facial skin care

There are 3 basic guidelines to follow when choosing either a good facial therapist or product as the two works in conjunction with one another. A good facial/skin therapists or somatologist will always give you good advice about the product as well as treatments that would best suit your individual skin type/condition.

1. Always ensure that the person treating your skin and prescribing a home care regime has the proper accreditation. It is always better to have someone with a 2-3 year qualification working on your skin, as you can be assured that they have the appropriate theoretical knowledge as well as knows how to choose what is best for your individual needs. Remember that the ladies at large chain and department stores are NOT always trained in skin care, they may know alot about the product that they are trying to sell to you, but not necessarily about your specific skin care needs.

2. Ensure that your facial routine both in salon/spa as well as homecare includes the following essentials:

• cleansing the skin with a non-soap based product that is suitable for your skin
• toning (if using a cream based formulation)
• a good daily moisturizer that is skin condition/type specific and contains a SPF
• a not too harsh exfoliator, either chemical, physical or enzymatic
• for home a good night treatment product There are other products that one can add to this regime, such as masks, serums, eye care and many more, which would be specific to the product line that your skin care professional recommends for you. A TIP is to not purchase over the counter products as they are not individual skin specific and could either harm the skin or be ineffective.

3. When selecting a salon/spa/clinic to visit for your facial care, be rigorous in establishing whether all employees are at least SAAHSP or CIBTAC accredited, as there are untrained therapists who practice at institutions.

Cleansing the skin: Skin cleansing is essential to promoting and maintaining a healthy complexion. There are various cleansing preparations to choose from; basically their action is the same in each case:

• to exfoliate dead skin cells from the stratum corneum (the dead skin layer), exposing younger skin cells and improving the skin’s appearance

• to remove make-up, dirt and pollutants from the surface of the skin, which reduces the possibility of blemishes and skin irritation

• to remove excess perspiration and sebum (oil) , reducing congestion of the skin and the subsequent formation of comedones and pustules

• to prepare the skin for further treatment

There are two types of cleansing emulsions,

• oil-in-water, which is normally used in cleansers for combination to oily skin types

• water-in-oil, which is prevalent in cleansers for combination to dry as well as sensitive skin types

Why not use household soaps?

• it has a more alkaline pH, which causes skin irritation to the skin as it strips the skin of its natural oils

• it disturbs the skin’s natural pH balance and strips the skin of it’s natural acid-mantle, making the skin sensitive and open to infection, as it is easier for bacteria to grow in an alkaline environment

Toning the skin: This is done after cleansing with an appropriate cleanser Toning lotions remove from the skin all traces of cleanser, oil and skin care preparations. There main actions are:

• it produces a cooling effect when the water or alcohol(not to be used on sensitive or dry skin types) evaporates from the skin’s surface

• it creates a tightening effect on the skin, because of the chemical called an astringent, which in turn decreases the flow of sebum and sweat to the surface of the skin

• it helps restore the natural pH of the skin

Some individuals claim that a toner is not necessary as part of a good skin care regime and cannot tighten pores, this is not true. Some cleansers have toners ‘built’ into there formulation and are just as effective. There are three main types of toning lotions, the difference basically lies in the amount of alcohol it contains: skin bracers and fresheners that contains little or no alcolhol and is recommended for dry, delicate, sensitive and mature skin types skin tonics that contain an astringent agent and is recommended for normal and combination skins astringents which have a high proportion of alcohol and are recommended for oily, mild acne and seborrheaic skins I recommend that, if your cleanser does not contain a toning agent, you should use a toner that suits your skin, if only for the reason that it will aid the penetration of whatever moisturizer you apply after it.

Moisturizing the skin: The skin depends on water to keep it soft, supple and resilient. Two thirds of our body is composed of water and the skin is an important reservoir, as it contains about 20% of the body’s total water content. Most of the fluid is in the lower layers of the dermis, but it circulates to the top layers and evaporates. The skin protects its water content in the following ways:

• sebum keeps the skin lubricated, and reduces water loss from the skin

• the skin cells have natural moisturising factors(NMF),  a complex mix of substances which are able to fix moisture inside cells, which coincidentally has become a big selling word in the cosmetic industry, with many cosmetic houses claiming to contain ‘natural NMF’s

• a cement of fats (lipids) between the skin cells forms a watertight barrier

How to select a suitable moisturizer: There are thousands available on the market and with the exellent marketing of the cosmetic companies, it can become very confusing when selcting the correct one for your skin. There are 3 main formulations:

• liquid emulsions

• ointments

• creams

The foremost factor on selecting a moisturizer, is depend on the lipid content of the formulation Dry Skin lacks sheen, because of it is low in oil. the pores are usually small, however, this is not always the case. A moisturizer with both humectant (water absorbing products) and occlusive components(oils) is required in this case. Oily skin is ‘glossy’. The pores are usually larger and the skin is supple to the touch. A good moisturiser for an oily skin is one that contains humectants, but does not have a high oil content as it is not required. Normal skin is somewhere between dry and oily skin and usually requires a moisturizer that contains both humectants and occlusive substances, but not as much as dry skin Combination skin is essentially exactly what it says, and consist of two or more areas of the skin that is different in oil content. It usually has a T-zone that consist of the forhead, nose and chin area being either oily and the rest of the face being normal, or the T-zone being normal and the rest of the face dry. You will need a moisturiser that can be oily enough for the dryer areas, without giving shine to the oily areas. Also note that there is a difference between day and night products

• Day Moisturisers should contain active ingredients that are specific to your skin type/condition, and should preferably contain an SPF.

• Night Moisturisers should have a higher proportion of oil than a day preparation as you wat the product to be more nourishing and most of us do not mind a bit of ’shine at night. It should also not contain any SPF, which are chemical or physical substances that may inhibit penetration of the active particles in the product

The abovementioned informations should serve as guidelines for you when you choose a facial product line, as not everything will be applicable to your individual needs. We are made from different DNA, so how can anyone expect our skins to be alike. Happy shopping.

Also See:

• Top 5 habits for Healthy Skin
   
• How to prevent and reduce wrinkles
   
• Skin Care during Menopause
   
• Skin Rejuvenation