Patients come from all over the country to seek treatment from Dr. Lady Dy of Dy Dermatology Center in Glenview, Illinois. Dr. Dy is an expert in treating and transforming aging skin, and she always knows exactly what treatment(s) her patients need to achieve their best and youngest looking skin. There is, however, one very important thing Dr. Dy wants her patients to know:
The secret to young and healthy skin starts with a good skincare regimen.
Dr. Dy wants to educate her patients on what they can do at home on a daily basis to achieve and maintain their best skin, and it all begins with proper skin preparation from a good regimen.
It’s never too early or too late to start a good skincare regimen.
No matter your age, following a proper routine with the right products is vital for healthy skin. Let’s talk about the basic rules of skincare.
Cleanse well and correctly
Proper facial cleansing helps remove dirt, oil, bacteria, pollutants, viruses, and old (dead) skin cells that build up throughout the day. Washing your face on a daily basis is so important because it removes these impurities and restores your skin.
For those who struggle with acne, proper facial cleansing is even more important. Tiny glands under the skin produce oil called sebum. The sebum travels through the hair follicular channels (pores) and reach the skin’s surface. The microscopic channels are lined with skin cells that are continuously shed so that sebum, dirt and other impurities are expelled from the pores and doesn’t clog the pores. The excessive sebum production, sweat, dirt and dead skin build-up can block those hair follicles that can in turn can cause inflammation (hello pimples!)
By properly washing your face, you are clearing your pores and allowing the topical products to absorb and work most effectively.
Use the right products and tools
Using the right products and tools makes all the difference. To start, be sure you are using the right cleanser for your skin type—oily, dry, normal, or combination.
When it comes to how you wash your face, skip the makeup wipes: they don’t clean your skin well and leave residue behind. Dr. Dy suggests using a Clarisonic facial cleansing brush because it cleans your skin six times better than your hands.
The skin is made up of the three layers, the epidermis, dermis, and fat. The top most layer is the epidermis and has an acid mantle with a pH of 5.5. Washing your face with higher pH cleansers removes that layer of unwanted debris and makes skin more permeable, allowing skincare products to properly penetrate the skin and work their magic.
Follow a daytime and a nighttime routine
In the morning, properly cleanse your face and an antioxidant serum, follow with a moisturizer and a healthy layer of sunscreen, at least 30 SPF or higher.
Your night time routine should be slightly different: properly cleanse again, apply your corrective products, nourish the skin with growth factors and/or peptides, and follow with a moisturizer.
To bring all of these tips together, Dr. Dy offers her seven steps to skin prep, and what role each step plays in cleansing and restoring your skin.
Dr. Dy’s 7 Steps to Skin Prep
- Cleanse to remove surface debris and open pores.
- Exfoliate to facilitate epidermal renewal.
- Apply toner to control sebum and restore pH. (If you have oily skin and use an alkaline cleanser, follow-up with a more acidic toner to bring the pH down, closer to your skin’s natural pH 5.5.)
- Hydrate with moisturizers that contains ceramides, lipids, and hyaluronic acid.
- Protect your skin with antioxidants to help block damage from pollution, oxidative radicals from daily stress and sun damage. (Dr. Dy suggests using mineral based physical sunscreen preferably SPF 50 and serums with vitamin C and E).
- Correct your discolored skin with lightening agents to get a more even tone skin. Use retinoic acid to improve fine lines and shrink pore size.
- Nourish your skin with products containing peptides and growth factors to stimulate new collagen and elastin fibers to lift and firm the skin.
Caring for your skin and implementing a good skincare regimen are fairly simple. Combining products is the tricky part. Product absorption can be limited by the size of the particle, which means that certain molecules may be too large to be absorbed into the skin. In addition, certain products with incorrect pH can be irritating to the skin and can block skin penetration.
So, what’s the lesson here? Improper combination of products can end up being a waste of money and effort, so it should be left to the professionals. Dr. Dy is an expert at customizing skincare regimen for her patients because she carefully selects the right combination of products after closely examining your skin and its needs.
Young and healthy skin begins with a good skincare regimen, so don’t wait to start!
Dr. Lady Dy is one of the most sought after dermatologists in the United States. She has studied all over the world and has worked with the world’s leading experts in skin and hair. Her patients fly from all over North America, Dubai, Norway and Korea to be treated by her in Chicago. To learn more, contact Dy Dermatology Center. Click here to request an appointment or call the dermatology center at (847) 832-1185.