The Steps of Skin Care

There are six steps to a skin care regiment. They are not difficult, and not every step occurs each time you step up to the sink, but together, these basic steps will help you increase your face value!

1. Cleanse


2. Exfoliate


3. Tone


4. Treat


5. Moisturize


6. Protect

Starting at the beginning, let's discuss Step One: CLEANSING.

The purpose of cleansing your skin is to remove excess oil, dirt, debris and cosmetics from the surface of the skin. The goal is not to remove all of the oil on the skin, because remember, some oil is needed for skin to perform well. So, a tight sensation after cleansing may be a warning that your cleanser is too harsh and has stripped too much oil from your skin.

Never use soap or harsh detergents to cleanse your face. Always look for products that have been formulated specifically for facial use, and that have been pH balanced. Failure to do so could lead to a breach of the skin's Barrier Function. Remember that skin that has been stripped of its of oil, will take moisture to compensate, and causing the skin to over produce oil to compensate.

We choose our cleanser based on skin type, which maybe oily, normal/combination (tending either towards oily or dry), and dry/sensitive skin. While ethnic profiling is rude and uncalled for in most civilized settings, in a treatment room or in your bathroom, it's the easiest way to narrow down skin type!

Think of the globe, at the center lies the equator, and the people of this region have a thicker epidermis, darker melanin, and oilier skin. Just north and south of this imaginary line falls the sub-tropics, and we find the epidermis thinning, the melanin becoming slightly lighter, and their skin tends to be slightly less oily. Continuing north and south of the sub-tropics, we find the temperate zones with an even thinner epidermis, some melanin production, and the oil is balanced in their skin. Continuing again to the north and south, we find the thinnest epidermis, very little melanin production in the skin, and a lack of oil.

At a glance, a person's ethnic background can give you the most clues to their skin type, and aid in the selection of the proper products.

Pore size can also help to decipher the product code. Larger pores all over the face means more oil, and smaller, finer pores mean less oil. Seeing larger pores only in the t-zone and finer pores throughout defines normal/combination skin, and an increase or decrease in larger and smaller pores defines whether normal/combination skin will tend toward oily or dry.

People with oily skin face specific skin care challenges, such as skin that doesn't shed dead skin cells as easily, and oil holding other debris in the pores, which can lead to breakouts. Their skin requires a more aggressive cleanser that can cut through the oil and penetrate the pores for a deeper cleanse. Ingredients like lactic acid, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid are commonly used in tandom to loosen the dead skins from the surface of the skin, penetrate the skin to promote cellular turnover, and soothe the skin from such powerful ingredients. Some of these cleansers may also contain "beads" to buff and slough off the dead skin cells.

Those with dry skin also have specific skin care challenges. With less oil production, they tend to lose skin cells more quickly, sometimes too quickly, which leads to dry, cracked, red, irritated skin. The ideal cleansers for people with dry skin would contain citrus oils, aloe, and extracts that provide anti-oxidant protection. The goal of these cleansers is to keep the skin lubricated and soothed.

The fortunate few are those with normal/combination skin. They can use a wide variety of products, but may choose products for oily or dry skin, depending on the direction in whcih their skin has a tendency. Most cleanses in the market, especially those made available on the retail market are developed for normal/combination skin.

Remember, your skin shouldn't feel tight or irritated after cleansing. If it does, your product is too harsh, or there may be an allergic reaction taking place. Redness and irritation are not good, and should not be seen as "normal" or "regular" effects of a cleanser. It's a sign to discontinue use and find something else!

Next... Step Two: EXFOLIATION!