8 Tips for Sensitive Skin

Does your skin rebel whenever you try a new product or scrub too hard? Learn how to pamper your skin and avoid common irritants and you’ll have a healthy glow in no time.

1. Test First, Apply Second
When using a new product, always, always do a test run on a small, inconspicuous patch of skin (like behind your ear) before applying. Wait at least 24 hours for signs of irritation, redness, or other skin freak-outs. If your skin is hypersensitive, repeat this test run on a patch next to your eye. All clear? You’re safe to apply with abandon.

2. Don’t Buy “Hypoallergenic” Hype
Hypoallergenic products and sensitive skin are besties, right? Not necessarily. Since there are no federal standards to govern the word “hypoallergenic,” products bearing this claim are not always suitable for sensitive skin. Don’t buy the hype blindly. Refer to tip number 1 before slathering away.

3. Moisturize with Vigilance
Sensitive skin is even more vulnerable to the elements and will benefit from a proper skin-care schedule. Dutifully moisturize both morning and night to protect skin from water loss and to maintain a healthy barrier from the daily onslaught of environmental factors, including pollution and wind.

4. Always Read Labels
Knowledge is power—arm yourself by reading labels. Look for products free from fragrances and paraben preservatives, two common causes of irritation and flare-ups. And the shorter the ingredient list, the better: The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using products with less than 10 ingredients for sensitive skin. The more complicated a formula, the more likely you are to introduce an irritant.

5. Wash Wisely

Keep pores clear and surface debris scarce by washing twice a day (any more can be too much for sensitive skin). Choose a cleanser that is formulated for sensitive skin but isn’t so gentle that you need to scrub really hard to remove makeup or residual grime. Be gentle: blot dry (no rubbing, please) and apply moisturizer straight away for maximum absorption.

6. Go With Less
Sensitive skin is easily overwhelmed so it’s best to keep your everyday skincare products simple: All you really need is a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen.

7. Choose Cosmetics Carefully
Just because your skin is delicate doesn’t mean you have to go sans makeup. Follow these four tips: 1) Use a mineral powder—most of which are free from preservatives and artificial dyes—or a silicone-based foundation to lessen the likelihood of irritation, 2) avoid waterproof mascara as harsh cleansers are required to remove it, 3) use eyeliner in pencil form, not liquid, as the latter often contains latex and may cause a reaction, and 4) toss old cosmetics, which can go bad or become contaminated over time. And don’t forget to clean your brushes regularly.

8. Exercise SPF Smarts
Irritable skin is often extra-sensitive to the sun. Wear sunscreen year-round with SPF 30 or higher to protect delicate tissue from aggravating rays. Look for sunscreens with physical active ingredients—such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide—which are less likely to cause a reaction than chemical sunscreens, like oxybenzone, octylcrylene, and octinoxate.

Products for Sensitive Skin:

Decleor Aromessence Rose
D'Orient Soothing Serum

Decleor Aromessence™ Rose D'Orient Soothing Concentrate is an elixir of 100% pure and natural Essential Oils specially formulated for the daily care of sensitive, reactive skin. Thanks to its natural affinity with the skin, this unique skin care product penetrates skin upon application for soothing, healthy results and offers immediate softness and reduces irritation.

Sothys oomfort Lotion

Sothys Comfort Lotion (Sensitive Skin Types) is a melting emulsion that soothes sensitive skin with Cotton extract. It has a delightful scent while restores, calms, protects, nourishes, and softens the skin.

Sothys Micro-Gel Peeling

Sothys Micro-Gel Peeling (For All Skin Types except Sensitive Skin) - Sothys has created a new emulsion technology exfoliant, a magical textured peel containing white tea extract and exfoliating particles. Its gel texture melts on the skin and transforms into an oil when applied to the skin and massaged, then becomes a creamy milk when water is added, gently exfoliating as it cleanses. This easy-to-use skin polish is designed for all skin types except for sensitive or infected skin. Use the superfine Exfoliating scrub prior to Desquacrem or Morning Cleanser to combine exfoliation with deep action cleansing.

