Basic Skin Care | Masques and Exfoliants | Advanced Skin Care

The skin is the body's largest organ and is exceedingly complex. It is our barrier against the environment. It is what keeps us in and the world out.

The skin is made up of the epidermis, which we can treat, and the dermis, or true skin underneath. In fact, exciting new products today are penetrating to and otherwise influencing the dermis. And as baby boomers age, the research is intensified. But one factor in skin health is not in question; it is the fact of photoaging.

It is only in this century that a healthy tan has been desirable. This sun exposure, coupled with environmental pollutants, to say nothing of the thinning ozone layer, has put our skin at risk as never before. On the other hand, it has been less than ten years since facial products actually started to have significant effects. As cosmetic chemistry and application of botanical and biological knowledge have become ever more sophisticated, skin care products, at the professional level at least, can deliver their promises. These promises are not of a cure-all or a magic wand, but the industry can and does offer products which help your skin resist environmental damage and the effects of aging.

If you were to see the skin of an elderly person who had been secluded indoors all his life, you would notice the effects of gravity, that is some sagging and the folds that go with it, but no wrinkles, thickening of the skin, or discoloration. His skin would be baby soft. Most of what we think of as inevitable aging comes from the sun and pollutants. Therefore, the first rule of skin care is: stay out of the sun or wear effective sun protection. We can also take reasonable care of our skin by keeping it clean and hydrated.

Skin types are generally "oily" "combination" or "oil-dry." The designation of "normal" is generally reserved for the very young. Oily skin tends to be thick and resilient, while dry skin can be thin and sensitive. A temporary condition of the skin is its relative hydration. This is dependent in great part on the oil content, as the oil forms an anti-evaporation barrier so that the moisture (from those 8 glasses a day that you drink) stays in the skin rather than evaporating off. This is why dry skins need moisturizers: to seal in the water which you need to keep your skin healthy and to keep from getting unnecessary wrinkles and fine lines.

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The cleanser is different from a bar of soap in that the soap by definition is alkaline, and your skin is naturally slightly acidic. The soap cleans your skin, but it also strips it of its protective acid mantle - which guards against bacteria - and the natural oils which hold in moisture. Your skin comes out potentially dry, dehydrated, and at risk to infection. Acne is an example of a common skin infection.

A professional cleanser, on the other hand, is at or close to the skin's own pH, which is slightly acidic. It cleans the skin without stripping and may also soften and moisturize as well. Alkaline products also soften, but this is temporary, and the long-term result is dryness.

Most cleansers can be used around and on the eyes, but if you experience dryness around the eyes, you can use a makeup remover. These products are gentle and cleanse the eye area without drying.

To use any cleanser from Lavandou Skin Care, wash gently with a small amount of cleanser and rinse in lukewarm water. Repeat, at night at least. The first cleansing is to get off makeup and general pollution, and the second is to actually clean the pores.

The toner (usually an alcohol-free botanical mixture) rehydrates and rebalances the pH, so that any following product will penetrate as it should. Some toners are meant to be removed with cotton pads, thus taking with them any left-over cleanser or debris. Others are meant to be patted into your face as a treatment in themselves.

Toners (or lotions, as they are called in French) all finish the cleansing, hydrate, and soothe.

Protection is achieved with moisturizers and sunscreens

Moisturizers, also known as day creams or protection creams, seal and protect the skin. They may hydrate (you can't hydrate too much) and they may also treat a specific problem such as oily or dry skin, or acne. Moisturizers "moisturize" by laying down a film which keeps the hydrated skin from evaporating off water. Some have a modicum of sun protection, but the manufacturers can't put in an awful lot, as many people are sensitive to sunscreens, and they don't want to sensitize people to their moisturizers. As your skin is a mirror of your self, the more water you drink, the less your skin is at risk to dehydration, but a moisturizer will protect against skin dehydration through over-evaporation.

Sunscreens are chemical, physical, or a combination. Some also have an antioxidant, which you want for your skin for the same reasons that you take one internally. Some include a moisturizer.

Strictly speaking, a sunscreen is a chemical which absorbs the sun's rays. A sunblock is a physical barrier between the skin and the sun. Sunblocks don't normally attain an SPF15 without some help from a sunscreen. I believe the FDA is about to say you have to call them all sunscreens because the term "block" gives a false sense of security

An SPF15 means, technically, that you can stay out in the sun 15 times longer before you burn than you can without protection. If you have fair skin you would normally think of applying a 15 at least twice a day, or every couple of hours out in the sun. A higher SPF means you can go longer without reapplying. Or at least that's one opinion. Other "authorities" claim that there's not much difference between SPF's once you reach SPF 15. SPF only measures UVB.

There are two ranges of UV light we need to pay attention to: UVB rays burn, and UVA rays age the skin with brown spots and wrinkles. Here's a graph (from SkinCeuticals) which gives the UVA/UVB coverage of most sunscreen ingredients:

In the graph, the range from 290-320nm is UVB (the sunburn rays, with coverage rated in "SPF."). There is plenty of coverage in that range. From 320-400nm is UVA, the aging rays that are present even on cloudy winter days and which go through light clothing and "UV protective" glass. Nothing we have covers the longest rays from 390 to 400nm. One more ingredient, Parsol 1789, covers that gap where oxybenzone leaves off and 390nm (as far as zinc oxide). In order to get as complete coverage as we can, we need either zinc oxide or several others which, together, cover the same spectrum.

