Serious Skin Care

layering techniques and strategies

A serious skin routine incorporates a variety of layering strategies and techniques using the best skincare products when starting a comprehensive rejuvenation regime.

Serious Skin Care


To stimulate skin repair to address all those concerning signs of aging, incorporating the best known strategies and techniques will create an intensive routine that will aggressively rejuvenate the skin for a younger, ageless appearance by:

  • diminishing fine lines and wrinkles
  • fade age spots
  • firm sagging skin
  • even out skin tone
  • reduce under eye puffiness
  • eliminate dark circles

It's time to. . . Get Serious!

A few more minutes every day combined with selecting just a few effective skin care treatments will turn a basic skin care routine into a serious skin care regime.

By adding just another step or two to your current routine that will address more aging and problem skin care issues to give you better results.

Layering Techniques and Strategies

Begin with a basic skin care routine:



CLEANSING:

Begin by cleansing your skin using a mild cleanser (remember, do not use soap), and warm water. There is no need to use any of those cleansers boasting anti-aging agents. It is all going to wash down the drain anyway!


If there is any residual product left on your face it will have a negligible effect at best. Just choose an inexpensive, simple, gentle cleansing product.
As explained in the Basic Skin Care 101 e-Learning Knowledge Module, sensitive, dry or normal skin types can skip either the morning or evening cleansing step.

Maintaining the evening cleansing step is the most desirable option in most cases so that all the day's wear and tear on the face can be cleansed and rinsed away. When eliminating a cleansing step simply begin your serious skin care regime with the toning process instead.

Anti-Aging Tip:
To create the most receptive environment for your skin to absorb the anti-aging ingredients in your products, hold a face cloth that has been warmed by soaking it in fairly warm water to your skin for a few minutes. Gently pat off any excess water, leaving your skin damp but not dripping wet.

The remaining moisture left on the skin will help to dissolve and distribute the moisturizer evenly over the entire surface of the face.



TONING:

Use a toner to completely eliminate all remaining residue and to refresh the skin. Choose a toner with an anti-aging ingredient that addresses one of your serious skin care rejuvenation goals. An antioxidant or an exfoliant would both be good options at this step.


Utilize any spot treatments at this stage of your serious skin care regime. For example, apply acne cream on any blemishes or a retinol and bleaching agent on stubborn dark age spots.

If using a prescribed medication for any skin conditions, consult with your Physician prior to implementing your serious skin care rejuvenation plan to ensure that your selected anti-aging products are compatible with the prescriptions.



MOISTURIZE:

Moisturize with the best skincare products that are formulated with proven anti-aging active ingredients. Moisturizing helps provide the resources your skin needs to begin and sustain progress towards rejuvenation.


Don't feel the need to slather huge quantities of moisturizer all over your face because you don't want to end up clogging your pores! Just a little dab is sufficient.

The remaining moisture on the surface of the skin from the cleansing step will help dissolve and evenly distribute the moisturizer, aiding in the absorption process.

Finally, stimulate your skin to enhance the absorption of the rejuvenation products by tapping your skin lightly with your fingertips for a few moments, somewhat like playing a piano.

There is a huge array of excellent potential active anti-aging ingredients to be found in skin rejuvenation moisturizing treatments. The e-Learning Knowledge Module on anti-aging treatments describes these active ingredients in-depth.



PROTECT:

Sunscreen is an absolute MUST!
If you don't include this step religiously everyday, then you might as well abandon your serious skin care rejuvenation plan because all the good that you are working towards will be undone as soon as your unprotected skin is exposed to the sun.

Choose a sunscreen with SPF 15 or greater with both UVA and UVB protection. Re-apply every few hours, particularly if you are out in the sun for an extended period of time.

Skin care treatment basics. . .

1. Cleanser

best-facial-cleanser

4. Sunscreen

anthelios-sunscreen

La Roche Posay



Anti-Aging Tip:
It is important to realize that many of the anti-aging treatments such as products with a Vitamin A, AHA, or BHA component greatly increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun.



Serious Skin Care Layering Options:

Now you begin adding the best skincare products that will address your specific aging skin concerns.

