Anti-Aging Skin
Best Practices by Skin Type
Do You Know Your Skin Type?
Before we launch into the best Anti-Aging Skin care practices for each skin type let’s double check what your skin type is. I’ve had oily skin all my life but based on this quick little test I discovered that I now have combination skin. Who knew? For this test you’ll need to wash your face then wait an hour or so first. The test is simply to gently rub facial tissues across your forehead, your cheeks, your nose and your chin. The residue on the tissues will tell us what your Anti-Aging Skin type is.
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In order to create the best anti-aging skin plan, it is important to know your skin type. We will explore the best practices for each skin type but first let’s double check what your skin type is. I've had oily skin all my life but based on this quick little test I discovered that I now have combination skin. For this test you’ll need to wash your face then wait about an hour. |
The test is simply to gently rub facial tissues across your forehead, your cheeks, your nose and your chin. The residue on the tissues will tell us what your Anti-Aging Skin type is. If the tissue has no traces of oil and your skin feels vibrant, elastic and supple, you have Normal Skin. Yours is the skin type with the fewest challenges. The mission of Anti-Aging Skin for those with normal skin is simply to preserve and maintain it as long as possible.
If the tissues are clean but your face feels dry and a touch flaky … you have Dry Skin. Dry skin is most susceptible to the wrinkling, sagging, thin skin of old age. Anti-Aging Skin for dry skin is all about moisturizing.
When you find a residue of oil on the tissues from you cheeks, nose and forehead, you have Oily Skin. Anti-Aging Skin for oily skin focuses on preventing pores from getting clogged.
When your tissue shows oil from the nose a forehead and chin but your cheeks are dry, then you, like most women, have Combination Skin. The Anti-Aging Skin challenge with combination skin is both keeping the dry area moisturized and keeping the oily areas free from clogged pores.
Sensitive Skin is not so much a skin type as a characteristic of skin that is irritated very easily. The Anti-Aging Skin challenge with sensitive skin is finding products that clean, tone, moisturize and protect without creating irritations.
Your daily Anti Aging Skincare regimen is not only required to deal with all the issues and challenges of your specific skin type but is also tasked with providing relief and protection for your sun-damaged, thinning skin that now has reduced levels of collagen and elastin. Your anti-aging skincare regimen will involve selecting products that are effective in taking care of your skin as well as delaying or reversing the signs of aging.
A few guidelines for working with products in your skincare regimen…
- Do your homework
- As your coach I will only suggest a product if it has active ingredients backed by clinical trials establishing a scientific basis for how it works and testimonials that prove that it works in the real world with real people. However, you may have allergies, be on medications or have special conditions that would make a product unsuitable for you individually even though it is fine for your skin type. Test to make sure that it doesn’t irritate the skin on your arm before you put it on your face.
- Pick your major concern
- Focus your product investigations on your major concern. Modern day anti-aging skin products have active ingredients that are powerful which can create irritation and damage if too many are applied to the skin a short period of time. Zero in on the one or two products that address your primary concern (removing age spots, evening skin tones, reducing dark circles under the eyes, etc.) rather than loading up on lots of products from different sources to handle everything all at once.
- Use a sunscreen and a moisturizer
- Keeping maturing skin protected from the sun and moisturized is the first step in keeping it youthful. A Harvard Medical School special report says…
- “The single biggest cause of damage to skin as you age is not aging itself—it’s sun exposure. This damage is called photoaging.”
- A claim that sounds too good to be true generally is I'm just saying… You are not going to look twenty years younger overnight. One product cannot do everything. You are not going to get the same results from an over-the-counter home treatment as you would from a procedure performed by a medical professional with FDA approved drugs. Claims of results are sometimesexaggerated. Be a little skeptical and trust yourself when evaluating the sales copy of manufacturers.
- Expensive does not mean better You are looking for results. A stiff price tag doesn’t necessarily mean a more effective product. It's true that some products have active ingredients that are expensive. But fragrances, fancy bottles and expensive advertising campaigns may add to the price but they do not add to results you will get from using a product.
- No one product works for everyone You may not get the miraculous results from the product that your friend raves about. Different skin sensitivities and skin types react to products differently. If you experience skin irritation with a product then it’s not for you. Stop using it immediately.
- Follow the directions Manufacturers know it is in their best interest to have you receive the best results possible in the shortest period of time without negative reactions. That is their game plan in directing how the product is to be used. You and the manufacturer both win when you follow the directions.
- Give it time to work It took time for the effects of aging to show up on your skin. It will take time for those effects to be reversed. In most cases anti aging effects appear when the body is enabled to heal, repair or reactivate a system which has been damaged. Stick with it and give it time. You are treating in weeks what has taken years to produce. Try to be patient.
- Use related products There is a synergy that seems to happen when your cleanser, toner, and moisturizer are from the same anti-aging brand. There is a greater likelihood of the products being complimentary and less chances that you will get too much of a powerful active ingredient.
- Stick with what works When you find a product that works for you don’t change. This is especially true if you have dry or sensitive skin. It is wise to explore a new product when you want better results. Otherwise stick with what’s working for you.
- Don't forget your neck Treat your the front and back of your neck with the same care that you treat your face. The effects of time do not end at your chin. Anti-Aging skin care for your neck and the back of your hands complete your younger looking skin appearance.
