Gimmicks may come and gimmicks may go, but when it comes to developing a daily acne skin care program, there are four things that are absolutely necessary for obtaining and maintaining beautiful, healthy skin.
Your Skin – Your Health
Did you know that your skin is the body’s largest organ? That’s right, with so many nerves and cells and receptors covering every inch, your skin is the largest organ you possess and one which routinely gets overlooked. You are dependent on your skin for your sense of touch including everything from being able to feel the fur of a cat to being able to sense a light wind as it passes by, not to mention that it makes it possible to walk around without our internal organs continually falling out.
But your skin is far more than just what keeps your insides in; your skin is also a clear indication of your health and state of mind. When you are in good health and happy, your skin has a glow to it that is missing when you are not feeling well or are unhappy. The worse you feel, the worse your skin looks, getting pouchy and dull when you are tired or ill and tight or drawn when you are worried or stressed out.
While the best thing that you can do for your skin is to maintain your health, drink plenty of water and get lots of sleep, you can also instigate a skin-care program that will help to keep your skin in its best condition.
The Four-Step Skin Care Program
The four steps to the ultimate acne skin care program include cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing and applying sunscreen. While these may seem like no-brainers, most people skip out on at least one of these steps each day, in order to have your very best skin ever, you need to include each of these (yes, including exfoliation) on a daily basis. Shall we look at each step in turn?
Cleansing. Good skin starts with a good skin cleanser. It may take you a while, but try out some of the different skin cleansers on the market and get a feel for what works for you. When you find one that works, stick with it, for this is going to be the base of your daily skin-care program. Try to avoid straight soap on your face. Instead use a facial cleanser a minimum of once a day (twice if your skin is oily). A hint for women; for best results, remove all of your makeup with a makeup remover BEFORE you use cleanser.
Exfoliation. Exfoliation gets rid of all the dead cells that are on the surface of your skin. While most people only recommend that you exfoliate once a week, consider this; many men (especially clean-shaven men) have skin that is youthful looking even after they have reached middle age. Why? Because they exfoliate at least once a day when they shave. Luckily there are a good number of exfoliation products on the market today that both men and women can use and which are gentle enough to use on a daily basis. While chemical peels should probably not be used more than once a week, microdermabrasion kits can help to keep the skin in optimum condition.
Moisturize. Moisturizing your skin is a necessary part of keeping it healthy. While some may argue that young people or those in their 20’s don’t need moisturizer due to the high level of hormones in their system, it is a fact that skin that has been regularly moisturized tends to hold its elasticity longer than skin that has been left to its own devices. This means that even if you have beautiful skin naturally you can benefit from applying at least a light moisturizer on a daily basis to counter the effects of the wind, sun and pollution on your skin.
Sunscreen. Sunscreen is perhaps THE most overlooked aspect of skin care for both men and women of all ages. Let’s face it, when you are on your way to work, the last thing you are worrying about is how much sun exposure you will get between your house and the office, but the truth is, you are under constant bombardment by the sun’s rays all day long, rain or shine, and regardless of whether you are indoors or outdoors. So choose a good sunscreen, preferably one that is worked into your daily moisturizer to minimize the number of extra steps that you will need to take in your skin care program.
By following these steps and implementing this simple-to-use four-step skin care program you too can have awesome looking skin in less time than you could imagine.