Know your skin!
The skin is the largest organ of our body. How you feel inside
is reflected by your skin. Lifestyle, diet, seasons,
environmental changes, stress at work, fluctuating hormone
levels, age and of course genetical predeposition, all these
things take effect on the appearance of your skin. Skin
appearance on the other hand influences how we feel about
ourselves and how we interact with other people. This
interaction often defines our self esteem, which in turn again
can take effect on our skin. We all are looking for the right
skin care to influence this circle for the best. It is important
for us to understand that not only skin care products differ,
but also everybody's skin. We live in different climates, eat,
sleep and exercise differently, and have different genetical
predepositions. A product which is excellent for one person may
show very poor results or even have negative impact on another
person's skin. Skin care products can help to clean, moisten,
revitalize and protect your skin and can bring great relief to
some of the stress your skin has to deal with every day and
every night, but you need to learn how your skin reacts to the
many inside and outside factors. Knowing your skin is key.
Usually, you get to hear that you have either sensitive, dry,
normal or oily skin or some combination thereof, which - as a
general statement - is not sufficient. Different parts of your
face show different skin characteristics. Some areas of your
face could be quite oily and tend to be acne prone, while other
parts of your face feel very dry at the same time. The center of
the forehead, the nose, the chin and areas of the cheeks - the
so called T-zone - have more oil glands and may need to be
treated with a different formula than other parts of your face.
In problematic cases you will require a set of products for
different areas of your face and sometimes even a different set
of products for the same areas when seasons change. Our skin
condition is changing often and we need to adjust our skin care
routines and the skin care products to these changing needs. You
may find different skin appearances based on where you live, the
time of the year and many other circumstances that you may not
be able to control. Pay close attention to the changes in your
daily life and how your skin reacts to them. This is the first
and most important step towards finding the right skin care
product and the right skin care routine for you. In addition
there are several important skin care rules that you need to
follow at all times: 1. Protect your skin from sun exposure! The
sun is damaging your skin, promotes premature aging and is a
primary cause for skin cancer. Always apply sunscreen before
going outside - period. Check your skin regularly and visit your
dermatologist for a skin examination once a year. Sunscreen
needs time to get absorbed, so make sure to apply the product at
least 15 minutes before any sun exposure. Always put sunscreen
on your kids! 2. Do not smoke! Active and passive(!) smoking
causes serious damage to your skin. Besides its negative impact
on other organs and the overall blood circulation in your body,
there is scientific evidence that smoking advances the breakdown
of elastic fibers in your skin and promotes yellow and
artificially thickened looking skin. Just another reason to
quit! 3. Be gentle to your skin! A common mistake in skin care
is the use of too aggressive products and treatments. Avoid
irritating ingredients and excessive scrubbing. Cleansers do not
have to tingle to be effective and should never hurt!