Show of hands if this sounds familiar: Your bathroom shelves are so overcrowded that you've given up and gone back to a wash-and-moisturize routine. We get it, but 40-plus skin, with its slowed collagen and elastin production, needs special attention. Yet shifting hormones make it sensitive, so too many products at once can irritate the skin, says Francesca Fusco, MD, a dermatologist in New York City.
What you need is a plan. Our simple, 7-day regimen addresses the less-welcome landmarks of your wiser years without stressing your skin or schedule. Could getting great skin be any easier than this?
Your daily routine
All those extra-credit skin treatments won't do much unless you have your prerequisites in place. Here's a cheat sheet for the daily basics.
Cleanser For most of us, a splash of water is enough in the morning. "The skin doesn't get grimy overnight," says Dr. Dover. In the evening, use a gentle wash.
Morning protection Slick on a moisturizer containing sunscreen and hydrating ceramides or hyaluronic acid, along with antioxidants like green tea.
Bedtime moisturizer Applying a formula laced with antioxidants, peptides, or retinol will battle the signs of aging. Olay ProX Deep Wrinkle Treatment ($15, amazon.com) delivers Pro-Retinol—a less-irritating form of vitamin A—in OTC form.
Monday: Scrub your body
Flakes are fine for breakfast—not so much when they're speckling your thighs, elbows, or knees. Cream will only get you so far, so if you want to glow, you have to scrub. "Moisturizers don't penetrate as efficiently into rough, dead skin," says Dr. Fusco. Exfoliation time!
Find the right scrub If you have stubborn, thickened
areas, choose a salt or sugar scrub with essential oils to soften skin,
like Kat Burki Raw Sugar Body Scrub ($48, amazon.com).
(Steer clear of microbeads; personal-care giant Unilever vowed to phase
them out by 2015 because of their impact on marine life.) For more
delicate or sensitive skin, chemical exfoliators use acids, found in
Glytone Exfoliating Body Wash ($23, amazon.com), and enzymes to dissolve the bonds between dead skin cells without much harsh scrubbing.Soak it up Exfoliating is most effective (and least aggressive) on wet skin, so get scrubbing at the end of your shower.
Go gently If you have red, scaly, or chapped skin, skip the exfoliator, says Jeffrey Dover, MD, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine. Restore the protective lipid barrier with a thick, fragrance-free cream like Curel Itch Defense Lotion ($8, amazon.com).
Get hydrated After exfoliating and patting dry, replenish moisture with a lotion containing both humectants, which draw water into the skin (like glycerin or hyaluronic acid), and moisture-sealing occlusives (such as cetyl alcohol). Find them in CeraVe Moisturizing Cream ($12, amazon.com).
TIP: While you scrub, pay special attention to elbows, knees, and upper arms. Then, using small, circular motions, rub along your decolletage, bikini area, and, yes, underarms—the scrub helps release ingrown hairs before you shave.
Tuesday: Treat your eyes
Forget the soul—the eyes are actually windows into decades of smiles, sleep loss, and all the days you forgot to wear sunglasses. A targeted, once-weekly regimen with products designed for this delicate skin can minimize crow's-feet, crinkling, and dark circles.
Pump up collagen Retinol, a derivative of vitamin A, is well known for upping collagen production and cell turnover. But because it's so intense, choose a cream made specifically for the eye area, says Dr. Fusco, like RoC Multi Correxion 5 in 1 Eye Cream ($16, amazon.com). Peptides in formulas like Kinerase Restructure Firming Eye Cream ($40, amazon.com) also beef up collagen—but with less irritation.
Send bags packing If puffiness is your concern, a swipe of a lotion like Dr. Brandt Skin Care Do Not Age Triple Peptide Eye Cream ($80, amazon.com), infused with caffeine, will help shrink bags by constricting blood vessels. Or roll on anti-inflammatory cucumber extract with Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-On ($10, amazon.com).
TIP: Let your eye cream absorb for at least 30 minutes before bed. Dr. Fusco says a major cause of morning puffiness is applying eye products just before sleep, when they can travel under the lids and cause irritation.
Wednesday: Exfoliate your face
If your skin is starting to lose its healthy glow, a serious midweek slough is the easiest and least expensive thing you can do to make it look better, feel better, and absorb topicals more efficiently, says Dr. Fusco. Exfoliating at bedtime increases radiance and ups collagen production to combat fine lines. "You'll create a nice canvas for foundation," adds Katie Ambrose, a Buffalo, NY–based professional makeup artist. Get a smooth start now.
Get granular Salt, sugar, rice, and oat exfoliants
designed for the face are made with very finely milled ingredients.
They're gentle and tolerated by all but the most sensitive types, says
Doris Day, MD, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York
University Medical Center. Try Origins Modern Friction Nature's Gentle
Dermabrasion ($42, amazon.com)
and use a light hand. "Start with the periphery of the face and move
your fingertips slowly in small circles," Dr. Day says. "By the time you
get to the more delicate cheeks and chin, your hands will be tired and
naturally ease up."Try an acid wash If you're a type A scrubber, use gentle exfoliating glycolic or fruit enzymes like those in Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 3% Facial Wash ($24, amazon.com) or EO Everyone Face Exfoliate ($10, amazon.com).
