Boost your skin's health (and score a flawless
complexion) with these four easy tricks of the trade
Jupiterimages/Thinkstock
Step 1: Exfoliate The Right Way
You want to smooth your skin to create brightness
and luster, and chemical exfoliation is the best way to do just that, Schultz
says. Chemical exfoliation dissolves dead skin cells instead of scrubbing them
off (usually unevenly) the way buffers and granule cleansers do. When choosing
a chemical exfoliant, opt for a product with a 5 percent to 8 percent
concentration of glycolic acid, like BeautyRX Daily Exfoliating Therapy
Serum ($65, drugstore.com).
The active ingredient is vital in removing the extra layers of dead cells that
are holding all of the brown pigment that has clumped and accumulated over the
years. And whichever exfoliant you choose, follow the directions!
Step 2: Beat Brown Spots
The
next step is to rid yourself of those brown splotches. While the product you
need is commonly called "skin bleach," there's nothing bleachy about
it. It will have the end effect of lightening the brown areas of your skin, but
it will do so by stopping the skin's uneven production of melanin (brown
pigment) that your skin churns out when it tries to fight UV radiation. Look
for a bleach, like Murad Age Spot & Pigment Gel ($60, sephora.com) with a 2
percent concentration of hydroquinone (the active ingredient), and apply it two
to three times a day on the darkened areas.
Bonus points If you followed step 1 before jumping
to step 2--exfoliation actually helps the hydroquinone work better by allowing
it to better penetrate the skin.
tep 3: Burn No More
To maintain your improvement, use sunscreen every day to prevent
additional damage. New FDA recommendations emphasize using sunscreen labeled as
broad spectrum (meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB rays) with SPF
values of 15 or higher. While new sunscreen label regulations won't take full
effect until summer 2012, some are already broad-spectrum now. Try MDSolarSciences
Mineral Screen Gel ($30, mdsolarsciences.com). To maximize the sunscreen's
protection, apply it 30 minutes before exposure and reapply at least every two
hours. "The amount of sunscreen that you need to use for your entire body,
assuming you're at the beach and you're just wearing a bathing suit, is about
an ounce in order to get the actual SPF value," Schultz says. Not too good
at ounces? It's a shot glass's worth.
Step 4: Arm Yourself With Antioxidants
Schultz recommends nightly use of antioxidant-rich
topical creams. Antioxidants help protect the skin's DNA to prevent cancer
while also protecting the collagen and elastic tissue from free radicals that
can cause wrinkles and sagging skin. Though eating antioxidant-rich foods is
important, you should also apply creams and serums, like BeautyRX
Protective Vitamin C Rescue Serum ($85, beautyrx.com), with
additional antioxidants that the skin can absorb directly. Vitamin C–based
antioxidants are best for reducing uneven brown pigmentation, but you can't go
wrong with any type of antioxidant, Schultz says. And since antioxidants won't
do dead skin cells any good, follow step 1 and exfoliate. (Sorry—we just had to
say it again!)
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