Basic facial skin care: advice from a cosmetologist
During the day, a lot of impurities accumulate on the surface of the skin, which may not be visible to the naked eye. Foundation, powder, and dust particles settle on the surface of the skin and clog pores. The skin glands secrete oil, which normally moisturizes the skin and regulates pH.
If the lipid balance of the skin is disturbed and skin care is not carried out competently every day, this can cause a number of problems:
- clogged pores
- inflammation and acne
- violation of breathing and skin nutrition
- decreased elasticity
- the appearance of wrinkles, etc.
Proper daily skin care consists of several stages. The cosmetologist selects the products taking into account age, skin type, the presence and intensity of defects.
Blackheads* on the chin: how to get rid of them at home?
First of all, it is necessary to change your lifestyle and improve the quality of your diet. Experts recommend excluding fast food, sweet carbonated drinks, chocolate, spicy and salty foods. The diet should consist of cereals, greens, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fish. [176]
Don't forget to stay hydrated and try to quit smoking. Minimize your alcohol consumption and be sure to take care of your skin. It’s better to entrust this matter to a good cosmetologist, because he knows exactly how to remove blackheads* on the chin. Self-removal of sebaceous plugs often leads to injury and inflammation of the skin. [176]
Why cleanse and tone your skin?
The main stages of skin care are cleansing and toning. They should be performed 2 times a day. Daily facial skin care at home depends on the condition of the skin.
Cleansing is an important stage of skincare procedures. Using makeup and cosmetics without first cleansing will be ineffective - the skin and pores are contaminated, which provokes the appearance of pimples and minor blemishes. Even if you don’t use decorative cosmetics, you still need to cleanse your skin.
Daily facial skin care at home cannot be complete without cleansing. During the night, the skin intensively produces sebum. Morning procedures will help remove excess sebum and prepare the skin for the use of day cream.
Proper daily facial skin care must include evening cleansing of dirt and makeup residues. After cleansing, the skin is able to absorb the nutrients contained in the creams. The main rule is to use special products to cleanse the thin skin around the eyes.
If everything is clear with cleansing, then why does the skin need toning? The normal pH of human skin is 3.5-5.5. The skin is covered by a lipid layer called the acid mantle. Washing disrupts the acidity of the skin, as products often contain alkalis. After some time, the skin itself is able to restore its pH, but a tonic will help speed up this process.
Facial skin care every day includes toning. Tonics perform several tasks:
- help neutralize the effects of cleansers
- stabilize skin pH after cleansing
- prepare the skin for applying the cream
- improve the penetration of nutrients into the deep layers of the dermis
Daily skin care for the face and neck means using toners in the morning and evening. The toner restores pH and eliminates the feeling of tightness. The toning effect will not be long in coming - the skin becomes moisturized and velvety, skin pores narrow, and inflammatory processes decrease.
Instructions for use
Salicylic acid is used externally. The course of treatment is calculated according to the course of the diagnosis, skin condition and age of the patient.
Based on the instructions, the drug in the form of an alcohol solution should be applied no more than 3 times a day. The daily dose should not exceed 10 ml for adults and 1 ml for children. Duration of therapy is 1 week.
When using salicylic acid ointment, the skin must first be prepared. First, wash with soap and then dry. For better pharmacological action, the surface of the epidermis is treated with additional antimicrobial agents, then the area is lubricated with salicylic ointment with a concentration of 1% or 2%. The affected area is bandaged, and after 6 hours the bandage is replaced.
Hyperhidrosis of the palms and feet is eliminated with special powders containing the active substance. It should be used regularly, the course depends on the severity of symptoms.
For ear pathologies, drops based on salicylic acid are used. The duration of therapy is prescribed by the doctor.
How to cleanse and tone the skin?
What do you need for daily facial skin care? Choose your products wisely and know the step-by-step care regimen!
Cleansing is a prerequisite for normal skin functioning. This is the main procedure before applying all nourishing creams. Scientists have proven that cleansed skin absorbs the nutritional components of cosmetics 30% better than contaminated skin.
