Layers of Skin Care

I just spent   four days at three different   beauty conferences.   There were probably over 100 vendors with  lines of at least twenty products each.  So  many products, only one small face.   At many of the counters,   I was urged to use  4-5 products at a time, each one promising   different benefits.  

But the skin is not like a layer cake with each new layer adding  more and better flavors.   The reason  that  the body is covered with skin is to protect the internal structures  like the  heart, muscles and  brain.  It is designed  to keep stuff out, including  dirt, bacteria, mold, insects and toxic chemicals.  Indeed  when the integrity of the skin is broken from a cut or burn, we all know its important to clean the wound  and cover it to prevent infection.  Its very difficult for most ingredients  to pass thru the upper layers of the skin and  arrive at the growing, lower  levels.  Applying  any product, be it  a  lotion, serum or moisturizer, makes it  much much more difficult for the next product  to  pass through the skin layers to get to the area where is can actuallydeliver results.   

So What’s Girl Have  To Do to Look Good?   

Different ingredients offer different benefits. For example  antioxidants  protect  skin  structures from UV damage while hyaluronic acid  is an uber moisturizer that draws and hold  water in the skin.  To get  as  many benefits as possible you have two options:

1. Combination  products

Rather than using a serum with antioxidants, a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid and a sunscreen with zinc oxide,  look for a product that contains all three.  Mixing the molecules  together in one  product  gives all ingredients equal access to your skin.  Even better, it’s  a great  way of stretching your  beauty budget.

2.   Alternate Skin Care

I’m often asked how  to use Retin A, a moisturizer, a sunblock, and an antioxidant serum.    Short answer, not all at the same time.   For example, at night you can use Retin A and a moisturizer on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturday and Sunday.  On Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights  use the antioxidant serum topped by the moisturizer, and skip the Retin A.  This alterrnative application will allow  even sensitive skin to use a  full strength Retin A .  In the morning use a moisturizer with sunscreen under  your make-up.   To make things even easier  you can use  a BB or CC  cream which offers a  combination of hydration,   antiaging ingredients, sun protection  AND foundation.  You can get  the benefits of four products at the price of a  single  item.  Cool.