How to get clean and clear skin

Perfect skin and a radiant complexion requires daily care. Read on for tips on how you can get glowing skin.

Unless you have truly exceptional genes, you’re likely to have experienced acne, oily or dry skin, uneven tone or hypersensitivity. Here are some tips to get better, glowing, seemingly perfect skin.

It’s recommended you spend a few minutes each morning treating your skin and then at least 10 minutes again at night. The basic morning ritual is rinse, moisturize and use adequate sun protection.

Nightly skincare routines include cleansing, moisturizing and purifying the skin with a gentle exfoliating scrub (usually once a week). Replenish your skin with a nourishing face mask at least once a month.

• Don’t forget your neck and chest; especially since this fragile skin is often overlooked and doesn’t get the same attention.

Any product, no matter how promising and expensive, is useless if it doesn’t suit your skin.

• Before you invest money, you must determine your skin type. If you’re not sure if your face is dry, oily or sensitive, a beautician or your pharmacy’s cosmetician will help you figure it out.

Depending on the condition of your skin, different products will be recommended.

• Rather than mixing and matching different formulas, allow your skin to adapt by sticking to specific products.

No matter what products you use, don’t expect overnight results. It may take up to three or four weeks before you start to notice an improvement.

• If you’re prone to acne, you may even experience a breakout when starting a new regime.
• This is completely normal, as the skin needs time to adapt and get used to the treatment.

Cleanser: According to your skin type, you may need a foam, gel or milk-based cleanser.

• All of them remove impurities, but are formulated differently, i.e., generally gel cleansers are recommended for oily skin while moisturizing cream cleansers are effective for dry skin.

Toner: Complete your cleansing routine by removing any remaining residue with a toner.

• This not only shrinks the appearance of pores but also prepares your skin to be moisturized.

Moisturizer: Without it proper hydration, your overall skin and complexion will look dull and tired.

• Therefore, it’s essential to choose the right moisturizer for both your daytime and night-time needs.

Exfoliate: This renews your skin by removing old skin cells allowing new, healthy ones to emerge, allowing your skin to breathe.

Sunscreen: If there’s only one thing you use to improve your skin condition, it has to be sunscreen. Otherwise all your efforts will be in vain.

• The sun’s penetrating UVA and UVB rays cause acute skin damage resulting in premature aging, dryness, hyper-pigmentation (brown spots) and cancer. Daily sun protection is recommended even when it’s cloudy.
• Be sure to aim for multi-tasking moisturizers and foundations which provide broad spectrum sunscreen.

Last but not least, nothing beats a nutritious diet and exercise. It is crucial to drink at least one litre of water each day.

• Adequate water consumption is necessary for a healthy complexion and hydrates the skin from the inside out.