Skin Care Basics

Daily Care

Wash your face with a gentle cleanser in the morning and evening.  Apply moisturizer after morning washing, and use a night cream in the evening.  A non-drying toner may help close pores and draw moisture to the surface, making skin look smoother and tighter.

Weekly Care

Exfoliating your skin once a week may help diminish fine lines and helps your skin absorb moisturizing masks and creams.

Products

You'll need professional treatment for dramatic improvements, but some over-the-counter products may produce "slight to modest" changes in your skin. Look for moisturizers and anti-aging serums with hydroxy acids to exfoliate your skin, retinols to fight the environmental factors that contribute to wrinkles, coenzyme Q10 to reduce fine lines, tea extracts to reduce redness and boost antioxidant protection and copper peptides for collagen production.  Purchase sunscreens with an SPF factor of 30 or higher and which include the term "broad spectrum protection" on their labels.

Lifestyle Adjustments

Your skin care routine should extend to prevention, as well as repair and maintenance. Avoid sleeping on your side or stomach because over time, those "pillow lines" can become permanent, warns the American Academy of Dermatology.  If you smoke, kick the habit as soon as possible. Smoking causes not only mouth pucker lines and crow's feet from the muscle movement involved in smoking and squinting from the smoke, but also slows collagen and elastin production.  Combining sunscreen with sunglasses and hats further protects against the sun.  Helpful foods to keep skin healthy include lean proteins and fruits and grains with the vegetables B3, A, C and E.