New Year More Beautiful You. Is it possible? We say Yes!

With reigning in a New Year come new resolutions for self-improvement. This is a great time to expand your commitment to how you take care of your skin. And why not? After all, the better you look, the better you feel. We offer a few suggestions that are easy to implement and stick to and make a huge difference in improving health and appearance of your skin.

Step 1 - Use a gentle cleanser morning and night to cleanse and balance the skin. One of the major misconceptions about cleansing our skin is that if the skin is squeaky clean, then it must be a good thing. Nothing is further from the truth. Our skin has a natural protective layer of oils designed to keep dirt and pollutants out. When we over-dry our skin with harsh cleansers containing oil stripping ingredients, like benzoyl peroxide, triclosan, BHT, or siloxane, we force our skin to overproduce oils and push it out of balance. This may sound counterintuitive, but is true for every skin type, including acne prone and oily skin. Always use gentle cleansers that help maintain a healthy equilibrium in our skin.

We like Aveda Botanical Kinetics Purifying Gel or Cream Cleanser, Naturopathica Chamomile Cleansing Milk, or Image SkinCare Vital C Hydrating Facial Cleanser.

Step 2. Feed your skin twice a day, morning and night, with topical products containing essential nutrients - Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and antioxidants. Although skin is our largest organ, when it comes to receiving nutrients that we absorb with food, it is at the bottom of the food chain, literally speaking. Heart, lungs, and liver have definitely a higher priority. That being said, it is vital to our skin’s health, to receive proper levels of age defying nutrients like Vitamin A, C, E and antioxidants. They play an incredibly important role in protecting us from premature aging caused by environment. The most astounding thing is that you do not need to rely entirely on food sources to keep the skin healthy. Topical application of these ingredients in quality serums or creams can quickly replenish our skin’s supply and keep the skin healthy.

We like Environ C-Quence Serum, Dr. Perricone Vitamin C Ester 15 or Cosmedix Pure C Mixing Crystals.

STEP 3. Wear a sun block every morning rain or shine with SPF of 25 or 30. Did you know that 80% of aging is due to factors that have nothing to do with your genetic make-up, but everything to do with environmental damage, such as sun, pollution and smoking? What that means is that how quickly we age for the most part is within our control. The most important and the easiest thing you can do to delay aging is to protect your skin from sun damage by wearing sun block every time you step outside.

Look for a sunblock, containing Zinc or Titanium Oxide, since it works by physically blocking out sun rays. Tinted sunblocks or a moisturizers with a high enough SPF are a good option for those looking to simplify their morning routine. We like EltaMD UV Daily Broad Spectrum SFP 40, Naturopathica Lavender Protective Cream SPF 30 or Image Skincare Prevention Plus Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30.

Step 4. Exfoliate with mild to medium peels or physical exfoliants like microdermabrasion regularly to remove dead skin and improve skin renewal. Finally, the rate at which our skin renews itself slows down as we age. From every 20 days In our twenties to double that in our forties. What that means is that all the damage that occurs, like sun spots, pigmentation, fine wrinkles stays around longer. The best way to speed up our skin’s rejuvenation is to periodically exfoliate. Every 1-2 months with either light to medium peels or microdermabrasion will do the trick. Look for peels containing beneficial ingredients like lactic acid, salicylic acid or TCA.

And there you have it; your New Year’s healthy skin routine can be this easy.

Step 1. Cleanse with gentle, non-astringent cleanser.

Step 2. Feed your skin with moisturizers or serums containing Vitamin A, C, E and antioxidants.

Step 3. Protect the skin with a quality sun block.

Step 4. Renew the skin by exfoliating every 1-2 months.

Here is to looking and feeling beautiful. Happy New Year!!!