Natural Skincare
Not only can skin care field luxurious however it can also help with your health. Broken skin can cause significant health issues such as infection, and dehydration. Acne and wrinkles can show your health literally on your face, utilizing these techniques can help you with your own skincare routine.
Many people struggle with eczema, psoriasis, and contact dermatitis by using irritating soaps and consuming foods that cause internal irritation. The only place you should be using soap should be in those odorous areas (armpits, groin, feet and in the skinfolds), and the only soap you should be using is unscented. I know what you are thinking, why am I telling you to throw out your beautiful smelling soaps? They are filled with alcohols, parabens and chemicals that get absorbed into your amazing skin. Those chemicals are similar enough to estrogen in your body and cause inflammation in your cells. Scented bodywash and lotions applied to your groin area can also cause UTI’s, yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis.
There should be no reason to wash your arms and legs in the shower unless they are physically soiled. This goes counter to our beauty industry commercials that show a beautiful man or woman lathering gobs of soap and coating their entire body. If you are looking at it from a cynical point of view, this is a great way to sell more of their product if they can convince you to use more of it! The beauty industry really took off with television in the homes of most Americans in the 50s. These large conglomerate beauty companies capitalized on the fact that if you didn’t use shampoo, or their specific soap/face cream/cologne/perfume, you were considered “dirty”. They created a market by using fear mongering.
If you suffer from dry skin, you can try unscented lotion or coconut/avocado oil in the shower before you even dry off.
If you're going out for an event, you can apply a glycerin-based lotion, then add a body oil on top of that. The glycerin will plump up the first couple of layers of keratin cells. The oil will insulate the skin and keep the moisture in.
Glycerin is known as a humectant. Other humectants include hyaluronic acid, however this can be significantly more expensive. If you can afford hyaluronic acid it is superior to glycerin in that it is able to deeper penetrate the skin for further hydration. The lower the molecular weight of the hyaluronic acid, the smaller the molecule and the deeper it goes into your skin. You can use a face cream with high and low molecular weight to plump up the skin. If you just use a high molecular weight, it can cause the skin to look and feel sticky/dewy. Some like that look, others do not, it really is a personal preference.
There is a huge controversy with using a toner. Many toners are mostly alcohol which dries out the skin. I prefer which hazel witch hazel has been evaluated for uses including antiseptic, antioxidant analgesic, and antitumor activity. It’s even recommended for episiotomy care after birth.
Benzyl peroxide is another option for those with hormonal acne or cystic acne. This cream is really great in that it completely eliminates your chances of becoming antibiotic resistant to topical antibiotic cream. The percentages go from 2% all the way up to 10%. Dermatologist suggest starting low and slow to avoid irritation.
Differin/adapalene gel is another option for cystic or hormonal acne or wrinkles. This is a really cool product and that it increases your skin’s replication process and can create a improvements long after you stop using it. This cream is a retinol/Vitamin A based cream that causes skin sluffing and increase in replication. This is another medication that you should start with a low percentage and increase frequencies slowly. It's recommended to moisturize your face prior to applying. This may also make you more sensitive to sunlight, and a natural sunscreen would be a great option.
Here are some resources that may be helpful:
American Academy of Dermatology Association. (2022). How to care For your skin in your 60s and 70s. Retrieved from: https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/care/skin-care-in-your-60s-and-70s.
American Academy of Dermatology Association. (2022). How to treat different types of acne. Retrieved from: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/diy/types-breakouts
Drugs.com. (2022). Which Hazel. Retrieved from: https://www.drugs.com/npp/witch-hazel.html.
National Rosacea Society. (2022). Rosacea Skin Care & Cosmetics. Retrieved from: https://www.rosacea.org/patients/skin-care-and-cosmetics
Tan. (2017). A review of diagnosis and treatment of acne in adult female patients. International journal of women's dermatology, 4(2), 56–71. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijwd.2017.10.006
Tolaymat. (2022). Adapalene. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482509/
YouTube.com.(2021). Shampoo is a lie. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/T-_HKFjxVl0
