Top facialist, industry trainer in skincare & medical aesthetics devices. Sonia Norman, owner of Cheltenham Skin & Facials, gives you her top tips for helping keep skin young looking & youthful.
Top Tips For young Skin
SPF
Use SPF 50 or 30 every single day even in winter! One of my hero products is a beautiful natural tinted SPF. It is a factor 30, also giving a touch of colour and coverage, but filters out that ageing UV as people often forget to protect their skin in the winter.
Cleansing Skin
Next tip is thorough cleansing at night. It’s easy NOT to do this, especially late at night when we are tired, and it can feel like a chore. Without proper cleansing, skin cannot breathe, pores can block & skin can appear sluggish and congested. Never use skin wipes, but use a foamy or creamy cleanser, and rinse well with warm water.
Exfoliate
Exfoliate once a week only as a minimum. We like to use AHA’s for these alpha-hydroxy acids or light fruit peels if you have sensitive skin and cheeks prone to redness, or slight red veins never use a scrub.
Moisturise for young skin
A good moisturiser for the face & neck should be twice daily. Try to find ones that contain hyaluronic acid, sounds scary, but it’s really just our own skin’s lubricant. By the time we are 60 we only have 10% of it left.
Skin Serum
Serums that are really great are ones that contain a high percentage of vitamin C, & ingredients like niacinamide vitamin B5 & retinol.
Peptides & growth factors
We also love peptides & growth factors that really help keep skin rejuvenating, & youthful. Epidermal growth factors are very exciting in skincare and can help the skin cells become more efficient at regenerating. They are often called EFGs on the packet.
Facial Massage
A good facial massage will also help your whole skin circulation; you can do this yourself with rose skin oil. I sometimes do this late at night before bed, once make up removed.
Maskne
MASKNE! = Mask & Acne; I have found so many clients coming to me with spots and breakouts and congestion, and during COVID-19 because of wearing of masks–skin cannot breathe. My solution is BLUE & red light LED therapy and the occasional chemical peel; they can be so effective in getting skin clear again. Another wonderful tip is a silk mask as it lets the skin breathe.