Basic Skin care

What is a good age to begin a skin care routine? The answer is anytime. From babies to the elderly, skin care can benefit those in every stage of life. Your face is the first thing people notice when they meet you, which gives them the first impression of who you are. A youthful face presents a youthful image. Engaging in regular skin care routine not only improves your appearance, it can boost your self esteem too.

The good news about skin care is it can be simple. It does not have to be a 10-step process and you dont' have to spend a lot of money on it. The fact is, basic skin care involves 3 simple steps: Cleansing, moisturizing and sunscreen.

Step 1: Cleansing

Cleansing is an important part of good skin care. The purpose of cleansing is to to surround, loosen and make it easy to remove dirt, debris, germs, excess oil and left over products applied to the skin.

Step 2: Moisturizing

Moisturizing is an essential step in a good skin care. It replenishes the skin's natural ingredients that helps maintain its structure, cut down on damage from free-radicals, and helps cells functions normally. A good moisturizer can stop a dry skin from spiralling into cracked, thick and flaky skin.

Not all skin is the same and not all moisturizer are the same. Choose a moisturizer that best suit your skin type.

Step 3: Sunscreen

The final step in basic skin care is using sunscreen which most people forgets. Protecting your skin from the sun is important because the sun emits UV radiation. Over time, UV radiation exposure causes many changes in the skin, including wrinkles, discolouration, freckles or age spots, and skin cancer. The damage done happens beneath the skin surface and it happens slowly that we do not realize how much damage is being done.

UV radiation consists of 2 main subtypes UVA and UVB. UVB rays are responsible for sunburns and tanning. UVA rays are believed to be responsible for photoaging- the damage that occurs to the skin from many years of exposure to the sun and possibly promoting cancer.

Sun protection recommendations include:-

- Avoid midday sun between 10am and 3pm.

- Wearing wide-brimmed hats, long sleeve shirts and pants.

- Using a generous amount of sunscreen and reapplying it frequently. (every 2-3 hours)

- Using sunscreens that have a sun protection factor (SPF) greater than 15 and have UVA and UVB coverage.