Don't neglect cleansing in the morning. Even if the skin is visually clean, this does not mean that the skin is not contaminated. All night the cells worked actively, bringing toxins and sebum to the surface. You should get rid of them to awaken your skin.
The main rules for daily cleansing and toning:
- Cleansing is carried out in the morning and evening. The main stage of intensive cleansing should be in the evening, when the skin accumulates impurities during the day.
- To cleanse the skin, makeup is removed with special products - first from the eyes, then from the entire face. Decorative cosmetics are removed with makeup products - mousses, foams, gels. They are selected according to skin type. Mousses and foams are suitable for dry and normal skin, and gels for oily skin.
- All cleansers, without exception, must be washed off with water. Even light milk should not be left on the skin. The components included in cleansers gradually destroy the lipid membrane of the skin, reducing its protective abilities.
- After cleansing, the skin is toned with tonic, lotion or toner depending on the skin type. These products remove residual chlorinated water, soothe the skin, and stabilize the pH. Every day facial skin care should not include alcohol-based toners. They have an aggressive effect on the skin, and subsequently stimulate hypersecretion of the glands.
How to care for your skin depending on its type?
Oily and combination skin suffers from intense production of sebum. The skin has a characteristic oily sheen, which is especially noticeable in the area of the nose, forehead and chin.
Daily care for problem skin is based on the use of products with a mousse texture that are washed off with water. Such products do not disturb the balance of the skin. To care for problem skin, it is better not to use abrasive products - they aggressively cleanse the skin and injure the epidermis.
Every day care for problematic facial skin is based on the main rule - proper cleansing. You need to take care of your skin with gels and small scrubs. They eliminate impurities and dead particles of the epidermis, cleanse pores, and eliminate clogging of the sebaceous glands. Daily care for problem skin necessarily includes refreshing your face with tonic. Products should contain a lot of moisture, but not be too greasy.
Combination skin is characterized by a combination of two skin types. The so-called T-zone is distinguished by an oily sheen, often with inflammatory foci. There are dry areas in the cheek area. Combination skin becomes treacherously shiny in the summer heat, but dries out quickly in winter. What should be your daily facial skin care routine at home?
There is no need to use different products for different areas of the face! Today, cosmetics have been developed for mixed skin types. Daily facial skin care involves the use of soft toners and low-fat creams. Mattifying wipes can get rid of excess fat in the T-zone, and toner can normalize the pH of the skin.
Dry skin suffers from a lack of sebum and moisture. The skin looks thin, stretched and rough. Dry skin is prone to premature wrinkles. Products with an oily, rich texture will help restore comfort and beauty to your skin.
A cosmetologist's advice on caring for dry skin is based on hydration and nutrition. Daily care for dry skin at home involves the use of delicate products that have a mild moisturizing effect.
Daily care for dry skin should include soft milk, gentle tonics, and nourishing creams with herbal extracts. Such products will restore healthy radiance and beauty to the skin. Products containing irritating alcohol and abrasive particles should be excluded from daily care for dry skin.
Daily care for aging skin has its own characteristics. Often women aged 35+ experience loss of elasticity, the appearance of thin skin folds, dryness and sagging.
Daily facial skin care at 35 years old is based on replenishing the lack of collagen and elastin, stimulating cells to self-heal. Naturally, it will not be possible to stop the aging process. But they can be significantly slowed down. Daily skin care after 45 should consist of products containing hyaluronic acid and collagen. Anti-aging cosmetics will make the skin more elastic, tightened and nourished.
What do you need for skin care every day?
The procedure for caring for facial skin changes every day as the body grows older:
- 20+. During this period, the withering processes begin and the first signs of skin maturity appear. Daily skin care after 25 years is based on the use of moisturizers and antioxidants. The skin is still elastic and actively regenerates. Therefore, daily skin care after 25 is limited to the use of products to cleanse and nourish the skin.
- 30+. At this age, the production of hyaluronic acid and collagen fibers significantly decreases, and the skin loses its elasticity. Fine wrinkles, traces of dehydration and sagging appear on the skin. A cosmetologist's advice on skin care after 35 is based on the use of antioxidant products and creams for ultraviolet protection, and anti-aging formulas with hyaluronic acid.
