Skin Care: The ultimate No-Nonsense Guide

"In fact, your skin is the biggest organ in your body."

Your skin is your body's biggest organ. It's a living breathing mechanism that works overtime for you, shielding your body so that vital nutrients don't leak out. It also regulates your temperature, protects you from sun damage, and acts as a barrier between your insides and the many harmful toxins and microorganisms in your environment.

There are three main layers of the skin:

1. The Epidermis: The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin. It's made up of keratinocytes (skin cells) that help keep bacteria at bay. The epidermis is more like your first line of defense. It produces melanin, which helps protect you against UV rays and gives the skin its color.

2. The Dermis: The Dermis is the thicker layer of the skin, which contains blood vessels and nerves that gives the skin a sense of touch. It has connective tissues that comprise two proteins: collagen, which provides the skin with its fullness and shape, and elastin which gives the skin its resilience and ability to snap back into shape. As you age, both collagen and elastin break down faster than our cells can replace them, leading to wrinkles and dry skin.

3. Subcutaneous tissue: The subcutaneous tissue is a layer of fat and tissue between your skin and the muscles. It protects your muscles from the beatings your skin gets every day and also insulates and regulates your body's temperature. The subcutaneous tissue layer turns thin as we age, causing cellulite in some skin regions and making our skin less smooth.

To take care of your skin, you need to choose the right skincare products, get the required dose of sunshine, eat healthy meals and get enough sleep.

"Get into a few good habits with a daily routine, and you'll soon see the benefits."

Taking care of your skin can be overwhelming, especially with many skincare products flooding the market. To overcome this, you need to know the right products to use in your daily routine.

Having a daily skincare routine is a foundation for proper skin care. The morning routine prepares your skin for the day, while the evening routine helps repair and corrects your skin conditions.

"You will still be layering your skincare, but using less of your tropical products and/or switching out a couple of key products for lighter options."

Your skincare routine should change according to the seasons. Different seasons come with different climates and temperatures that affect the skin, so it's crucial to make changes that nourish, repair, and protect your skin.

For example, transitioning from winter to summer can take a toll on your skin if you do not use the right products that help radiate and protect it against ultraviolet light. Similarly, the change from warm to cold can make your skin look parched, so you must take the proper steps to keep your skin hydrated, plump, and healthy during the winter.

"It's not great to swim in makeup, no matter how rushed you are."

Taking care of your skin occurs not only at home in the morning and evening but also when indulging in activities such as exercising and traveling. This involves avoiding certain products that may harm your skin.

When exercising, for example, you should avoid wearing makeup since sweat and heat from the exercise can cause open pores, which can become clogged by makeup. This is the same with traveling on a plane: when you wear makeup, it can interact with the dry environment of the air, causing acne and breakouts. To prevent dryness in such cases, the best thing to do is moisturize your skin with a moisturizing cream before flying.

"Most brands will try to sell you products based on your skin type when they should be targeting your skin condition."

Knowing your skin condition is crucial to taking great care of it. Unfortunately, most cosmetic brands mislead people by selling products based on skin type when they should be targeting skin conditions. Your skin type is essentially the type of skin you were born with, and there are four major types: dry skin, oily skin, normal skin, and combination skin.

However, skin conditions generally occur more due to your lifestyle choices, environment, and diet. Sometimes, skin conditions are also a result of skin types. For example, most people with oily skin are more prone to acne and spots, unlike those with normal skin. Therefore, to take proper care of your skin, you need to focus more on your skin condition.

It is easy to handle common skin conditions like acne, dehydration, milia, and signs of aging with a good skincare routine, but other skin conditions like eczema, ichthyosis, keratosis pilaris, psoriasis, rosacea, and vitiligo will require more attention from qualified doctors, dermatologist, and aestheticians.

"Hormones, hormones, hormones. They have a lot to answer for, and at certain times of our lives, they rage."

We already know that environmental factors and our diets play a crucial role in the health of our skin, but did you know hormones and illnesses can also cause skin conditions? In fact, hormones may be the biggest skin disruptor of all! This is why most skin problems, especially acne and spots, primarily spring up during puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause.

In addition, illnesses such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and cancer could also take a toll on your skin's health. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help tackle the effects of these conditions on your skin.

"Your skincare kit deserves consideration and a bit of care."

A good skincare kit is an integral part of taking proper skin care. Therefore, getting a good skincare kit containing all the products you need for your daily skincare routine is crucial.

When choosing skincare products, you need to focus more on formulas and ingredients, not just the labels and packages of products. Your skincare care kit can be as comprehensive or as simple as you want as long as you have all the quality products you need for healthy skin.