Skin care is a struggle for me. It is tricky since my skin is sensitive and also acne prone.
I have tried various home remedies. Steaming my face to open up pores. Leaving on an egg white mask a couple of times a week.
As I hit my mid twenties anti ageing also became a concern. The good old saying "prevention is better than cure" is very applicable here. As I went down the rabbit hole of anti ageing and immersed myself in online research (as you do), the science of skin care became evident.
While an avocado and flax seed oil mask has its benefits, it is not going to be nearly as effective as retinoid, particularly when it comes to anti ageing. Retinoid reduces fine lines and wrinkles by increasing production of collagen and cell turn over. Avocado, flax seeds and other home remedies are not going to be nearly as effective. In addition to reducing fine lines and wrinkles retinoid targets a number of other skin issues (e.g. treating scars, gentle exfoliant, brightening skin and more). Retinoid seems to be the gold standard for improving skin. More on this later.
The age old problem of acne has been an issue for me for as long as I can remember! The number of solutions out there, both natural and clinical can be overwhelming. Super market shelves are full of cleansers and creams that strip natural oils from your face and worsen the problem. Natural remedies such as lemon and egg white masks are better for the skin but not very effective. Azelaic acid a naturally occurring acid is a great treatment for acne. It helps the skin renew itself more quickly and therefore reduces pimple and blackhead formation. It also helps to kill the bacteria that cause acne and rosacea. While this helps keep acne at bay, it is certainly not a cure. The best solution for acne is to make appointment with a dermatologist. This can be costly in the short term. You will save your self a lot of money and effort in the long term. This was a lesson I learned the hard way. Choose a dermatologist over beautician if you cannot do both.
Charcol strips / nose strips wick away pore clogging dirt, grime and debris when ripped off making them highly gratifying to use. Dermatologists believe that this maybe damaging to the skin. Salicylic acid on the other hand is a less exciting but more effective method to keeping pores clear.
Knowing the ingredients, their benefits and matching these to your skins requirements is essential. Each individuals skin is unique. One of the many categorisation of skin is oily / dry / combination. If you are still unsure, cleanse your face and leave it untouched for an hour. Oily or dry skin will reveal itself and can easily be distinguished. Combination skin will become oily just around the T zone within that hour.
The science of skin care is not necessarily expensive. Knowing the ingredients and their benefit (e.g. retinoid, salicylic acid etc) means that you can choose affordable products that contain these active ingredients. To see benefits of the ingredient you have to use it in adequate quantity. For example a number of products out there contain retinol. To be effective the product should contain at least 0.5% of retinol.
Using these active ingredients in adequate quantity is far more effective than spending a fortune on luxury skin care brands assuming that the price tag will equal the benefits. For example creams containing 1% retinol can be purchased for as little as $25 a tube. Benefits of retinol are many.
The final take away here is applying science to skin care is the most effective approach and it is not necessarily costly. Personally my skin responds so much better to retinoid and abovementioned acids than to natural remedies and luxury branded serums.
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