The Best Skincare company Diaries
When I tell women that tough skin is a good thing, they tend to shy away from this skin care tip.
They shun the idea of tough skin because of two misconceptions based on the way we use language.
The first misconception is that they assume tough skin is the same as rugged skin. They equate tough skin with rough, leathery, unattractive skin. This, however, is not at all what I am talking about. But I do understand where they get this impression.
They get this mistaken impression because they are used to the carefully-spun language used by advertisers to seduce readers and viewers into buying products. When describing facial skin, glossy women's magazine advertisements or television commercials use words like "soft," "smooth," "silky," "creamy," and so on. This unconsciously implies that skin must be delicate to be beautiful.
The second misconception is people often they think of the metaphor of thick skin, meaning a pachyderm like indifference to unpleasant facts, words, or experiences. Again, the impression is that a thick skin is something that relates to insensitive, cold, hard, and calloused people. Although this is a connotation, an associated or secondary meaning, it is still enough to cloud judgment.
The Real Truth about Tough Skin
The truth of the issue of tough skin is that beautiful, healthy, and smooth skin looks that way because it is tough and thick. In fact, it is 7 layers strong because skin was designed to protect the body, rather than serve as an ornament draped over flesh and bone to increase sexual appeal.
Young people, for instance, have beautiful skin because they have tough skin. Yes, their skin is thick and tough! This does not mean that it is unhealthy or unattractive as a result of too much swimming, sunbathing, or beauty care neglect. Instead, thick and tough skin means that it is well-structured, strong, and works as an effective barrier against bacteria invading the body from a topical source. Let me repeat: tough skin is also beautiful, healthy, and smooth skin. It is skin that is attractive. While it may be smooth to the touch, it is not delicate skin.
How Skin Gets Tough
So now that we have established that tough skin is a good thing, something that you should want to have, the next thing you may be wondering is how skin gets thick and tough. Why did our skin look beautiful when we were younger? It is because as we aged, our skin began to create less collagen and elastin to toughen up.
In fact, contrary to popular opinion, delicate skin is not a good thing. As our skin became more delicate, it actually began to crease, line, and wrinkle. It lost its tough, elastic, durable texture. Delicate skin is a nice way to say thin, oversensitive skin. When skin gets thin, it begins to sag. Bags under the eyes, for example, are a result of thin, delicate skin.
So when I offer a skin care tip about tougher skin, I am actually pointing people in the right direction.
How, then, does one get tough, thick skin?
Tough skin is skin rich in collagen and elastin. It is healthy, resilient, well-structured skin.
The way to get tough skin is to get more collagen and elastin in the tissue of your skin.
The Great Deception
Realizing that consumers are becoming much more sophisticated when it comes to skin care, cosmetic companies are pretending to offer it to them in skin care creams. In fact, they boldly proclaim that their product has collagen and elastin. Consequently, their sales do really well.
Now, this is not a lie. But it is a deception. Let me explain.
When assayed by independent laboratories, the beauty product will indeed have collagen and elastin.
What the manufacturers are not telling you is that a skin care product with these ingredients is absolutely useless. The proteins have molecules that are too large to be absorbed by your skin. So when you rub the lotion or cream on your face, you only enjoy a temporary benefit. Your skin will look younger and smoother-until you wash off the cream. Then it will go back to its original weak structure and your wrinkles will reappear.
A Better Solution
In your quest for tougher, thicker skin, you should not look for products that have collagen and elastin. Instead, you should look for products that have ingredients that stimulate your body's ability to produce its own collagen and elastin.
Only the highest quality skin care products give you the right ingredients for beautiful skin. These products don't have additives, preservatives, or filler substance, but are completely natural. Use of these products over time, assuming you use them daily, will recreate the two vital proteins. When they are back in the layers of your skin, you will indeed look years younger. People will marvel at the change.
Before the age of 25, you have the skin your mother gave you. After age 25, you have the skin you gave yourself. Evidence for the truth in this skin care mantra can be seen in the faces of women all around you. Up until their mid-twenties, most women enjoy naturally vibrant, glowing skin. As the thirties approach, however, the skin begins to lose its elasticity and suppleness.
