Skin care: tips and tricks from dermatologist Lucie Rajska

Skin care is not done on a whim, it is our duty to ourselves and also a pleasure. Everything that you decide to invest in your skin, your skin will be sure to give back. With regular care we fight to keep our skin healthy, clean and fresh. The reward? Lower risk of skin issues like black spots, acne, dryness or excessively oily skin and also ageing. The skin will be visibly fresh, bright and youthful. With correct skincare we are also increasing the effectiveness of skincare products.

The foundation of regular skincare is a thorough cleansing. By properly cleaning the skin we are, not only ridding it of everyday pollutants or makeup, but also slowing the process of ageing, protecting the skin from worsening dermatitis, needles breaches of the skin barrier and the tainting of the pores.

In the evening it is best to remove your makeup and cleanse the skin; ideally in two steps. This method is called two-phase cleansing or double cleansing, and every step of this routine removes a different type of pollutant.

In the first step, you should use cleansing oil, skin-cleansing lotion or balsam. The oil component will dissolve impurities such as sun cream, makeup, sweat, wax and even dust. The second step involves cleaning the skin using a water-soluble cleansing product such as a foam cleanser or gel. This step will remove all remaining impurities such as dead skin cells. After all this, the skin is finally clean, fresh and primed for the next phase of the routine.

During the night, the skin accumulates wax, sweat, dead skin cells and also the products of the self-cleaning properties of the skin. This is why it is important to thoroughly cleanse the skin in the morning as well. Thanks to the fact that in the morning we do not have to remove makeup or other accumulated pollutants, it is possible to only apply one of the steps of our routine.

When the skin is ready after the cleansing part of our routine, we can move on to our next step; applying tonic. The tonic helps balance the skin’s PH level, calms the skin and prepares it for better absorption of subsequently applied products. After the tonic is absorbed by the skin, we can follow up with serum. A serum is a concentrated product that aims at specific needs such as hydration, brightening the skin, reducing acne or rosacea or rejuvenation. After the complete absorption of the serum, we can apply skin cream. It is preferable to not rush these steps and allow your skin the time to completely absorb each product. If this is not done, we risk different products mixing and merging and then we have to worry about our skin flaking all day long.

Skincare does not end with application of skin cream. We can take care of it further. A pleasant skincare product could be the regular application of facemasks. At least twice a week. Not only, does the face mask allow us to indulge in a well-deserved relaxation but at the same time we are hydrating, brightening and freshening up the skin. Today you can grab any type of facemask; sheet masks, hydrogel masks, cream masks or peel-off masks. Each one of them counts and has a positive effect on the state of your skin.

If we have such a nicely built routine where we make sure our skin is properly hydrated and cleansed, then the only remaining thing is to remind you to protect your skin from the sun. Regardless of season. Do not forget that UV radiation seeps through the ozone and clouds every day. The difference is only the intensity of those rays. In autumn and winter, we can be satisfied with an SPF 30+ in the city but in spring and summer we should definitely reach for at least SPF 50+. This protects the skin, not only from, hyperpigmentation, light wrinkles and lines but also from skin cancer and growth of tumours.

Do not forget, skincare is not strictly only for women. Men have the same amount of reasons to want to take care of their skin like women and with the ever-growing selection of men’s skincare products it is now easier than ever to find products that suit their needs and lifestyle.