Beauty

I have noticed as of late that my skin is looking rough. I am breaking out like a 13-year-old boy going through puberty. Not only that, but I think my skin is looking dull, uneven, and lifeless. I decided to do some research on good skin care practices. What I found was fascinating! It’s no surprise that my main form of exercise is running. Since I live in Florida, 99% of my runs are outside in the bright sunshine. But what I found is that there is something called ‘runners face’. No joke, this is a real thing! Basically, runners face is common for long-distance runners, like marathon runners, and those that run for long periods of time. Their skin starts to look saggy, they have dark spots from sun damage, and in some cases, they look almost skeletal because their face appears to be sunken in. Now, I do not fall in this category unless you consider my measly 2-mile run to be “long-distance”. But it did get me thinking, should I be adjusting my skincare routine based on my daily routine?

I work out almost every day for a minimum of 20 minutes. As I mentioned, most of my workouts are outside in the sunshine because Florida gives me the opportunity to take advantage of the beautiful weather. I would say my skincare routine was basic. I washed my face almost every night and used a night cream because I happen to have very dry skin. I never used any exfoliator, serums, etc.. and I never washed my face in the morning. I knew right away that I wasn’t doing everything I could to make sure my skin is in the best condition it can be. To be quite honest, I’ve contemplated getting some cosmetic work done (nothing crazy, just your basic botox and fillers) but decided I owed it to myself to really master my skincare and make sure that I have my skin in the best shape I can physically give myself and reevaluate my options at that time. I read several articles from cosmetic lines to dermatologists. Here are some of the biggest things I found in my research:

• Face Wash- I mentioned this earlier but I think one of the biggest things I learned is that you need to was your face every morning and every night. Most of us wash our face at night. It makes sense. We wash the day off of our face, our makeup, etc.. It’s just as important to wash in the morning. When you wash your face at night, you prepare it for the night creams and serums you are going to apply. The serums and creams are working throughout the night so in the morning, you need to wash all the dead skin and oils you produced while you were sleeping off. As far as the type of face wash you should use, I saw mixed reviews. It really depends on your skin type. For example, many articles I read said if your skin can handle it, it could be beneficial to use an exfoliant in the morning and at night whereas if you have sensitive skin, you likely will only use an exfoliant at night because it will irritate your skin too much. I will go further into detail on this when we get to exfoliators but one way to exfoliate is with your face wash. The type of face wash that has those little beads in them is technically an exfoliator. Some people’s skin is too sensitive and you cannot use that type of face wash. For me, my skin is slightly more sensitive but I am able to use an exfoliator face wash in the morning. These are my go to’s:

• Moisturizer – Here is another crucial step in your skincare routine that I was mediocre at. This one also depends largely on your skin type. I mentioned I have dry skin so moisturizing in both the morning and night is important to keep my skin hydrated. They do make specific moisturizers for all skin types so it’s important to do some more research on your particular skin type and to speak to your dermatologist. You want to moisturize after you wash your face. When you wash your face, your pores are open and clean and ready to accept the next step. You want to hydrate your skin when it’s best prepared to absorb it. I use a different moisturizer at night simply because it also helps to prevent signs of aging. It’s extremely important to moisturize if you work out often because sweating and doing workouts outside can dehydrate your skin. Besides moisturizing, water is also crucial. The most important thing with your moisturizer is to make sure it has hyaluronic acid. If it has that in it, you’re golden! Here are the ones I am currently using:

• Sunscreen – The first thing I read in almost every article I read is that you need to put sunscreen on every morning. It doesn’t matter what climate you live in, it needs to be worn everyday. This will protect your skin from any sun damage and gives you a layer of protection from the harsh factors in the air (pollution, harsh winds, etc..). It goes on after your moisturizer but before your makeup. If your makeup has SPF in it (I know Bare Minerals does, for example), you don’t need to wear additional sunscreen. This is the one I purchased (picture below). I recently went to Chicago to visit my family and my mom said that her dermatologist recommended the same one to her. This was listed as a main option in many of the sites I read. This retails at $19.99. The thing I like most about this sun screen is it doesn’t burn when I sweat on my runs and it gets in my eyes.

• Exfoliator – I briefly talked about exfoliators in the ‘face wash’ section. There are 2 main forms of exfoliator, chemical and physical. Physical is when you use an exfoliator brush. They advertise so many different kinds but they all ultimately do the same thing. It’s supposed to deep clean your skin. Most people with sensitive skin generally don’t use a physical exfoliator because it’s too harsh on their skin. A chemical exfoliator does the same thing as a physical exfoliator but instead of physically scrubbing the brush on your face, you put a few drops of the serum on your face and the chemicals break down that dead skin and deep clean your skin. Some people can use a chemical exfoliator in the AM and PM. Others like to use the physical exfoliator in the AM and the chemical exfoliator in the PM. Those, like me, only use a chemical exfoliator at night. It really depends once again on your skin type and what your skin can tolerate. This is also why I use the exfoliator facial scrub in the morning because that is my “physical exfoliator” for the morning. It’s not as harsh as a brush and I feel like I’m getting a deep clean. I love The Ordinary. When I used to get facials, my esthetician said the Ordinary is such an overlooked product but highly recommended by professionals. There’s no “fluff” in their product and quite frankly, the fluff is what makes products expensive. I use the below and it costs $6.80:

Again, I want to reiterate that this is the research I have done and what works best for my skin type. I am not a dermatologist, a doctor, none of the above. If you have a skin condition, sensitive skin, etc.. please consult with your dermatologist. I have been doing this new routine for a few weeks now and I can already see a difference. I feel like my skin has more life and is not as dull. I know it will take some time to get the results I want but I am happy with the results I already see. The most important thing is consistency. You have to be consistent if you want to see results. It can be overwhelming to go over all the products out there and trying to decide if you should pay more or not. I truly believe that a lot of products are more expensive because they put extra “fluff” in it, whether that’s a fragrance, anti-aging products, whatever. Less is more! You do not need to spend an arm and a leg on your skincare products. All of my products, aside from the It Cosmetics night cream, is under $20. I purchased the night cream when it was on sale and I do enjoy it, but I know I could use my E.L.F moisturizer and I would have the same results and that’s a third of the cost. Do your homework and know what products will work best with your skin!