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Chapter 2

Skincare Facts Everyone Needs to Know

Why You Might Not Have Your Best Skin Yet

There are many reasons you may not have the skin you want: sun damage, genetics, skin disorders, aging, hormone loss, health issues, pollution, skincare products that contain irritating ingredients, and on and on. To one degree or another, all of these factors are responsible for free-radical damage, a complex and continual process of molecular deterioration that occurs both inside and outside the body, often accompanied and/or caused by inflammation.

In addition to the free-radical damage and inflammation occurring internally in your body causing aging and disease, the same sort of progressive deterioration is occurring on and within your skin. Over time, this ongoing process creates and re-creates inflammation, which slowly decreases skin’s ability to keep itself young, healthy, even-toned, firm, and breakout-free. Inflammation can also trigger excess oil production and keep skin from looking smooth. No matter how you look at it, inflammation is just bad news!

Although all the factors mentioned above play havoc with your body and skin due to the inflammation they trigger, what you put on your skin can have the same effect, and often plays a significant role in what is going wrong. Skincare products can cause irritation, which in turn produces inflammation, resulting in problems—problems that you’ll try to fix with skincare products and cosmetic corrective procedures. [1]

Understanding what your skin needs for your skin type and skin concerns is vital, but it’s equally important to know what your skin doesn’t need. That’s critical because the very skincare products you are using may, in fact, be exacerbating the problems you’re trying to fix.

Given our cumulative years of looking at skincare formulations, it still shocks us that many of the products people buy to treat a specific skin condition actually make it worse. For example, products you’ve purchased claiming to control oily skin often contain ingredients that make the skin even more oily. Products claiming to be oil-free often contain ingredients that nonetheless make the skin feel greasy. Products claiming they won’t cause breakouts may contain pore-clogging, emollient ingredients that don’t sound like they would be a problem because we don’t recognize the names on the ingredient label. Countless skincare products contain irritating ingredients that further damage your skin with each use. Those are the sorts of things we address in this chapter.

Irritation Is Your Skin’s Worst Enemy

We cannot stress this enough: Irritation and inflammation are bad for skin—really, really bad! Daily assaults from unprotected sun exposure, splashing the face with hot water, and applying skincare products that contain irritating ingredients have a harsh and inflammatory effect. These types of attacks reduce the skin’s ability to heal, break down the skin’s chief support substances (collagen and elastin), weaken skin’s outer protective layer, and can cause many other complications. [2,3]

For those with oily skin, it’s especially important to know that irritation triggers the nerve endings in the pore that, in turn, trigger the production of androgens, hormones that increase oil production and make pores bigger! [3,4] That is not good for any skin type!

It turns out that much of what we know about skin aging, wrinkles, brown spots, skin healing, and acne has evolved from our increased understanding of skin’s inflammatory reaction to sun exposure (UV radiation), pollution, cigarette smoke, and even irritation from skincare products. These all trigger an inflammatory process that leads to cumulative damage within skin, resulting in the deterioration of collagen and elastin, depletion of disease-fighting cells, and out-of-control free-radical damage. [5,6,7]

Skin’s Silent Killer

It would probably be easier for those who smoke cigarettes to stop smoking if the damage it was causing on the inside showed itself instantly on the outside. Regrettably, that isn’t the case; as we now know, it can take years for the damage to show up. Interestingly, the same can be said for skin damage.

People often assume their skincare products aren’t hurting their skin because they don’t feel or see any negative reactions. BUT, although we may not see or feel anything, the damage is taking place beneath the surface of the skin, from things we apply to it or do to it; eventually (perhaps years from now), it will show up on the surface, and it won’t be pretty. [2]

You can get a clearer idea of how this hidden, underlying damage from irritating skincare routines or from specific products takes place by imagining what happens to the skin in reaction to unprotected sun exposure. The sun is a major cause of free-radical damage and inflammation. These effects cause brown spots, wrinkling, skin cancer, and other degenerative issues. Yet, other than the (hopefully) rare occasion when you get sunburned, you don’t feel or even see the damage done to your skin from the sun, until—you guessed it—years later. Even more shocking is that the most damaging rays of the sun can penetrate windows—now that really is a silent killer! [8,9]

Fragrance: Smells Like Trouble for Your Skin

We are all attracted to a pleasing fragrance. In fact, the first thing most people do when considering just about any skincare product is smell it. As nice as it is to have a product with a wonderful aroma, it just doesn’t make sense for good skincare. Whether the fragrance in the product is from a plant or a synthetic source, with very few exceptions what pleases your nose is a problem for your skin.

The way most fragrance ingredients impart scent is through a volatile reaction, which on your skin causes irritation and at least some inflammation. Research has established that fragrant ingredients in skincare products are among the most common cause of sensitizing and allergic reactions.

