With the Covid-19 Virus proliferating the globe, most of us have found ourselves confined to our living spaces. As a result, you may be noticing that your skin is not behaving as it normally does, and that could be because of prolonged exposure to indoor pollution made up of a myriad of components. In the scientific community, indoor air is thought to be up to 300% more harmful than outdoor pollution, and really takes a toll on your skin. Comprised of pet dander, dust mites, mold, cigaret smoke, chemicals from furniture, carpet, and the gas that is emitted from your stove and furnace, this environment consistently emits free radicals that when making contact with your skin, causes hyperpigmentation, loss or radiance, collagen, and elastin. This leads to accelerated aging and dullness of the complexion.
I recommend making sure that you are cleansing your face throughly each AM and PM, using Phytomer’s City Life Flash Peel. This is a second foaming cleanse that takes 60 seconds and detoxifies, exfoliates and hydrates the skin. Follow this with toner and then the appropriate application of VIE Vitamin-C. Every woman should be using this essential skin care product as it lightens hyperpigmentation, reinforces capillary walls, reduces fine lines, increase cellular turnover, and fights free radicals. In addition, make sure that you are exfoliating 2-3 times per week to remove dead skin cells and give your complexion the best opportunity to absorb treatment products.
It is important to note that levels of humidity can also affect the skin, leading to dehydration. If you typically have a skin that is normal to oily and find yourself confined to an environment that is lacking in humidity, you may begin to think that our skin is “dry” when it is actually dehydrated. Understanding the difference will help you to choose the correct skincare to alleviate the problem. If you choose products for dry skin, you will find yourself breaking out more because you are actually using products that are too heavy and/or are oil based, therefore, pore clogging. The best bet is to make sure that your more hydrating formulations are water based so that they can best address the dehydration that you are experiencing, without causing problems. A solid recommendation would be the Cran-peptide Cream from Face Reality. It delivers non-comedogenic hydration with anti-oxidants and peptides for pro-aging.
If you are a true dry skin type, meaning no oil or shine is ever present on our face, you may be feeling even drier and more flakey. In this case, I would suggest adding in a serum formulated for dry skin to increase the efficacy of your moisturizer, like Phytomer’s Oligoforce Advanced, which addresses dryness, fine lines, and dark spots…definitely a bonus! In extreme cases, I recommend a face oil which is applied by “pressing” into the face after the application of moisturizer.
I would be remiss if I neglected to address the level of stress that is upon us at this time. With the prevalence of adult onset acne, we should not underestimate the toll that this experience is taking on our wellbeing. If you are experiencing more breakouts and not much has changed in your surrounding environment, sometimes we need look no further than the disruption of our security and freedom. Ways to begin managing that would be to add exercise into your daily routine, taking a look at increasing your water intake, decreasing the amount of alcohol your are consuming, and spending some time in reflective solitude. This is a wonderful time to start that meditation practice that you have been thinking about.
Looking at the bright side, this is a great time to try something new in your routined like the Vitamin A Serum from Face Reality, a product that is exceptionally effective and well priced! We know that the results from using a retinol product are regulating skin cell turnover, evening out skin texture and tone, addressing fine lines and giving an overall more youthful appearance. However, they can be drying and irritating during the initiation process, so I recommend a pea size amount every other day for 3 weeks and then moving to everyday if possible. Best practice is to only use the retinol product on those nights, however, if the dryness is too much, you can follow with moisturizer after twenty minutes. If the irritation persists, back off to twice a week and choose those nights so that you do not forget. Important note, the product will metabolize itself out of your skin in 72 hours so you must apply at least ever three days for it to be effective. This is also a great time to try new masks at home. Choose ones that are soothing, hydrating and brightening because they will give you an immediate boost in radiance and mood!
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