MD Formulations has an SPF15 (also 30) which is a micronized zinc oxide sunblock with sunscreen. Contains an antioxidant and has a matte finish. Most people sensitive to sunscreens can wear it.

All Sothys daycreams have spf 8.

Yon-Ka has lovely aromatic sunscreens using titanium dioxide, with or without moisturizer.

Jan Marini's Bioglycolic Facial Lotion SPF15 is a daily glycolic containing a (nonsensitizing) sunblock of titanium dioxide.
The top of the line for an all-in-one product, though, is Jan Marini's Daily Face Protectant, which is moisturizer, anti-oxidant, sunscreen SPF 30: lightweight, elegant, and with a matte finish. Its ingredients claim to "act as a sunblock" in covering UVA. It's also available with Parsol, in which case it is in fact a "complete" block. The parsol is not in the base formulation because people can be sensitive to it. The same can be said for several sunscreen ingredients.

SkinCeuticals excels in its sunscreen, with a finer zinc oxide than in any other sunscreen and effective coverage of the widest possible portion of the UVA-UVB spectrum. Available in SPF 20, 30, and waterproof 45.

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Masques

Masques (masks) can be done at home. They are intensive treatments which you apply for a certain amount of time and then remove. You can fit one in in the evening or in the morning before your shower. They can be for most any skin condition, such as dehydration, dryness, redness, drawing out oils and toxins. Masques can be customized with a serum or concentrate.

Exfoliants

You can use an exfoliant to remove the outer layers of dead skin cells, revealing the softer, younger (by a few days) layers underneath and stimulating the germinating layer to germinate faster and speed up the turnover time of your skin cycle. Most people can do with at least some exfoliation. It gets rid of the cell buildup that makes your face seem dry or flaky. Especially consider exfoliation if you know you have oily skin but it is dry (dehydrated) on the surface. The dead-cell buildup needs to go so you can find your fresh skin underneath. A professional facial would make a good start with exfoliation, or you could simply use a home product.

Exfoliants that you use daily (or nightly) at home are usually alpha hydroxy acids, alone, or in combination. These are fruit acids, and they will gently dissolve the chemical bonds holding the outermost dead cells together. This is a gentle resurfacing which will help to minimize the small wrinkles, fine lines and roughness of sun-damaged skin. Exfoliation can also be done with enzymes which digest the dead skin cells, but only Jan Marini has come up with enzyme exfoliation you can use at home.

Glycolic acid is the most popular for home use and serious salon peels, as it has the smallest molecular structure and is therefore the most effective at getting in there and loosening the cells. Hydroxy acids and enzymes also keep the pores clean by preventing retention hyperkeratosis or the buildup of dead cells at the mouth of the pores, blocking them and creating an environment friendly to acne-causing bacteria. For acne treatments, however, the therapeutic powers of salicylic acid are also appreciated.

Wash the palms of your hands after applying glycolic, and deal with your contacts first!

Serious skin resurfacing and most of what comes hereafter tends to fall to the pharmaceutical (or cosmaceutical) companies rather than to the traditional European "natural" lines. But both Yon-Ka and Sothys have hydroxy products for a gentle approach in line with their philosophy.

Jan Marini's Bioglycolic facial lotion (with or without SPF) is the most refined and pleasing of the home-use glycolics. MD Formulations also built its reputation on its high-quality glycolic acid products.

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Topical Vitamin C

There are several brands which claim effectiveness in getting the vitamin C delivered to the dermis, where it needs to be present for and perhaps even stimulates the creation of collagen, which in turn plumps out the heavy wrinkles. Vitamin C also seems to smoothe the skin texture and even out hyperpigmentation, when used consistently.

The premier brands run $75-$115 and ounce. One ounce will last some 3 months, applied once a day on clean, dry skin. For dry or sensitive skins, there is a cream form which has the same concentration of active ingredient but in a more moisturizing base. For around the eyes, there are less concentrated formulas.

Topical C can be drying for some people, so be sure to moisturize over it.

SkinCeuticals and Cellex-C are the originals (formerly the same company) in delivering the proper percentage of l-ascorbic acid to the skin in the proper pH.

C-Esta, from Jan Marini, and using her patented DAE ComplexTM, also has a devoted following.

After 8 months of using Cellex-C on only one side of the face (left, in the picture). Note appearance of firmness of tissue, tightness of skin, evenness of pigmentation, reduction of heavy nasolabial fold:

The same subject under UV light. Note visible lessening of obvious sun damage.

Topical Vitamin A

Physicians have been prescribing Retin-A for some time, and Jan Marini's Factor A+ and MD Formulations' Vit-A-Plus are the esthetician's version of that formula, "plus" glycolic acid to enhance the delivery and effects. These products do not have the irritation and peeling associated with Retin-A but do have positive benefits in prevention and diminution of sun damage. This means help for dryness/dehydration, uneven pigmentation, small wrinkles and fine lines, and leathery texture. Sothys has a very effective retinol cream, available in two strengths.

Growth Factor

This is a combination of natural proteins and polypeptides which are meant to replace those lost to the aging process. These factors were isolated after it was noted that babies operated on in utero before a certain point in gestation were born without scars. Growth Factor creams are said to stimulate the cells' own renewal mechanism, promoting a smoother, better toned, more hydrated skin, with less tendency to wrinkles and fine lines. Jan Marini has Growth Factor products.

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