All About Skin Care Products

Your skin is your asset. It cannot be stressed enough! Taking care of your skin is as important as looking after and being worried about your daily outfit selection. Having a glowing and healthy skin is an ultimate solution to look better. You can look good in any outfit and pull off any look if you have that youthful glow on your skin. Everyone desires of no or lesser visible pores, radiantly gleaming, and tight skin. Here, belittling anyone is not the concern but to assure you that you are perfect the way you are and even if you desire better things for you, which includes a healthier skin condition. 

There are a number of factors that harm our skin; these include environmental factors as well as our personal hygiene habits. Staying in Sun for long without wearing or applying sun protection on our skin may affect it real bad. Several skin problems, such as the appearance of the dark spots, which in the worst case, may lead to severe pigmentation on and around your skin (called hyperpigmentation). It is recommended to use the Dark Spot corrector for that.

Skin Conditions like melasma can also occur. The ultraviolet radiation of the Sun affects the Melanocytes; the cells present in the bottom layer of the epidermis that control the pigment in our skin and dark, discolored patches are formed on the surface of your skin. Therefore, it is advisable to wear a good sunscreen (SPF 30 or SPF 50) whenever you are about to head out in the Sun and to keep yourself covered. 

The Dermis is the layer lower to Epidermis that contains the firm connective tissues for the skin muscles. Loosening of the skin happens when the lower Dermis is affected. It causes the fine lines, also called the crow's feet and the age-old skin problem, the wrinkles to appear around your eyes and facial skin. It is a very common problem and can occur at any age (even in your early 20s) due to a thin layer of skin and the lack of oil glands around the eye area on the face.

Where age and exposure to UV Rays are the main and primary causes of it, there are several other reasons to it too. One such reason is sleeping late at night or skipping your recommended amount of sleep at all. Improper sleeping pattern is one of the significant factors that lead to the loosening of skin around eyes, leading to the permanent visibility of the fine lines, dark circles and the puffiness. As the elasticity of the skin around the eye area lessens due to the thin layer, the skin is incapable of springing back to its initial state because of weakened collagen.

All of this contributes to the skin losing its firmness, ultimately causing skin sagging. And a generally asked question arises, how to get rid of dark circles under eyes? Therefore, it is advised and recommended by the dermatologists and the estheticians to use effective and good quality skin care products to keep your skin safe. Otherwise, these environmental factors may prematurely age our skin. This type of skin-aging is classified as Extrinsic Aging and can only be avoided or taken care of by taking precautionary measures.

Do Skin Care Products Really Work?

It is an age-old question and the ultimate beauty dilemma: can we ever really improve our skin condition just by using the appropriate skincare products? Or, are we eternally bound to the type of skin that we have due to aging and other factors? Do we have no hope and no optimism of ever genuinely changing it into the smooth, even-toned, youthful skin we desire?

When it comes to skincare products, we're known to have a dubious idea in our "monogamy" to a specific skin product, hardly providing it ample time to have any sort of actual impact on our skin. The recent numbers hint at we wasting a considerable amount of money, i.e., around £964million on unused and left-to-rot skincare products every year.

The point here is that we do not care about consulting a dermatologist to have a piece of knowledge about our skin's problems and to how much extent they have taken over. We see a few symptoms and check it over the internet and misdiagnose the problem and use the recommended products, which may actually not be suitable for your skin type or your skin needs.

Therefore, it is always necessary to pay your dermatologist or an esthetician a visit before buying skincare products because as they may prove beneficial to your skin, but if not used the right composition or the formula, it may also cause adverse effects to your skin. Our skin is the first thing that people notice consciously or unconsciously while meeting us; for this reason, always try to take care of it to maintain that healthy and youthful glow.

