Mensexpert.com - How To Keep Your Skin Healthy

Ever wondered why a woman’s bathroom cabinet is spilling over with a zillion lotions and potions and gels and tubes and jars, all containing colorful magic substances and having names that are all a vital part of her hour-long beauty regime? Well, if she can end up looking good even after using all of that, then she must be doing something right and is not merely acting like a product-consuming maniac.

Skin problems are not unique to females. The difference is that they take care of their skin while we men are just too darn lazy to bother with our own. So, unless you’re happy with your zit-ridden or blackhead-speckled skin, follow this Xpert daily regime for skincare to attain skin that not only looks healthy but feels healthy too.

Cleanse

Keep your soap bar strictly for your body which needs all the harshness of the detergents to get rid of dirt and germs. When it comes to your face, you need to go gentle and that’s what a facial cleanser does. It is specifically designed for the skin on your face, thus making it free of harmful substances such as detergents, soaps and fragrances. A good cleanser foams and washes away dirt without ridding the skin of its natural oils. Use twice a day - before shaving and before sleeping at night. Cleansing your face before going to bed is essential as the skin goes into restoration mode in the night. There are two types of cleansers - foaming cleansers and cream cleansers. Foaming cleansers are great for removing excess oils while cream ones get rid of only dirt and are good for dry skin.

Exfoliate

It’s not over yet. If you think that by getting rid of the dirt on your face you’ll be beaming with natural radiance, you couldn’t be more mistaken. The skin’s surface builds-up a superficial layer of dead skin cells that make your skin look dull and lifeless. With exfoliation, the dead cells are gently removed and it helps the skin to absorb external nutrients that leads to healthy-looking skin. For sensitive skin, use non-abrasive formulas. Do not use your body scrub on your face and never exfoliate the immediate area surrounding your eye as a scrub is too harsh for the delicate skin around the eyes. An exfoliating scrub with fine grains used once a week is going to give your face a vibrant look.

Rejuvenate

Free radicals. Heard of them? Nope there’s nothing political about them, but scientifically speaking, a free radical is an atom that’s lost an electron and tries to balance itself by stealing electrons from other cells. Canning the particle-physics jargon, what too many of these free radicals will do to our skin is cause a host of damaging effects, one of them being the visible signs of aging. We can’t avoid them as they come from our environment, but we can fight them with antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E. Eating well is a sure way of counteracting free radicals but if you have a poor diet then take a vitamin supplement and find a moisturizer containing antioxidants and an SPF of 15.

Moisturize

Lotions and creams are great moisturizers which impart antioxidants to your skin. While a lotion is good for normal skin, dry skin would need more of oils that are contained in creams. One of the best advantages of moisturizing your face is preventing the signs of aging. If you have particularly sensitive skin, then choose a moisturizer that is free of fragrance and hypoallergenic.

Awareness

Skin-care products such as facial cleansers, exfoliants and moisturizers can be picked up from any up-market department store, spas or at a dermatologist’s. However, each of them has several products that are specific for certain skin types for maximum results. So choose carefully and combat bad skin with the right ones. Be aware of exactly what your skin requires before starting any regimen.

Normal: If you don’t have any particular skin issues, then this is the skin type you have. You might have slightly dry skin in places and slightly oily elsewhere. All you need is a good cleanser (a foaming one), a toner and a moisturizer with antioxidant protection.

Oily: Oily skin has big, open pores and the characteristic greasy T-zone. This causes lots of blackheads, whiteheads and general pore congestion. You need to use a foaming cleanser, toner and an oil-free moisturizer.

Dry: There is excessive tightness and dryness which can get physically uncomfortable. There are signs of aging such as line and wrinkles. You need to use a cream cleanser and a rich cream moisturizer. Cleanse your face only in the night and rinse with water in the morning.

Combination: You have the worse of both dry and oily skin so you need to pay extra attention here. Use a gentle foaming cleanser. Then treat the dry areas with a cream moisturizer if skin is very dry or a lotion if mildly dry.