SKINCARE
Alpha hydroxy acids
Ampoules & serums
Anatomy of the skin
Botox
Chemical peels
Cleansing basics
Cosmetic Surgery
Masks
Moisturisers
Non-surgical facelift
Skin analysis
Skin disorders
Treatment creams
Wrinkle fillers

BODYCARE
Aromatherapy
Massage
Reflexology

OPTIMAL HEALTH
Amino acids
Anti-oxidants
Homeocysteine
High protein diets
Know your fats
Nutrition
Tissue salts
Vitamins & minerals
RDA vs ODI

GENERAL
About me
Articles of interest
Effects of the sun
Fact or fallacy
FAQ's
Newsletter
Products & Prices
To take or not to take
In my humble opinion

SKINCARE IS A NECESSITY . . . NOT A LUXURY

Skin Analysis l Cleansing Basics l Moisturising l Treatment Creams l Serums & Ampoules l Masks

SKIN ANALYSIS
Skin analysis is essential when choosing the correct skincare routine and skincare products. Below is a brief description of the different skin types and the characteristics of each skin type.

Young Skin
Smooth, delicate skin with fine-pored condition. Fresh, rosy complexion and very rarely a few minor skin impurities or light oily sheen.
- Your skin is young and trouble free. The right care sees to it that it stays that way.

Combination Skin / Oily Skin
Rather large-pored skin condition, with oily sheen on the T-Zone where skin impurities also occur now and then. Additionally, the skin sometimes appears to have poor circulation and appears sallow. Due to the oil and water imbalance in the skin, roughness can occur around the nose and over the cheeks as well as on the chin area.
- You have combination skin, tending towards oily skin. Balancing and clarifying is the focus of your skin care program. The care products should be as "light" as possible, e.g. contain relatively little or no oil.

Impure Skin
Large-pored skin condition, excessive sebum production and pronounced oily sheen especially on the forehead, nose and chin, where blackheads and pimples constantly form.
- You have impure skin, or typical symptoms of young or adult problem skin. You need care that gently cleanses your skin and regulates its sebum/oil production. At the same time, disinfecting and anti-bacterial ingredients should clear up pimples and blackheads.

Normal Skin
Fine-pored condition; smooth, matt-shiny skin, no problems with pimples or reddening. A good balance between sebum/oil and moisture.
- You have ideal skin: normal and trouble-free. With the right care, you can make sure that it stays that way. Emphasis should be placed on moisturising, because even in normal skin the ability to store moisture steadily declines.

Stressed Skin
Reddening and irritation caused by environmental factors and lifestyle, tendency towards puffy eye contours and initial fine lines.
- Your skin is above all stressed, and has a greater care requirement. The right care reactivates the skin's defensive mechanisms and regulating processes, assuring that the skin is relaxed.

Dry / Moisture-deficient Skin
Transparent, matt and sallow skin condition; rough skin feeling, tautness sensation and fine expression lines; flakes and reddening. Fine premature aging lines can be seen particularly around the eyes. Fine lines between the nose and the corner of the mouth are another typical sign of dehydration.
- Your skin is dry and lacks moisture. Improved moisture retention and strengthening of the skin's own regeneration processes are the objectives of your care.

Sensitive Skin
Dry, flaky spots; reddening and irritations and/or allergic reactions. Sensitive skin can tend to be dehydrated with the feeling of tightness over the cheeks.
- Your skin is especially sensitive. Strengthening its defensive powers and reducing the damaging effect of environmental influences is the focus of care for sensitive and allergy-endangered skin. Your care products should not further aggravate the skin.

Demanding Skin
Skin shows pronounced lines and wrinkles, as well as initial light/sun damage. It suffers from a loss of elasticity with a dull or leathery surface and is prone to pigmentation (usually from sun damage).. The oil and water content in the skin is usually out of balance.
- You have demanding or mature skin with a special need of care. The care program should included activation of the skin's own regeneration functions, wrinkle reduction and elasticity increase.

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CLEANSING BASICS
The look of well-groomed skin starts with cleansing. Only thoroughly cleansed and toned/clarified skin is able to properly absorb the ingredients of a skin care product.

