Skin Care Basics Navigational Links

Skin Care Steps to Avoid

1. NEVER wipe off makeup--never, ever. Whether it's eye makeup or face makeup, wiping pulls at the skin and promotes sagging.
   
2. NEVER use greasy cleansers. The greasy residue these cleansers inevitabley leave behind can clog pores and inhibit normal exfoliation, and often requires an extra step to be removed.
   
3. NEVER use drying cleansers. Whether or not you have oily skin, cleansers should never leave the face feeling tight, dry, or uncomfortable.
   
4. NEVER use bar soap or bar cleansers. The ingredients that keep these soaps and cleansers in bar form can clog pores, foster breakouts, and irritate skin. Cleansing agents in these are almost without exception drying and irritating for all skin types. Plus bar soaps and cleansers usually have high pHs (over 7), which can encourage bacteria growth!
   
5. NEVER use a toner simply because you think you should. There are reasons to use a toner, but it should not automatically be part of your routine.
   
6. NEVER use a moisturizer based on the false notion that "everyone needs a moisturizer." Not everyone needs a moisturizer. You need a moisturizer only if you have dry skin, andthen only over those areas that are dry.
   
7. NEVER use an AHA or BHA product unless you are sure of the concentration and pH level. If you don't know that, you won't know whether it can help to exfoliate the skin.
   
8. NEVER use more than one exfoliant, and use it only once or twice a day at most. The face can handle only so much exfoliation; too much starts breaking down the skin's intercellular structure, formenting irritation (even when you dont feel a tingling sensation, the skin can still be suffering the consequences) and swelling the skin.
   
9. NEVER use a blemish or acne product unless you understand its part in treating the underlying cause of the problem. if a product doesn't gently clean, adequately disinfect, effectively exfoliate, or absorb oil without irritating, it is a useless wast of time and money.
   
10. NEVER rely on the term "oil-free." Plenty of ingredients that aren't oils or dont sound like they're oils can still clog pores, cause breakouts, and grease up the skin. "Oil-free" doesn't tell you anything about what the product can and can't do for the skin or what it really contains.
    
11. DON'T wash your skin too often with tap water. Tap water contains chlorine which causes oxidative damage. Rate of chemical reactions increases with temperature. The higher the temperature of the water, the greater is the damage from chlorine in the water.

No Cost Techniques to Prevent Wrinkles and Retard Skin Aging

Beware of the sun
Most people konw that UV-rays from the sun contribute to wrinkles and skin aging as well as increase the risk of skin cancer. What most people don't know is that the majority of sunscreens do not protect from skin aging and that staying out of direct sunlight will prevent only part of sun damage. Since sun damage is partly irreversible, it should be prevented as much as possible.

Don't Smoke
I hope, dear reader, that you dont smoke for many other reasons. If you do, keep in mind that smoking damages skin almost as much as sunlight by generating a flood of free radicals. Certain antioxidants may provide partial protection from smoking-relate skin damage.

Sleep on Your Back
Most of the day, gravity pulls your skin down, contributing to facial sag and wrinkles. Give your skin a break as you sleep. When you sleep face up, the stretching effect of gravity on your skin is minimal. Besides, when your face is pressed to a pillow, you get more puffiness in the morning.

Don't Drink Alcohol in the Evening
Alcohol increases the leakiness of capillaries (small blood vessels), so more water moves from bloodstream inot soft tissues. Combined with horizontal position of the body during sleep, this results in facial puffiness, skin stretching and faster wrinkle formation. Moderate drinking at least three hours before going to bed should not cause this problem in most people.