‘Facial skin care’ is more a matter of discipline than anything else. In our dry Canadian weather, a facial skin care routine requires some dedication. What comprises an effective facial skin care routine? Well, very simply, a facial skin care routine can follow the following 4 steps:
* Cleansing
* Toning
* Exfoliating
* Moisturising
Cleansing is the first thing in facial skin care routine. Cleansing removes skin irritants like dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil, thereby inflammation and preventing damage to your skin. Use a good cleansing lotion or cream with feels neither greasy nor irritating (drying, itchy, burning, or painful) and gently massage it into your skin using upward strokes. Use a soft face tissue or cotton wool to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub).
Cleansing should be done at least twice a day i.e. morning (as part of complete facial skin care routine) and evening (on a standalone basis). Water soluble cleansers are the best for inclusion in your facial skin care routine.
In our experience, the next two steps, Toning and Exfoliation, are somewhat ‘cosmetic’, and can be considered optional. However they help round out and optimize a good skin routine.
Toning is the next in a facial skin care routine. Mostly, proper cleansing can compensate for toning. Toning helps remove all traces of dirt, grease and excess cleanser. Instead of making it part of your daily facial skin care routine, you can use toning occasionally i.e. when you have been exposed to particularly harsh environment/pollution.
Exfoliation is another ‘periodic’ skin treatment, and too much exfoliation can cause the skin to be irritated. Over the long term, over-exfoliated skin can be thinned and fragile. Exfoliation is usually done at about once a week (or twice, depending on your skin type and the environmental conditions). Exfoliation finds its place in facial skin care routine because of the natural tendency of skin to turnover every 3 or 4 weeks. As a facial skin care technique, exfoliation helps in removing the dead skin cells that block the pores, thus assisting the skin in the natural process.
The last step is moisturizing. In fact, moisturizing is the most important part of facial skin care routine. Moisturizers prevent your skin from getting dry and damaged. Dry skin is very undesirable since dry and broken skin often leads to skin disease like ezcema, acne, and psoriasis. Again, use light upward strokes to make the moisturizer more effective. Moisturizers work the best when applied on warm and damp skin. So don’t try too hard to dry your skin before moisturizing.
Besides the normal facial skin care routine, you should also exercise the following for facial skin care:
* Use proper make-up remover instead of just washing it away
* Pay heed to your skin type and the environment, when choosing facial skin care products.
* Before you start using a new facial skin care product, test it by applying it on a short patch of skin e.g. ear lobes.
* Never rub your skin too hard.
* Use sunscreen lotions for protection against sun.
For advice on more sensitive skin types, or if you are interested about specific products for skincare, please consider contacting our clinic!