate more than usual, but you should still keep it to once or twice a week – max. Exfoliation can be used after cleanser but before moisturizer, as it helps to removes flaky skin by increasing skin cell turnover. The benefits are real – removing dead skin and buildup for smoother skin and clearer pores – but most dermatologists will recommend chemical exfoliants over scrubs to prevent damage to the protective barrier of your skin.

Serum

Another optional addition to your skin care routine, serums contain ingredients like antioxidants or retinol that support skin health in a number of ways, such as calming redness and improving texture and firmness.

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