how do you make your skin smooth and flawless?

[Australienne]

I have started seeing a dermatologist, I'd always wanted to. I have skin prone to getting dry and have swapped and switched over the years as to what I use. I recommend going to see a specialist to anyone, it's not like I had spots or anything, but it has really given me some peace of mind. Having someone tell me exactly what to use means I'm not continually looking for new products. It actually ends up that they recommend fairly cheap simple products that are effective. My skin is the best it's ever been

[Dulcisima]

I found these interesting tips for different types of skin , thought of sharing it with you guys ( found it on msn.com, yeah while i was signing out of my email lol)
Photo: Franz Walderdorff
Facial Skin: Oily
Loading up on too many oil and shine fighters can strip skin of moisture. Here’s how to create a balanced regimen:
1. Wash with a cleanser containing 2 percent salicylic acid. In the winter, use a milder cleanser just on your cheeks—where you have fewer oil glands—and your regular cleanser everywhere else.
2. If your T-zone is oily, swipe a cotton pad soaked with an alcohol-free 2 percent salicylic acid toner over your forehead, nose, and chin after cleansing.
3. You may be tempted to skip moisturizer, but even oily skin needs a little hydration. Try a lightweight oil-free lotion. The only time you may want to forgo moisturizer is in hot weather; replace it with a primer labeled “mattifying” or “oil control.”
4. If your cheeks GET dry in the winter, smooth a lotion with hyaluronic acid or glycerin on them—these draw water to the skin but don’t feel heavy.
5. Once a week, apply a mask containing 2 percent salicylic acid or 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide to help unclog pores. If you have sensitive skin, a clay mask is gentler and soaks up oil.
6. Resist the urge to exfoliate too often, which can lead to irritation. Try using a weekly at-home peel with 10 percent glycolic acid (just don’t use it on the same day as the mask).

Facial Skin: Dry
A tight, itchy face can be turned around within a week if you treat skin with ingredients that not only draw in moisture but help trap it there, too.
1. Washing twice a day with water can rinse away some of skin’s protective oils. If you’re feeling dry, use a cleansing cloth that has a moisturizing ingredient such as aloe or vitamin E in the morning.
2. At night, use a mild, creamy cleanser with little to no lather. If skin is extremely dry, choose a creamy cleanser that wipes off with a tissue.

3. Apply lotion while your face is still damp to lock in moisture. Choose one with hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or trehalose, and shea butter or dimethicone.

4. If your skin feels tight within hours of moisturizing, switch to a richer, thicker cream.

5. To prevent Dullness, slough off dead skin cells with a weekly lactic acid peel (glycolic acid and salicylic acid can be irritating on dry skin).

6. If you have dry skin but also want to treat lines, apply an anti-aging treatment with retinol every other day (daily use could aggravate dryness). Or switch to a cream with kinetin or the peptide Matrixyl—they’re less drying than retinoids.

7. If you’re going out in cold wind, carry a solid skin balm to touch up dry areas, such as the cheeks.

Facial Skin: Acne
Treat chronic breakouts with one product to unclog pores and another to zap the bacteria that cause acne.
1. Wash your face morning and night with an acne-specific formula containing up to 2 percent salicylic acid, to keep pores clear and reduce redness. Wait a few minutes for skin to dry completely, then follow with an allover salicylic acid treatment once a day.
2. Moisturize in the morning with an oil-free SPF 30 lotion labeled “noncomedogenic” (keep in mind that some acne treatments increase sun sensitivity).

3. At night, dab on a pimple treatment containing no more than 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide, which reduces acne-causing bacteria. For major zits, reapply in the morning—but don’t put it on more than twice a day or the skin can crust, which can leave a red spot.

4. Avoid grainy scrubs and other abrasive products—they can rupture pimples, prolonging their life span and sometimes leading to infection. Instead, once a week apply a mask containing zit-shrinking sulfur.

5. Consider switching to a mineral foundationformula, which won’t clog pores.

6. For persistent acne, a prescription retinoid, such as Retin-A, helps prevent blocked pores—but doctors warn it can exacerbate the redness of existing pimples, so avoid slathering it over full-blown ones.

Facial Skin: Sensitive
Many women think their skin is sensitive, but truly touchy skin experiences frequent itching, redness, and mild burning. These steps will calm things down.
1. Look for the words “fragrance free” on the bottle: Some products labeled “unscented” may still contain a masking fragrance, which can aggravate sensitive skin. And avoid products with long ingredient lists—they have more potential to irritate skin.

2. Before putting a new product on your face, test it on a discreet section of your neck for three days to see if a reaction occurs.

3. In the morning, wash with a creamy cleanser and apply a moisturizer designed for sensitive skin. Make sure your daily sunscreen has either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which are less likely to cause a reaction than other chemical sunscreens.

4. There are retinoid anti-aging treatments designed for sensitive skin, but if even those irritate you, try a treatment with kinetin or the peptide Matrixyl, which are gentler, instead. If you notice redness or flaking, try diluting the treatment with moisturizer.