That means that daily use of products that contain a high amount of fragrance, whether the fragrant ingredients are synthetic or natural, will lead to chronic irritation that can damage healthy collagen production, lead to or worsen dryness, and impair your skin’s ability to heal. Fragrance-free is the best way to go for all skin types. [5,6,10,11,12]

Unfortunately, your nose cannot determine from the smell of a product whether or not it contains irritating fragrant ingredients. Many beneficial skincare ingredients (antioxidants, for example) have a natural fragrance, and some even smell great! However, distinguishing between the potent antioxidants that actually reduce inflammation and the ingredients that are added to make you “shop with your nose” and that can cause irritation, isn’t easy.

Like anything in skincare, the basic information is on the ingredient label, but because those ingredients read like a college chemistry course, they are a challenge to decipher, especially if fragrant plant oils are listed only by their Latin names in place of the more obvious “fragrance.”

Everyone Has Sensitive Skin

Most of us, to one degree or another, have sensitive skin; that is, our skin reacts negatively to the environment and can react negatively to what we put on it. Regardless of your skin type or concerns, irritation inflames the skin, and that’s always damaging, regardless of what the source of the irritation happens to be and whether or not you see a reaction on the surface. [2,5,7] Lots of things irritate our skin; some we can avoid and some we can’t, but we can mitigate much of it by using great skincare products and being smart about avoiding sun damage.

No matter how you think your skin reacts to different aspects of the environment and to the products you use, we are all sensitive to irritation and inflammation, and the resulting damage.

As mentioned above, whether you know it or not, you have sensitive skin. If you are going to take the best possible care of your skin, it’s essential you take the same precautions that someone with more obviously sensitive skin takes: Regardless of your skin type, treat your skin as gently as you possibly can. Whether you think of your facial skin as normal, oily, dry, or acne-prone, you still need to be gentle and avoid things that cause irritation as much as possible. Doing so is a key step to getting and keeping the skin you want!

You Have to Be Gentle

Everyone’s skin will react negatively to irritating skincare ingredients. So, for the overall health of your skin (and because irritation is so terrible for skin), anything you can do to treat yours gently is a very good thing. We mention this many times throughout this book, not to be repetitive, but so it really sinks in—being gentle is truly that important!

Always keep in mind that treating skin gently and using well-formulated, non-irritating skincare products encourages normal collagen production, helps maintain a smooth and radiant surface, helps the skin better protect itself from environmental damage, prevents or reduces excess oil production, and makes enlarged pores smaller. The chapters that follow explain exactly how that works for each skin type and skin concern. In the meantime, we guarantee you will see potentially dramatic improvements to your skin simply by avoiding irritating products and learning to be gentle.

Rules for Skincare Success

One of the most important ways to achieve the best skin of your life is to follow the fundamental rules of great skincare.

Be consistent. For best results, a great skincare routine should be carried out regularly. Some products you’ll use once or twice daily, others every other day, or once a week, but consistency is the key. It’s also important to use products in the right order. For example, sunscreen should be the last skincare product you apply before makeup so as not to dilute it with other skincare products; we explain this more in Chapter 6, Sun Damage and Sunscreen Questions Answered.

Don’t expect instant results. Although there are products that can have dramatic, overnight results, they are the exception; it takes time for most products to really make a difference. Even more important, continued use is necessary to maintain the results. For example, products for skin discolorations take at least three to six weeks to begin showing results assuming, of course, that the product is well-formulated and that you’re using a sunscreen every day. Because sunscreen protects skin every day and prevents damage, you won’t see a dramatic difference in skin discolorations if you don’t apply it daily. Many skincare products are about long-terms benefits and preventing what would happen if you didn’t use the products.

Your skin must be “fed” daily. As you age, and mostly because of sun damage, your skin can’t naturally replenish the substances it needs to be healthy. Great skincare products give those substances back to skin, but they get used up quickly and must be replenished on a constant, daily basis. Don’t cheat your skin by not giving it the ingredients it needs to maintain a beautiful, healthy appearance, now and years from now.

Skin doesn’t repair itself only at night. We hear this repeatedly—“that skin repairs itself only at night”—we discuss it here because it is sheer nonsense! All of our skincare woes are happening all day long, whether from the environment, sunlight, aging, health, or endlessly fluctuating hormones. Skin needs help, day and night, to repair and soothe this damage for it to be healthy and to prevent more damage from taking place. Your skin needs brilliantly formulated products day and night, with the only difference being that for daytime one of those products must be a well-formulated sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.

One product can’t do it all. All skin types (especially if you have multiple concerns) require a variety of products to give you the best skin of your life. Aside from the basics (such as a cleanser, toner, exfoliant, sunscreen, and moisturizer), if you have breakouts, rosacea, very dry skin, extremely sun-damaged skin, combination skin, skin discolorations, or other concerns, you will need to address those with treatment products designed for that specific problem.

Don’t skip using a leave-on exfoliant. We explain this more in Chapter 4, Which Skincare Products You Need and Which Ones to Avoid, but the gist of it is that the benefit to your skin can be astounding. A leave-on exfoliant is one of the few products that can produce dramatic results overnight, and every night of your life, for that matter. Helping skin shed the excess buildup of accumulated skin cells, caused mostly from sun damage or having oily/combination or breakout-prone skin, can make all the difference in the world. It isn’t a cure; think of it as maintenance that you perform consistently to take excellent care of your skin.

