Great Skincare Regime – Preparing the Skin

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cleansers, exfoliants, skin care explained

It is never a simple case of using skincare products in any order, they are designed to be used in a specific way in order to maximise the benefits to you and your skin. In this article we will discuss the preparatory elements of the skincare regime. These are the products that clean and prepare your skin for the nourishing and restoring products that follow. The preparatory elements are:

1. Cleansers
2. Exfoliants

They each treat the skin in a different way and are designed to be used in the order shown.

1. Cleansers and Pre-cleansers

The cleanser is always the first step in any skincare regime although it can now be divided into a 2 step element itself. With the arrival of products such as Dermalogica Precleanse that have been designed for all skin types to help remove debris and sebum before your skin specific cleanser.

Your cleanser will then be able to clean and prepare your skin with ingredients that are tailored specifically to your skin type and if used following a pre-cleanser your cleanser will be even more effective.

Below are a list of skin specific Dermalogica Cleansers:

• Dermalogica Dermal Clay Cleanser for Oily Skin Types
• Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel for Normal, Normal/Dry, Normal/Oily Skin Types
• Dermalogica Essential Cleansing Solution for Dry Skin Types
• Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser for Sensitive Skin Types

2. Exfoliants

Exfoliants are used in order to remove the dead skin that is always the top most layer. The purpose behind using an exfoliant is really two fold.

Firstly an exfoliant will help remove dead skin that can cause blocked pores leading to breakout outs or can leave your skin looking dull. they will help to reveal the newer and brighter skin beneath as well as encouraging skin cell renewal.

Secondly through the action they provide they allow the products that follow – the nourishing and reparative products – to penetrate deeper and provide greater benefits.

Below are a list of skin specific Dermalogica Exfoliants:

• Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub for Oily Skin Types
• Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant for Dry Skin Types
• Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermafoliant for Prematurely Ageing Skin Types
• Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant for All Skin Types including Sensitive Skin

We will cover masques on their own in the next article and then follow with the nourishing elements of a Great Skincare Regime.

Spots on the Body

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skin care explained, skin care problems, skin care tips

Image courtesy of http://www.yummymummyclub.ca

It seems that many people suffer from painful spots and infected hair follicles on the body. It is often found to be a particular problem on their back and chest and it can be a real issue that can be difficult to deal with.

We always recommend that any spots that appear on your body should always be seen by your doctor to ensure that they are simply breakouts on the body and nothing more serious. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Spots on your body are not only painful but they can also be unsightly and make you feel very self concious about yourself and your appearance to others. We believe that prevention is always better than cure.

Breakouts on your body are usually caused by the same issues that cause breakouts on your face: one of your pores becomes blocked through various means, bacteria develop and grow resulting in the raised, red and painful spot. The problem is that the treatments that can be effective on the face are usually quite expensive and are not designed to cover such a large area.

We have had a lot of experience with this particular problem at Pure Beauty and we have found that once the medicinal treatments have finished it is a good idea to try and prevent future breakouts. Our advise is to use a good quality body wash and exfoliant in the shower and work them really well in the areas where the breakouts are likely to occur on your body. Our favourite combination is using the Conditioning Body Wash with the Ultimate Buffing Cloth, both from Dermalogica.

Using these two products together enables you to work the Conditioning Body Wash into an high lather and then apply it using the very gentle abrasive action of the Buffing Cloth all over your body but concentrating on the specific areas of concern to you.

These products are not designed specifically to be treatments for body acne, but the ingredients used within the Conditioning Body Wash and the exfoliating action of the Buffing Cloth when combined treat your skin and keep it free of the problems than can combine to produce spots on your body.

Extremely dry sensitive skin

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sensitive skin, skin care explained, skin care problems, Skincare Advice

Image courtesy of http://www.dermalinstitute.com

Dry and Sensitive skin often go hand in hand and can be the cause of pain, discomfort and emotional upset.