Fortunately, there are certain preventative measures you can take to keep your skin looking its best. Furthermore, certain products (such as Clarisonic's deep pore cleansing system) can help you uncover your most radiant skin. Make the skin care dos listed below a part of your daily skin care regiment in order to see radiant skin for decades to come. On the flip side, by avoiding certain harmful skin care no-nos, you can prevent your skin from looking wrinkled and tired as you age.
Skin Care Dos
Do wear sunscreen. Everyone loves to feel the warmth of the sun on their skin, but remember that UV rays can cause wrinkles, sunspots and even skin cancer. Take care of your skin by applying sunscreen whenever you anticipate being out in the sun, even if only for twenty minutes. As a bare minimum, apply sunscreen to the face, chest, neck and hands, as the skin on these areas is generally the most sensitive to UV rays. A product such as Uber Dry Sunscreen SPF30 by Peter Thomas Roths.
Do eat healthy foods. Food writer Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food advises readers to, "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Pollan's simple, liberating approach to diet is certainly healthy for your skin as well. Vegetables and fruits are chock full of antioxidants, or special chemical compounds that break down cancer-causing free radicals in the body. Free radicals also cause cell damage to the skin. For healthy skin from the inside out, include colorful vegetables and fruits with every meal, and especially aim to ingest plenty of vitamins C, E, A and beta carotene.
Do drink plenty of water. Water flushes out toxins and improves circulation. Drinking 64 ounces (eight glasses) of water every day will keep your skin looking soft and supple. Additionally, it's good to have a couple of versatile moisturizing products on hand for those days when you know your water levels are low. For instance, after a night of heavy drinking, you might notice your cuticles drying out, causing painful, unsightly hangnails. This is a sign that there may be other areas of dry skin that need a little TLC.
Rather than buying a whole shelf of separate moisturizers for occasions like this, it's best to have a few go-to products that will perk up your skin every time. A product like Smith's Original Rosebud Salve, for instance, can be applied to dry lips, minor burns and patches of rough skin, such as on the knees and elbows. And best of all, Rosebud Salve is easy to keep on hand for whenever a skin care emergency pops up, since it is packaged in a small, round tin.
Do apply eye cream. The skin around your eyes is some of the most sensitive, delicate skin on the entire body. Take care of it (and avoid those telltale crow's feet!) by applying a daily eye cream. In case you're looking for a recommendation, check out Peter Thomas Roth's Un-Wrinkle Eye, which consumer studies have shown reduced wrinkle size up to 72% in just 28 days.
Skincare Don'ts
Don't smoke. If you need motivation to quit, just take some time to examine the skin of long-term smokers. Yellow, papery skin with plenty of wrinkles around the lips - this is what smoking will earn you. Quit. Today. Your skin will thank you for years to come.
Don't skimp on moisturizer. Moisturized skin is happy skin. Indeed, you'll notice that just after applying moisturizer, your skin will naturally plump up - sometimes enough to fill in those pesky wrinkles. Apply moisturizer when your skin is still damp from your shower or bath - this will lock in moisture and keep your skin looking plump and healthy all day long. Body oil is an especially luxurious way to moisturize your skin. Like all oils, Patyka's Absolis Precious Woods body oil creates a barrier layer that moisture cannot penetrate.
Don't be sporadic about your skincare. Cleanse and moisturize every day to offset the pollution and other toxins your skin is exposed to on a daily basis. Whatever skincare products you choose to apply, use them religiously. An investment of just five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening can make a huge difference for your skin over a lifetime.
One way to encourage yourself to complete your skin care regimen is to invest in enticing products that make you excited about taking care of yourself. For instance, it's hard to put off using a Clarisonic Mia skin care brush, when just one daily application of your Clarisonic brush leaves skin looking almost brand new. (The Clarisonic brush vibrates back and forth more than 300 times per second, which thoroughly cleans skin and leaves pores more info so open that they actually absorb other skin care products better.)
In the end, your daily skin care choices will determine how youthful (or aged) you appear as the decades march on. Nurture your skin by following the dos and avoiding the don'ts listed above, and you'll enjoy perfect, healthy skin well into your golden years.