SKIN IN THE GAME
Eight resolutions to ensure the best skincare you deserve
Each New Year begins with the mandatory resolution-making with the solemn promise to uphold. While good intentions pave the way…you can make resolutions to take the best care of your skin any time of year. However, I believe that following myths or misleading information instead of facts is never the path to having the skin you want or deserve. Here are the absolute basic truths to achieving the results you want all year long.
✒ RESOLUTION #1: Vow to wear sunscreen every day
Daily use of sunscreen delivers anti-ageing and skin health benefits above and beyond any other skincare product, and the reason for that is simple: the sun’s UVA and UVB rays are the number one cause of wrinkles, sagging, discolourations, as well as many other skin issues. By protecting yourself from
the cascade of free radical damage and inflammation sun exposure triggers, you can save your skin and keep it looking healthy. The key is to be consistent and diligent—that means applying a moisturiser or foundation with SPF 30 (or greater) every day even if you’re just going to be sitting indoors by a window or on a cloudy day. Use a sunscreen loaded with antioxidants for even better protection and enhanced anti-ageing benefits.
✒ RESOLUTION #2: Avoid anything that inflames or irritates skin
Decades of research has proven that inflammation of any kind destroys the skin. Regardless of the source, inflammation is the primary cause of premature ageing, skin discolorations, dryness, increased breakouts, destroying collagen/elastin, redness, and other skin issues. Inflammation is primarily caused by unprotected sun exposure, but pollution, skincare products with irritating ingredients, harsh scrubs, hot water, steaming skin, rubbing or scratching can damage skin.
✒ RESOLUTION #3: Gently cleanse twice a day
It’s important to wash your face gently, not just to remove makeup (never fall asleep with your makeup on), but to whisk away excess oil and pollutant debris that builds up. This allows skin to receive maximum benefit from the rest of the products you put on afterwards. The key here is to only use a gentle cleanser that gets the job done without stripping skin or causing irritation. The best cleansers contain replenishing ingredients to support the skin’s delicate barrier. The worst cleansers are bar soaps, bar cleansers, and abrasive scrubs because of how drying and damaging they are to the skin’s surface. If you want to feel extra clean, a soft washcloth used with your cleanser will do the trick.
✒ RESOLUTION #4: Don’t fall for every new skin care trend
It’s easy to be tempted by the latest trending ingredients or skin care fads but do your research first. Just because something is popular and chatted up on social media, doesn’t mean it actually works or is even good for skin. This includes sheet masks, jade rollers, gua sha tools, and skincare refrigerators— none of which are advantageous for skin and in fact, most of these end up doing more harm than good. When it comes to skincare refrigerators in particular, storing your products in the cold actually causes the ingredients to breakdown prematurely overtime. As new trends begin to roll in for 2022, whet those against what science has to say instead of marketing hype.
✒ RESOLUTION #5: Make 2022 the year to find your ideal exfoliant
If you haven’t tried a gentle leave on AHA (such as glycolic or lactic acid) or BHA (salicylic acid) exfoliant, now is the time. This game changing skincare step is the secret to having a smooth, clear, vibrant complexion. Gentle scrubs are
fine as an extra cleansing step, but they can’t get to where the layers of built-up dead skin are hiding beneath the surface that contribute to clogged pores, acne, dull skin, and decreased hydration. AHAs and BHA are exfoliating ingredients that gently slough off dead skin cells in a manner identical to how our skin naturally exfoliated when we were young before sun damage and certain skin disorders slowed down the process.
✒ RESOLUTION #6: Stay away from fragranced skin care and makeup products
Research is abundantly clear that fragrance (whether it’s from essential oils or synthetic ingredients) creates a volatile reaction and triggers inflammation in
✒ RESOLUTION #7: Give skin back the vital substances it can’t make for itself
Because of sun damage, pollution, and menopause, skin loses the ability to produce essential components it desperately needs such as ceramides, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, amino acids, antioxidants, normalised estrogen levels in skin, fatty acids, niacinamide, retinol, peptides, and so on. Replenishing with these types of ingredients through your skin care routine has a repairing and restoring effect that helps skin retain youthfulness.
✒ RESOLUTION #8: DIY skin care does more harm than good
The assortment of skincare recipes can include everything from honey to turmeric, yogurt, oatmeal, avocados, vinegar, lemon, baking soda, mayonnaise and eggs. These concoctions claim to be good for everything from acne to wrinkles, but there isn’t research supporting the benefit of using them on your face (at least not the versions you have in your kitchen). In fact, most of the research shows that they are actually bad for skin or do nothing at all.