Thalgo Age Defence
Sunscreen Cream SPF 50

An indispensable sun protection cream for use after the Controlled Micro-Dermabrasion Treatment carried out with or without the machine.

This sun cream is indispensable when using and for at least 7 days following the last application of micro-dermabrasion products either in a beauty salon or at home, because they contain hydroxy acids or aluminium oxide micro-crystals that can make your skin more sensitive to sunburn.

Thalgo for Dry Skin

Dry skin looks dry, sometimes flakes, and often feels tight, especially if you have washed it with soap and water. Sometimes it is lacking some of the protective sebum and so it reacts to very hot and very cold weather by tightening up. One benefit of dry skin is that it is less likely to develop acne than oily skin, but it is easily chapped in a dry atmosphere. Always use mild, alcohol-free make up and toner, and a rich, creamy cleanser. Moisturize your face every day, including the throat and the skin around your eyes. When you wear makeup, use a moisturized foundation. You will need little or no powder. When you wash your face, use a liquid or a cleansing bar. Use warm water to lather and rinse it with cold. 

Thalgo Cocooning Cleansing Milk

Cocooning Cleansing Milk very gently sweeps away impurities and makeup. It softens, soothes and moisturizes the skin for a velvety and supple feeling.

Thalgo Cocooning Tonic Lotion

Cocooning Tonic Lotion toner sweeps away the last of impurities and makeup that is left after cleansing. It softens, soothes and moisturizes the skin, leaving it feeling supple and velvety soft.

Thalgo Softness Exfoliator

Softness Exfoliator removes dead skin cells and impurities while preserving the natural protection of the skin. This facial scrub also stimulates epidermal cellular renewal, soothes and reveals a fresh, luminous complexion.

Thalgo Waterproof Make-Up
Remover Eyes & Lips

A thorough eye and lip cleanser designed to remove all traces of makeup. Thalgo Waterproof Makeup Remover Eyes and Lips works to dissolve tough makeup, even stubborn water resistant formulations, quickly and effectively for a fresh complexion. Free from parabens, mineral oil, propylene glycol and animal by-products.

Thalgo Reviving Marine Mist

Reviving Marine Mist has been formulated to reinforce the effectiveness of your skin care treatments and creams. This seawater concentrate stimulates the energy and activity of your skin, offering the ultimate boost in marine beauty.

Thalgo Delicious Comfort Cream

Delicious Comfort Cream is a highly nourishing cream that is enriched with hydrating and restructuring Shea Butter. A true delight for your skin, it instantly restores suppleness and comfort. This full-bodied cream is also rich in vitamins and minerals that provide comfort and nourishment to dry skin.

Thalgo Extreme Comfort Cream

This double-action cream nourishes, hydrates and re-balances skin and is highly recommended for use in extreme climate conditions.

Thalgo Melt-Away Mask
Instant Comfort

Melt-Away Mask Instant Comfort melts into your skin to offer it a true nourishing bath. As soon as it is applied, skin is perfectly nourished and recovers suppleness and softness. Sensations of tightness and discomfort are instantly eased away. This soft setting mask is also rich in vitamins that remineralize and brighten your complexion.

Look younger with these skin care and beauty tips

To fight wrinkles and other signs of aging, you need to keep your skin protected and hydrated. Though you can't turn back hands of time, these anti-aging skincare tips will help keep your skin smoother and younger looking.

Eat for skin health

What we eat has a huge impact on how we look, especially when it comes to achieving that much-coveted youthful glow. Expert recommends getting plenty of what is called "smart" fats - omega-3s and monounsaturated fat - which help regenerate skin at the cellular level, improve texture and tone and help ensure skin looks supple. Get these smart fats from fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, halibut, sardines), avocado, olives and olive oil.    
Expert also suggests choosing foods rich in lutein - a carotenoid that may help protect your skin from the inside out. The best sources of lutein are egg yolks, leafy dark green veggies and fresh corn. Some studies have found that lutein may also protect skin from UV damage.  
Foods that are high in antioxidants, such as berries, broccoli, leafy greens (kale, spinach) and tomatoes are also great for your skin. We need antioxidants to help protect the skin from free-radical damage (rough texture, wrinkles, sun spots). Vitamin E is another must for skin health, Spano says, and suggests adding vegetable oils, wheat germ, nuts, seeds and olives to your diet for healthy, glowing skin.