5. Calm red or inflamed skin with a 1 percent hydrocortisone cream twice a day—or try a redness-reducing moisturizer with feverfew or licochalcone. If the problem persists after two weeks, see a doctor.


its actually taken from allure magazine but credits go to lifestyle.msn.com

[ElleLesley]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone And I've heard great things about Nuxe products but they don't seem to sell it anywhere near me (wonders of small towns), though I'll might just buy some online.

[ParadEyes]

thankyou dulcisima

[Dulcisima]

Originally Posted by ParadEyes

thankyou dulcisima

ParadEyes, i found something the other day its like lightening/whitening pills i think, will pm you with it..and its FDA approved..i cant remember the name its saved on my favorites , will check it and get back to you.

On another note, i've noticed a dramatic change in my skin when i started to drink alot of juice and water...and when i get more sleep! i slept like 10 hours before yesterday and everybody kept asking me what i had on my face lol...today i barely slept 4 hours and people are asking me if i am sick lol

[Escale Cherie II]

My skin isn't flawless, but it's much better now than it was earlier in September.

Wash in morning and evening: Desert Essence Thoroughly Cleaning Face Wash with Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi
Moisture in morning and evening: Thayer's Alcohol Free Cucumber Witch Hazel Toner
Morning after wash and moisture: this prescription lotion distributed by Greenstone LLC called Clindamycin Phosphate Topical Lotion 1%
Evening after wash and moisture: Ortho Neutrogena Retin-A Micro pump (gel)

The last two with long names are prescription my dermatologist gave me. In the morning I put Vaseline lightly on my chin and the area above my lips and below my nose,. One of the products can be drying and I have the most sensitive skin there.

[emailme.]

how do you get rid of blotchiness and redness?

[michyed]

^That's a mystery I'm still trying to solve... I'm on a Glycolic Acid treatment right now but I have to wait another week to see if it really works. I'll let you know then!

[[vogue]]

emailme: don't know about you, but when my skin gets red and blotchy, i like using decleor's hydrating mask which really hydrates it and calms it down. Fantastic! SkinCeuticals' Phyto+ Gel and Phyto Corrective Gel are fabulous too! You just layer under your normal moisturizer.

[ParadEyes]

Originally Posted by Dulcisima

ParadEyes, i found something the other day its like lightening/whitening pills i think, will pm you with it..and its FDA approved..i cant remember the name its saved on my favorites , will check it and get back to you.

On another note, i've noticed a dramatic change in my skin when i started to drink alot of juice and water...and when i get more sleep! i slept like 10 hours before yesterday and everybody kept asking me what i had on my face lol...today i barely slept 4 hours and people are asking me if i am sick lol

oh honey thanks a lot I'm waiting for your pm.

and definitely sleep makes a huge difference..makes you look fresh ! I have serious insomnia isssues and I hate the idea of taking sleeping pills..

btw, what juices do you drink lately?

[rlynne]

i was wondering what people's experiences were with the biotherm aqua source exfoliant? i was thinking of purchasing it, but i thought i'd wait until i had some peoples opinions on it first... thanks in advance

[hotbeautyhealth]

Dulcisima, those are some great tips. I drink plenty of water and rarely drink beverages. Maybe coffee if I need a quick wake up jump. I also put a sulfur mask on once a week .

[MorganaLestrange]

does anyone have tips on how to make the skin on your body smooth and flawless? i noticed that i tend to get black/whiteheads on my chest and back, which become more if i moisturize the skin. then on the other hand if i don't moisturize my skin tends to get quite dry :/

[StarsInHerEyes]

How to Get Great Skin at 20, 30, 40

What to use and what to avoid, plus entirely new pro secrets, none of which involve sticking a needle in your face!

October 1, 2009 by Shaun

A woman shouldn’t need a degree in molecular chemistry to browse the skin-care aisle, but between the retinol, the peptides and the hyaluronic acid, you can get pretty overwhelmed. “Patients are amazed to learn they need only a few products to keep skin looking pretty, clear and unlined,” says Ellen Marmur, M.D., chief of dermatologic and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. She and other top skin pros make those picks for you, and share their best tips, in our decade-by-decade guide to age-proof skin.

How to get great skin in your 20s

Right now your skin is:
Pretty darn lovely, lucky girl! “Women in their twenties have envy-provoking skin—firm, smooth and radiant,” says NYC dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D. If any teeny-tiny lines seem to be emerging, you have to get really close to a mirror to see them. Breakouts are an issue mostly from your period, stress or the Pill, typically on the lower half of your face. You may also notice puffiness—especially around the eyes—from staying out late, noshing on salty bar and fast food and having a few too many cocktails. But, hey, you’re living life.

Biggest skin agers to avoid:
The sun. Yeah, we know you know that wearing a broad-spectrum, UVA- and UVB-blocking SPF 365 days a year is a must. But every single one of our experts implored us to remind you anyway. The younger you make it a habit, the better. “I always tell my twentysomething patients to think of what they’ll save not having to reverse sun damage in the future,” says Dr. Marmur, author of Simple Skin Beauty. “It’s like $100 in the bank every time you apply sunscreen.”

