By Peter Minkoff

It’s officially the year of the skin. Yes, makeup is great and playful, but the emphasis on healthy skincare has never been bigger. The number of great skincare product launches could make your head spin, and there are even tons of articles on the types of food that your skin can greatly benefit from. Yes, there are tons of advice for getting that perfect smooth complexion, but we’re going to stick to five simple and effective ones that will get your skin where it needs to go.

Beat the dullness

If due to sun exposure, lack of hydration you’ve ended up with dull and lifeless skin that has even begun to show signs of aging, there are several courses of action to take. First of all, if you’ve been forgetting to include sunscreen into your skincare routine, rectify that mistake as soon as possible. Those UVA and UVB rays are unforgiving, so precautions must be taken if your skin has any chance of recovery. In addition to that, try to stay away from the sun as much as possible – that is a rule Japanese women follow to the letter and they look 20 years younger than all of us, so we might as well follow suit. Finally, do un-dull the skin and begin to restore its smoothness and shine, make it your goal to take vitamin A regularly. You can resort to topical solutions, but they can be quite strong and even counter-effective for certain skin types, so it’s best to find a supplement or load up on vitamin A rich foods instead, at least in the beginning. Let’s move on to rule number two.

Find what works for you

Instead of roaming around drugstore counters picking up products you just assume will give you the result you need, you need to sit down, do your research and find out what exactly your skin type and concerns are. There are numerous skincare brands, one of them being the incredible Rodan and Fields, offer personalized skincare regimen and proper products, and with a simple click of a button here, you can finally get the skinny on what your skin craves and finally provide it for it.

Skincare involves using a series of products or treatments to get glowy and healthy skin. So. besides identifying what products work for you, you should also invest in knowing what treatments are excellent for your skin.

Skin treatment involves getting botox injection, chemical peel, laser skin resurfacing, dermabrasion, microdermabrasion, derma fillers, light therapy, and many others! These skin treatments aim at treating specific skin conditions for those people who have used various products with no results. 
 
Finding out what works for you is significant, as some people may choose to get a chemical peel, whereas some prefer a botox injection. Some may consider getting a Botox London Professional Aesthetics procedure for anti-aging purposes and to smooth the appearance of their skin, whereas others may find it beneficial for cosmetic corrections such as lifting the corners of the mouth and tightening this area of the face. Knowing how much and how often to use a treatment or go for a procedure is key when it comes to skincare. 

Finding what works for you in terms of products and skin treatments can help you save money and time in the long run.   

Know your enemies

Alcohol, in all forms, is simply bad for your skin. According to skin expert Michaella Bolder “Alcohol is a toxin (…) impacting the quality, appearance and ageing of your skin. Alcohol is also a diuretic, so you can lose plenty of skin cell-loving water from the body quite rapidly, leaving your skin dehydrated and dull. So, aside from avoiding alcohol as much as you possibly can, you must read the labels on cleansers and toners and even foundations carefully. Many of them contain alcohol, which dries out the skin almost instantly, and the condition worsens the longer you use it. This again brings us to rule number two – leave it to experts to determine and provide the right solutions for you so you don’t ruin your skin with uninformed purchases.

All in moderation

One of the greatest obstacles standing between you and a smooth glowing complexion are clogged pores and flaky skin. This usually comes as a result of either piling too much makeup and not cleansing your face properly at the end of the day or the fact that you’ve let the importance of exfoliation completely slip your mind. Exfoliation is essential to smooth skin as this skincare step removes the dead cells completely and allows your skin to breathe. Aside from that, it fosters faster cellular renewal and production, and preps the skin for the products you apply after you’re done exfoliating. Now, some would say that daily exfoliation is a must, but there is such a thing as too much. You need to give the skin time to actually ‘develop’ dead skins in order to remove them. Overzealous exfoliation can irritate the skin, strip it of its natural oils and actually make matters worse. So, the final verdict on exfoliation – definitely yes, but only three times a week.

The golden rule

You can have the best skincare custom-made for your skin type, but the smoothness and radiance you crave will still be at large if you don’t learn two important lessons. The first one is layering your skincare products in the right order. This is paramount as each product plays a role and it needs to make an appearance at just the right time. The second lesson is diligence. You can’t be responsible when it comes to your routine one day and then skip two or three days – that’s just not how the cookie crumbles. You have to have an established daytime and nighttime routine and never skip it no matter what.

Now that you’re in the know, there is only one thing to do. Remember these rules, follow them to the letter and you’ll see results that have been missing before you know it.