Stay hydrated

If you want skin to look younger and more supple, drinking enough water is a must. Dehydrated skin looks wrinkled and rough. Aim for eight glasses of a day, which will also help you lose weight, aid digestion, improve your energy and concentration and flush toxins from your body. Keep a reusable bottle in your purse for easy, on-the-go sipping. 

Anti-aging skin care

Cleanse: Gently wash your face both morning and night, but steer clear of cleansers that have high alcohol content and other drying agents. Try Decleor Aroma Cleanse Essential Cleansing Milk ($27), which leaves skin clean, soft and free of pore-clogging debris.
Exfoliate: Exfoliate your skin weekly with a gentle facial scrub, which will get rid of dead skin cells and keep skin smooth, healthy and fresh. Try Sothys Gommage Exfoliant ($34), a granule-free product refines the skin's texture and eliminates dead surface cells to soften the skin..
Moisturize: Apply moisturizer over your entire face and neck twice a day. Dry, aging skin loses its elasticity, which is when wrinkles start to form. Try Erno Laszlo Luminous Intensive Cream ($125), Illuminate your skin with this rich daily cream that deeply moisturizes, increases clarity and brightens.

What to shop for

Look for skincare products with effective anti-aging ingredients such as vitamins A, C and E, retinol, peptides, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and glycolic acid. Decleor, Sothys, Erno Laszlo and Thalgo offer products with these anti-aging ingredients, and these products will help reduce the appearance of fine line and wrinkles, as well as help slow the aging process.  
 Best anti-aging products for every budget.

Protect your skin

No matter your age, you need to protect your skin from the sun. Not only can sun exposure lead to skin cancer, it will also cause dryness, sun spots, wrinkles and other visible signs of aging. Always use a moisturizer, sunscreen and cosmetics that contain SPF 15 or higher. If you spend a lot of time in the sun each day, wear both sunglasses and a hat.

To fight wrinkles and other signs of aging, you need to keep your skin protected and hydrated. Though you can't turn back hands of time, these anti-aging skincare tips will help keep your skin smoother and younger looking.

Eat for skin health

What we eat has a huge impact on how we look, especially when it comes to achieving that much-coveted youthful glow. Expert recommends getting plenty of what is called "smart" fats - omega-3s and monounsaturated fat - which help regenerate skin at the cellular level, improve texture and tone and help ensure skin looks supple. Get these smart fats from fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, halibut, sardines), avocado, olives and olive oil.    
Expert also suggests choosing foods rich in lutein - a carotenoid that may help protect your skin from the inside out. The best sources of lutein are egg yolks, leafy dark green veggies and fresh corn. Some studies have found that lutein may also protect skin from UV damage.  
Foods that are high in antioxidants, such as berries, broccoli, leafy greens (kale, spinach) and tomatoes are also great for your skin. We need antioxidants to help protect the skin from free-radical damage (rough texture, wrinkles, sun spots). Vitamin E is another must for skin health, Spano says, and suggests adding vegetable oils, wheat germ, nuts, seeds and olives to your diet for healthy, glowing skin.

Stay hydrated

If you want skin to look younger and more supple, drinking enough water is a must. Dehydrated skin looks wrinkled and rough. Aim for eight glasses of a day, which will also help you lose weight, aid digestion, improve your energy and concentration and flush toxins from your body. Keep a reusable bottle in your purse for easy, on-the-go sipping. 

