Understanding Skin Care The Basics Skin plays many important roles including: protecting internal organs from bacteria, viruses, and other environmental threats making sure your body has enough fluid helping regulate body temperature In order to remain healthy and attractive, skin needs regular care and attention. Proper care can prevent problems such as dry or rough skin, blemishes, premature wrinkles, liver spots (another name for brown spots on the skin), and skin cancer.

Cleaning Your Face

Skin is extremely thin and needs to be treated gently. Whether you have oily, dry, or combination skin, the following tips can help keep the delicate skin on your face clean: Always remove make up: It is important to remove all make-up at the end of the day. To avoid damaging the delicate tissue around your eyes, use a soft sponge, a cotton cloth, or cotton balls. Petroleum jelly is helpful for removing heavy waterproof make-up. Wash with lukewarm water: Hot water can dry out skin.

Avoid strong soaps: Soaps that strip the oil from skin can leave your skin dry. Using a mild cleanser prevents this problem.

Treat sensitive skin gently: If you have sensitive skin, products containing perfume and dyes can irritate your skin or even cause an allergic reaction, so look for products that don’t contain these ingredients. Washcloths can be abrasive, so wash your face gently with your fingers or with cleansing sponges or pads designed for face cleansing.

Rinse thoroughly and pat dry: Remove all traces of cleanser from your skin, and gently pat your face dry with a soft cotton towel.

As a general rule, wash your face once in the morning, once in the evening, and directly after workouts. If you have dry skin, washing once a day may be enough to remove sweat and oil from your skin. If your skin is oily or prone to break out, you may need to wash more than twice a day.

Toning & Moisturizing

After cleansing your face, use a toner to remove any oil, dirt, make-up, and excess cleanser. Toners restore the skin’s natural pH balance and stimulate blood circulation, while tightening pores and minimizing oil breakdown. Choose the proper toner for your skin type to avoid excessive drying. Apply the toner to a cotton pad and smooth upwards and outwards over your face and throat. Repeat the process until the cotton pad shows no trace of dirt or make-up.

The next step in your facial skin care routine is moisturizing. Moisturizers protect against dehydration by providing a protective film that seals in moisture. A wide variety of products is available, ranging from light moisturizing lotions to heavy night creams. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you determine what type of skin you have, which will help you choose the best type of moisturizer for your skin.

Bathing

Regular bathing is an important part of good hygiene, but too much bathing can remove natural oils from your skin and leave it dry. Follow these tips to keep your skin glowing with health:

Bathe once a day: A daily shower or bath is adequate, unless you perspire heavily, live in a very warm climate, participate in sports, or have oily skin. If you have dry skin, you may choose to bathe every other day.

Minimize tub time: Hot water and long showers or baths remove oil from your skin. Limit your bathing time to about 10 to 15 minutes and use warm water rather than hot.

Choose soap carefully: Mild, superfatted soaps— soaps with oils and fats added to them—are often the best choice. Try adding bath oils to your bath water for extra moisturizing.

Pat dry and moisturize: After bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel and moisturize immediately.

Moisturizing your body after bathing helps keep your skin from drying out. If your skin is very oily, a moisturizer may not be right for you. Instead, you may want to consider a skin treatment that reduces oil production. Your doctor or pharmacist can advise you on the type of skin treatments that are right for your skin.

Summer Skin Care

Many people associate a tan with good health, but the darkened skin colour that comes from being in the sun is actually a sign of skin damage. It is a visual sign of the changes that lead to faster aging and increased risk of developing skin cancer.

Sunlight contains two main types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation: UVA and UVB. UVA rays penetrate deeply into the skin and are associated with skin cancer and early aging of the skin. UVB rays are best known for their role in causing sunburns, but they also contribute to skin cancer, early aging of the skin, and damage to the eyes that can result in cataracts.

It is important to remember that ultraviolet rays from tanning booths and sun lamps are just as dangerous as the radiation from the sun.

When shopping for a sunscreen, choose one that protects you from both UVA and UVB rays. Many sunscreens protect against UVB rays only. To guard your family’s skin from UVA rays, look for products that include zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or avobenzone.

You can also reduce sun damage by following these recommendations:

• Avoid the sun when the rays are strongest, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Wear wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants.
• Use generous amounts of sunscreen, and reapply it frequently.
• Use sunscreens that have an SPF rating of 15 or higher.

80% of a person’s lifetime sun exposure is acquired before age 18, so parents should encourage sun protection awareness in their children.

Sunscreens

The sun protection factor, or SPF, in sunscreens is a measure of how long you can stay exposed to the sun without burning. An SPF 15 means the sunscreen gives you 15 times as much protection as your natural skin colouring. If you normally turn red after 10 minutes in the sun, a sunscreen with an SPF 15 will help prevent sunburn for 15 times as long (150 minutes, or 2 1/2 hours).

For sunscreen to be effective, it must be used properly, so follow the directions on the package carefully.

The following tips can help you keep your skin well-protected:

• Reapply sunscreen every two hours and immediately after swimming or heavy sweating. Sunscreen usually wipes off when you towel off.
• Waterproof sunscreens usually last for up to 80 minutes and need to be reapplied regularly if you are in the water for long periods of time. Sunscreens labelled as “water resistant” should be reapplied after 40 minutes in the water.
• Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your ears, the back of your neck, and exposed areas of your scalp. Sunscreen sprays and sticks can be helpful in protecting these hard-to-reach spots.
• Ingredients in sunscreen products lose potency over time. If you notice that the product has changed colour, dried up, or changed consistency, it’s better to replace it.
• If you experience skin irritation from using a chemical sunscreen, try a physical sun block that contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These products work by reflecting the sun’s damaging rays instead of absorbing them.

Winter Skin Care

Our long Canadian winters can really dry skin out. The combination of cold air outside and dry heat indoors causes the humidity to drop; using a humidifier to moisten the air in your home can help.

Winter sunlight has the same risk of UV exposure as the summer sun. When sunlight reflects off snow, the ultraviolet radiation can be intense, even when the air temperature is below freezing. Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher to your exposed skin all year round.

Helping Yourself

If your overall health is good, it will be reflected in healthy skin. The following lifestyle tips can help keep your whole body, as well as your skin, in the best of shape:

• Eat a well-balanced diet: Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Your body needs the right amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals to stay healthy. Be sure to drink plenty of water to help keep your skin hydrated.
• Exercise regularly: Physical activity can improve blood circulation, which may improve skin tone.
• Get proper rest: If you’re not getting enough sleep, or if the quality of your sleep is poor, your face will show it. Your skin may look puffy, dull, or pale.
• Butt out: Smoking will cause your skin to age prematurely, and it puts you at risk of heart disease and cancer.

Paying proper attention to your skin should be an important part of your daily routine. If you have any questions about skin care, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.

The material in this pamphlet has been supplied by a professional medical writer. It is intended for information purposes only and should not be used in place of consultation with a health care professional. Axis Pharmacy is not responsible for errors, omissions, or inconsistencies with respect to the information contained in this pamphlet and does not accept any liability whatsoever for reliance by the reader on the information contained herein.

The material in this pamphlet has been supplied by a professional medical writer. It is intended for information purposes only and should not be used in place of consultation with a health care professional. Axis Pharmacy is not responsible for errors, omissions, or inconsistencies with respect to the information contained in this pamphlet and does not accept any liability whatsoever for reliance by the reader on the information contained herein.