What Makes A Good Skin Care Program?

A brief article going over the basic steps to creating a personalized good skin care program.

Before creating a skin care regimen for you, the first thing to do is determine your skin type. Around noon, gently rub your fingers around your face, especially the forehead, nose and cheeks. If an area feels oily, then that area is oily skin. A tight and itchy feeling indicates dry skin. If your face feels just like it did in the morning, you have normal skin. Normal skin is not very common as most people actually have combination skin. Men and women should follow four basic steps for developing a skin care program. Performing these steps every day will give the best results. Your skin care program will change based on those products that work for you and your skin type.

The first step is cleansing. A gel or cream cleanser works best as soap is very drying to skin. Use circular motions after applying the cleanser to your skin. This technique helps to remove dead skin cells. Rinse with warm water and use a washcloth to help stimulate blood flow to the skin. Try not to skip the bedtime wash, as your skin will be able to repair itself during the night. People with oily skin may want to look at gels and water-based cleansers. Dry skin people might want to use products that are creamier. If the skin is prone to breakouts, a medicated cleanser can be used.

Toning or 'cotton ball step' is next. This step restores the acidic pH of your skin. Avoid alcohol-based astringents, as they are very drying to skin. Look for a freshener or toner and use 100% cotton balls. Place the toner on the cotton ball and use upward strokes from the neck to the forehead. A facial toner helps in removing make-up or other residues. It also closes the pores that were opened during the cleansing.

The third step is to exfoliate. There are several types, so there will be some experimentation to determine the one that will work best. Masques are applied to the face, left for around 5-15 minutes and then removed with a warm washcloth. Scrubs have tiny elements or beads in the cream to help remove dead skin cells. Scrubs and masques should be used once or twice a week, depending on the skin type. The newest options are Alpha Hydroxy Acids or AHAs. They come from naturally occurring acids found in sugar cane, milk and fruits. AHAs come in a variety of strengths. Start with a low percentage of acid and as your skin becomes use to it, or no problems occur, move up the strength. They can be used once or twice a day.

Last step is to moisturize. No matter your skin type, a water-based moisturizer works the best. Look for products that contain humectants such as glycerin to attract moisture to your skin. The second thing to look for in a moisturizer is a SPF factor. It is getting two things in one, moisture and sunscreen.

Try to keep to products within the same system. They are designed to work with each other. If you need to change something, change them all for best results.

© Demand Media 2011