Anti-aging skin care

Cleanse: Gently wash your face both morning and night, but steer clear of cleansers that have high alcohol content and other drying agents. Try Decleor Aroma Cleanse Essential Cleansing Milk ($27), which leaves skin clean, soft and free of pore-clogging debris.
Exfoliate: Exfoliate your skin weekly with a gentle facial scrub, which will get rid of dead skin cells and keep skin smooth, healthy and fresh. Try Sothys Gommage Exfoliant ($34), a granule-free product refines the skin's texture and eliminates dead surface cells to soften the skin..
Moisturize: Apply moisturizer over your entire face and neck twice a day. Dry, aging skin loses its elasticity, which is when wrinkles start to form. Try Erno Laszlo Luminous Intensive Cream ($125), Illuminate your skin with this rich daily cream that deeply moisturizes, increases clarity and brightens.

What to shop for

Look for skincare products with effective anti-aging ingredients such as vitamins A, C and E, retinol, peptides, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and glycolic acid. Decleor, Sothys, Erno Laszlo and Thalgo offer products with these anti-aging ingredients, and these products will help reduce the appearance of fine line and wrinkles, as well as help slow the aging process.  
 Best anti-aging products for every budget.

Protect your skin

No matter your age, you need to protect your skin from the sun. Not only can sun exposure lead to skin cancer, it will also cause dryness, sun spots, wrinkles and other visible signs of aging. Always use a moisturizer, sunscreen and cosmetics that contain SPF 15 or higher. If you spend a lot of time in the sun each day, wear both sunglasses and a hat.

Radiant in the Winter – Skin Care Tips

We all want radiant, smooth, and wrinkle-free skin year-round. For those of us that live in an area with cool winter months, this isn’t always easy to achieve. As cooler months set in, your skin goes through a transition. The hydrated and healthy skin of summer turns into chapped and dry skin. Here explains why this is and gives tips on how to keep skin healthy all winter long.

During the summer months, humid air helps to moisturize the skin, and the nourishing minerals in vitamin D are more easily accessible because of the vast amount of sunlight. People also tend to drink more fluids in the warmer months, an important component of healthy skin, because of heat and increased activity.

In the winter months, however, when activity decreases and leisure time moves indoors, it isn’t as easy to maintain healthy skin.

When skin is properly hydrated, nourished with vitamins and exfoliated, it has a radiant glow that is noticeable to you and everyone around you. This is when skin is at its healthiest. When moisture is absent from the skin, it becomes chapped. Flakes of dry and dead skin appear. Conditions like eczema, a severe dryness of skin that forms in patches over the body, may occur. To prevent this from happening and to maintain your healthy glow, these are the five wintertime tips.

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Winter Skin Care Tips

1. Avoid hot showers and baths. As tempting and as enjoyable as it is to jump into a hot shower on a cold winter day, don’t. Bathing in hot water breaks down the lipid barriers in your skin, which causes a loss in moisture. Instead, taking warm showers is recommended, not hot, and to avoid staying in for an extended period of time.
2. Exfoliate. The top layer of skin cells are either dead or old and make your skin look dull. Exfoliating gets rid of the dead skin cells and reveals newer, healthier-looking skin. Using a light exfoliate scrub, but to not over-exfoliate is recommended.
3. Moisturize differently and don’t pick at dry skin.  Peeling off dead skin is dangerous and will not help to revitalize new skin cells. You are recommended using a heavier moisturizer in the winter that is oil-based, not water-based, to nourish skin from the inside and help balance natural oil production. Make sure to grab an oil-based moisturizer with SPF, even when the sun isn’t out. UV rays that cause skin damage are present year-round, rain or shine. Keeping a small bottle of moisturizer with you if you are going to be outdoors for most of the day is also recommended, as your skin may dry out as the day goes on.
4. Use a humidifier. In winter months, the lack of moisture in the air causes skin to crack and become itchy. Humidifiers put moisture back into the air and prevent extreme dry skin. They also enhance moisture absorption in the nose and assist with mucus secretions, which are important in preventing things like sinusitis, especially in the winter months.
5. Bundle up in layers and take off wet clothes. Wet clothes that are worn close to the skin can cause irritation and sores. dressing in layers is recommended, which will allow you to take clothes off when you experience overheating and sweating.

Skin needs time to adapt to new routines, so don’t expect drastic changes overnight. Start following these tips early, and your skin will thank you this winter season.

