Serious skin care is all about maintaining a glowing and healthy skin throughout your life. As you get old, the body’s natural skin care mechanisms get weak. Thus, you need to learn about the changing needs of your skin. You should regularly evaluate, analyse and change your skin care routines based on many things like the environment, your age and changes in your skin type.
You should be aware of more and more facts being brought up every day with technological research. You should be open to try new products coming in the market. However, we recommend you to use a new product over a small are of skin (not on face) first, to check how your skin reacts to the new product.
You should follow some good practices like applying the moisturizer while the skin is damp, removing the makeup before you go to bed, using upward strokes for better penetration of products, using correct amount of makeup, cleansing before moisturizing, etc.
Take some precautions like to avoid any contact with washing powder and make sure to be gentle with your skin. Do not over-exfoliate your skin and never use any low grade products or products containing strong chemicals.
Don’t forget to visit a dermatologist in case of any skin disorder. Never ignore the skin disorders as they may lead to permanent damage to your skin. Thus, if condition doesn’t improve with over the counter medication, immediately see a dermatologist. Never squeeze acne/blackheads.
Thus, serious skin care is more about taking proper precautions and preventive measures as you must have heard, “Prevention is better than cure.” You should be proactive about the needs of your skin so that the need for being reactive is almost zero.
Sensitive skin care is governed by a few basic rules. However, even before we delve into the rules for sensitive skin care, it’s important to understand what a sensitive skin is. Sensitive skin is one which is unable to tolerate any unfavourable conditions (environmental/other), and which easily gets irritated on contact with foreign materials (including skin care products). For this reason, some products are especially labelled as sensitive skin care products. The degree of sensitivity can however vary from person to person (and depending on that, the sensitive skin care procedures vary too).
Generally, all skin types respond negatively to washing powder and other chemical based products. However, the damage starts generally beyond a defined threshold (or tolerance level). This tolerance level is very low for sensitive skin types, leading to skin getting damaged very easily and quickly. Sensitive skin care products either avoid the potential irritants or keep them at very low concentrations.
Here are a few tips for sensitive skin care:
- Use sensitive skin care products only (i.e. the products that are marked for sensitive skin care only). Also, check the instructions/ notes on the product to see if there are specific restrictions/warnings associated with the product).
- Even within the range of sensitive skin care products, choose the one that has minimum preservatives, colourings and other additives
- Do not use toners. Most of them are alcohol based and are not recommended for sensitive skin.
- Wear protective gloves when doing laundry or other chemical based cleaning. If you are allergic to rubber, you can wear cotton gloves below the rubber ones.
- Another important tip for ‘sensitive skin care’ is to avoid excessive exposure to sun. Apply sunscreen lotion before getting out in the sun.
- Avoiding exposure to dust and other pollutants is also important for sensitive skin care. So, cover yourself adequately before going out.
- Use hypoallergenic, noncomedogenic moisturizer as a sensitive skin care product (if there is none specifically labelled as a sensitive skin care product)
- Use soap-free and alcohol free cleansers. Cleanse your face whenever you return from spending time outdoors.
- Do not scrub or exfoliate too hard. It can cause reddish ness and even inflammation.
- Do not leave the makeup on for too long. Use hypoallergenic makeup- removers.
When it comes to acne, a lot of information is available from different sources. Old wives’ tales, random experiments, and even misguided practices that promise instant cures for acne are followed by many in the hopes of being pimple-free. Unfortunately, some, if not all, of these are without scientific basis and can even make acne worse. Serious skin care for acne-prone skin starts with the right and proper information.
ON CAUSES OF ACNE
There are a lot of myths concerning the causes and treatment for acne. Below are just some of the most popular and widely practised acne myths:
Stress: Stress does not cause acne but it can make acne worse. Scientific studies show that stress can affect a person’s hormonal cycle which can make the existing acne condition worse. Also, some psychiatric medicines taken to reduce stress can acne as a side effect.
Masturbation or sex: Sex or masturbation does not cause acne. Studies done to relate sex or masturbation to acne are inconclusive with no additional evidence. An old wives’ tale, this acne myth became popular during the early 17th century to discourage women from engaging in pre-marital sex or other scandalous behaviour. Some misleading adults even use the fear of having acne to discourage adolescents of today from engaging in sex at an early age.
Chocolates and oily food: Although eating too much of sweets and oily food is never good for anybody, the relationship between acne and this food group is largely indirect. Hormonal changes, which are the most common cause of acne, may cause a person to alternately crave sweet and salty food like chocolates and chips. Since this craving often coincides with acne flare-ups, this food group has been misleadingly labelled as a cause of acne.
ON CURES FOR ACNE
If myths on the probable causes of acne are abundant, there are also many so-called cures that promise instant freedom from acne. These are:
Frequent face washing: Since excess oil and dirt are among the causes of acne, some people have this misguided notion that frequently washing one’s face can prevent and treat acne. However, this is not the case. Doing so only worsens acne since the skin is stripped off protective lipids which can make it sensitive, dry, and prone to irritations.
Toothpaste: Toothpaste has antiseptic properties which can cause a pimple to dry out. However, while applying toothpaste to acne may be effective to some, it can cause greater damage to others especially if applied for over time. Toothpaste can dry out surrounding areas and “burn” pimple spots which can lead to discolourations.
Sun exposure: Probably one of the most idiotic acne myth to surface, some people swear by this. However, sun exposure can only lead to one thing: skin damage. Tans and darker skin tones only hide or camouflage acne but a closer look and touch will reveal bumps and zits. This can make the acne situation worse since sun exposure can make one’s skin dry, flaky, discoloured, and extra-sensitive.
Eating a balanced diet, exercising, getting enough rest, and following a skin care regimen specific to one’s skin type are essential for serious skin care of acne-prone skin. Medications and treatments prescribed by a dermatologist can also help greatly.
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