Five Skin Care Facts for Friday!

1. Smoking depletes the body of Vitamin C and therefore impairs healing. By restricting oxygen to the skin, you may see a sallow, yellow look to the skin and fine wrinkling. Multivitamin Power Concentrate is a stabilised pure concentrated complex of vitamins A,C,E,F. Regular use helps your skin recover from previous free radical damage.

2. The ideal water temperature to cleanse with is warm. If the water is too hot, this may cause sensitivity and dilated capillaries.

3. If you have had a previous previous reaction to sunscreen, this was most likely a chemical reaction. Sunscreens convert light energy into heat energy, therefore, if a sunscreen contains mineral oil, this will most likely cause prickly heat! Try using a physical UV protection that does not contain any chemicals. A physical sunscreen will reflect the sun's rays, a chemical sunscreen will absorb the rays.

4. Use a water soluble cleanser rather than soap. Soap is alkaline and will strip your skin of it's natural protective acid mantle and will leave your skin open to invasion by bacteria. The Bar or Special Cleansing Gel is a great alternative. It is deep cleansing, but does not strip and dry. It foams similar to soap and therefore gives you the simplicity of a routine similar to the one you are currently using.

5. Whilst it is essential to have a good routine where you exfoliate regularly, once or twice weekly, depending on your skin condition, too much will disturb your skin's protective acid mantle and leave your skin prone to invasion by bacteria and sensitivity. Disturbance of the protective barrier allows moisture to escape from the skin too quickly, leaving it feeling dry and tight and allows products to penetrate too quickly. If you continue to exfoliate to excess, this could lead to premature aging of the skin.

Winter skin and why you should exfoliate!

To get the most out of your moisturiser you should exfoliate on a regular basis. Once any dead skin cells are cleared away, the moisturiser is able to penetrate the skin with greater results. Dead skin cells are shed from the body naturally in a process called desquamation. The human skin produces about one million skin cells per minute, which equates to over five billion skin cells per day. The dead cells have an internal clock that tells them when they can travel up to the skin’s surface to be sloughed off. However, a build-up of dead cells on the surface can result in dull, ashy or lackluster skin. Choosing the proper exfoliating product is vital to achieving polished results without any irritation. There are many ways your skin can be exfoliated, from brushes and scrubs to enzymes and acids.

Some exfoliants can be particularly irritating during the winter months, so test them on a small patch of skin first or opt for a gentler technique. Very dry or irritated skin should be allowed to heal before any form of exfoliation is performed to avoid sensitization. If scrubs are too harsh for dry, winter skin, opt for chemical methods that gently dissolve the bonds holding skin cells together, like Dermalogica's Gentle Cream Exfoliant. Hydroxy acids are a popular option and include Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid and Salicylic Acid. Lactic Acid has additional beneficial properties, such as increased moisturisation and greater barrier protection. Salicylic Acid is a great addition for acneic skin with the added bonus of being anti-inflammatory. Enzymes from Papaya, Pineapple and Rice Bran are also great methods to promote skin renewal. The Phytic Acid found in Rice Bran can also help control pigmentation to yield a brighter skin tone as used in Daily Microfoliant.

A good exfoliation can ease the effects of winter skin when done properly and combined with a good moisturising routine!