- 40+. Daily skin care after 45 is a comprehensive fight against age-related changes. By the age of 45, signs of aging, pigmentation, changes in facial contours, and decreased tone are noticeable on the skin. Tips from cosmetologists for skin care over 45 years old: replenish your cosmetic bag with products containing retinol, peptides, and hyaluronic acid.
- 50+. Daily home care for facial skin after 50 years should be carefully planned. During this period, hormonal imbalance is noted - collagen synthesis stops, skin tone decreases. At the age of 50+ you cannot do without compensatory care. A cosmetologist's advice for skin care after 55 years is to use anti-aging formulas with a powerful effect, aimed at replenishing the lack of moisture and collagen fibers.
What does daily facial skin care consist of?
Daily care for different skin types includes several mandatory procedures:
- Cleansing. Cleansing products are selected individually based on its type. It is better to give preference to products with a neutral pH without surfactants (alkalies).
- Exfoliation. Tonics, due to their mild chemical action, dissolve dead cells on the surface of the skin, renew the skin, and restore radiance and freshness to the skin.
- Hydration. The remedies work in two ways. And, as a rule, modern creams combine both options. The first method is water retention. Glycerin and hyaluronic acid in creams retain water molecules. The second method is to “lock” the water. Oils and silicones create a protective film on the surface of the skin that prevents water from evaporating. Step-by-step daily facial skin care, regardless of its type, necessarily includes the use of creams. The texture of the moisturizer depends on your skin type. The drier the skin, the denser the cream should be. It is also worth considering the advice of a cosmetologist on caring for the skin around the eyes. The skin in this area is thin and requires delicate care.
- Protection. Taking care of your skin every day involves using products with ultraviolet protection. They are applied before going outside to exposed areas of the body.
How often should you use a scrub and why?
The main thing in facial skin care is cleansing. Without this procedure, it is useless to use other cosmetics. The scrub is able to thoroughly cleanse the skin, making it soft and tender.
But your daily facial skin care routine shouldn't include a scrub. The intensity of use of this product depends on the type and condition of the skin, its sensitivity, age and time of year. Often, a deep cleansing scrub is used no more than once a week.
The rules for daily facial skin care do not include the constant use of scrubs. This is undesirable from the point of view of skin functioning. The skin is programmed with a natural exfoliation process. Therefore, normally it is enough to support these processes.
In order not to harm the skin, you need to use scrubs with small spherical or hemispherical particles. The products are applied in a circular motion, which helps to gently remove dead skin cells from the epidermis. Rough scrub particles can injure and scratch the skin. Some scrubs contain particles that dissolve during application. This cleansing is more effective due to the enzymes contained in the scrub.
Every day care for oily skin and the use of scrubs should be agreed upon with a cosmetologist. For example, if there are purulent rashes on the skin, the scrub will only increase inflammation and lead to the spread of infection.
How to avoid age spots?
When it comes to preventing age spots, the order of daily skin care and the protection of the epidermis from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation are important.
Products for daily facial skin care must include creams with SPF factor. The products must be used all year round on exposed areas of the body. In the summer heat, it is recommended to use SPF products above 30, in other months - creams with an SPF of at least 25.
During the period of active sun, products with retinol and vitamin A should be excluded from your beauty cosmetics bag. They provoke redness and irritation of the skin.
Why do blackheads* appear on the chin?
Open comedones are formed against the background of increased secretion of the sebaceous glands. Pores quickly become clogged with sebum, cosmetic residues, dust particles, and dirt. Sebaceous plugs acquire black color due to the oxidation of tyrosine, as well as the formation of melanin. [176]
This problem is most often encountered by those with combination and oily skin. Black spots* form on the nose and chin, as well as on the forehead. Moreover, the reasons for their appearance can be different: from hormonal imbalance and heredity to stress, bad habits and poor nutrition. [176]
Irregular or improper skin care can also provoke the appearance of open comedones. Pores usually become clogged due to insufficient cleansing and the use of comedogenic products (mineral oils, talc, etc.) [176]
Why is it necessary to use serums?
