Veggie Blog

Serious skin care

Adapting your routine to your skin

Serious skin care is about keeping your skin healthy and glowing throughout your life. As you get older, your body’s natural skin care mechanisms become weaker, so serious skin care means responding to the changing needs of your skin. It is about constantly evaluating and, where needed, changing your skin care routines. Your routine should change with the environment, your age and changes in your skin type.

Staying informed

Serious skin care is also about awareness. Thanks to technology and research, new knowledge is brought to light every day, and the composition of skin care products keeps changing with time. Trying out new products is therefore part of serious skin care. Test a new product on a small patch of skin first (not on the face) to see how your skin reacts to it.

Using products well

Serious skin care also means knowing how to get the most from your products. Good practices include applying moisturizers while the skin is damp, using gentle upward strokes, removing make-up before going to bed, cleansing before you moisturize or put on make-up, and using the correct amount of each product. Making your skin care products more effective is another focus of serious skin care.

Being gentle

Some precautions, such as avoiding contact with harsh detergents, are also part of serious skin care, which means being gentle with your skin. Over-exfoliation, low-quality products and strong chemical-based products are all harmful to your skin. Some people have the wrong idea of serious skin care: they think it means using large quantities of products as often as possible. It does not, and that is why awareness is so important.

Serious skin care is also about visiting your dermatologist for skin disorders. Ignoring skin disorders can be risky for your skin and might lead to permanent damage. If things do not improve with over-the-counter medication, see a dermatologist without delay. Do not treat blemishes yourself: squeezing acne or pimples is a big no, because it can damage your skin permanently.

In the end, serious skin care is more about precaution and protection than about treatment. It means being proactive as well as reactive. In fact, we can say it is about being proactive about the needs of your skin so that the need to react is reduced to a minimum.

Skin care treatment for the most common skin conditions

A glowing, healthy skin is an asset. Skin is not only about looks but also about health, so skin care treatment should be taken seriously. If you develop a skin problem, you need an appropriate treatment. For any skin disorder, treatment starts with prevention (what we can also call proactive or preventive skin care). Building and following a basic skin care routine is what counts as preventive care. Skin disorders can still occur even if you follow it, because prevention only reduces the probability. Let’s look at the treatment of some common skin conditions.

Acne

Acne is one of the most common skin problems. The first aim of treatment is to control acne and stop it from getting worse. Avoid tight clothes, which can cause body acne by trapping sweat. Do not touch the blemishes over and over (better still, do not touch them at all) because you might make the condition worse. Do not scrub too hard or squeeze them. Use of a mild cleanser is a recommended treatment for acne. Over-the-counter acne products can bring faster results. If your acne does not improve after a couple of months, see a doctor.

Dry skin

Treating dry skin is much easier. Moisturizers, used the right way and in the right quantity, are the best form of treatment. For best results, apply the moisturizer while your skin is still damp, and do not use too much or too little. If you notice no improvement after a few weeks, you may have to see a dermatologist for the treatment of your dry skin.

Brown spots

Brown spots, which show up on sun-exposed areas such as the face and hands, are caused by too much exposure to UV radiation. As a first step, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high SPF (dermatologists usually recommend SPF 30 or higher) and apply it whether the weather is sunny or cloudy. Another measure is to cover the exposed areas with clothing such as caps, long-sleeved shirts and an umbrella. Have a spot checked by a doctor if it changes in size, color or shape.

When to see a dermatologist

If a routine or an over-the-counter product is not enough for you, you should see a dermatologist for professional treatment. Tell the doctor about the treatment you have tried so far, and take along the details of the products you have used. Based on your skin condition and your history, the dermatologist may prescribe a treatment such as oral antibiotics, chemical peels or retinoids, and you will be on your way to recovery.