If you have ever tried to find a skincare product to deal with the skincare concerns of aging skin, you’re probably as confused as the average person. There are so many products and ingredients that tout ‘increase in this, ‘decrease in that, ‘revitalized this and revitalized that’ and on and on and on. Many empty promises or over-hyped formulations.
To understand what anti-aging skin care products are intended to do, you have to first understand what the aging process is for the skin. Aging skin has the condition where the structural proteins that bind and support the skin, collagen, and elastin, lose their resiliency and cohesion, causing the skin to wrinkle and/or sag. The body’s ability to produce new collagen and elastin also diminishes with age while the cells in the various layers of our skin decline and thin, loosing the ability to adequately maintain moisture. Without proper hydration, the healing mechanisms of the skin cease to function, adversely affecting the skin’s ability to receive nutrients and repair itself. The result is rough, loose, wrinkled skin.
Of course, we all want to have the best skin possible at any age and are searching for solutions to maintain our skin’s youthfulness. In our quest and with the constant marketing and advancements in skincare, it can sometimes be difficult to find an affordable and effective solution for great skincare.
If you are looking for a skincare program, there are some guidelines you may want to consider when making your skincare choices:
- Protect your skin while you are in the sun and in extreme weather. Use proper protection.
- Drink lots of water. It’s so important for proper skin hydration and keeping your body clean from toxins and other chemicals that could cause adverse reactions in your skin.
- You should use a good and effective cleanser. This is the most important step in your skincare process. Many cleansing products do not leave your skin feeling smooth and deeply cleansed. Find a product that goes deep into the pores, provides light exfoliation and conditioning and does not leave any residue. Applying moisturizers and treatments on top of skin that is not completely clean will just make the problem worse by clogging pores and showing a rough, uneven skin texture.
- You should be able to adjust your program to meet your skin’s daily needs. If you can’t adjust the use of the products to match what your skin needs on a particular day, are you really getting what you need? Your program should be able to hydrate, heal, and renew your skin. You should see this gradual improvement every day and not have to wait 30 to 60 days for results. It’s like watering a plant. A plant that needs water as a critical nutrient will respond immediately to the water being absorbed through its roots and perk up within a few hours. Watch your skin for a week or so and you’ll know how effective the program can ultimately be for your skincare needs.
- You should be able to quickly go through your regime. It should not take more than 5 minutes. A skincare program should include the steps to cleanse, exfoliate, treat and/or moisturize. You should be able to pick and choose what you need based on your skin’s current condition for that day.
- You should not be able to feel the product on your skin. For skincare to really be effective, it must penetrate the skin cells. Product sitting on top of your skin is a product that is not penetrating the skin layers. Products with fillers and other unnecessary, complex formulations may not get deep or directly enough to provide the treatment and results you are looking for. You should not know that you are wearing your skincare.
- You should feel comfortable with makeup optional skin. If your skincare is really working, your skin will improve, and you will not want to put makeup on it if you don’t have to. Most skin problems are correctable to a large degree. You should be able to go out feeling confident that your skin is at its best (with minimal makeup) no matter what your age is. Also, by using makeup less, you are giving your skin more time to repair and restore itself without the interruption of other product chemicals on your skin.