Cleansing
Cleansing twice a day, morning and evening, is recommended to remove traces of dirt, toxins, free-radicals and make-up. If you are using a cleansing fluid or cream, I suggest applying it to the face with your hands and removing it with water and facial sponges. The sponges just give you a cleaner feel as well as removing any excess cleanser left on the skin.

Cleansing Gels: Better suited for Normal, Combination, Oily or Impure skin types. Gels, however gentle they are, tend to dehydrate the skin and are not always suitable for dry, mature or sensitive skin types.

Cleansing Fluids: Best suited for Sensitive or Young skin types but can be used by all skin types except oily/acne skin.

Cleansing Creams: Best suited for Normal, Dry, Mature skin types as most cleansing creams contain a percentage of oil. These oils are great for all skin types needing a bit of moisture, including Sensitive skin. But due to the oil content they're better left alone by the Oily, Combination and Impure skin types.

*Soap, products for acne and off the counter, supermarket products can sometimes be exceptionally harsh on the skin and can lead to severe dehydration which can cause an imbalance of the skin. This imbalance can cause acne to worsen and dry skin types may end up with sensitivity and irritation. Avoid these products like the plague - speak to a qualified beautician who can recommend the correct products for you instead and it doesn't always have to cost a fortune.

Balancing/Toning
It is essential to balance the pH of the skin once you've cleansed it. Products like Toners, Fresheners, Tonics, Lotions, Astringents and Clarifiers will help to stabilize the skin's protective acid mantle and restore the correct pH of the skin. Be aware of the alcohol level in some toners, usually called clarifiers. Toners containing alcohol should only be used on oily or acne skin types and in my opinion they should be avoided by ALL skin types as they can strip the skin of essential oils and cause sensitivity and dehydration as well as a further imbalance in problem skins. I personally feel that problem skin should use Treatment Creams to regulate sebum/oil in the skin rather than an alcohol based toner.

Exfoliating/scrub
Exfoliators and scrubs are used to remove dead unwanted cells from the surface of the skin. It not only removes the dead skin cells, giving a nice glow to the face, it also helps your moisturiser to work better, as you are not applying it on top of dead skin cells.
While gentle exfoliating is good, some scrubs can actually cause more harm than good. Scrubs that contain non-circular granules can actually cause tiny scratches in the surface of the skin, which can trap bacteria that causes breakouts and irritations. Use a scrub containing smooth, circular micro-beads, and only if your skin has no adverse reaction.

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MOISTURISING
Because your skin is as unique as yourself, it has unique expectation of protection and care. Once you know exactly what it needs, it's easier to determine the correct treatment for it. This is where skin analysis comes in. Determine you skin type from the info below and then determine you skin care routine.

TREATMENT CREAMS
Treatment creams are produced to treat specific problems or skin conditions. A treatment cream for a mature skin would be a cream with added anti-aging ingredients or stronger repair properties. It goes further than simply moisturising or maintaining the skin - it actually TREATS the skin or TREATS a specific condition. So a good example would be a Vitamin C enriched cream to treat pigmentation or a cream with intensive repairing properties to treat sun damaged skin.
Treatment creams are usually used at night in conjunction with your usual skin care routine. Either used under or over your usual moisturiser. Mostly serums and ampoules are used under your usual moisturiser and Treatment creams are used over your usual moisturiser.

SERUMS & AMPOULES
Highly concentrated and refined ingredients go into these products and they are usually more expensive because of this. Serums and ampoules should never replace your moisturiser but can be alternated with your treatment cream. Because of the high quality and purity of these products, they usually penetrate the skin quicker than a cream and are used under your moisturiser for this reason. They are used as a skin booster, a once of treatment or when the skin is needing that little bit extra. Personally I feel that with all the stresses the skin has to put up with these days, an ampoule or serum is almost a daily necessity.

MASKS
The best way to pamper the skin!! Masks for an extra portion of care, or a fast fix-up for a fresh and radiant look. Or simply to keep the skin in good condition and well cared for. Once a week a mask for your skin type can give the skin exactly what it needs in just 10 minutes. Make sure you get the right mask as each mask is keyed to a specific skin type and specific skin care needs.
A mask is applied to a cleansed skin, left on for the required time and then rinsed of with water and facial sponges. Tone the skin and apply your serum or ampoule if you have, then apply your moisturiser.

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