Daily skin care includes the use of serums. But today they remain a mysterious remedy for many. The range of possibilities of serums is huge:
- moisturizing and nourishing the skin
- fight acne and age spots
- eliminating signs of wilting, etc.
The serum contains a concentrate of active substances that can solve many skin problems. The main feature of the serum is that the depth of penetration of its components is much greater than that of any cream.
Daily skin care products differ in their action:
- Moisturizing. Eliminate inflammation on the skin. Such serums are necessary for sensitive and dehydrated skin. They will be especially useful in hot weather, when the skin suffers from a lack of moisture. Typically, moisturizing serums contain hyaluronic acid and glycerin. They should be used 2 times a day.
- Calming. Suitable for sensitive skin. The serums contain herbal extracts, niacinamide and other active substances.
- Exfoliating. Eliminate dead epidermal cells. Serums are made on the basis of lactic, salicylic and other acids. They are used only in the evening.
- Anti-aging. Tightens the skin, eliminates sagging and wrinkles. Serums contain retinol, vitamin C, antioxidants.
Can aspirin harm the skin?
To obtain acetylsalicylic acid, sulfuric acid and acetic anhydride are added to salicylic acid. These substances, if used inappropriately, can be harmful. [72]
Acetic anhydride can cause swelling, erythema, and lead to irritation. This is especially true when a mask with Aspirin is applied to damaged skin of the nose, forehead or chin with blackheads.
Sulfuric acid is attributed to toxicity. When used externally, it can cause irritation, burning, and itching.
There are situations in which the danger of using Aspirin for cosmetic purposes increases several times:
- Too many tablets used. The risk to the skin increases if you make masks using a whole pack of Aspirin.
- A homemade mask is applied to damaged skin, for example, after squeezing out blackheads or comedones.
- The product is left on the skin for a long time. Many patients have the misconception that the longer the mask is on the face, the stronger the effect. This misconception can cost you the health and beauty of your skin.
It is better to avoid experiments with self-preparing masks based on medications. Especially if they are not intended to treat acne.
When should you start using anti-aging products?
Daily skin care at home largely depends on age. But the question arises: when should you start using anti-aging cosmetics? You need to take care of youth and beauty of your skin from an early age. The first “bell” to use anti-age cosmetics is the appearance of creases and loss of elasticity.
Often, the aging process starts at the age of 25. This does not mean that the skin will suddenly lose its fresh appearance and become covered with wrinkles. Aging is a gradual long-term process and depends on the individual characteristics of the body. But it is easier to delay the aging process than to fight profound age-related changes.
The rules of daily skin care are individual for everyone. There is no universal figure for starting to use anti-aging care. Daily facial skin care after 25 should be based on the recommendations of a cosmetologist. The main advice from a cosmetologist on skin care after 35 years is the use of products aimed at moisturizing, protecting from ultraviolet radiation and maintaining tone.
If you use anti-aging creams prematurely out of fear of “aging prematurely,” then these treatments will be useless. Anti-aging cosmetics work where their work is needed. If the skin is young, anti-age cream will nourish and moisturize the skin, but will not perform its direct functions. Anti-aging cosmetics should be used according to indications and always in a timely manner.
Daily skin care after 35 should not be chosen independently. A cosmetologist will prescribe products that are optimal for your age and skin condition.
Does aspirin help with blackheads*?
Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, the production of which involves various components, including salicylic acid. It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, comedolytic effects. Therefore, salicylic acid is often prescribed for acne. [13, 72]
Aspirin has antibacterial properties and helps suppress excessive secretion of the sebaceous glands and inflammatory processes. The active effect of the tablets is based on increasing blood flow to the upper layers of the epidermis. This helps to saturate tissues with vitamins and improves their nutrition. [197]
It is believed that masks against blackheads* with Aspirin have a complex effect [197]:
- suppress inflammation;
- moisturize, whiten, dry the skin;
- prevent the spread of infection;
- relieve swelling from irritated skin.
But homemade cosmetics based on Aspirin cannot be called safe. The fact is that the tablets contain chemicals that have nothing to do with skin care. Therefore, a mask with Aspirin is unlikely to help get rid of blackheads* at home. [72]
