Caring for your skin requires an awareness of your skin’s tendencies: is it dry, oily, acne-prone or showing signs of age? Many skin care solutions are designed to treat specific problems, so the sooner you identify your trouble spots, the sooner you can dive into the offerings of the globe’s $24 billion skin care industry.
Anti-Acne Products
Acne-fighting skin care products run the gamut from spot-treatment creams to oil-free moisturizers to astringents. Many cleansers and spot-treatment creams contain salicylic acid, an active ingredient that unplugs pores to shrink pimples and reduced the redness and swelling associated with acne. Although salicylic acid can cause dry skin when you first use it, over time, your skin adjusts and allows continued use, the NIH reports. Common skin care product lines that include salicylic acid include Biore, Clean & Clear and Neutrogena.
Moisturizers
Moisturizers are creams and lotions designed to lock moisture into the skin. They use humectants such as glycerin or alpha hydroxy acids to soften rough, thick skin and emollients such as lanolin or mineral oil to replenish lipids and keep skin smooth. According to the Mayo Clinic, you should be skeptical of moisturizers that claim to reduce stretch marks or wrinkles or supply your body with collagen—these claims aren’t always backed up by scientific evidence. Drugstore moisturizer brands include Olay, Aveeno and Neutrogena. Department store and specialty brands include Philosophy, Avon and Clinique.
Sun Protection
Topical sunscreens keep the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays from damaging your skin. That damage could be minor, such as a sunspot, or as dangerous as skin cancer. According to the New Zealand Dermatological Society, sunscreens work in two ways: they reflect the sun’s rays or absorb them chemically. Most drugstore sunscreens are chemical blockers, rated with an SPF level that tells you how protective the formula is—the higher the SPF, the more protection offered. Always protect your skin with at least SPF 15 any time you’re out in the sun. Common drugstore brands include Banana Boat, Neutrogena and Coppertone.
Anti-Aging
Anti-aging creams and serums attempt to diminish the look of lines and wrinkles and keep new wrinkles from forming. Collagen creams, for example, claim to deliver this natural plumping agent to the skin to fill in existing lines. Retinol creams fight the wrinkles you don’t have yet by neutralizing dangerous free radicals in your skin—the agents that cause skin damage. There are prescription-strength retinoid compounds for anti-aging, but the drugstore versions are less expensive, if less potent. They show results in about 12 weeks, according to Jenny Bailly of Oprah Magazine. Anti-aging brands include Olay, L’oreal, StriVectin, Estée Lauder and Clinique.
FDA Regulation
According to the Mayo Clinic, the Food and Drug Administration considers skin care products cosmetics and doesn’t regulate them as strictly as medicines. This loophole allows manufacturers to make claims that may or may not come true when you use their product. Keep your expectations for a new product in check—slight improvement is to be expected, but things such as acne and wrinkles simply can’t be banished overnight.
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