Alayne's Blog
What does your skin really need?
Lately I have been seeing lots of commericals showing all kinds of new contraptions for your skin. The most recent one was of this lovely very young woman, with the most beautiful (most likey airbrushed) skin touting the benefits of this rubber pronged looking thing that is supposed to deeply clean your skin and those clogged pores you didn't know you had.
Tempting, I know. All the buzwords were dropped in to create that need for you to feel like the dirt and oil beneath your skin needed this instrument and if you in fact use it, it implied that your skin would look just like this model's skin.
Hogwash. There are very few skins that can handle that regular type of pore cleaning. Some oil is good for your skin. What the ad failed to mention is all the skins that it would not be good for like thin skin, skin with rosacea, skin that is using other intense exfoliants like gylcolics and ahas. It is also not great for skin using benzoyl peroxide products.
I remember being a kid thinking that oil was bad and that I needed to use things to "dry it up", there is so much misinformation out there for teens and adults, no wonder there are so many skin problems.
What I propose is the basics. First and foremost before you buy any tools or treatment or fancy creams, find a cleanser that you love. A cleanser that gives you a great feeling in your skin, maybe one that even gives you a little joy. Afterall you are going to be married to it for quite a long time, so for goodness sake, find one that you love. Cleansers should make your skin feel good, not overly tight and not with a residue. I always tell people to find a cleanser that you enjoy psychologically first. The first question should be do you like your cleanser sudsy or creamy? Honestly it doesn't matter what is the best for your skin. I have found over the years that clients who I think need creamy don't end up washing their faces the way they should because they don't enjoy the way the cleanser felt, so the lesson here is find one that you like. I love Essential Cleansing Solution from Dermalogica for a creamy cleanser and i love Special Cleansing Gel for a sudsy cleanser.
Once you find one that works, great, now find a great moisturizer, light, medium, or heavy. For women over 35, get used to your skin looking dewey, it makes the skin look younger if that is what you are after. Of course so does a beautiful smile so add that into the mix and your skin will improve greatly.
I happen to love Skin Smoothing Cream for a medium weight moisturizer, but again, you have to like the feel and the smell in order for it to work for you. Drugstores don't have the knowledge generally to offer you assistance. Department store brands though often knowledgeable about their brand, can't often customize a basic regimen becasue it is so often about sales so the intentioin is not always clear. What I love about our spa is that you can come in for samples, we have licensed estheticians on our team who can assist you without any pressure to buy. I owuld rather have you use up what you have so you don't feel like you are wasting all of that skin care in your closet and start fresh. When you purchase something from us, if you get it home and you find it is not for you, you can bring it back with your receipt and we will exchange it until we find the right combination for you.
Your skin doesn't necessarily need all the extras if you can find the basics work great for you, the extras are fun and can liven up a skin routine, but if you don't have the basics down, all those extras are not going to get your skin to a better place.
Cleanse, moisuturize and smile, that is my prescritions for a healthy and happy skin.