How to Love The Skin You’re In
Do you want glowing, radiant skin, but you’re not sure where to start? Do you find yourself wondering what product goes where and in what order? We get it, and we are here to help! Our team of skincare experts shares their advice on how to make the most of your facial skincare routine.
Step 1) Cleanse
Cleansing your face is an important first step. Removing makeup, sunscreen, and dirt from the day will clean out your pores and ensure that the rest of your skincare products can fully penetrate your skin and do what they were designed to do.
When choosing a facial cleanser, opt for something that is lightweight and won’t dry out your skin. A gentle or foaming cleanser is a great place to start because these clean your face without stripping away natural moisture. A good suggestion would be the Obagi Gel Cleanser, or the Obagi Gentle Cleanser. Either one can be used safely for oily or dry skin types. A dime-sized amount of product on damp skin is all you need.
Step 2) Exfoliate
Now that your face is squeaky clean, you want to exfoliate to remove any dead skin. Much like makeup, dead skin cells can prevent your skincare products from being as effective as possible. These dead skin cells come up to the surface of your skin and slough off about every four-week cycles. As we age, however, this doesn’t happen as easily so dead skin creates a barrier between your skin and your skincare products.
Depending on your exfoliation product, this may be a step that is performed only one to three times a week. As important as it is to exfoliate, you do not want over exfoliate the skin and damage your new skin growth. The ZO Skin Health Exfoliation Accelerator is an excellent choice for exfoliation product. The Exfoliation Accelerator has a glycolic and lactic acid complex that aids in the removal of dead skin cells while providing calming and soothing benefits with an aloe, green tea and chamomile blend.
Step 3) Tone
Another important step in the process of prepping your skin for your products is toner. Facial toners contain helpful acids that will allow your skincare products to penetrate even further.
The acids that are commonly found in facial toners are alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs). When you look in your product’s ingredients list, common AHAs are glycolic and lactic acids. Salicylic acid is a common BHA. ZO Skin Health has three options for many skin types: Complexion Renewal Pads, with dual action exfoliation removes dead skin cells to prevent clogged pores; Oil Control Pads Acne Treatment, a salicylic acid provides acne treatment that targets oiliness and minimizes the appearance of pores; and Calming Toner, helps soothe and support sensitive/weak skin with a comforting, gentle cooling action.
Step 4) Heal and Correct
You’re three steps in and you’re thinking, “what, there’s more?” We are just getting to the good stuff!
Now that your skin is down to its purest form, you can add products to help correct and heal. If you’re using any products to treat skin conditions such as acne, discoloration, or fine lines and wrinkles, applying these products to your skin is now going to allow you to get the most out of them. Some treatment products that might be used in this part of the process are: retinols, eye treatments, and anti-aging products.
Retinols are game changers when you are looking for real transformation to address the aging of your skin. These can be incorporated into your nightly skincare routine and will help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, smooth texture, even skin tone, and help with acne.
If you are new to retinol, we recommend that you integrate slowly and work your way up. Start with a pea size amount at night, two days a week. After three weeks, add a third day and continue to add a day each week if well tolerated. Remember not to forget your daily SPF when using retinol as well because your skin is subject to be more sensitive. It is suggested to start with .25% or .5 % Retinol in case your skin is slightly sensitive to Vitamin A’s. It is normal to have some redness, dryness, flaking when starting this type of product. Make sure to consult your skin care specialist if you have any questions about what your skin is going through.
Eyes can tell a thousand words and we want yours to be bright and shining. Eye treatments are made specifically for areas around the eyes that are crucial to looking refreshed. These products will help correct dark circles, puffiness, and can smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. These products will typically be incorporated in your morning and nightly routine. Experts suggest use you middle ring finger to apply eye creams with a tapping motion and gentle blending motion. This is best because it helps prevent dragging and being rough with this sensitive skin. Obagi Elastaderm is a great product for fine lines and draped skin under the eyes. Another great eye cream is the Alastin Restorative Eye Treatment this cream helps diminishes the appearance of puffiness around the eye. The Restorative Eye Treatment also helps improve appearance of skin firmness around the eye.
Step 5) Hydrate
When introducing products from step 4, your skin will go through changes and that’s a good thing. You may experience a little bit of dryness and/or irritation, but don’t worry, that’s why we have moisturizers! These nourish, hydrate, and calm the skin. However, if you have oily skin that is prone to acne, be sure to choose a lightweight moisturizer. For all skin types, a good moisturizer should contain hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic Acid provides immediate and lasting hydration. SkinMedica’s HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator blends five types of hydrators that immediately go to work replenishing your skin’s lost moisture. Ideal for all skin types, this hydrating serum balances moisture levels to smooth and soften rough texture, lines and wrinkles. Free of fragrance, it boosts the overall health of your skin and provides a staggering eight hours of continuous moisture. The humectants draw moisture from the air and deliver it straight to the areas of your skin that need it the most. It’s so potent that it almost immediately begins to smooth the appearance of furrows.
6) Last and most important: Protect!
90% of skin damage comes from the sun, so SPF not only protects our skin, but helps prevent future damage, too. Protecting your face from harmful UVA/UVB rays and environmental pollution is crucial for long-lasting, healthy, and younger-looking skin. The Colorescience Sunforgettable® Brush-On Sunscreen SPF 30 is the best product that has come out in sun protection. It is easy to use, with easy access to make reapplying (every two hours) a breeze. You can never say you did not have a chance to reapply, because Colorescience has made a convent size brush that you can put in your purse, your car console, your golf bag, or gym bag. The powder goes right over your make up or on a clean face.
Depending on your goals, you may benefit from the excellent medical grade skincare products available at CAPS. These products, made by brands including Alastin, Colorscience, ZO Medical, Obagi and SkinMedica, are strong enough to reach and correct problems in deeper layers of the skin better than products available at drugstores or beauty counters. Our team of skincare specialists are available to provide a personalized evaluation and recommendations customized to your unique needs. Schedule your evaluation by filling out a consultation form on our site or by calling us at 614.246.6900.