It’s important to build a strong foundation of a basic skincare routine. But where do you start? With numerous skincare brands and thousands of products flooding our social media feeds, it can be overwhelming to know what you need. It's important to note that while products may change, there are three key ingredients LifeScape Aesthetician, Noelle Cesario, always recommends. Here are the three “must have” ingredients for all skin types at any age to help you prevent, correct, and maintain heathy skin throughout the years.
Let’s take a look at the ingredients now!
Ingredient 1: Antioxidants
I like to think of antioxidants as a multivitamin for your skin. Not only will antioxidants fight off the free radical damage from the environment, but they will prevent future signs of premature aging, and shield the skin from harmful infrared rays.
To get the right antioxidants, I recommend ZO Skin Health Daily Power Defense. This daily power defense supports your skin’s natural DNA repair process, boosts collagen and hyaluronic acid production, improves the signs of aging, optimizes your skin’s barrier function, and has exceptional antioxidant support. SkinBetter Science Alto Defense Serum is another great product option designed to fight off free radical damage, enhance skin tone, and reduce the appearance of skin redness.
Ingredient 2: Retinol/Retinoids
Oh, retinol. The holy grail of anti-aging. Retinoids are a vitamin A derivative that work on a profound level by affecting the gene expression, causing enhanced collagen production and hyaluronic acid. It helps target fine lines, wrinkles, improves skin texture, sun damage, and provides anti-inflammatory effects. It’s important to apply this ingredient at night as it could increase your chances of a sunburn.
SkinBetter Science Alpharet blends alpha-hydroxy acids, retinoid, and antioxidants to provide remarkable results for my clients. With no irritation to the skin like other retinoid based products, this one is certainly a must have. ZO Skin Health Wrinkle and Texture Repair contains retinol, broccoli extract, and Sunflower seed oil to prevent and correct premature aging in the skin.
Ingredient 3: Sunblock
Gone are the days where we slather on the baby oil and bake in the sun. This doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the outdoors – it just means we are smarter about it when we do. A physical broad spectrum sunblock with SPF 30 or higher should be applied every single morning as part of your routine, just like brushing your teeth. And yes, you need to include sunblock in your routine even if you are inside all day or it’s a cloudy day.
With this strong skincare routine foundation, you can then start to enhance your routine with other corrective products into your regimen – growth factors, peptides, and glycolic acid to name a few - depending on your age, skin type and skin goals. I recommend all clients first book a skincare consultation to receive a customized 'skinscript' and ensure what you are adding to your routine enhances your results and works well for your skin type.
Your skin is like your DNA – unique to you. Therefore, it’s important to make sure the ingredients you are layering are helping you achieve your skin goals instead of hindering them.
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