Home care
The Coronavirus has gripped us for months. It is now October and we are in a second partial lockdown. With autumn and winter also approaching, we will spend a lot of time indoors in the coming months. I now very often get the question: “How can I best take care of my skin at home?”
The right home care mainly depends on your skin condition and skin type. Do you have dry or dehydrated skin? Dry skin is caused by a deficiency of the skin's own fats. This dryness is usually not seasonal and is characterized by a lack of sebum production, which makes the skin less supple. Creams with oils or skin's own fats have a positive effect on this skin type. Dehydrated skin has a lack of moisture in the skin's surface. As a result, there is a disturbed skin barrier so that the skin can retain too little moisture. Dehydrated skin is not a skin type, but a skin problem. Dehydrated skin can occur with dry skin, but also often with combination or oily skin. Hydrating products are especially suitable for restoring the moisture balance. Many people do not know what their skin needs. A great way to find out from your home is the smart beauty quiz from Prescription™. Prescription is a completely new approach to skin improvement that we have also worked hard on from DOCTORS AT SOAP in recent years. By answering the questions you will receive a personal prescription which active ingredients your skin currently needs. We don't believe in one-size-fits-all products. Every skin is different and needs a personal treatment. The great thing about these products is that the basic vegan cleanser and vegan cream can be combined with various actives, such as retinol against wrinkles and fine lines, hyaluronic acid for hydration and against skin aging, salicylic acid with azelaic acid against oily skin, glycolic acid for removal of old skin cells and many more active substances that can be combined.
Of course we all want to prevent skin aging, this aging is caused by a decrease in elastin and collagen. The natural process starts around the age of 25. We can lend a helping hand to the processes in the skin by boosting its production. Collagen is responsible for the firmness of the skin. Collagen can be stimulated by injecting skin boosters with hyaluronic acid, such as Profhilo or by means of heat from a laser treatment, but for these treatments you have to go to a clinic. You can, however, use a derma roller at home and combine this with the application of hyaluronic acid.
Furthermore, Vitamin A acid (Tretinoin) deserves some extra attention, this is actually the only ingredient that has been conclusively proven to have a skin rejuvenating effect. However, this product is only available on prescription, so please ask your cosmetic doctor about this. A disadvantage of this form of vitamin A acid is that it can irritate the skin considerably, resulting in flaking and redness. However, there are all kinds of variants on the market under the name retinol that are available without a prescription. These variants are often less effective because the skin still has to convert these shapes before they can do their job. The skin converts retinol into retinoic acid, these retinoids bind to receptors in the cell nuclei, they send signals to the environment that stimulate cell division and cell growth. Creams with retinol are effective against aging of the skin, repairing sun damage, reducing collagen breakdown and stimulating collagen and elastin fibers which will strengthen the skin.
Let me end with an open door that applies very much to both the virus and the skin, ‘prevention is better than cure’. Since 90% of skin aging is caused by the sun, protecting against the sun is the most important measure you can take. Never go under the tanning bed again, as the UVA radiation from the tanning bed ages your skin even faster. In addition, apply sunscreen daily with at least factor 15 with normal sun exposure (also in autumn and winter) and at least SPF 30 in summer and with higher sun exposure. If you still want that healthy tan, choose self-tanning products such as Tan-Luxe.
A long story short, be well informed about good home care as it depends on your skin type and skin condition and always think about good sun protection!