The Benefit of Skin Care

Fewer than 10 percent of women love their skin, according to a study of 1,000 women conducted by Noxzema in 2010. If you're one of that 90 percent who could use a few more good skin days, an effective skin care routine can make a huge difference in the appearance of your skin.

Identification

A good skin care routine can improve the appearance of your skin. Ideally, it helps keep your skin clean and blemish-free; reduces signs of aging, including wrinkles and discoloration; evens out your skin tone and protects your skin against environmental damage, including skin cancer.

Essential Components

Many skin care products are optional, but a few products are essential to a basic skin care routine, according to "Marie Claire" magazine's beauty department. Every skin care routine should include a gentle cleanser to remove dirt, debris and leftover makeup from your face; a lightweight moisturizer to help even out your skin, smooth away dryness and allow your skin to maintain its optimal hydration balance; and a non-oily sunscreen to protect your skin against sun damage.

Optional Components

Other skin care products may have benefits for your particular skin. If you have oily skin or tend to breakout, you may want to to include cleansers and spot treatments with acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Aging skin may benefits from eye and face creams designed to promote collagen production -- look for ingredients like retinoids or peptides -- to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and age-related skin thinning. Dry skin may require more intensive moisturizers with ingredients like hyaluronic acid or glycerin.

Considerations

Getting the maximum benefits from your skin care routine means paying attention to your age and skin type, explains Andrea Pomerantz, a contributing beauty editor at Glamour magazine, on CBS's "The Saturday Early Show." Pomerantz says you'll need products with more intensity as you age to get the same benefits you get from minimal products in your youth. Choosing skin care to solve potential problems associated with your skin type can also help keep skin looking its best.

Warning

Overdoing your skin care routine can be as potentially problematic as avoiding skin care entirely, warns Gross, in "Marie Claire" magazine. Mixing powerful products, like retinoids, antioxidants, alpha hydroxy acids and sunscreen can take a toll on your skin, leaving it irritated and inflamed. For best skin care results, Gross recommends sticking with products that contain only one or two active ingredients and not choosing products that treat problems your skin doesn't have.