 

Skin Care Products may prove holy-grail to your skin problems at do not work alone. Proper steps are needed to be taken. They should be applied at the recommended time at regular intervals. Always use a good Sun protection cream SPF 30 or 50 while heading out in the day, it may ensure that the UV Rays do not affect your skin and cause you a severe Sunburn. Similarly, the night cream or retinol should be taken just before hitting the bed so that it can work overnight to lessen or minimize the appearance of the visible signs of aging.

Do not use a product whose formula is not suitable for your skin; however effective it may be on your friend or colleague's skin. Every person has unique skin needs, which may be beneficial for one may not work for the other person and in the worst-case scenario, may totally do the opposite! Hence, it is repeatedly advised to only use the products proper for your skin type, particularly to your skin problems and needs.
When it comes to the skin care products, the first thing to look for is the “compositional formula” and the other thing to look after is the apt timing to use a particular product on your skin. You need to understand that every skin type is unique- uniquely beautiful but at times due to our negligence or the factors out of our hands, it loses its natural radiance leaving you relatively dull skin.

How to Choose the Right Skin Care Product for Your Skin Type?

Using only the "right" skin-care product the right way at the time is the only way to tackle the ever-growing skin problems. Our skin is prone to more damage nowadays due to the increasing pollution ratio in the urban areas. Moreover, taking a lot of stress due to our busy lifestyle, we find little to no time to look after ourselves properly. Hence, we neglect our skin needs too. All of this leads to an unwanted or undesired skin condition.

What should be done is to give yourself a fixed amount of time every day and go about a wholesome skincare routine twice a day (mornings and nights) at least. Apart from this, maintain beneficial skin care habits such wash your face whenever you return from outsides, never sleep with the make-up still applied on your skin and start using anti-aging products early as environmental factors can alter your skin health and condition and it is better to stay on the safe side as prevention is better than cure! Maintain a basic routine of Cleanse, Tone, and Exfoliate. Add under eye patches and face masks into your skin care routine and use them at least once a week minimum (twice is recommended).

The first step towards choosing the right product for your skin is to know your skin type. It is crucial to know it. Your skin demands to be treated the right way. There are a number of tests to find out about your skin’s actual type. You can take the help of your dermatologist too and it is the best practice to take the expert advice. 

The easiest and the most convenient way to know to which type your skin classifies is the “tissue test”. 

Remove all the makeup and skin care products you have on your skin before sleeping at night. Sleep bare-faced. When you wake up in the morning, pat your face with a tissue paper. Make sure, you do not hard on your skin.

Here comes the fun part, you can determine your skin type by observing the amount of oils your skin produced at night.

For Normal Skin: If the tissue has an average amount of oil, you are most likely to have a normal skin but this does not mean you should not look after it. You will still need to use certain anti-aging products to keep your skin radiantly beautiful.

For Oily Skin: If most parts of the tissue show oil stains, it may be an indication you have an oily skin. It is recommended to use clay and charcoal masks for this skin type.

For Dry Skin: Almost little to no oil on the tissue paper symbolizes dry skin. You need to keep it moisturized at all times!

For Combination Skin: If only the T-Zone (forehead, nose and chin) of your facial skin is oily with the rest of the face relatively dry (or may even be flaky), you may have a combination skin. Do not stress out, it is the most common skin type and an apt skin care regime can help you a lot. Use appropriate face masks and spot treatments to keep your skin health-ful. 

After determining your skin type, the second step should be “research.” Look around yourself in your circle or maybe your colleagues talk to them if they have the same skin type. Ask them about the products they use or their skin care routine and try to incorporate their suggestions into your daily skin care regime. Research is very important, go on the Internet, look for what celebrities, beauty gurus or skincare bloggers are using.
Of course, what is working for them may not work for you and it is normal. You may have the same skin type but the problems may differ. They may not need a spot treatment while you do. Thats is why “research, try and test” until you find the best skin care line for you. 

If you have a certain product in your mind for your skin issues and problems, make sure to check for its reviews from authentic sources such as dermatologists or famous estheticians. While it is the fact that you will have to try on several products to know what works best for your skin, never apply anything on your face you are not sure about just for the sake of “trying.” Do a little background check, the reviews, and the ingredients.

