Skin care and useful guidelines.
It is broadly accepted that our skin ages over the years. This is an absolutely normal process. It starts after the age of twenty five and it is progressive.
Although we understand skin aging is inevitable and, up to a point, irreversible, the majority of people of both genders are not prepared to compromise with this idea. This is the human nature. Over the centuries, an extraordinary amount of skin care preparations have been used to prevent skin to deteriorate, as a person gets older.
Nowadays, the sales of skin care and cosmetic products have high rocketed and beauty industry has become a huge business. It has been estimated that in the USA alone, more than $12 billion is spent each year on cosmetics to conceal, repair or prevent the signs of aging. A relevant figure for Western Europe reaches the € 7.5 billion.
There are a number of question marks overlaying this massive beauty business. For instance, are all these skin care products cost-effective? Do they meet the minimal and necessary medical and, in general, the scientific standards, in order to be safe? Can they achieve what their producers or sellers claim? Are these skin care products effective enough to fulfill the buyers' expectations?
In this page we will try to give the proper dimensions to some controversial issues.
Allergies. A lot of skin care products used to cause allergies in the past due to contained animal proteins. Nowadays, all of good quality preparations are hypo-allergenic. Even if they include ingredients derived from animals, they are elaborated accordingly, in order not to trigger the immune system and cause allergic reactions.
Price. The high cost of skin care products is an interesting matter. Quite often, the price of certain preparations has little to do with their properties but it is determined by other factors. A significant amount of money the consumer pays for skin care preparations covers expenses for advertisement and for fancy bottles or jars. Apart from that, some companies sell high deliberately. This is because they are aware of the notion among the public that the pricier the product, the better is considered to be. This is not always the case, though. The general rule is that skin care products based on natural sources are pricier than their counterparts containing chemical ingredients. There are numerous preparations in the market that they are characterized by a quality which deserves a significant value of money. On this site we will try to recommend skin care products that provide the best proportions of effectiveness and price. Our commitment to you is to make as sure as possible that you get what you pay for. We have to bear in mind that a shiny stuff does not have to be bought at the price of gold; at least not necessarily.
What do I need? The third issue addresses the choice, use and necessity of skin care preparations. We have to remember that no product is miraculous and by no means can it completely repair the aftermath of the biochemical changes the sun and other factors may cause. On the other hand, in many cases, the skin can heal itself with some certain help.
With all these skin care products in the market, the consumer may get confused and reluctant which of them to choose. In fact, a lot of money is spent for purchase of unnecessary or hardly used preparations, since quite often we are unsure about the basic treatment we have to provide to our skin. Bellow we will try to give some guidelines and to focus on particular groups of products which are essential for a comprehensive skin care.
Use a sunscreen during the day.
Bear
in mind that nearly 80% of skin aging occurs due to sun rays exposure.
Use a moisturizer. This is necessary to prevent skin dryness.
Use a night cream. This is equally important, in order to keep your moist overnight.
Use a relevant cream, if you thing you are prone to premature wrinkling around the eyes.
You may need a body cream, if your skin is dry, if you do frequent sunbathing or you are beyond the age of thirty five.
Avoid excessive sunbathing and use artificial tanning formulas instead.
Choose soap-free bath and cleansing products and prefer lukewarm water, while taking your bath.
Use an astringent toner after cleansing, especially if your skin is oily or you have sighs of acne.
Use creams with antioxidant substances, since they can control and delay skin aging.
Try tretinoin or alpha-hydroxy acids creams, if you want to minimize fine wrinkles or to make your skin look fresher. The use of either of them requires the use of a sunscreen as well.
The above recommendations introduce a very basic platform for an effective skin care. Beyond that, the use of more beauty products is a matter of budget and available time for additional skin care or treatment. |