It seems to be a problem that many people have to live with on a daily basis yet they can find it difficult to deal with.

There are a multitude of reasons for sensitivity and it often, although not always, goes hand in hand with dryness. The sensitivity can often be the cause of the dryness.

Initially it would be beneficial to find out what it is exactly that causes your skin to become sensitive. The reasons can be many and varied and can range from environmental factors such as heat and cold, ongoing exposure to the weather, medical conditions or the ingredients in the skin care products being used.

There are entire ranges from both Dermalogica and Decleor that we offer that are designed specifically to deal with sensitive and dry skin. One of our favourites is a combination of the Dermalogica UltraCalming Barrier Repair and the Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream.

Both of these products are moisturisers and whilst it may seem excessive to use two moistuisers on a daily basis we have found, as have many of our Salon Clients and Online Customers, that the combination is exactly what a lot of people need. The Barrier Repair is a silicone based moisturiser that really helps with the sensitivity whilst the Skin Smoothing Cream helps combat the dryness.

Dry and Sensitive skin is a real problem for some people and it can cause genuine and prolonged concern but there are many ways of helping to deal with it and using the right skin care products is one of the key weapons in helping to tackle these issues.

Best Spot Treatments?

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clearing breakouts, clearing spots, skin care explained, skin care problems

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It would seem that spots, breakouts, zits or whatever you want to call them are the single biggest skin care problem that people struggle to deal with.

There are many factors as to why breakouts develop and it is this complex equation which makes a single solution difficult to find.

Never the less a majority of breakouts occur when a plug develops and blocks a pore in the skin. This allows for bacterial growth (the yellow head) which the body then fights resulting in the redness and tenderness of the breakout.

The best way to fight them is through a good skin care routine.

Cleanse – Tone – Moisturise twice a day.

In addition to the basics an exfoliant is an excellent tool to ensure that as much dead skin is removed regularly to prevent the formation of the plugs for which it is a contributing factor.

Obviously when they do occur additional steps need to be taken to treat them and generally this is to do with killing the bacteria that have caused the breakout to occur. Two very popular and effective ingredients in current spot treatments are Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide.

There are many products available for use once the breakout begins to show and we would recommend both a morning/daytime treatment, many of which now contain a concealer to help disguise the breakout, and an overnight treatment too. This ensures that the problem is being dealt with continuously until the breakout clears up.

Golden Rule: No matter how tempting it is to squeeze and pick the spot don’t. Your hands are not sterile and you will therefore only be adding to the problem. This is also a major cause of the scarring that can result from a breakout.

Using too many products?

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skin care explained, skin care tips, Skincare Advice, skincare routine

Image courtesy of http://www.skinfitaustin.com

We are often asked for our advice when recommending skincare products from our site and it can seem sometimes that whilst searching for that perfect Skin Care Routine that it is easy to fall into the trap of using too many products.

It seems to be a common problem that many people ask on skin care forums on the internet.

We believe that starting off. or returning to, the basics is the best thing to do.

Cleanse – Tone – Moisturise.

These 3 steps should be the cornerstone of all good Skin Care Routines.

The Cleanser will remove all of the debris, sebum and environmental contaminants as well as preparing the skin for the other products that are to follow. The Toner will then add water directly back to the skin followed by the Moisturiser. This should be done twice daily: morning and evening.

Now there are many other types of Skin Care Products which you could now begin to add to your routine but all may not be necessary. There are Exfoliants, Masques (Masks), Eye Creams, Serums, Boosters, Targeting Treatments and many, many more. Each have a distinct role in looking after the skin. We find that some clients need a few and some need more.

We would urge you to seek professional advice from a Skin Care Therapist and try the products first with samples to see if they fit into your Skin Care Routine and if they delivery the results you’re looking for.

If you find yourself surrounded by numerous pots and tubes of all different types of products – take a closer look at each of them and bring it back to basics. Decide what you’re looking for and make sure that the products you are using are delivering the results you deserve.