Thursday: Do a mask
Despite their sleepover associations, masks have a very grown-up appeal: They treat the skin to effective, easily absorbable ingredients—often in doses stronger than you'll find in the average cream. Choose a mask that suits your skin's temperament, then switch it up anytime your skin has a mood change.
Hydrate "Moisturizing masks are essential for dry
skin and perimenopausal "changes," says Dr. Fusco. Most, like Clinique
Moisture Surge Overnight Mask ($38, amazon.com), use rich seed oils and other lipids so that skin not only functions better, it also looks smoother and plumper.Defeat oil Clay masks like Coast to Coast Pore Purifying Green Clay Mask ($25; ulta.com) draw oil and dirt from the skin, says Dr. Fusco.
Lift and firm Look for a formula containing fruit and seaweed extracts along with moisturizers, like Murad Age-Diffusing Firming Mask ($40, amazon.com).
Reduce inflammation A 2011 review in the journal Gut Pathogens found that applying the good kind of bacteria found in yogurt may help decrease inflammation. Try Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Treatment Mask with Clary Sage ($16, amazon.com), which contains a type of Lactobacillus.
TIP: Take a look at the packaging of makeup and you'll often see a code like 6M or 12M. That indicates how long the opened product will stay fresh.
Friday: Clean up your cosmetics
Like suiting up in sweaty workout clothes postshower, slapping on ancient makeup is no way to treat freshly groomed skin. Even the best foundation "won't glide on the way it's, supposed to if it's old," says Ambrose. And as bacteria breed inside those crusty tubes, slicking makeup on your face can clog pores, cause irritation—and basically undo your week's work. Time for a clean sweep.
Tackle your tools If your makeup brushes are stiff, matted, and caked, they can cause tiny breaks and tears around your pores, says Ambrose. Each week, clean them with MAC Brush Cleaner ($17, amazon.com) or wash them with baby shampoo (watch how it's done, here).
Make a clean sweep While you're sipping your morning beverage, line up any makeup tubes and bottles that you haven't replaced within the past 3 months. "Good-quality formulas actually last much longer than that, if you're not contaminating them with unwashed hands," says Dr. Dover. "But get rid of anything that's separated or smells off." Ambrose ditches mascara as soon as she can no longer hear a wet whoosh when she pulls the brush out of the tube.
Saturday: Take a load off
If that incoming text just sent a little shock wave through your insides (Who wants me now?), blame hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which set off an inflammation response that can show up as acne, rosacea, and eczema, according to Heidi Waldorf, MD, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital. So give yourself a break—your skin needs it.
Be here now A study in the journal Health Psychology
shows a link between mindfulness and lower cortisol levels. Take time
for meditation, yoga, Pilates, tai chi, or even a long walk.Give your skin a boos After a bath, pat skin dry and apply a treatment such as Revision Skincare Revox II Peptide-Rich Serum ($70, amazon.com) to help reduce fine lines, Shiseido White Lucent Total Brightening Serum ($125; shiseido.com) to fade dark spots, or calming La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra ($20, amazon.com). Then get the very best therapy for your mind and body—some shut-eye.
TIP: To pamper your skin as you unwind, toss dried lavender, chamomile, and rosemary into a tub of warm water (or any of these tension-taming oils), relax, and breathe.
Sunday: Eat well
No one plans a week of junk food. But when time gets short, you indulge, and "the body breaks down carbs and sugar into glucose molecules," says Jessica Wu, MD, a Los Angeles dermatologist and the author of Feed Your Face. "This makes it harder for the skin to produce healthy collagen and elastic tissue, which give it strength. Foods with a high glycemic index, like simple carbs, have also been linked to acne." Use Sunday to blend a green smoothie and plan ahead.
Dr. Wu's recipe, below, includes calcium-rich kale, hydrating cucumber, and omega-3-packed flaxseed, along with a squeeze of lemon, an antioxidant powerhouse. Blend with 12 oz water and 1 c ice until liquefied.
2 small apples with skin, chopped½ c chopped kale
½ c chopped spinach
½ c chopped cucumber
1 Tbsp flaxseed powder or almond butter
1 Tbsp sliced ginger
A few sprigs of parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Shop and prep Use our list as inspiration, but think portable, healthy snacks, and make single-serving packs of fruits, veggies, nuts, and other healthy finger foods. Stash them everywhere.
Cook now, eat later Aim for a recipe that combines antioxidant-rich vegetables with protein, like a quinoa-black bean chili or an escarole chicken soup—then get ready to glow (we love these simple, wholesome recipes).
Source URL: http://www.prevention.com/beauty/beauty/7-days-better-skin
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