Decleor Hydra Floral 24HR Moisture Activator Rich Cream

This product is a rich cream that provides 24-hour hydration. This product contains Wild Pansy Extract which captures moisture in the dermis, Samphire Extract, which retains moisture on the skin surface, and Neroli Essential Oil, which hydrates the skin.

Thalgo Freshness Exfoliator

Freshness Exfoliator removes dead skin cells and impurities, leaving the skin supple, refreshed and invigorated.

Benefits:

Nylon Granules eliminate impurities.

Menthol has a cooling effect on the skin.

Leaving skin supple, refreshed and invigorated.

Has a creamy texture.

Ideal for normal to combination skin types.

4 Skincare Products You Can't Do Without

Here's a 'foundation' minimum that we recommend you use:

Sunscreen: You NEED this. It's essential for preventing sun damage and lowering your risk of developing skin cancer. If you use only one product, sunscreen should be it. A lotion with SPF 15 moisturizes, protects with SPF, and smoothes skin AHAS and vitamin C.

Eye cream: The skin under your eyes is more delicate and dry than the skin on the rest of your face. Purchase an eye cream which treats the eye area with more emollient moisturizers.

Face Cream With Retinols: Worried about wrinkles and pigmentation spots? A face cream with retinol is order of the day. Use it in place of your regular moisturizer after washing your face in the evening.

Body lotion: A lotion with AHAs is recommended for your whole body. For dry spots put on extra lotion before bed and let it soak in while you are sleeping.

A lot of people with sensitive skin have reverted to natural skin care solutions. Many people use natural skin care formulas to care for their skin at home.

Recommended Products:

Sothys SPF50 Sensitive zones protective fluid
Sothys SPF50 Sensitive zones protective fluid 50ml To provide enhanced protection for the face and most sensitive areas. The skin is enhanced with a glowing tan.

Erno Laszlo Ocuphel Emollient Eye Cream

Heal your delicate eye area with this intensive cream that saturates your skin with rich nourishment. Dromiceius, Carrot Seed and Sunflower Seed Oils deeply moisturize while Hyaluronic and Lactic Acids condition and smooth.

Thalgo Bio-Protective Cream
This protective cream significantly increases the tolerance of sensitive skin. This cream provides a protective barrier on the skin that shields it from harsh environmental elements, leaving skin soft, smooth and hydrated.

Cleaning the Skin

Cleaning the skin is important as it removes the dead cells from the surface of the skin. It also will remove the dust and dirt that chokes the pores on the skin. If the dust is allowed to accumulate, it can block the pores thus blocking the secretion of the glands from coming to the top of the skin providing it the weapons it need to fight against infections, toxic agents etc. It also gives the shine or glow to the surface of the skin.

Soap and Natural Cleaners
Skin experts recommend avoiding soap because of its high pH. A high pH (alkaline) soap will dry the skin and diminish its life expectancy. The skin's surface is mildly acidic, having a pH of around 5. Most soaps are well over 7, and some as high as 10. Soaps with a high pH will not only dry the skin but also eliminate its acid mantle (coating on the surface).

You can make good skin cleansers from natural products. For example, products that contain vegetable oils, such as coconut oil, and water, combine with sebum and allow it to be dissolved and rinsed away. At the same time, water dissolves dirt.

Effective skin cleansers can contain a number of different vegetable oils, including coconut, sesame, or palm oils. These are safe and effective cleansers and have a relatively low pH. Stearic acid provides the skin a pearly firmness.
Another organic products that is increasingly useful in skin care is seaweed. The high mineral content of seaweed stimulates circulation, helps eliminate toxins imbedded in the skin, and leaves the skin feeling smooth. Seaweeds can also strengthen the immunity and healing functions of the skin by providing the needed minerals.

Facial Scrubs
Facial scrubs help clean the surface of the skin by removing the dead skins and the dirt mechanically. We recommend that you use a facial scrub that contains a mild abrasive. The coarseness of these abrasives vary. For example, it may contain very fine, mild base of oatmeal or ground-up almonds. Some products may contain, however, coarser materials such as silica or fine sand or the shells of almonds, apricots, or walnuts.

