I have another guest post for you today. This one comes from Selina from Beautystorm. Beautystorm are proudly the cheapest stockists of
Dermalogica products in Australia and provide online skin consultations with
their in house Skincare Therapists. Selina will be giving us advice on how to repair sun damaged skin. Whilst we are blessed to be living in such a sun drenched country, here in Australia, as a consequence the majority of us will have sun damaged skin. Here are Selina's tips to repair some of the damage:
The severe, Australian suncauses a multitude of cases of
serious skin damage every year. However, there are ways, to repair rough, dry,
wrinkled skin that may also suffer from redness and brown spots.
The very first step to reverse some of that skin damage is
some gentle cleansing. Never wash the face with an ordinary bar of soap. This
will make the situation worse and cause severe dry skin.
In order to wash the sun-damaged skin effectively without
causing further injury, use a gentle exfoliating facial cleanser. This will
remove, not only dirt and oil, but also the top layer of dead skin cells,
providing a nice glow. This will reveal fresh skin cells ready for treatment.
After cleansing the skin, follow with a mud mask or a facial
mask made specifically for skin that’s been damaged by the sun. The purpose of
a mask is to draw out impurities in the skin while adding key ingredients like
moisturisers and minerals back into the skin.
After gently rinsing the purifying mask, a lotion, cream or
serum containing key ingredients should be applied to the skin. The difference
between the three is that a lotion is best for daytime use, worn under makeup
or for those prone to breakouts. Creams are considered heavier and best used at
night or for those with dry skin. Serums are usually highly concentrated
formulas that can be used day or night, but a little goes a long way. Those
with the most severe sun damaged skin should use them.
Any formulation, whether it is a lotion, cream or serum will
work best if it contains a retinoid, CoQ10, vitamin C or collagen. Those with
sensitive skin should stay away from high concentrations of both vitamin C or a retinoid. They may see better results with a collagen-based cream, serum or
lotion.
What are all these formulations? A retinoid is actually a
form of vitamin A. It prompts the skin cells to turn over rapidly, revealing
fresh new cells. Vitamin C helps boost the production of something already in
the body: collagen. Using synthetic collagen helps the body use more of what it
needs for nice, firm, elastic skin. CoQ10 prevents oxidation of the cells,
which leads to free radicals, which is toxic to our skin.
To supplement these steps to repair sun-damaged skin from
the inside out should be a diet loaded with antioxidants from fruits and vegetables
and full hydration with water to also help reverse the sun damage.
For more information on how to repair sun damaged skin and
beauty products online, visit www.beautystorm.com.au.
Thanks Selina, the only thing that I would add to this article is to get your hands on either a serum or mask that contains hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid can attract 100 times it weight in water. It is a humectant - this means it draws and retains moisture. So, when it used in a mask or serum it draws moisture to your skin. Dermalogica actually have one of the best hyaluronic serums on the market in their Skin Hydration Booster. A product like this will produce instant hydration but needs to be used regularly to maintain this hydration.
