10 Best At-Home Skin Care Tips to Keep Your Skin Healthy & Moisturized!
With so much advice and so many products to choose from, it can be hard to know what’s valid and what’s just hype when it comes to caring for your skin. Here are ten essential tips based on reliable science.
1. Follow a Simple Skin Care Routine
It’s tempting to make your skin care complex, with lots of steps and even more products, but it’s smarter to keep it simple. Find a routine you can follow, day in and day out. As long as it covers the basics, the simpler the better. Fewer steps are easier to follow, and fewer products may actually be better for your skin in the long run.
2. Start With the Right Cleanser for Your Skin
Begin your morning and nighttime skin care routine with a cleanser that’s right for your skin. If your skin is oily and prone to acne, that might be a foaming face wash, a salicylic gel, or a benzoyl peroxide wash. If you have dry skin, it might be a moisturizing cleanser. Wash your skin gently and pat it dry.
3. Moisturize Day and Night
After every cleansing wash, apply moisturizer while your skin is still a little damp. The best times are when you get out of the shower and just before you go to bed. With moisturizers, as with cleansers, choose a product that’s right for your skin: a gel lotion for oily skin, a moisturizing lotion for normal skin, or a cream for dry skin.
4. Protect Your Skin from the Sun Every Day
Exposure to the UV rays in sunlight ages the skin and increases the risk of skin cancer. Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher before you go outside, even if it’s just to run errands. And don’t just rely on the sunscreen. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses and make an effort to stay in the shade.
5. Take Extra Care in Cleansing and Moisturizing at Night
Give your face a thorough cleansing at the end of the day, taking care to remove all makeup. Your skin recovers as you sleep, and it needs to breathe. Try using a facial mask once a week to boost the effects of your evening moisturizer.
6. Exfoliate Selectively
Consider using an exfoliant once or twice a week to remove dead skin that leaves your complexion looking dull. But don’t overdo it. Follow instructions carefully, and don’t exfoliate more than twice a week.
7. Don’t Touch Your Face
This advice carries extra weight during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s essential to healthy skin care, too. Touching your face can spread bacteria and cause acne breakouts.
8. Eat a Healthy Diet
Eat a healthy diet with nuts, fish, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; this is for your skin and your overall health. For example, walnuts and salmon are high in omega-3 fatty acids, each helping to keep moisture in and irritants out of the skin. Many other vitamins and minerals in fresh, unprocessed food are also good for the skin in different ways.
9. Exercise and De-Stress
Physical activity causes you to sweat, which helps to clean your pores. It also gives your skin a healthy glow and helps you relax. Reducing stress cuts down on oily secretions in your skin and reduces anxious facial expressions that can harden into permanent lines and creases. Yoga, meditation, and deep breathing might actually be part of your skin care routine.
10. Sleep Smarter
Healthy sleep habits help your skin by giving it a chance to rest and restore itself. Always remember to cleanse and moisturize your skin before bed. Also, be sure to sleep on a clean pillowcase. Silk pillowcases are particularly gentle on your skin.
Learn About More Advanced Treatments
Dr. Stephen Bresnick in Encino, CA, is one of the most sought-after and extensively trained plastic surgeons in the Los Angeles area. His SILK Medical Spa offers specialized facials and peels, skin resurfacing, and other treatments. Call us at (818) 981-3333 or contact us today to learn more.