Five secrets to a great looking skin

Five basic secrets for an acne free great looking skin:

Basic Secret #1:

While washing your face always try and use Neutrogena or Sorbitol based soap or face wash, as it cleans yours face thoroughly without causing dryness or give a waxy feeling to your skin. Using all-natural glycerin based soaps are also very effective for cleaning the face. These soaps also balance the pH of the skin, creating a hostile environment for bacteria. This will definitely work wonders for your skin and clear the path for a smooth skin.

Besides washing your face regularly, there are three other steps you can take to help get a clear skin. The first step would be using a facial toner, while the second step would be using a good moisturizer especially for dry to normal skin. It would not be recommended for use for oily or even combination skin. In fact in some cases using facial toner for oily or combination skin is also useless. Whether you follow either of the above steps mentioned is going to depend on your skin type and personal results. However, the third step is a critical one everyone should be following.

It does not matter what skin type you have, you should always follow this basic secret to clearing your skin.

Basic Secret #2:
Most people with oily or combination skins lack consistent exfoliation of skins. Exfoliation is the natural process of flaking away of the outer skin cells, revealing a new layer of skin that exposes and protects skin from the outside elements. As we get older, the exfoliation process tends to slow down.

This can lead to an abnormal buildup of dry skin on the surface that blocks pores and causes break outs, or contributes to the wrinkling of skin. Some people are more genetically inclined in the slowing of their natural exfoliation, and often have serious issues with blocked pores and acne. The key here is to speed up the exfoliation process so that the skin renews itself much quicker.

This can be accomplished by the following methods:

1. Alpha and beta hydroxy acids: These are widely available over-the-counter and are the mildest form of fruit acids used to create a peeling of the skin. They work slowly over time to speed up the exfoliation process. Alpha and beta hydroxy acids are usually pretty inexpensive and give good results in about 6 weeks. They range in strength from 5% up to 20% generally. The stronger ranges (20% and higher) are reserved for more intensive peeling.

2. Dermabrasion: This process is much like a sanding of the skin, a method to remove the outer layers of the dermis – usually up to 4 layers. For severe acne scarring, the dermabrasion is done by a docter. This is of course more expensive, requiring a long recovery period, but it will remove much of the outer layers of skin. There are also middle type dermabrasion processes like aluminum oxide crystals. These are performed in salons and require several treatments and can be quite expensive - though they are effective. However this treatment creates a shine on the skin that is hard to cover up. There is very little downtime with using a process like aluminum oxide crystals although it is costly.

3. Peels: There are several types of peels available and the word "peel" is so over-used. So let us stick to real peels. A real peel will remove several layers of outer skin revealing the healthy new skin underneath. If you have ever had sunburn and then peeled - you will know exactly what is meant by "new skin."


The following 3 type of peels work in a similar fashion:

1. Glycolic Acid Peel - is a very strong version of the alpha hydroxy fruit acid mixture. It works by loosening the dead and ready to shed skin cells. It does not damage or burn any live cells and removes only the outermost layers. It leaves the skin softer and more even toned and usually takes 2-3 treatments over a period of a month to be noticeable.


2. TCA Peel - This is a true acid peel usually performed by a dermatologist or certified salon esthetician.

This treatment does burn the outer layers of skin and carries with it some discomfort and risk of infection. It all but removes the outer layers of skin and there is a healing time of about one and a half to two weeks. It has varying strengths and time frames to be used on the skin and should only be performed by a certified professional. These peels can give good results but are painful and can be costly. You will, however, get almost immediate results...as soon as the old skin peels off you have very even skin tone and reduction of spots and wrinkles.

3. Phenol Peel- These peels act in much the same way as the TCA peels but are very strong and are required to be performed by medical professionals. Use of phenol peels is not recommended, as they have been replaced by the milder glycolic and TCA peels in the dermatological profession.

4. Skin Culture Peel - This is a natural mixture that has been in use since the 1930's. It provides the same results as the stronger phenol and TCA peels, but without burning the skin or risk of infection. These peels indeed produce great results. Its a remarkable product and it does wonders in removing the old scarring left by acne. This is indeed a highly recommended form of treatment for anyone wishing to have clearer skin or wanting to reduce wrinkles and photoaging in a dramatic way. Moreover this is reasonable in cost and very effective.

Diet and great Skin:

Is there a link between diet and acne. Nowadays we hear constantly about diet in relation to the skin. Does diet play any role at all in skin health? You bet it does!

Acne is primarily a 20th Century disease as it was not found in ancient times. The pollution levels, poor eating habits, and overuse of antibiotics have allowed yeast (Candida Albicans) to get out of control. The result is…acne. Earlier it was fairly limited to the western civilization but is now fast becoming more of a problem as other cultures incorporate processed foods into their eating habits. In US alone there are over 17 million chronic acne sufferers...and 1 out of every 3 will have to deal with some form of it in their lifetime.

So absolutely diet affects one’s skin. Todays youth who down a regular Coca Cola will definitely find their acne beginning to redden and intensify in less than five minutes! This is due to reaction of sugar in the cola.

Basic Secret #3:
One major specific change one needs to make today for the long term, to have better overall health and rejuvenation of skin is a simple secret and that is to cut out the Sugars. Lowering sugar intake is one of the main keys of skin health. The result which will follow over a period of time, will be truly remarkable.Food does make a difference that can be dramatic. In fact certain foods can be healers as well. One can even use certain foods to eliminate acne permanently.

Basic Secret #4:
What is put into the mouth has a huge impact on the overall health of the skin the largest organ. An important food to take is that which contains plenty of Vitamin C and drinking plenty of water.
Vitamin C is responsible for the skins overall functioning and most importantly its ability to repair itself and produce and maintain collagen. One may take Vitamin C tablets easily enough. But it is best to add foods containing high levels of Vitamin C to ones diet. Some examples include spinach and broccoli (both also rich in Iron), citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes. One may add a slice in water too and even having potatoes which has 25 mgs of Vitamin C.

Drinking plenty of water on a daily basis helps to maintain the skin's elasticity, and is simply just essential to the health of one’s body and skin. One of the main activities of the body's self-healing system is to filter the blood, a job performed mostly by the kidneys, with help from the skin in the form of perspiration. This self-healing system removes the toxic wastes of metabolizing food and of other harmful substances that get into our bodies one way or another. This purification system operates efficiently only if the volume of water flowing through it's suffi-cient to carry away the wastes.Drinking atleast about 8 to 10 glasses (64 fluid ounces) of water a day is the recommendation.

Basic Secret #5:
By making use of a suitable sun block to protect one’s skin from the sun and harsh weather conditions can also to a great extent protect one’s skin.

Using the correct sunblock will help to protect one’s skin from the sun and wind. Toxins from radiation and drying of the outer layers of skin can greatly add to the breakout problems. The breakouts on skin are even more when there is too much of exposure to sun. One needs to always protect the exposed surface of the skin from the effects of the outside environment. The SPF the sun protection factor needs to be atleast 15 to 30 - no more unless one is spending the entire day out in the sun.

In case of combination or oily skin, then one needs to use an oil free sunblock.
If one has normal or dry skin one may use a moisturizer with sun block. But it is better to use Neutrogena products for sun blocks as they are usually non comedogenic ie not supposed to have any pore-clogging ingredients. Thus by using the correct SPF and type of medium for such skin type – one can not only get the proper sun block protection, but one will also be able to assist the skin in minimizing breakouts.

By applying the above five basic secrets anyone can achieve healthier and better looking skin. However these secrets should not be looked as the end of one’s skin education, but as a basic foundation to work on.