Clear skin, iced coffee, silky hair, a few million dollars, and Pilates – that’s the dream, isn’t it? Well, at least it is for me. Let’s start with clear skin. I would have saved a fortune if I had saved the money I spent on skincare products that either did nothing for my skin or harmed it. The beauty industry made us believe that the more you spend on a product—or the more products you buy—the sooner you’ll reach your flawless skin goal. But that’s how the beauty industry became a billion-dollar industry, right?
So, skincare is so much more than buying the latest and most expensive hyped-up products on the internet. Everyone’s skin is different and has different needs throughout the years. That’s why it’s essential that you understand your skin and choose the products and routines that fit you, not the most popular and expensive ones.
Here are skin care tips recommended by dermatologists and skin care experts that will save your skin:
- Skincare takes time
- Sunscreen is insurance for your skin
- Never pop your pimples
- Let your skincare age with you
- Brands are not good or bad, but products are
- Treat your neck and chest area the same way you treat your face
1. Skincare takes time
A good skincare routine is going to take time to make a difference in your skin. Products that promise you flawless skin overnight don’t work because skin cells take time to turnover which makes it impossible to see results overnight.
Some products take more time than others. For instance, with products that treat acne, you might need to stay consistent for 2-3 months to see results. For moisturizers, you’ll see results right away. That’s why it’s important to set realistic goals for your skin and stay consistent. Trust your routine and adjust accordingly, but give each product some time. A great way to measure results is to take before and after pictures with the same angles and lighting to notice the difference a product is doing for your skin.
2. Sunscreen is insurance for your skin
If you have worked so hard to save enough money to buy yourself your dream car, you’ll surely subscribe to an insurance plan, right? When we make a huge investment we want to protect it. The same goes for your skin. No matter how good your skincare routine is or how much you spend on high-end products, if you’re not wearing sunscreen, you’re throwing all your efforts in the trash can (no, I’m not exaggerating, it’s that important). That’s especially true for someone trying to treat hyperpigmentation because your skin will flare up again under the sun without protection.
Sunscreen makes a tremendous difference as you age. For someone who’s still young, you’ll probably think that it doesn’t matter whether you wear sunscreen or not, but that’s far from the truth. But, as you age, you’ll notice the difference between your skin and between someone who doesn’t wear sunscreen. Imagine being 60 years old, and looking 20 years younger because you stuck to your sunscreen starting at a young age!
The question here is: what’s the best sunscreen you can wear? The answer is simple – the best sunscreen for you is the sunscreen you can wear every single day. As long as the sunscreen meets the minimum requirements such as having SPF 50+, broad-spectrum, and is water-resistant if you’re going into the water, you’re good to go!
3. Never pop your pimples
As intriguing as it is to pop your pimples, leave them alone. There’s been a trend going on these days on social media where people pop pimples but believe me, you don’t want to follow this one. Your pimples will not stick for a long time, but scars will. If it’s one of those pimples with whiteheads, you might want to get those whiteheads out of your skin and give the pimples a chance to heal. As for inflamed red pimples or nodules, apply a spot treatment and leave them alone.
Let me tell you why popping your pimples is harmful to your skin. Popping your pimples further inflames the pimple which leads to skin damage. It will also take more time to heal and damage your skin collagen. Having breakouts in your skin is inevitable – even if you have a perfect skincare routine, you’ll still occasionally break out. So, it’s best if you don’t leave scars behind.
4. Let your skincare age with you
The same as with everything else, your skin is going to change as you age. At some point in your life, you’ll use products that treat acne. In others, your concern will be dull skin. In others, your skin will be drier so you’ll focus more on moisturizing. Also, your skin has different needs as the seasons change since the weather affects our skin.
A common misconception is that if you use a product for a long time, it stops working, which is incorrect. What happens is that your skin stops needing that product because it’s changing and needs different products to adapt. Another thing is that you can suddenly become allergic to an ingredient (yes, even if you’ve been using it for several years, allergies can come suddenly). So, change your products according to what your skin needs at that time.
5. Brands are not good or bad, but products are
Even if it’s the best skincare brand in the world, there will surely be some products that don’t suit your skin or at least not the same way that product suit your friend’s skin who has been hyping it for months. You can love a product that someone else hates. Of course, some brands are more reliable than others, but there’s so much variability when it comes to products.
That’s why you want to look at each product individually. You can have a complete skincare routine with each product from a different brand – which is totally fine! Just understand what ingredients your skin needs and test products accordingly.
6. Treat your neck and chest area the same way you treat your face
What you don’t want on your face, you don’t want on your neck or chest area. Especially if you’re someone who uses protection consistently; the difference between the skin on your face and your neck will be highly noticeable if you don’t protect your neck.
Not using protection (aka sunscreen) on your skin has negative effects on your skin such as thinning of the skin, might lead to skin cancer, etc… and because the area on your neck is thinner than your face, it needs protection as well.