Basic Skin Care Stuff

Perhaps you've noticed that some people with terrific skin seem to do everything wrong. They live hard, miss out on sleep, eat junk food and treat their skin with little if any care. Blame it on genetics. Each of us is born with a specific type of skin and nothing can change that. Armed with knowledge, you can start treatments and daily routines that will make your skin glow.

Each skin needs slightly different products and procedures to assure healthy skin. To make sure that you're cleansing in a manner that's right for your skin, follow these recommendations, remembering that it's fine to make modifications based on your personal needs. Only you can really ever know what works best for your skin.

Understanding Anti-Oxidants

Because of the skin's status of being the body's primary defense against bacterial or chemical invasion, it has one of the most complex systems of first and secondary reactions to foreign intrusion.

Reactive oxygen species are abundant from the sun's rays. These species pass through the skin and leave trails of free radicals along the way. The species replace the cells' components and change the balance in the cell's system. Because the body's enzymes could not work fast enough to regain the correct balance in the cell system, the cell eventually wrinkles and dies. The species damage the DNA structure in cells, producing abnormal ones that sometimes develop into tumor and cancer cells. And because these reactive oxygen species are truly reactive in nature, their damage can be swift, and they could cover a large area in a short time.

Because the skin is the most "battered" part of the body in terms of the number of forces such as germs and dust and harmful ultraviolet rays that threaten to destroy it, a lot of scientists have developed a wide variety of antioxidant skin care products. Lotions and sun blocks incorporated with vitamin E are developed, which, when applied before exposure to the sun, can minimize entry of harmful ultraviolet rays into the skin. If the skin is exposed without application, on the other hand, these antioxidant skin care products, which have high level of vitamin E, can reduce the reddening caused by sunburns. These are also good minimizing swelling as long as the product is applied within two to three minutes after exposure.

Antioxidants skin care products enriched in coenzyme Q10 are also good for the skin. Coenzyme Q10 is a good antioxidant found in natural cells. However, as a person grows old or is exposed more often to the sun, the amount of coenzyme Q10 decreases. The best way to replenish the coenzyme Q10 is to apply a product rich in this coenzyme such as a moisturizer. For others, choosing the best moisturizer can be difficult, but reading the labels in the bottles will help in determining if coenzyme Q10 is present or not.

Moisturize Your Skin

A good moisturizer helps keep your skin moist, and protected throughout the day. It protects the skin, and allows it to feel hydrated and not tight or dry. Be careful in choosing a moisturizer. If is gives you irritation, a rash, or redness, stop using it immediately and switch to one that has different ingredients. Lighter lotions usually contain humectants such as urea, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or sorbitol that work by attracting water molecules to the skin. Heavier moisturizers contain ingredients such as shea butter, petrolatum, and mineral oil that soften the skin and also add a protective layer.

Do your best to select cleansers, toners, and moisturizers from the same line. More often than not they designed to be used together to give you better results.

Wear Sunscreen Every Day

Try to use a sunscreen that has an SPF of 15 or higher. You can use a moisturizer or foundation, with sunscreen. Suncreen is absorbed by the skin over a two to three hour period and need to be reapplied periodically throughout the day. Sunscreens use chemicals to prevent the sun from being able to penetrate and avoid skin damage. Make sure to cover the entire area of you face with a generous amount of sunscreen, including your neck. Be sure you have sun protection on all day long, not just when you are out in the sun. Almost eighty percent of skin damage is caused by sun exposure while you are driving, walking into a building, or just about anywhere outside.

Specialists believe that many adult skin cancers are caused by by lack of sun protection as children. Just one serious sunburn as a child can cause skin cancer 20 to 30 years later. Always be sure to use an SPF 15 or higher, on children everyday. Look for one that contains bith UVA and UVB protection.