How to Take Care of Different Skin Types?



Oily Skin

There is a prevalent view that oily skin does not need moisturizing. It is as false as it can be! Whatever your skin type is, you always need to moisturize it. Moisturizing your skin helps it not look dull and flaky. The market palce is filled up with the type of products that you should use to treat your oily skin shenanigans. From cleansers to masks, everything is available that can help you handling your skin type.

Best Products For Oily Skin: 

Use Products that have the lesser oil contents but are not drying. Add face masks in your routine to lift your face if you suffer from other problems like aging and skin sagging. Use clay and charcoal masks twice a week to revive your skin. Keep yourself hydrated, as hydration is the key to a good skin.

Dry Skin

The flaky or tight skin may indicate that you have a dry skin type. It is most easy to deal with. As it requires products that makeup for the lost oil contents in your skin. And a number of products are out there for that purpose.

Best Products For Dry Skin: 

The products that work the best for the dry skins are the serums, particularly Vitamin C serum. Apply the serum on your skin whenever you wash your face to keep it moisturized and hydrated. Vitamin C serum also works best to brighten the dirk spots and to firm and strengthen the collagen on your skin.

Combination Skin

If your skin is neither dry nor too oily, chances are your skin is a combination skin. People with combination skin often complain that their T-Zone (forehead, nose and chin) gets or stays oily most of the time. It is the most common skin type. To get more insight into combination skin and how to look after it, click here. 

Best Products for Combination Skin: 

If you have a combination skin, the best products for your skin type will be the ones that are moisturizing. Use the moisturizer on the places where the skin is dry and flaky, particularly your under eye area. The under eye area gets specifically dry because of the lack of oil glands in that region. Add under eye patches and anti aging creams in your skin care routine to keep your skin young and healthy.

Skin Care Buying Guide- What to Look For in a Product?

Having an insight about the type of products that fits well to your skin sets you on the road to finding the products that matches the best to your needs. For example, people with oily skin are recommended to use clay masks to keep the oil-levels in the skin balanced. BUT, how to choose which clay mask would be the perfect fit to you?

 This question further leads you deeper in your “product research.” There are two main things to look for in the product before buying it. 

• Ingredients

There are certain ingredients that work well with particular skin types and a lot more generally work with all of them. A lot of ingredients work towards the same cause. The reason for using alternative to ingredients is the same; same skin types with different skin problems or different skin types with the same skin problems and issues should all be dealt with easily and equally. 

For example, Hydroquinone is an ingredient for fairness or bleaching creams. The skin products that include it as a component are used to the skin issues such as hyperpigmentation and spot visibility due to the aging factor.
In addition to this, your doctor may prescribe you a face cream with the higher concentrations of the Hydroquinone if your skin is not responsive fast enough to other ingredients or treatments. But there have been reports, people showing allergic reaction to this particular ingredient. Most of the time, the Kojic acid is used as the alternative to Hydroquinone in the fairness cream or the spot treatments, as it has been found that Kojic acid has properties that slow melanin (brown pigment of the skin) production. 

 

• Expiration Date

The second most important thing to look for is the expiration date of the product. You sure do not want to get a product that expires before it is used all the way especially if it works the best for you and a bit heavy on your wallet too! 

The “Best-Before” or the “Expiry Date” is always mentioned on the product. Check for the “Period After Opening (PAO)” symbol. If it says 6M, your product is suited for only a six-month use and may not be as beneficial as before or totally be harmful altogether.
The same goes for the make-up products too, never use a product after the period of time mentioned its PAO as the expired products carry harmful irritants and the bacteria that can cause blemishes, rashes and multiple-type infections on your skin. Therefore, throw away that favorite moisturizer of yours if it has passed its expiration date chances are it may only do the harm to your skin now. Particularly a serum! If your serum does not come in the right packaging or has changed color, throw it out as it may have expired.

