5 Tips for Great Skin
Don’t be baffled by all the information out there. It can be so confusing.
Let’s keep it simple.
Here are my top tips for great skin.
1. Exfoliate
I’m always saying this to my clients as I think it’s one of the most important factors.
When your skin is not exfoliated properly;
Products that you use won’t have much of an effect as they simply won't penetrate the skin. Instead they will sit on top of the dead skin and that expensive moisturiser you have bought is a complete waste as only 20-30% is actually penetrating into the skin.
AHA & BHA’s are the best as exfoliants with ‘bits’ in them such as scrubs or microdermabrasion cloths can cause the skin to lose moisture and dry the skin out more than it needs to.
If you suffer from acne, flare ups, blackheads or rosacea then this is especially important as the build up of dead skin and sebum leads to blocked pores and inflammation.
My top exfoliator is Environ’s Moisturising Clay Mask , which has Salicylic acid (BHA) which sloughs off dead skin. Either rub it in for 5 mins and wash off, apply a thin layer over night or do what I do and massage it in for a good 5 mins after cleansing and leave on overnight. 1x per week is enough unless you have dry skin.
2. Supplement
I’ve always believed in if you feel good in the inside you will look good on the outside. That goes for diet as well as state of mind (happiness etc).
It’s well documented that now days our diet lacks the nutritional value that we used to have say 100 years ago. Due to many things such as farming methods and pesticides our food is much more nutrient deprived. Even if you eat healthy and lots of veg I would still 100% advise to supplement. All I have to do is look at my clients skin once they start supplementing with the right vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and my belief is confirmed.
Out of balance hormones, dry skin, dull and polluted skin, rosacea and so much more can be helped simply by combining the correct supplements and using the correct products in the correct way.
Accumax from the Advanced Nutrition Programme is one of the best supplements I have ever worked with for acne and problematic skin. It simply WORKS!
Omega 3 oils are fantastic also for inflamed skin and acne (but that’s a whole other blog!!!). I have my husband on Skin antioxidants as he works in London all day out and about on the tube etc and all those toxins and pollutants can drastically age your skin.
Supplement, supplement, supplement!!!
Be sure that they are excellent quality, do your research and don’t necessarily go for the expensive ones.
I can recommend the Advanced Nutition Programme as one of the best. Not only for their commitment to quality and testing but they are massively environmentally conscious and even have the ink on their packaging derived from plants dyes!
Top Tip: Vitamin C and Vitamin A are excellent for glowing skin!
3. Wear sunscreen
Just take a look at this image and have a think what his job could be? He has aged on one side of his face more than the other. The effects of sundamage are clear on one side. Answer? He was a truck driver in California for most of his life. With one side of his face always facing the sun. This image couldn’t be clearer in how damaging the sun can be on ageing.
Now I wouldn’t dream of telling you to not go in the sun or use rediculously high factors all the time. I’m an avid believer that we need the sun and its benefits in order to be healthy and happy. However if you want to delay the ageing on your delicate skin on your face then you need to invest in a good, natural, not necessarily high factor sunscreen, or a foundation or moisturiser that contains SPF.
No need for a huge section in this, the picture speaks for itself (courtesy of Environ skincare).
4. Lifestyle Habits
Everything from the way you sleep to whether or not you smoke can have an effect in your skin. Don’t forget that the skin is our largest organ so whatever is happening to your skin is probably happening in the inside as well. Ageing and deterioration can occur inside and out if you have unhealthy habits.
Tips for reducing ageing as well as problematic skin.
Stop smoking. Alongside sun damage, smoking is the next big attack on your akin. Depriving the skin of vital oxygen which restricts the delivery of important nutrients.
Eat less fried food and red meat. Fried food especially fried meat (or meat that is cooked at high temperatures) creates damaging chemical reactions in the food which ultimately cause ageing. In a massive way. Try to cut out red meat a little bit more (and help the environment out at the same time), eat more veg and leafy greens, try to heat your meat slowly and cut out quick, fried, processed junk food.
Sleeping positions can also affect your face by creating heavy lines and wrinkles. We all have at least one more wrinkle on the side of our face we sleep on right? It can be hard to change the way you sleep but by being conscious of it believe me it can help.
Eliminate toxins as much as possible by supplementing with anti-oxidants, eating foods that are high in anti-oxidants such as leafy greens and drinking enough water and green tea. Green tea is an excellent anti-oxidant. Toxins build up and attack cells and damage them. Air pollutants, toxins from junk food or red meat, alcohol, smoke and even Emf radiation from wifi and cell phones are damaging for the cells of our skin and ultimately our bodies.
5. Reduce Stress
Skin enemy #1!!!! To put it simply, stress can damage our skin cells drastically. If you live in a stressed state or have a stressful lifestyle then you can't expect to have your skin cells and your body working at 100%.
Firstly stress releases cortisol,which throws off hormones and cause imbalances in your skin which lead to breakouts.
Also Cortisol, the hormone released in response to stress, is the natural enemy of collagen, breaking down the connective tissue that keeps your complexion taut and firm. But beyond damaging collagen, anxiety can also cause us to hold certain facial expressions, such as furrowing the brow etc.
Stress can affect the cell DNA by weakening and damaging it.
I could go on but you get the gist?! Stress is bad so look to ways of reducing stress and relaxing both mind and body on a daily basis.
I find that clients who start to implement 'self-care' into their monthly regime look and feel so much better and comment on lifestyle improvements such as better sleep, less headaches and more concentration amongst many other benefits.
Massage is one of the best ways to relieve stress. It produces serotonin and dopamine which reduce anxiety, depression and stress. It boosts the immune system and strengthens it, so is even more beneficial during the winter months and so much more. MASSAGE IS A MUST!
I hope you enjoyed reading my 5 Top Tips for great skin. Please subscribe to my website www.louisefrostskincare.co.uk to continue to receive my blog and grab yourself some discounted offers when they are out. For more information about my treatments and wellbeing consultations and plans please visit https://www.louisefrostskincare.co.uk/book-treatments//
I offer specialist skincare for all ages, holistic massage, pregnancy massage, facials as well as beauty treatments in Chelmsford, Essex and I also will be expanding to Harley Street, London in January 2019.
Treatments are soon to include Plasma Fibroblast wrinkle removal and skin tightening so watch this space!