Setting up a simple routine can help your skin look and continue looking its best. Proper skincare is a critical foundation for maintaining a youthful appearance over time.
Step 1 - Twice Daily Regimen
Everyone should wash their face twice a day. Removing dirt and oil from the day is an important step to maintain healthy skin. Using a Clarisonic brush twice a day is a proven anti-aging step. Not only does it clean your skin but it will remove dirt and debris that oxidize the skin, preventing premature aging. Following your cleansing, you should use a Vitamin C Serum to brighten your skin and a good moisturizer.
Step 2 - Daily Regimen
It is very important to use a sunscreen with spf of 30 to 45. Anything higher doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting better coverage. For best results use a combination sunscreen that includes a chemical and physical sunscreen in one lotion. For women, tinted sunscreens are great options to consider, you can skip a step and won’t need to wear makeup! Another important daily step is using a retinoid. This is the only FDA approved cream that increases the making of collagen. Used over time it will maintain and improve the look and feel of your skin.
Step 3 - Weekly Regimen
Using a weekly exfoliant to remove a buildup of dead skin helps to keep the texture of your skin looking great. After exfoliating, you can use a mask, this will help with hydration, skin firming, and pigment lighting. The combination of the exfoliant and mask will help to keep your skins youthful appearance. The steps mentioned above are considered the home care regimen you should follow, these steps are very important and contribute roughly 80% to maintaining healthy beautiful skin and long term changes.
Step 4 - Monthly Regimen
To enhance your skincare regimen it is highly recommended to do facials every month to every 3 months. The HydraFacial is one option and is a great anti-ager! First it uses hydradermabrasion to physically remove dead skin buildup. Next it uses a light glycolic peel to stimulate cell turnover. Once your skin is clean and fresh it will infuse the skin with serums that are full of hyaluronic acid and antioxidants. Lastly the HydraFacial uses red L.E.D. Lights that stimulate blood flow and wake up the collagen and elastin cells from the inside out. Doing these treatments will help reverse any damage your skin has.
Step 5 - Yearly Regimen
Doing a more invasive treatment once to four times a year rev up your skins collagen production. These treatments include microneedling, BBL laser treatments for reds and Browns in the skin, micro laser peels and HALO laser treatments. All of these treatments can take years off of your aging process. These treatments usually have a small amount of down time and have a much higher price point but they are going to give you a greater result then facials and at home care. These are recommended when there is more damage to the skin and the client wants a faster result. But keep in mind, nothing in skincare is fast or forever! Following all 5 of these steps will help you maintain skin that looks great and makes you happy and healthy.
– Amber Cruth, RN, BSN