Skin Care Basics

Skin Care, everyone knows to take care of our skin, but do we pay attention to the details? The quick answer, probably not. A lot of us still run around in the summer time without sun screen to block harmful UVA and UVB rays. The fact is that the sun is harmful to your skin. We need to take precautions both in the summer and wintertime.

The reality today is that Skin Care has become a big buzzword, not just with dermatologists but also in the business and beauty world. We need to start paying more attention to our skin, and all over not just our faces. So what can we do?

Well Lets start by taking a look at the staple steps of skin care.

First off what skin type are you? oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive or sun- damaged

Oily: Oily skin tends to be shiny with expanded pores, and is prone to blackheads & blemishes. It's possible to feel tightness.

Combination/normal: This skin type has medium pores, a smooth & level texture, effective circulation, healthy color. Combination / normal skin can tend toward dryness and tightness around the cheek area, but also feel oily in the t-zone.

Sensitive: Sensitive skin tends to be thin, frail with fine pores. Generally sensitive skin flushes easily, and is known to broken capillaries, and can be frequently allergic or rashy.

Dry: Dry skin feels tight which is the main sing of dryness you'll find especially after cleansing your skin. May have small wrinkles, flaking and/or red patches.

Aging or sun-damaged: Similar to dry skin. Aging and sun-damaged skin also feels tight with visible smaller wrinkles, and slack skin tone. You'll find the tone mainly around the cheeks and jaw line.

Once we know what skin type we are it's easier to pick the products we need to use for our daily skin care routine. Now onto the steps

Cleaning: Now unless you are prone to acne, or other breakouts just keep it simple with a cleanser. You want to use a simple wash that your skin doesn't react to and is designed for your skin type. You should try to wash twice a day in combination with exfoliating.

Exfoliate: The most important thing to maintain beautiful skin care is to use a gentle exfoliant daily on your skin. Our skin cells get replaced approx. every 3 weeks, so by clearing away old and dead cells, making way for the new ones we help maintain our glow.

Moisturize: Flat out...everyone should moisturize. Even those of us that have oily skin. Of course some should moisturize their skin more then others, but everyone should. A good rule of thumb is when your skin feels tight it's time to moisturize.

Sunscreen: The biggest cause of wrinkles as we age is damage from the sun. It's important to remember that skin care is a life long journey not just as we age. So ensuring we're protecting our skin with sunscreen both in the early and later years is important. Also consider that the sun doesn't just burn or damage our skin in the summer time, it's a good idea to have some on when doing activities in the winter on sunny days.

These are the simple steps that make up a successful skin care routine. It's important to get into a habit like this daily. This is the key to maintaining great skin well into the later years of our life. Try not to get caught up in the gimmicks of the world. While different injections, and creams can give short-term beauty it's not 100% known how all these products make out over the long run. Concentrate on basic skin care, and slow and steady wins the race.

For more information and resources on taking care of your skin visit Best Skin Care Resources.