Following a proper care regimen can keep your skin looking youthful, blemish-free and hydrated, even during the harsh, dry winter months. You should follow a skin care regimen each night before going to bed along with some additions in the morning. If you don't already have a skin care regimen in place, consider adding cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, treating and protecting to your bedtime routine; your skin, both now and in the future, will reward you for it.
Step 1
Wash your face night and morning with a gentle cleanser. Buy one with little or no detergent ingredients, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, which Dr. Doris Day of the Skin Cancer Foundation notes, can be drying and harsh to skin. Cleansers made especially for sensitive skin are ideal. Wash your face well, using circular motions before rinsing and patting dry with a clean towel.
Step 2
Exfoliate your skin at least once a week. Use an exfoliating cream or a paste made from sugar and olive oil to help slough away dead skin cells. This should leave your skin healthy and glowing. Exfoliating every day as part of your regimen is not necessary and can cause your skin to produce excess oil.
Step 3
Treat your skin's problems. If you have acne, apply a cream made with benzoyl peroxide before you go to sleep at night. It will help to dry out acne and stop new blemishes from forming. If you're more concerned about aging, apply a night cream with retinol or alpha hydroxy to ward off fine lines and wrinkles. Just be careful, says Patricia Wexler, a skin care expert. And don't layer harsh ingredients; combining ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide and retinol can irritate your skin.
Step 4
Moisturize your skin daily. Even if you have oily skin, an oil-free moisturizer can help supplement your skin's natural oil production so that it slows down and you look shine-free longer. To avoid clogged pores, moisturizers should be non-comedogenic. Apply moisturizer in the morning, then throughout the day as needed.
Step 5
Apply sunscreen every day to protect your face from skin cancer. Even if it isn't sunny outside, or you don't burn easily, a daily sunscreen is your protector when it comes to skin problems, notes the American Academy of Dermatologists. If you want to skip a skin-care step, choose a moisturizer that has a built-in sunscreen and reapply it often throughout the day.
Things You'll Need
- Gentle cleanser
- Exfoliating wash
- Sunscreen
- Acne treatment cream
- Anti-aging cream
- Moisturizer
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