Woman's Wonderla

How to take care of your skin

Your skin is a living organ that constantly regenerates itself. The outer layer, called the epidermis, is as thin as a pencil line. It consists of a protective layer of skin cells that continually shed and give way to new cells. Below the epidermis are the dermis and hypodermis, two layers that produce the oil and collagen, that give your skin support, elasticity, and shine. Taking care of your skin might be very important for you, so before you spend money on skin products, it is important to know what type of skin you have and what kind of care it needs.

Know your skin type. Generally there are four skin types: oily, dry, sensitive and combination.

• Dry Skin: If your skin has a strong tendency toward dehydration, lacks oil, and has few breakouts if any at all, it is considered dry. In more extreme cases, dry skin lacks elasticity and can be extremely sensitive to the sun, wind, and cold temperatures. Wash your face once a day with a rich, creamy cleanser and warm water. Rinse with warm water and pat your skin dry. Use toner to help with that tight and flaky feeling of dehydration. Avoid toners and makeup that contain alcohol as alcohol-based products have a drying effect on skin.

• Oily Skin:If your skin is oily, it usually has a lot of shine to it very soon after cleansing and the pores are generally slightly enlarged. It is more prone to pimples, blackheads, and whiteheads than other skin types and is coarser in texture. Your skin tends to attract more dirt than dry skin, so wash your face twice a day with a gentle non-foaming cleanser and warm water. Rinse with warm water. Use an alcohol-free, hydrating toner to help remove additional residue. Oil blotting sheets through out the day can help control shine, and it takes as little as 3 minutes after lunch.

• Normal Skin: Some consider normal skin to be Combination skin, but it is not. If your skin is marked by oily skin in the T zone and dry, taut skin on the cheeks, and changes with seasons (dryer in winter, oilier in summer) it is considered normal. Normal skins can also be 'Normal-To's' as in normal to oily or normal to dry. Wash your face with cleansers that are designed for your normal/normal-to skin type. Wipe an alcohol free, hydrating toner all over the face. Apply moisturizer more frequently to dry skin.

• Sensitive Skin: Please note that may have sensitive skin AND normal, oily, or dry. If your skin has allergic reactions to beauty products and is usually sensitive to the sun, wind, and cold weather, it is sensitive. Sensitivity can show up in rashiness, redness, inflammation, acne, and dilated capillaries. Look for cleansers, toners, makeup, and moisturizers that are fragrance-free and hypoallergenic. Cleanse, tone and moisturize with gentle products everyday. The idea for your skin is to always choose products with a soothing benefit. Some common ingredients to look for are: chamomile, azulene, bisabolol, allantoin, lavender, camphor, calamine, rosemary, thyme, aloe vera etc.

• Combination Skin: Combination skin is truly two extreme skin types on one face. These situations occur when there is acne and a lot of oil in one area when the rest of the skin is generally not producing oil and dry. Two common examples are a dry skin with papular and pustular acne on the cheeks or a normal skin with inflamed papular and pustular acne in the chin and mouth area. For Combination skins, treat each area appropriatly as described above. If the acne is severe, consult a dermatologist or esthetician.

• Sunscreen is the real fountain of youth. Get into the habit of applying sunscreen or a lotion with minimum SPF 15 to 30 protection daily. Remember the sun's rays can still be damaging in winter months as it reflects off snow. If you don't like taking the time to put on both moisturizer and sunscreen, buy a moisturizer WITH sunscreen.
• Use homemade masks to moisturize your skin. They're easy to make, and they really work! For instance, a mixture of grapes, lemon and egg white is very helpful for oily skin and honey promotes the healing of ulcers and burns.

• Washing your face with plain refrigerated yogurt every night makes most acne cases vanish within a few days.
• Carefully choose your facial scrub to match your pore size. The type and size of the grains in the face scrub can actually make the difference between exfoliated and irritated skin.

• Avoid stretching or pulling on the delicate skin near your eyes when putting on creams or cosmetics. This delicate area shows age markings like wrinkles much sooner than it should when subjected to too much rough handling.
• Never coat your entire face in foundation. Chances are, you only need a little bit in areas you are most self- conscious
• Wash all cosmetics off as soon as you know you will not be going out again and avoid wearing cosmetics whenever possible to give your skin a rest.
• Change the applicators and clean the brushes you use to apply make-up on a consistent basis. Bacteria and oils can build up in these places and then be spread back on the skin each time make-up is applied.

• Wash your pillowcase often and avoid wearing hair products to bed. The combination of hair products and facial oils on the pillowcase can cause blemishes.
• Never pick at a blemish. Many poor results come of picking at breakouts, such as scarring, infection, or permanant enlargement of the pore. You are also more likely to get another breakout in the same place over time.
• Avoid touching your skin as much as possible.
• Clean your cellphone and any other device that may come in contact with your skin.
• Oil blotting sheets can help absorb oil through the day so you are not tempted to re-apply powder or foundation, or overwash your face.
• Vitamins are essential for healthy skin, especially vitamins A, B,and C. Vitamin E helps to improve the complexion when applied externally.

• Over washing skin can make it red and sore. It can also damage the skin.
• Choose a sunblock specifically meant for your face as some sunblocks can cause breakouts unless specifically designed for the face.
• Use caution when using any product containing acids or peroxides such as acne creams and fade creams. These increase the skins' sensitivity to sun and may cause redness and peeling.
• Never allow anyone to 'pop' or otherwise break open a blemish. This is a very unsafe practice as bacteria and germs can enter through the broken skin. And if you do 'pop' a blemish add alcohol to reduce the chance of infection.
• Toner can dry out skin if used too often