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Skincare for Beginners

Good skincare is essential not only for achieving and maintaining a healthy, glowing complexion now but for ensuring you put your best fast forward as you age. But perfecting your personal beauty routine can seem overwhelming. There are so many products to choose from!

Proper skincare doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. In fact, it comes down to three basic principles: cleansing, treating, and moisturizing.

Cleanse 2X Day

Each day your face accumulates dirt, sweat, dead skin cells, sebum, and other environmental stressors even when you don’t wear makeup! Add to that cosmetics and creams and you have a yucky recipe for clogged pores, damaged skin, and accelerated aging. It’s important to thoroughly remove all of this stuff at the end of each day to both give skin a chance to recover from the day’s assault and create a clean palette for your nighttime skincare products to penetrate more deeply.

The best cleansers are gentle and non-drying, leaving skin feeling soft and fresh versus tight and squeaky. Look for a face wash without parabens, sulfates, or other harsh ingredients that negatively impact skin by stripping away its protective barrier.

A lightly sudsing cleanser is great by itself in the a.m. to get rid of debris and oils from your hair, hands, and pillowcase, and to prep your face for your daytime products. At night, however, we love the decadence of a double cleanse!

The first of the two steps is a non-lathering cleansing oil or balm that emulsifies oil-based sebum and makeup and lifts it to the surface to be wiped away with a soft cloth or exfoliating cleansing pad.

When followed with a more traditional water-based face wash that lathers when mixed with H2O, skin is left truly clean and ready to treat.

Treat Specific Issues

Treating specific skin concerns is where you can turn your skincare regime from a simple routine into a multi-step process depending on how truly into it you are and how much time and money you’re willing to invest, but it’s also where your skincare can be most customized to your individual needs.

Blemishes, flaking, and redness can be addressed with targeted serums and creams designed to soothe irritated skin and reduce inflammation. These products are often used as a spot treatment only when needed.

Dark spots, melasma, fine lines, wrinkles, and other noticeable signs of aging respond best to functional products applied consistently. Serums that exfoliate, brighten and infuse skin with antioxidants plump skin by encouraging new cell turnover and collagen production, leading to noticeable improvements in skin appearance and texture.

Other treatments such as masks, peels, and professional facials can be worked in periodically if needed (or desired!)

Moisturize AM & PM

Using a balanced moisturizer not only makes skin look and feel better, but it also helps prevent many common skin problems. When skin is dry, lines and wrinkles appear deeper and more noticeable, and breakouts, redness, and other irritation are more likely to occur. Choose moisturizers that match your skin type and are designed to protect skin and prevent damage during the day. Nighttime moisturizers are formulated to repair and restore skin.

Day creams and routines should always include sun protection either built into the products you use or as an additional step.

And don’t forget the eyes! The skin around your eyes is thinner and more delicate than on the rest of the face, and certainly the rest of your body, so it really does need to be treated more gently. Eye creams and serums include ingredients for specific to the area such as dark circles, fine lines, and puffiness.

Many things go into choosing the products you select for your personal beauty routine — packaging, fragrance, cost — different things are important to different people. Establishing good skincare habits as soon as possible is what’s important, however, it’s never too late to start taking better care of your skin! Even if you have a current routine, the products you use should be reevaluated from time to time because skin conditions and needs change as you age.

Whether you’re new to regular skincare or an admitted product junkie, we would love to help you assess your skin’s condition and the effectiveness of your skincare routine. We can even recommend products from our award-winning, results-oriented skincare line, proven at addressing a wide range of skincare concerns, and show you the best ways to use them for your most glowing complexion.

Contact Kalologie MedSpa Austin for a skincare consultation today.