Why does this happen?

The oils and waters in and around your skin’s basal cells make up your lipid barrier. A healthy lipid barrier limits the possibility of bacterial infections thanks to its acidity.  The skin also prevents many chemicals from entering the body, keeping irritants out and moisture in.

But when environmental aggressors attack the outer most layer of skin, it’s like a sledge hammer going right through a roof.  This creates fissures or openings through which skin irritants can enter and also, moisture can escape.

So what’s the solution?  Here are a few tips:

1) Moisture is your friend! Add a humidifier to your bedroom, but avoid hot showers, steam rooms, and sauna baths which dry the skin out. Also avoid skin care products that contain alcohol, propylene glycol, and glycolic acids. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize the skin daily, especially after bath or shower, and every time you wash your face or your hands.

2) Use skin products for sensitive skin, specifically designed to repair the lipid barrier – ingredients like dimethicone and allantoin  are FDA recognized as over the counter skin protectants. Use an intense moisturizer at night – look for products with soothing ingredients like shea and murumuru butter. Products that contain aloe vera and chamomile, further de-stress red and irritated skin

3) Use sunscreen daily to protect skin from sun as well as more water loss. Avoid harsh physical or chemical exfoliants, but do use a gentle exfoliant that also conditions the skin to slough off dry, dead skin.

4) Keep temperatures moderate indoors.  Avoid using washcloths or loofahs,  and use only a smooth sponge on your skin.

5) Substitute a soap-free gentle cleanser for your daily cleanser.  For extremely irritated red patches, apply a skin lotion containing hydrocortisone to treat the underlying inflammation of the skin.

6) Whatever skin treatment you are using on your face, also apply to your hands. When the barrier is broken on your hands there is a huge opportunity for bacteria to enter the skin causing severe inflammation and redness.

7) Instead of frequently washing your face in the winter, blot away oil with blotting papers. The skin around the eyes is the most delicate, so be sure to use plenty of eye cream at night on the orbital bone above the eye (never on the eyelid) and on the sides of the eyes over the crows feet to hydrate and protect.

Look for skin care products that contain a new ingredient called RFp3.  It’s a new  peptide technology which actually shields the skin against biological and environmental aggressors that trigger inflammation, breakouts and aging.  Peptides are revolutionary ingredients with amazing results.

For your own free skin care consultation visit my skin consultation page.

There’s help and hope at the Skin Care Blog!

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Blemished skin can profoundly affect our social and professional lives. It can cause us to withdraw from others, avoid relationships, and hold back on seeking that next job promotion.  Our entire self esteem can be completely wrapped around our inability to control the way our skin looks.  Adult suffers are taking this problem very seriously.

For most blemish sufferers, however, the news in good.  Even though there is no cure for acne, we CAN safely control and manage the breakouts.  And you DO want to manage and control them – otherwise you’ll experience post-acne complications such as discoloration of the skin (brown spots from previous blemishes) and worst  of all – scarring.

Treatments for acne have significantly evolved over the years.  We’ve tried all sorts of remedies that failed.  But with more and more people demanding blemish control, we finally have some proven solutions that work.  No more spot treatments (they didn’t work), no more sun lamps or heavy alcohol toners (they just dried our skin out), and no more blaming the person who’s suffering with bad skin (it’s their SKIN that’s the problem, not the person).

Smart science tells us that if we treat our entire face, consistently every morning and every night, with the right formulations, we can manage most blemish-prone skin problems.  The formulations must contain only non-comedogenic ingredients.  A blemish is simply a clogged pore, so we can’t use ingredients that clog the pores on our skin.  Products must first – calm the skin’s irritations (botanicals like chamomile and aloe are the best), secondly – unclog the pores and eliminate the plug of oil and bacteria, and third – gently exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin that can clog the pores.

Sometimes all you need is a routine of twice per day using purely botanically-based skin care products to get the desired results.  But, if you’re still breaking out, you should try using botanically-based products that also contain over the counter strength medicines such as sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, and alpha hydroxy acids.  If, after several weeks on this regimen, you still don’t have your blemishes under control, it is recommended that you see a dermatologist immediately for prescription strength medicated skin care products to get your acne under control.  The important thing is -don’t wait! The condition will only worsen and now you’ll be dealing with the complications as well.

In most cases, you may only need to use the medicated products for a short while, until your skin is cleared, and then you can gradually change your regimen back to purely botanical.  If you find your skin flaring up again, you can go back on the medicated products as needed.

If you’re one of the millions struggling with blemish prone skin, just know, you’re not alone.  Many others are going through the same struggles as you.  There is hope!  I encourage you to act today, seek advice from a skin care professional.  Ask them for their recommendations for a twice daily skin care regimen that treats the entire skin, is botanically based, with non-comedogenic ingredients, contains over the counter medications (if needed), gently exfoliates, calms the skin, unclogs pores and fights bacteria.

And, of course, no matter what your skin concern, always- always- always wear your sunscreen!

For your own personal skin care consultation, you can go here for help.

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