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After a summer of lake days, concerts, and fun in the sun, it’s time for a healthy post-summer skin detox. UV exposure not only causes cosmetic damage to the skin but also weakens your first line of defense to the outside world. Healthy skin looks beautiful and helps protect you from harm.
The first step in moving towards healthy, glowing skin is to repair the skin barrier function. An intact and healthy skin acts as a protective envelope preventing penetration of harmful substances and stops excessive trans-epidermal water loss. It is typical to think of hydrating creams and lotions as the cure all for dry and damaged skin. In many instances these products keep the skin from healing by preventing the natural life cycle of the skin cells. When we give our skin the products it needs to repair itself, we don’t need the temporary fixes. Post-summer exposure is a great time to start that journey.
There are three main steps to start a reparative journey with your skin. CLEANSE, EXFOLIATE, and TONE.
CLEANSING
Cleansing twice daily, and more often if you are exercising or sweating during the day, helps remove surface irritants that can cause irritation, inflammation, and infection. This simple step can cut down on breakouts, stimulate healthy cells to produce collagen, and prevent environmental damage.
EXFOLIATE
Exfoliation is HUGE in helping keep skin healthy and glowing. You will see immediate results from the removal of dead surface skin cells and ongoing positive changes as you induce cell turnover. Our healthy cells should shed on their own but fail to do so when damaged by sun, environmental irritants, and time. Exfoliation can be accomplished in two ways. Chemical and mechanical. Chemical exfoliates include at home peels or serums or in office deeper peels, mechanical can be polishes or even heat with lasers such as IPL.
TONE
Toners can be selected to target specific concerns as well. Some toners contain salicylic acid along with soothing compounds. These are formulated for skin prone to redness and breakouts and can help reduce natural oil production. Others formulations are targeted to help facilitate exfoliation and decrease the signs of aging. Knowing your skin care goals we can help you choose a toner that suits your needs.
At Mariposa Medical Aesthetics we recommend these three basic steps to anyone wanting to repair and restore their skin. Once you have established a healthy skin barrier your skin will respond better to targeted treatments that address concerns such as uneven pigment, fine lines and wrinkles, laxity, and dullness. Hint: our favorite product that addresses all of these is Retinol! Look for more information on our blog next month explaining the ways Retinol helps our skin heal and repair itself.
If you have any questions about your skin, I recommend visiting your dermatologist or make a free consultation to visit with me. I look forward to helping you repair your skin and enter the fall months with a beautiful glow!