The Basics of Healthy Skin Care –Part One

The Basics of Healthy Skin Care –Part One

By Carrie E. Pierce

The skin is a very complex and incredible organ. Comprised of –basically-3 layers, millions of cells and making up approx. 5% of our body weight, it is a Universe unto itself.

The outermost layer of the skin-the epidermis- renews itself every 28 days. The act of ‘Aging’ slows this renewal process. By the time the skin cells have made their journey to the surface of the skin, they've altered considerably–turning from plump and pliable, into dead, totally dehydrated cells. These dead cells form what’s known as the 'horny' –or- protective layer of the skin. As the dead cells collect on the skin’s surface, they accumulate, causing the skin to take on a dull, dehydrated look we all strongly associate with ‘growing older’.

Even more crucial, is that the skin is not just a wetsuit that keeps our organs from flopping out as we walk down the street!

The skin is NOT just a shell…

It's a living, breathing, renewing organ -and it serves as the body's second bowel, third kidney and third lung.

As such, the skin absorbs molecularly- from one degree to another- what is applied to it and because of this, it's important to wisely select your grooming products and cosmetics.

If really healthy, radiant looking skin is what you want, then your skin care products and your skin care program need to be as healthful as possible. The same holds true for your diet and lifestyle — which is only common sense.

Good skin starts with good Skin Care Basics.

Cleansing

Thorough, yet gentle cleansing- regular exfoliation- toning- and moisturizing- both day and night, is important. These basic steps will provide you with a solid foundation, and you can add additional steps as you grow, learn- and become hooked on the results. And believe me–you will get hooked on the results!

Cleansing your skin regularly is extremely important, but just washing your face with water alone doesn't cut it. Water- when used alone- actually serves to chap the skin, leaving it rough and prone to damage. Cleansing -when done properly- removes surface dirt, environmental pollutants and impurities. It's not a step that can be ignored.

I recommend a mild cleansing first thing in the morning, and a much more thorough cleansing before bed.- Each and every day!

And Please:

NO tugging or pulling around the fragile eye area!

That’s a very tender area and requires respect and care.

Keep your cleansing gentle- and cleanse with upward, circular motions to maximize deep cleansing of your facial pores.

Facial pores lie at an upward angle. Because of this, cleansing should always be done in upward, circular motions so that cleansing products can work their way into pores and gently lift out grime and oily buildup.

And, as crazy as it sounds, please remember that you have a throat!

This always-neglected area makes no real protective moisture of its own– and relies on you to cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize it regularly to keep it healthy, protected and attractive.

–If you don't pay attention to it, it WILL get its revenge! This area is one of the first to give

Exfoliation

Now, let’s turn our attention to the all-important task of exfoliation:

Most women either don’t grasp the importance of exfoliating regularly, or they perceive it to be a step they can do without. This step is vital- not only for healthy skin- but for skin that is radiant, supple, bright and beautiful.

Dead skin cells can build up over time and trap sebum, causing blackheads, whiteheads and pustules. This build-up can also stop moisturizers and other treatments from penetrating and being beneficial to the skin.

There are many differing schools of thought about just how to go about proper exfoliation. All forms of manual exfoliation (scrubbing/buffing) carry risk: exfoliating scrubs buff dead skin free by using grinding agents such as nutshells or nut meats, sugar or cornmeal, etc. These agents can cause abrasion and chafing, as well as possible capillary damage, if they’re used too aggressively or on very sensitive/thinning skin.

Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) work to digest dead skin cells, much the same way enzymes gobble up protein. AHA’s are derived from fruit acids, and do carry possible burning risks. Some AHA treatments are buffered to be more gentle and as such, better tolerated. The buffering action provided by the addition of BHAs makes products more safe and skin-friendly for consumers who might otherwise have painful reactions to straight AHA products.

Please do not exfoliate if you have active acne, rosacea or psoriasis.

Applying Toner

Next is the important step of applying Toner.

For truly healthy skin, toner application should immediately follow cleansing, because a toner serves two purposes for the skin:

1) It removes the final traces of cleansing product -and-

2) It restores the skin's proper pH– a very crucial step to healthy skin.

Your toner product should always be alcohol-free. (If the product in question contains alcohol it is usually classified as being an ‘Astringent’.) An Astringent’s sole purpose is to dry up oil secretions, which then serves to over-strip the skin- negatively impacting skin health. -And as you probably know, alcohol is very dehydrating and damaging to mature skin that’s already starting to dry out on its own.Simply put, astringents can cause more problems than they correct.

In Part Two of The Basics of Healthy Skin Care, we will visit the remaining steps together by starting our discussion with proper Moisturizing.

Carrie Pierce ‘Carrie has been active in the skin care and beauty industry for over 24 years. She’s a licensed Aesthetician currently active in the field, is certified in Color Analysis and has built a solid, international reputation in the field of holistic skin care, specializing in harmful cosmetic ingredients and industry practices. She is also a recognized speaker and published writer; having written numerous articles in women’s health and beauty publications.