Building upon a basic skin care regime you will begin a layering technique to take advantage of the range of skin care treatments that are formulated to address specific aging skin symptoms.

Start layering your treatments!

Yes, it is really that simple. 

The layering technique is really important because it optimizes your RESULTS!

Anti-Aging Tips for Problem Skin

Here's how. . .


Important:

You will begin selecting the strategies and treatments that will best suit your aging skin concerns because you know your skin the best!  The layering technique is all about personalizing your own routine. 

The key is to experiment. 

Some strategies, products, and treatments will work wonderfully; others not so much.  Remember, everyone's skin reacts differently so don't be afraid to try out something new.



Exfoliation:

After the cleansing step the next most beneficial strategy to incorporate into your serious skin care regime is exfoliation.

You can choose to use a mechanical exfoliation method, which is utilizing a scrub such as IQ Natural Dermabrasion Scrub that you gently rub into your skin and rinse off or you can choose to use a chemical exfoliant like L'Oreal Glycolic Acid Toner 10%.

The mechanical exfoliation method would be integrated into your routine directly after the cleansing step once or twice a week. However, if using a chemical exfoliant like an alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acid there are several opportunities to integrate this treatment into your regimen.

Anti-Aging Tip:
A toner or moisturizer that includes either of the AHA or BHA active anti-aging ingredients can be chosen rather than creating an extra step in your routine.

If fine lines and wrinkles are your primary focus in your serious skin care rejuvenation plan, then consider utilizing a chemical exfoliant separately. When incorporating an AHA or BHA product such as 10% Glycolic with Retinol and Green Tea as a separate step in your routine, wait until after applying your toning product before using the chemical exfoliating treatment.



Removing the old skin cells that collect on the surface of the skin encourages the growth of new cells, revitalizing the skin. Sensitive and problem skin types should be a bit wary of including frequent home microdermabrasion treatments as this strategy may prove to be too much of an irritant to the skin.




caution


When initially starting with an AHA or BHA product, start slowly!

These products can be irritating to the skin and you will need to gradually develop a tolerance level. Start with a lower concentration and apply every other day, gradually working up to a daily treatment.

After a few weeks your skin will develop enough tolerance and any irritation will begin to diminish. By the time you need to replenish the chemical exfoliant, your skin will be able to adjust to a higher concentration of AHA or BHA. Remember not to exceed the recommended concentrations for home use.

Once or twice a week, consider substituting the chemical exfoliation with a microdermabrasion scrub after cleansing. The abrasiveness of a microdermabrasion scrub is quite effective in removing the outermost layer of dead skin cells that collect on the surface of the skin.

Don't do both at the same time, as you can easily over exfoliate and end up doing more harm than good. Just be patient and gradually work up to incorporating each step into your routine.



 Facial Peels:

An occasional home skin peel can also be a beneficial strategy to substitute for an exfoliation treatment for some serious skin care regimes and skin types. Do-it-yourself skin peels such as Reviva Lab's Light BHA Skin Peel or Philosophy's Facial Peeling Mask are the same as chemical exfoliation except that a higher concentration of an AHA or BHA solution is typically utilized.

Though, bear in mind that over exfoliation can actually create
skin problems and/or damage, so be very careful.

Like microdermabrasion, skin peels are another way to more deeply achieve the removal of the older, outermost layer of skin which stimulates new skin cell growth. The general conscientious is that concentrations of AHA greater than 15% should not be utilized without professional guidance. Remember, you need your skin intact and undamaged in order to be successful in your rejuvenation efforts!

Again, sensitive skin types should approach a do-it-yourself face peel with caution. This is not an area in your serious skin care strategy where you want to be overzealous. Introduce each new technique gradually and begin the use of each new product slowly in order to accurately gauge your skin's reaction to each new rejuvenating treatment.

Anti-Aging Tip:
Remember to give your skin a rest from exfoliation for a week or so every month.Wipe the face thoroughly using an upwards sweeping motion with a toner chosen to address one of your anti-aging issues. An antioxidant is an extremely beneficial option.



Skin Toning:

Choose a toner like PCA Spin Trap Toner Infused with Extracts or Avalon's Perfecting CoQ-10 Toner that has an active anti-aging ingredient such as a potent antioxidant, Vitamin C, CoQ10, or spin trap.