Smoking and boozing. “When you smoke, blood vessels constrict, which means your skin is not getting a flow of blood and oxygen the way it should be,” says Dr. Fusco. “Smoking also accelerates the breakdown of collagen, so skin loses elasticity.” Alcohol is not your friend, either. “It’s incredibly dehydrating and makes skin look dryish and dull,” say aesthetician Sharo-n Ronen, owner of Skin Haven Spa Studio in Los Angeles, where she sees her fair share of party girls the morning after. (Think about it: You know how cotton-mouth-y you feel following a night of one too many? Skin cells get similarly parched.) Plus, alcohol triggers a tsunami of stress in your body, causing inflammation that results in redness and swelling. Over time, excessive drinking can lead to premature wrinkling.

Proven ways to look even better:
Ditch the zits. Use a cleanser with 2% glycolic or salicylic acid. If your skin’s very oily, reach for one with benzoyl peroxide. Just don’t go overboard. “A lot of young women think that if a little benzoyl peroxide is good, more is even better,” says Dr. Fusco. “But applying a cleanser and a spot treatment that have it can dry out and sensitize your skin.” One new option Dr. Marmur is loving is Epiduo, a prescription gel that attacks the causes of acne—skin inflammation and clogged pores. “It works in a way that’s safe even for sensitive skin,” she says.

Combat puffiness. Back away from processed foods, which tend to be loaded with sodium, and the salt shaker. When you need emergency morning help, try an under-eye treatment with caffeine; tap for a minute or two to increase circulation.

Start anti-aging now! No need to go nuts; just apply a daily moisturizer with glycolic acid—it’s light but helps smooth any little lines. And do a weekly scrub: Skin cells refresh themselves fast now, but this speeds up the process and the glow. (Optional: eye cream.) “In your twenties, you have this mentality that skin will take care of itself,” says Jillian Wright, owner of NYC’s Jillian Wright Clinical Skin Spa. “But you will avoid a ton of problems down the line if you start treating skin with the same care you do your body.”

Source: Glamour.com

About to post 30s!

[StarsInHerEyes]

How to get great skin in your 30s

Right now your skin is:
Less prone to breakouts (yay!). Hormone levels have balanced out, and skin is not too oily or dry but just right—and radiant. You may start seeing fine lines, especially around what pros call the areas of “dramatic expression” (a.k.a. your eyes and mouth). And if you spent your teenage years baking in the sun, you might notice small brown spots. Dark under-eye circles can also emerge as skin pigment becomes darker (largely a genetic thing) and under-eye skin thins, so blood vessels show through. These minor issues aside, Dr. Marmur says, “a lot of women really hit their beauty stride during this decade.”

Biggest skin agers to avoid:
Tanning and smoking. If you are still lying out or lighting up—the two biggest agers on the planet—see the “In Your 20s” section and mend your ways before your skin shows major damage.

Downing the wrong foods. Granted, eating right is important no matter what your age, but the breakneck pace of this decade (work, relationship, friends, kids!) can make it particularly hard to have a healthy diet. Some motivation: “In your thirties it can now take about twice as long—40 days versus 20—for your body to turn over cells on the skin’s surface and replace them with fresh ones,” says Beverly Hills-based dermatologist Debra Luftman, M.D., coauthor of The Beauty Prescription. “Foods that have saturated fats and trans fats can hinder that process.”

Ack—stress! One multi-university study of chronically frazzled women whose median age was 30 found that stress causes the genes inside cells to diminish, speeding up your body’s deterioration.

Proven ways to look even better:
Use line-fighting products. Every morning, smear on moisturizer with antioxidants C or A, which help lighten spots and protect skin from sun and pollution. At night, wash with a cleanser billed as “gentle,” then smooth lines with products that contain retinols or peptides. Add an eye cream to your regimen; pros like rich ones (the moisture makes lines less pronounced) that contain caffeine, which has a lightening effect. A tip from celeb facialist Gabriela Perez of L.A.’s Chez Gabriela: “Apply eye cream from the outside of your eye in. Dragging it out from the inner corner of your eye, where skin is most delicate, can create more lines.” Once a week, use a scrub with small beads (they won’t irritate); exfoliating brightens skin and clears away old cells, so treatment creams sink in.

Eat antioxidants too. It sounds a little “yeah, right,” even to doctors. “But I can’t tell you how many women have come in with pimply, rash-y, tired skin. After they change their diets to healthier options, in a few weeks they look like they’ve had a peel or something!” says Dr. Marmur. Excellent choices: antioxidant-rich foods such as berries, artichokes and walnuts; studies link them to less-wrinkle-prone skin.

Hit the gym regularly. Experts are unanimous on this one: Exercise is one of the best stress busters (and thus wrinkle preventers) out there.

Source: Glamour.com

Just the 40s now!