Common Skincare Questions
"There's no need to cleanse every day"
Daily Cleansing is important and best at night for the removal of debris such as dead skin cells, sebum and make-up. Cleansing should maintain the skins's ability to be receptive to beneficial active ingredients. Look for ingredients such as jojoba seed oil and olive oil esters and hydrolysed oats which deeply hydrate the skin. Also, vitamin B5 (pantheon) which helps to calm and heal the skin and reduce redness.
"Any cleanser will do. Water and soap. Even facial wipes."
People often strive for a 'squeaky clean' feeling by using frothy, over lathering cleansers. However, these types of cleansers strip the skin of its moisture and cause redness or irritation. Use low foaming cleansers with ingredients such as decal-glucoside, as this is a lathering agent that is much gentler and cleanses the skin without disturbing the acid mantle. Facial wipes are simply a no, because the common ingredient is alcohol, which has a tendency to sensitise the skin.
"Cleansing should include a facial brush"
Facial brushes are exfoliators and damage the all-important stratum corneum. Des Fernandes explains "it strips the skin of the important horny layer that is extremely thin - just 0.2mm thick - and our only protection against the surrounding world". Aggressive or excessive exfoliation can compromise the health of the protective barrier resulting in an increase in sebum secretions.
If you have oily skin you may be inclined to reach for a facial brush as part of your cleansing routine, you would, however, benefit more by introducing an oil based cleanser and a 'double-cleansing' routine by using a pre-cleansing oil with ingredients such as coconut oil triester which helps to remove excess oil debris.
"I don't need a toner"
As the skin is very thin, a toner should always be viewed as a treatment. It balances the skins natural pH levels after cleansing and prepares the skin to be more receptive to active ingredients such as Vitamin A. Toners including other active ingredients such as niacinamide (also known as vitamin B3) will lighten pigmentation, while peptides such as Matrixyl 3000 will enhance the production of collagen. Lactic acid will hydrate as well as correct uneven skin tone.
"I don't need to invest in a moisturiser. They all do the same thing"
Moisturisers have many benefits. They protect from environmental attack, soften and plump the skin. They also repair the damage from free radicals and other daily external stressors. In order to treat individual skin concerns, look for moisturisers that contain vitamin A, which is the crucial DNA regulator for 300-1000 genes and is known as the skins normaliser. There is no alternative or equivalent to vitamin A for healthy skin.
"Oily skin types don't need a moisturiser"
It's a common misconception that oily skin does not need a moisturiser. In fact, oily skin still needs to be hydrated. Using a vitamin A enriched moisturiser will help normalise sebum production. Look for products with ingredients like salicylic acid, lactic acid and glycolic acid which will help to balance and regulate skin moisture levels.
"I only need to moisturise in the morning"
Moisturisers applied during the day should provide antioxidants and active ingredients to protect against pollution and harmful UV rays. However, according to research, new skin cells renew faster at night, so moisturisers applied before bed containing vitamin A and C, will work together to increase essential collagen formation and replace the depletion of vitamin A from light exposure and other environmental factors.
"I don't need to take supplements for my skin"
Feeding the skin from within will also keep skin healthy.
In a study by the Institute of Experimental Dermatology, a sample group was given an antioxidant supplement containing phytonutrients lycopene, lutein, beta-carotene and selenium. After 10 weeks, skin density had increased by 7% and thickness had increased by 14%. Scaling and roughness decreased by 60% and 33% respectively.
iiaa studies at their own Skin Health Research Centre for skin Vit A and Skin Omegas saw a 45% improvement in hydration and a 38% improvement in skin integrity after just 12 weeks.
Beauty starts from within so complement topical treatments with oral supplements of key vitamins and nutrients on the side. As a minimum, start with vitamin A, D and antioxidants and omegas to boost moisture.
Daily Cleansing is important and best at night for the removal of debris such as dead skin cells, sebum and make-up. Cleansing should maintain the skins's ability to be receptive to beneficial active ingredients. Look for ingredients such as jojoba seed oil and olive oil esters and hydrolysed oats which deeply hydrate the skin. Also, vitamin B5 (pantheon) which helps to calm and heal the skin and reduce redness.
"Any cleanser will do. Water and soap. Even facial wipes."
People often strive for a 'squeaky clean' feeling by using frothy, over lathering cleansers. However, these types of cleansers strip the skin of its moisture and cause redness or irritation. Use low foaming cleansers with ingredients such as decal-glucoside, as this is a lathering agent that is much gentler and cleanses the skin without disturbing the acid mantle. Facial wipes are simply a no, because the common ingredient is alcohol, which has a tendency to sensitise the skin.
"Cleansing should include a facial brush"
Facial brushes are exfoliators and damage the all-important stratum corneum. Des Fernandes explains "it strips the skin of the important horny layer that is extremely thin - just 0.2mm thick - and our only protection against the surrounding world". Aggressive or excessive exfoliation can compromise the health of the protective barrier resulting in an increase in sebum secretions.
If you have oily skin you may be inclined to reach for a facial brush as part of your cleansing routine, you would, however, benefit more by introducing an oil based cleanser and a 'double-cleansing' routine by using a pre-cleansing oil with ingredients such as coconut oil triester which helps to remove excess oil debris.
"I don't need a toner"
As the skin is very thin, a toner should always be viewed as a treatment. It balances the skins natural pH levels after cleansing and prepares the skin to be more receptive to active ingredients such as Vitamin A. Toners including other active ingredients such as niacinamide (also known as vitamin B3) will lighten pigmentation, while peptides such as Matrixyl 3000 will enhance the production of collagen. Lactic acid will hydrate as well as correct uneven skin tone.
"I don't need to invest in a moisturiser. They all do the same thing"
Moisturisers have many benefits. They protect from environmental attack, soften and plump the skin. They also repair the damage from free radicals and other daily external stressors. In order to treat individual skin concerns, look for moisturisers that contain vitamin A, which is the crucial DNA regulator for 300-1000 genes and is known as the skins normaliser. There is no alternative or equivalent to vitamin A for healthy skin.
"Oily skin types don't need a moisturiser"
It's a common misconception that oily skin does not need a moisturiser. In fact, oily skin still needs to be hydrated. Using a vitamin A enriched moisturiser will help normalise sebum production. Look for products with ingredients like salicylic acid, lactic acid and glycolic acid which will help to balance and regulate skin moisture levels.
"I only need to moisturise in the morning"
Moisturisers applied during the day should provide antioxidants and active ingredients to protect against pollution and harmful UV rays. However, according to research, new skin cells renew faster at night, so moisturisers applied before bed containing vitamin A and C, will work together to increase essential collagen formation and replace the depletion of vitamin A from light exposure and other environmental factors.
"I don't need to take supplements for my skin"
Feeding the skin from within will also keep skin healthy.
In a study by the Institute of Experimental Dermatology, a sample group was given an antioxidant supplement containing phytonutrients lycopene, lutein, beta-carotene and selenium. After 10 weeks, skin density had increased by 7% and thickness had increased by 14%. Scaling and roughness decreased by 60% and 33% respectively.
iiaa studies at their own Skin Health Research Centre for skin Vit A and Skin Omegas saw a 45% improvement in hydration and a 38% improvement in skin integrity after just 12 weeks.
Beauty starts from within so complement topical treatments with oral supplements of key vitamins and nutrients on the side. As a minimum, start with vitamin A, D and antioxidants and omegas to boost moisture.
