You may already know that a good skin care routine is the basis for a long, happy relationship with your skin. Regular care can reduce acne, dry skin, and slow the aging process. Well-cared-for skin retains elasticity and tone, feels smooth and soft to the touch, and gives you a healthy glow.
But it can be hard to tell exactly what good skin care is. A quick search online will locate hundreds of articles, many filled with conflicting information about the best way to care for your skin. To learn the truth, look for information based on science, not old wives’ tales and unproven theories.
Here are 6 skin care routines that have been proven effective through scientific research and recommended by dermatologists and other healthcare professionals.
1. All Skin Care Should Start with a Cleanser
No matter what your gender, your age, or what type of skin you have, all skin care starts with washing off accumulated oil and dirt.1 All human skin excretes oil to protect itself from the environment and keep it supple. As a tween enters puberty, their skin begins to produce a great deal of oil. This often leads to an increase in acne. As teens reach adulthood, the amount of oil is reduced but still present.
If this oil is allowed to build up, it will not only block the skin’s pores. It also acts as a magnet for all the dirt and dust in your environment. Before you do anything else to your skin, you need a gentle cleanser to wash away that dirt and oil.
2. There is No Need for a Washcloth or Scrubby on Your Face
While some parts of your skin may benefit from the exfoliating action of a scrubby, the skin on your face is fragile, and even a washcloth may cause damage. For the best result when washing your face, use your fingers to rub the cleanser on your skin gently and then rinse it off with clear water.2 For many people, this is the only daily skin care routine needed to keep their facial skin healthy and clean.
3. Factor the Weather and Your Environment into Your Skin Care Routine
The air has a great effect on your skin.3 If it is hot and dry, you will need to include moisturizers in your daily routine to keep your skin from becoming parched. If it is cold and dry, your body will build up more dead skin to form a layer of insulation against the cold. In this environment, you should add an exfoliant before moisturizing. In warm and moist conditions, you will produce more sweat and oil. You may need to increase the number of times you wash your face throughout the day to remove the dust and oil. You may also be able to stop using moisturizer or choose a lightweight formula until the weather cools down again.
4. Basic Items That Should Be in Everyone’s Skin Care Cabinet
While you probably won’t need all of these products all of the time, it is good to keep them around because you are likely to need them at some point: 4
- Cleanser
- Toner
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
- Serum
- Exfoliator
5. Your Skin Changes as You Age — So Should Your Skin Care Routine
Throughout your life, your skin will go through many changes.5 As an infant and small child, your skin is soft, elastic, and, in most cases, easily cared for with a basic cleansing routine. During adolescence, the drastic changes in your hormones and your body will dramatically affect your skin as well. At this point, you will need to adopt a more stringent cleansing routine but probably won’t need to worry too much about exfoliating or moisturizing.
Once the diversity of the teen years has passed, you may want to add toners or lightweight serum to your cleansing schedule to get an early start on fighting the effects of aging. As you approach middle age, you will probably need to add more moisturizers to your routine as your skin will begin to produce less natural oil.
From middle age and beyond, the number of products you use on your skin will be determined by how youthful you want to look. For some, a gentle cleanser and moisturizers are all they may need. Others will want to unpack the skin care cabinet and use every product to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and other signs of aging.
6. Everyone Should Use Daily Sunscreen
The UV rays from the sun are growing in intensity due to the breakdown of the protective ozone layer. Your skin’s natural protection from the sun, melanin, is no longer enough to fully protect you from the damage these rays can do.6 To prevent premature aging and reduce the chances of developing skin cancer, everyone should apply sunscreen to any exposed skin every morning.
The Science of Skin Care vs. Your Personal Goals
A great deal of time and money has been thrown into researching and developing skin care products. There are many products available that can do just what they say: they really can clear up acne, return tone and elasticity to your skin, or fight the signs of aging. That does not mean that they need to be a part of your daily skin care routine.
The first goal of any skin care routine should be to keep your skin clean and healthy. If that is enough for you, there is no real need for anything else.
SOURCES:
- Lifehacker: “Lifehacker’s Essential Science-Based Guide To Skin Care”
- Lifehacker: “Lifehacker’s Essential Science-Based Guide To Skin Care”
- Northwestern Medicine: “Do You Really Need A Skin Care Routine?”
- Northwestern Medicine: “Do You Really Need A Skin Care Routine?”
- Northwestern Medicine: “Do You Really Need A Skin Care Routine?”
- WebMD: “Melanin – Types and Related Disorders”