Do consider a retinol product. There are so many reasons to apply a well-formulated retinol product it’s hard to know where to begin. We discuss how retinol relates to specific skin types and concerns in subsequent chapters, but for now, just know that this cell-communicating ingredient helps all skin types generate healthy cells, unclog pores, smooth skin, and reduce wrinkles and breakouts. If there were a single, “miracle” ingredient in skincare, this would be at or near the top of the list. Just to be clear, retinol is not the only ingredient skin needs, but it is one of those ingredients with special properties that work for everyone, and the results can be fairly immediate.

Pay attention when your skin changes. There are all sorts of things that can cause your skin to change seemingly overnight. Many women know what can happen to their skin when they get their period. For others they experience skin changes during perimenopause or menopause. For both genders, seasonal weather shifts, traveling to a different climate, and extreme stress can all change what is happening to your skin. Given that your skin is changing, you may need to adapt your skincare routine accordingly. For example, even though you may never have had a breakout growing up or experienced oily skin, random hormonal changes between the ages of 30 and 60 can change all that and you’ll need to consider different skincare products—even if your skin is also showing signs of aging.

Everyone needs the same basic ingredients to obtain healthy, younger, smoother, and breakout-free skin. We can’t stress this enough. As we explain in Chapter 3, Skin Type vs. Skin Concern, all skin types—and we mean ALL skin types—need the same vitally important skincare ingredients, which include antioxidants, skin-repairing ingredients (sometimes called barrier-repair ingredients or skin-identical ingredients), and cell-communicating ingredients. Each of these is mandatory, and we mean imperative, if you are to obtain the best skin of your life, and that goes for everyone on the face of the earth.

Knowing how to balance the needs of your skin type with the needs of your skin concerns is how you create the best skincare routine possible. Identifying skin type is the first part of putting together a great skincare routine because your skin type determines the kinds of product textures you should be using for your core skincare routine. Cleanser, toner, exfoliant, moisturizer, and sunscreen are the core skincare products everyone needs with the basic ingredients we mentioned above, but depending on your skin type they will have different textures (which we explain in the next rule).

Once you understand that aspect of skincare, the next step is to determine what skin concerns you have, which can be one or a combination of problems such as skin discolorations, breakouts, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, very dry skin, very oily skin, acne, blackheads, sun damage, and so on. These concerns will determine what additional treatment products you may need. Balancing the core products you need for your skin type with the treatment products you need for your skin concerns are the pieces of the puzzle whose answers will enable you to create the best skincare routine for you.

Product texture is everything. Now that you know everyone needs the same fundamental, crucial ingredients for their skin (antioxidants, skin-re-pairing ingredients, and cell-communicating ingredients) the next step is to understand how skin type determines the texture of the products you need to deliver those ingredients to your skin.

In short, as mentioned above, the texture of a product is determined by your skin type. That means if you have normal to dry skin, you should generally be using lotion- to cream-textured products. If you have very dry skin, you should be using very emollient, richly textured products. If you have normal to oily/combination skin, you should be using only gels, liquids, lightweight serums, or thin-textured lotions. If you have very oily skin all over, liquids and gels will probably feel the best. The same vital ingredients should be present, but the products should have different textures based on skin type.

Treatment products that address your skin concerns should have lighter-weight textures because they are inserted into your core skincare routine.

Layering products can make all the difference. It is possible to maintain and achieve great skin with a relatively simple skincare routine, but that’s true only if you have few or no skincare problems or concerns. If you are not one of those lucky few, than layering skincare products can make all the difference in the world. We describe layering more in Chapter 3, but for now just be aware that specialty treatment products for advanced sun damage, oily areas, rosacea, extremely dry skin, breakout-prone skin, blackheads, and many other problems will require a more advanced skincare routine.

Diet plays a role. It’s hard to have the best skin of your life without paying attention to your diet. Ample research shows how an unhealthy diet loaded with sugars, processed foods, saturated animal fats, and too much alcohol are all pro-aging for your body and for your skin. A poor diet can even make acne-prone skin worse, because so many foods that aren’t good for us cause inflammation. When it comes to skin aging, the damage may not show up when you’re young, but the calamity for skin is certain if you keep eating an unhealthy diet—in the long run your skin will pay for it. On the other hand, a diet rich in antioxidants, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, whole grains, and many other healthy food groups, can be anti-aging and anti-acne. Without question your skin, heart, and your entire body will thank you for it.

Sunscreen. By the end of this book you will surely be tired of hearing this, but nothing is as vital as sun protection. Despite the abundant research showing how damaging unprotected sun exposure is and how tanning causes irreparable harm to skin, less than 20% of the population wears sunscreen on a regular basis (which just causes our jaws to hit the floor). That’s why we keep repeating this: Sunscreen is a cornerstone of getting the best skin of your life now and forever!