GOAL: THRIVE

How I keep my skin clear and supple

By keeping it clean and moisturized ✨

I used to have really bad acne and inflammation in my teens and 20s that I was embarrassed about. Literally, pizza-face. I tried everything. Then a friend gave me a revelation about skincare, which ultimately led to me winning what I thought would be a lifelong battle against bad skin. Read on for the revelation. I hope it helps you too.

Skin Health Concepts

To get clear, supple, healthy skin, understand these 2 Skin Health Concepts and apply it to your unique skin type:

  1. Cleanliness
  2. Moisturization
  3. (Bonus) Protection - I'll explain in another article.
  4. (Bonus) Stimulation - Another article.

To make sense of the 2 concepts, you first need to understand what exactly your "skin" is.

Your skin is the largest organ of your body. It's elastic. It has lots of pores, oil glands, and hair follicles.

Skin grows in layers, from the innermost layer of your epidermis, pushing outward to the surface. The surface layer of your skin is therefore the oldest and most exposed to the elements. It regularly gets sloughed off by the exposure and natural cell death.

Skin regenerates roughly every 28 to 42 days in healthy adults, with the process slowing significantly with age. For context, babies regenerate every 14 days (2 weeks); teens, 28 days (~1 month); 28-42 for adults (1-1.5 months); and up to 84 days (~3 months) for folks over 50.

Let's start with concept #1: Cleanliness, and how it works to achieve clear skin.

Cleanliness ✨

Cleanliness - keeping your skin free of extra oils, bacteria, and dead skin cells that clog the pores / hair follicles / oil glands and cause issues like inflammation and acne.

You can achieve cleanliness by washing yourself regularly, using cleansers or scrubbing (exfoliating) implements for your face. The goal is to remove bacteria and excess oil.

You can also achieve cleanliness by "exfoliation," or the stripping of the outermost layer of your skin. Exfoliation reveals shiny, younger skin underneath.

But! Take care not to exfoliate too much, or else your skin becomes raw and irritated. That turned out to be my main problem. I was so desperate for clear skin that I was over-exfoliating, which caused my skin to desperately try to repair itself.

Imagine scratching a spot of your skin so much it opens a wound. That's what happens when you over-exfoliate. Note that when you exfoliate, you are also revealing young skin underneath. Young skin is vulnerable to sunlight. That's why products with retinol in it (which exfoliates) recommend wearing sunscreen during the day for protection.

In conclusion...
You want to keep your skin clean through daily washing, possibly with a gentle scrubber, and the occasional chemical exfoliation with acids like retinol. And don't over-exfoliate. Your skin is a living, sensitive organ. Don't clean it like you clean your kitchen sink.

My nightly cleansing routine:

For my face...
- Shiseido's foam cleanser
- Exfoliating cotton pads

In the shower, I put 1 pump of the foam cleanser into my hand then apply it to my whole face, rubbing gently. Then take 1 cotton pad and just rub my whole face with that. It makes my face feel stimulated and clean. Once my face feels clean, I just face the shower to wash the suds off.

For my body...
- Dove bodywash
- Japanese wash towel

In the shower, I add maybe a ketchup packet amount of body wash into the Japanese wash towel, then just rub on my whole body. The towel is very rough, so it takes some getting used to. But this is how I finally defeated the acne on my back and chest.

Let's move on to concept #2, Moisturization.

Moisturization 💧

To get supple, healthy skin, you need to moisturize it. Skin is elastic and naturally oiled, which makes it water-resistant, flexible, and durable. Think of the qualities of leather goods, except alive.

If skin is too dry, it will crack, flake, and become inflamed. Not only do natural oils keep it elastic, it provides a layer of protection from dirt and bacteria.

The healthy state of skin is "hydrated," which is why the most basic level of skincare is to stay hydrated, which aids in moisturization. I have no trouble with hydration. I notice when I feel thirsty and just drink when I feel it. Usually I'm able to finish 4-6 tumblers of water a day.

If you live in a dry or cold climate, be extra mindful of keeping your skin moisturized. I used to live in the tropics, which was hot and humid - keeping moisturized was not an issue. Now I live in a desert, and during the colder months when the air is both dry and cold, my skin is prone to cracking. Same deal with I wash my hands too often. I wash away the natural oils from my hands, thus reducing elasticity and causing the skin around my knuckles and finger joints to crack and bleed.

If your face is prone to oiliness, use water-based moisturizer instead of oil-based moisturizer. You have less chance of clogging your pores that way because water-based moisturizer isn't as thick and viscous. They feel thinner and lighter. Applying it should feel like your face is receiving a refreshing drink of water.

Your body's skin is less delicate than facial skin, so feel free to slather on lotion or body oil on your body parts. Their pores don't clog as frequently as facial pores do.

In conclusion...
Skin needs to be hydrated 100% of the time. So use moisturizers for your face, and lotion for your body when you start to feel them drying up (a good practice in checking in on yourself) - usually when the weather is cold, windy, or you've been washing a lot.

My daily moisturization routine:

For my face...
- Olay "Regenerist"
- Olay "Retinol Complex"
- Aquaphor

After stepping out of the shower and drying for a bit, I can already feel my face starting to feel dry. I add the Olay "Regenerist" face cream to my whole face until I feel the dryness go away. If I start to see pimples appearing, I swap the face cream for the retinol moisturizing cream instead. I make sure to only use retinol on my work-from-home days, so I don't expose young skin to sunlight. I use Aquaphor for my lips nightly after brushing teeth, but have EOS lip balm for daily use when I'm out and about.

For my body...
- EOS body lotion
- Massage oil

I only apply lotion when I feel dry. The massage oil is great for my heels and toes, and for my hands when I need the extra moisturization from washing too much. Massage oil also feels nice on the cuticles.

Cleanliness & Moisturization Conclusion ✨💧

That's it for now. Skin Health Concept #1, Cleanliness, and Skin Health Concept #2, Moisturization.

Apply those 2 concepts to any skin situation:

  • For example, forgetting to change your pillow covers regularly can cause your face skin to break out because bacteria on your pillows infect your pores (cleanliness).
  • Another example. If your lips are often flakey and dry (like mine), you can brush them gently with your toothbrush to remove the dead skin (cleanliness), then apply Aquaphor afterwards (moisturization).

Keep your skin clean and moisturized for happy, radiant skin!

Exercise

SELF-DISCOVERY

  1. What is your "cleanliness" routine?

  2. What is your "moisturization" routine?

  3. Do you think your skin is happy?