Since women spend considerable more amount of money and time on makeups and skin care, we would expect that their skin will be smoother and blemish free compared to that of men. However, studies have found exactly the opposite. These studies have found that men have fewer blemishes and smoother skin than women on the face. Experts suggest that men are exfoliating their faces every day by shaving. The razor removes the top layer of dead cells every day. This allows the skin to breathe and eliminate waste much easier. This may explain why men's facial skin is much more smoother than women's. Women can accomplish the same by using a mild abrasive scrub on their faces, every other day.

European women have been using exfoliants for decades. People in India and the orient had been using natural exfoliants to clean their skin.

Decleor Aroma Cleanse Essential Cleansing Milk

Decleor Aroma Cleanse Essential Tonifying Lotion

The Right Way To Wash Your Face
1. Moisten your face with water. Work up a lather by rubbing the soap between wet palms. Using your fingertips (not the bar of soap), massage the lather into your face and throat.

2. Rinse thoroughly with a washcloth or with splashes of water. Take three times as much time for rinsing as compared to what you took for lathering. The important thing is that you remove all of the soap so any caustic it contains won't burn your face.

3. Blot dry with a soft towel; vigorous rubbing with coarse material aggravates and tugs at your skin.

Thalgo Foaming Marine Cleanser

Erno Laszlo Phelityl Cleansing Gel

Sothys Clarity Cleansing Milk

How to select anti-aging skin care products

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Shopping for an anti-aging skin care product can feel like hit-or-miss experience. With so many choices, it can be difficult to know which products to choose. These dermatologists’ tips can help you shop with confidence.

1.     Start with sunscreen and moisturizer: Dermatologists agree that sunscreen and moisturizer are the two most-effective anti-aging products you can buy. Using these every day can make a noticeable difference.

When shopping for sunscreen, select one that offers all of the following:

• Broad spectrum
• SPF 30 (or higher)
• Water resistance

An anti-aging moisturizer helps to minimize fine lines. It is so effective that moisturizer is the secret ingredient in many anti-aging products.

Using a moisturizer with sunscreen is fine. Just be sure that the product offers broad-spectrum coverage and an SPF of 30 or higher.

If you will spend time outdoors during the day, you should apply a sunscreen that offers broad-spectrum protection, SPF 30 (or higher), and water resistance. Be sure to reapply your sunscreen every two hours while outdoors.

 Sunscreen is one of the most effective anti-aging products you can buy.

2.     Treat your #1 aging-skin concern: Give sunscreen and moisturizer a few weeks to work. Then look at your skin. Is there still a sign of aging that bothers you?

By focusing on one concern, such as wrinkles or dark spots, you’ll get the best results. Look for a product that targets your concern. There are two reasons for this:

• No product can treat all signs of skin aging.
• Using more than one anti-aging product in a few days or weeks can irritate the skin, making you look older.

3.     Buy a product formulated for your skin type: Your sunscreen, moisturizer, and other anti-aging skin care products will work best if they are formulated for your skin type. For example,if your skin tends to be oily, select a moisturizer made for oily skin. If you have sensitive skin, you want to see the words “sensitive skin” on the label.

This is important because no one product works for everyone.

4.     Read product labels and select a product that offers all of the following:

• Hypoallergenic (The product can still cause an allergic reaction,but there is less risk.)
• Non-comedogenic or non-acnegenic (does not cause acne)
• Consumer hotline (to contact for questions)

5.     Have realistic expectations:Exaggerated promises, such as look 10 years younger overnight or quickly reduces all signs of aging, are too good to be true. It’s important to remember that anti-aging skin care products deliver modest results. You cannot get the results of a face lift from a cream.

6.     Select a product within your price range: It’s human nature to think that the more expensive the product,the better the results. Effective anti-aging products come in all price ranges.

Maximize the results you see

Once you’ve selected a product, you can maximize its effectiveness by following tips that dermatologists share with their patients.

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