As an alternative, using two different toners, one in the AM and another type in the PM will allow you to include two different anti-aging treatments each day during the toning step of your serious skin care regime.

As mentioned previously, you can utilize an exfoliating AHA or BHA toner as one of your options and eliminate the need to include a separate exfoliation step in your routine.

If you aren't utilizing a mechanical exfoliant after the cleansing step or an exfoliating toner, now is the time to apply a chemical exfoliant. Wait a minute to allow the toning product to dry then apply the AHA or BHA exfoliant as an additional step in your skin care routine.

The most popular chemical exfoliant is glycolic acid gel in an 8% to 15% concentration such as L'Oreal's 10% Glycolic Acid.



SPOT Treatments:

Apply any spot treatments for blemishes or hyperpigmentated areas, (brown spots), after toning step. One of the best spot treatments for age spots is a very strong retinol product such as SkinCeuticals Retinol 1.0. If incorporating a separate glycolic treatment, apply these spot treatments after the AHA or BHA application.



Moisturizers:

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Use a different clinically proven anti-aging skin rejuvenating moisturizer for day and night, and if choosing an intensive skin care regime add another moisturizer in the late afternoon in order to integrate as many anti-aging ingredients as possible into your daily regimen.


There are several moisturizers that work well in combination with each other but there are a few that should be used at separate times of the day. For instance, if you are incorporating a Vitamin C product and a copper peptide product use these two anti-aging ingredients at different times because they neutralize each other's effective qualities.



Under Eye Treatments:

Although a different product is not essential for eye care because the composition of face creams verses eye creams are not dramatically different, many eye creams are formulated to be less irritating to the more sensitive eye area.

Dab a treatment around the eye area if desired. For example, if you have dark circles under your eyes, a good choice would be a Vitamin K product such as Vita K's Super Vitamin K for Blotchy Skin.

It is helpful to note that if you wish to integrate a separate eye care treatment, the most cost efficient strategy would be to review the percentage of the active anti-aging ingredient in the product prior to selecting the one to purchase.

Anti-Aging Tip:
If the percentage of the active ingredient is the same concentration as it is for the same brand of facial moisturizer, you will usually be able to purchase twice as much of the moisturizer for less than the eye care product!

For instance, Kinerase is rather pricey but a frequently recommended rejuvenation treatment for around the eye area. You'll be able to purchase the same percentage of the active ingredient in the Kinerase facial moisturizer and get twice as much product than you will if you purchase the Kinerase eye treatment.

Simply use the moisturizer as an eye treatment since you will be essentially getting the same anti-aging defense for much less.



Sunscreens:

And last, of course -BUT NOT LEAST- using a sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection is essential every morning and periodically throughout the day if the skin is exposed to the sun for extended periods of time.

Choosing a skin rejuvenation moisturizer that includes a sunscreen component for the morning's anti-aging treatment makes a lot of sense, especially during the summer months.

The our Resource Guide lists quite a few that are easily found in most major department stores such as:

Start slow and build upon your serious skin care regime by gradually adding steps and different anti-aging treatments. There are quite a few options and it can be rather confusing in figuring out how to begin.

Don't be afraid to experiment a little, you're the expert and you certainly know your skin the best. People's skin care needs and reactions can be quite different from one another even if they are utilizing the exact same strategy and products.

You might find it helpful to refer to the Sample Skin Care Regimens to use as a tool to assist in formulating and customizing your own serious skin care strategy.

Still need some help?

If you are still having some difficulty deciding which specific products to choose to begin your own serious skin care regime?

If you want a head start in getting the products you'll need for your own skin rejuvenation plan, the here are shopping lists for the basic to the most advanced anti-aging skin care regimes to help you get started.


Shopping Lists for Facial Skin Care Rejuvenation Treatments:


These prepared a shopping lists include the most effective products at the best possible price!

Or visit the skin care shop to view all anti-aging skin care treatments for the best skin products grouped in categories for specific aging skin conditions or by active facial rejuvenation ingredient.

Or use the quick search. . .





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