Skin Care: Where to Start?

It’s no secret that our lives are oversaturated with social media. Constant images and videos of people that appear to have it all can have a big affect on our self esteem and h3ly influence our purchases. A big section of this influence has to do with our outward appearance, including makeup, clothing, and a lot of the time, skincare. Watching Kim Kardashian’s Snapchat story of her “vampire facial”, or reading about a new cream that all of the Victoria’s Secret Angels use can make even the best of us feel like we’re missing out on something, and give us the impression that great skin is time consuming, expensive, and confusing. It doesn’t have to be that way though, and with a little education about our skin and different products, we can make beneficial and cost effective decisions about how we take care of our skin.

Why Do I Need A Skincare Routine?

So why is skin care important? A daily skincare routine does more for our overall skin health than we might think. Take a trip to the dentist for example; we only see a dentist twice a year, but we still brush our teeth every day. That’s because even though our dentist does a touch up and deeper treatment every six months, it’s up to us to maintain our dental health, and the same can be said for our skin. Cosmetic treatments and procedures can do wonders for our skin, but we won’t see maintained results unless we are doing the right things for our skin in our day to day life. In conjunction with treatment, the right skincare routine can prolong our results, keep our skin at its healthiest, and make us feel our best.

What Are the Most Important Ingredients in Skin Care?

When learning the basics of skincare, it’s important to understand some basic ingredients as well. A couple of the most talked about ingredients in the skincare business are Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C. Both have great benefits, but they do different things, and it’s important to understand their benefits in order to have the best results and the most realistic expectations.

Hyaluronic Acid, while it sounds scary, is something that is already a part of our body’s chemical makeup. It’s a humectant, meaning it attracts and maintains water in our skin, keeping us hydrated. In skincare products Hyaluronic Acid performs similarly, attracting moisture from the air around us and holding onto it, giving a fresh, non greasy, water based hydration. Hyaluronic Acid comes in a range of products such as serums, moisturizers, and masks, and it’s best suited for dehydrated and/or oily skin types. After treatments it gives a hydrated, plumped look and helps retain moisture.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is another naturally occuring substance in our bodies. It has a host of benefits topically including firming and plumping, making fine lines and wrinkles less visible, and while it may not replace SPF, it even protects our skin from harmful free radicals produced by sun exposure.

Understanding skincare and how it benefits us is the first step in creating our perfect skincare routine. There are many products and treatments available, but a little bit of education can make all the difference!