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Skincare Basics

© Marlin Bressi

This week will be devoted to skincare, since it's that time of year when most of us will take up our suntan lotion and head to the beach or the nearest swimming pool. Of course, we all know sunscreen is a necessity (unless you want your skin to look like beef jerky twenty years from now), but there are a few other fundamentals a person can practice to preserve the health and beauty of he skin.

Let's start by giving attention to a part of the body that is often neglected in the summer months: the lips. They are skin too, and are more sensitive than skin on the other parts of the body. Most of us use lip balm or Chapstick in the winter months, but fail to give the lips much thought for the rest of the year. It is possible to have dry, chapped lips any time of the year. If you want to keep you lips "kissable" throughout the year, I recommend Pevonia's Youthful Lip Treatment line. Pevonia manufactures some of the finest skincare products available, using ingredients such as micronized vitamin E, shea butter, azelaic acid and au retinol, which will nourish and hydrate the skin.

Give some attention to under the eyes as well. There are many expensive as well as inexpensive products available, but you can get rid of puffiness and dark circles using ingredients found in your own refrigerator. Using a blender, mix a little plain yogurt with a few strawberries, pineapple chunks, and the white of an egg. You can use this mixture as a mask, or just use it for under the eyes. The alpha-hydroxy fruit acids will help moisturize the skin, the enzymes from the yogurt and pineapple will clean pores and reduce puffiness around the eyes, and egg white has been used for thousands of years to help diminish the appearance of wrinkles.

Exfoliation is also important. It is the process of removing dead cells from the surface of the skin, resuling in a softer, more youthful appearance. There is a plethora of products out there for exfoliation, many contain botanical ingredients which may aggravate sensitive skin. Make sure to always test skincare products first in an inconspicuous area of the skin before using them. If redness, or an allergic reaction occurs, stop use of the product immediately.

Oily skin is also a problem for some. Oil is created by the sebaceous glands in the skin. It is necessary to have some oil on the skin, because oil protects the skin from moisture-loss. If skin is too oily, it can result in clogged pores or blackheads. The best thing you can do is avoid over-washing. Removing all the oil from the skin will only stimulate the sebaceous glands into producing even more oil, and will only worsen the condition.

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