 

• Bonus Tip: Look For Included Sun Protection

Most if not all of the skin care products particularly day-time products already have Sun Protectant capabilities. Such types of products is the best to use. It is better to use them as they give you double the advantage.

 

The Right Way to Apply Skin Care Product to Get Most of It

The right products will not work the right way if you do not apply them to your skin in the right way. Estheticians and Dermatologists all around the globe unite on one right way to use products in your skincare routine. The order of application of a product to your skin is essential. As some products may have a thicker consistency than the others, and if applied before may not let the others seep into the skin. Leaving you with the same skin as before.

The dermatologists are of the view that the thinnest consistency products (like a serum) should go first. Continue your skin care routine with the products that are thicker in consistency (such as moisturizers). The skin care routine should follow this rule because the serums and products with lighter consistency and density are composed of such ingredients that have to get absorbed into your skin for better results, i.e., antioxidants. And you should end the daily regime with the products that need to rest on top of your skin, i.e., emollients and humectants in moisturizers. 

The most common skincare bunder by most people is not to follow a specific etiquette to use their skincare products to apply to their faces. As a result, they lament that certain products aren't working in the way they should be for their skin. Therefore, it is recommended by the experts to use the products in a proper method for the aspired results.

 

How to Layer Products on Your Skin?

The type of product and its compositional formula that you are about to use or prefer using is essential, but it will only work the way it is supposed to when that particular product is applied correctly on your skin. The sequence to apply skincare products matters a lot! Recommendations are made to use the type of the products that do not take much time to penetrate and seep into your skin, and there are chances that you will just skip them because of the time they take.

Therefore, it is advised not to incorporate them into your routine in the first place. There are some products, such as face and under eye patches,  masks or scrubs, that should only be used twice a week or after a period of fourteen (14) days. For these mentioned reasons, only use a product the way it is prescribed to you for better lasting results. Proper skincare rituals can really up your skincare game with providing you the results you desire. Make up a suitable day-time and night-time routine that works best for your skin and your schedule. They do not have to be really long and time-taking. You can only stick to a few vital steps. These steps are a basis for a good skincare routine. 

 

Cleanse

Tone

Exfoliate

Start off your day with a gentle washing of your face. Use lukewarm water to wash of your face and a mild cleanser. Do not scrub hard your face as it may deprive your skin off of the natural oils to balance the pH Level. Imbalanced pH levels can be very harmful for your skin and can cause redness and rashes on and around it. Follow the cleansing with a good toner. The toner is essential as it does what its name suggests- tone your skin. Some people may prefer using it and some may not, if your skin is working fine without a toner, do not rush in adding it into your skincare routine.

Some people are of the view that the toners are harsh for their skin. Same goes here, every skin type has different needs and what works for someone may not work or you. Therefore, it is advised to choose wisely! Exfoliating your skin is also a very important part of the skincare routine. Make it a habit to exfoliate your face at least once a week (twice is recommended). It gets the residue of the makeup and other beauty products out of your facial pores making them dirt-free.

Add a “double cleaning” step for your night-time skincare regime. As, returning home wearing several beauty products on your skin, it may need to relax therefore, after cleansing your face twice with good cleansers, use a hydrating mask for your face and your under eye area to make up for the moisture it may lack and to get rid of the dark circles.. These masks also prove a help in soothing your skin and relaxing it. 

Finally! 

Undergoing all of these steps will set you straight for looking after your skin whatever type it may be! Oily or dry, combination or normal, your skin could seriously use some help even if it looks all-good at the surface. The problems may lie underneath and it is your responsibility to make sure of your skin’s health. Drink a lot of water, most of the times dehydration causes dullness on our skin making our complexion look flaky or lacklustre. Only one answerable for your skin’s health is you to yourself! Thus, take care of your skin and look the best version of yourself. Happy Skin Caring!