In partnership with SA’s top medical aesthetic companies
If you want your home skin-care routine to really make a difference to the quality of your skin, add some vital extras
Skincare research and development has evolved so much in recent years that your skin-care routine is now anything but bog-standard. Smart, multi-tasking products do many things at once, plus there are added steps to ensure you get the most out of your skin care.
Do your homework
The key step, before you invest in products, is to look at what your skin needs and to choose products that are suitable for your skin type/condition. Your aesthetic doctor will help by prescribing the right product for your needs from medical skin-care ranges with active ingredients that penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin.
An easy way to remember what you need is to follow GRASS root principles. This will ensure you don’t accidentally exclude any element important for your skin:
G – Growth Factors and Peptides
R – Retinoids
A – Antioxidants
S – Sunscreen
S – Specialty product for pigmentation, acne or rosacea, etc.
The ultimate purpose of any skin product should be prevention and correction of DNA damage and preservation of DNA health and vitality. Sunscreen, antioxidants, peptides, growth factors, retinoid and other specialist ingredients that repair and protect skin cells and your skin’s elastin and collagen are your must-haves.
So your new skin care routine that includes your key GRASS essentials should look like this:
- CLEANSE & TONE: twice daily (am and pm) with a smart, multi-tasking cleanser, such as SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Cleansing Gel, which cleans, exfoliates and targets ageing and acne without drying out or sensitising skin. For pigmentation issues, use NeoStrata Enlighten Ultra Brightening Cleanser. Sensitive, dry and mature skins will love the antioxidant-rich Lamelle Dermaheal Gentle Cleanser
- PREVENT with antioxidants: get your daily dose of topical antioxidants to neutralise damaging free radicals that cause premature ageing. We recommend Lamelle Nourish Revitalise Cream, SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic, NeoStrata Skin Active Antioxidant Defense Serum.
- CORRECT with smart multi-tasking creams: rather than a regular hydrating day or night cream, use a targeted treatment cream (supercharged with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, growth factors, etc.) for specific skin conditions. Early signs of ageing: SkinCeuticals Metacell Renewal B3, Daily moisture and protection: NeoStrata Daytime Protection Cream SPF 23; Mature, sundamaged skin: Lamelle Correctives Deraheal cellular repair cream. You can also add targeted treatments at night to address conditions such as rosacea, acne, etc.
- REPAIR with retinoids (at night): Vitamin-A retinoids (e.g., retinol, retinoic are the ‘skin vitamin’, helping to keep skin cells healthy, and diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, skin discoloration and acne, while giving skin a fine texture. Newer formulas are stabilised and less likely to cause irritation. Try NeoStrata Skin Active Retinol + NAG Complex, SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.3 and Lamelle Corrective RA cream.
- NB! Follow instructions on how to use your product – you may need to build up tolerance, depending on the formula – and only apply at night! Because retinoids can make your skin sun-sensitive, so using a high, broad-spectrum sunscreen daily is essential.
- PROTECT with sunscreen: We shouldn’t have to tell you that daily sun protection is a must. Look for both UVA/UVB (aka broadscreen) sun protection, ideally SPF 50+. Choose a formula that works for your skin type and texture preference. We like smart sunscreens that have ingredients like antioxidants and moisturisers for extra skin benefits: SkinCeuticals Ultra Facial UV Defense SPF 50+: two-in-one moisturising sun care; NeoStrata Sheer Physical Protection SPF 50: antioxidant-rich, mineral filters-only, and Lamelle Helase Photo-Repair Cream SPF 50: DNA damage-repairing (not suitable for acne-prone skin.
For more information visit Skin Renewal on www.skinrenewal.co.za or contact 0861 SKIN SA (754 672).
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