SKIN SPRING CLEAN - What does this actually mean to your skin & where can you find the best facial in Grimsby?

Spring is here. Morning dew, sun rays and birds chirping. Spring is a magical time when everything comes to life and blossoms. It is also time for a new skincare regimen. Do you often think: "How do I change my skincare routine?" All your questions will be answered today and point you to the best facial in Grimsby.

Have you noticed any changes

on your skin

after the winter season?

Oftentimes, cold temperatures, wind, central heating or simply dry air at home will cause skin dehydration. I see on many occasions that oily skin flakes due to low hydration levels.

Our skin has (or at least should have) a protective layer called the protective hydrolipid layer, built of water as well as fat (sebum). The main point of a protective layer is protection from external irritants like bacteria, viruses, fungal. Also, it prevents our skin from water loss and works as an occlusive layer.

Skin is our biggest organ, take care of it with one of the beast facial in Grimsby by Aggie Singh

It has many functions, but mainly protects and regulates our body temperature. Skin has several layers; the outermost is the epidermis, where melanin is created, responsible for the colour of our hair and skin.

The second layer is called dermis, which is the layer where our collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid are produced (the most exciting layer).

Collagen and elastin are proteins responsible for skin elasticity and structure. Unfortunately, due to the ageing process, the levels of collagen and elastin degrade, and the main culprit here is the UV light.

Hyaluronic Acid is a molecule from the glycosaminoglycan family and has highly hydrating properties. Its natural consistency is a gel-like structure. The largest amounts of HA can be found in the skin, joints and eyeballs. Sadly everyday we lose about 30% of hyaluronic acid, which leads to skin dehydration and that feeling of skin tightening.

To understand their role in our skin, let's imagine cornflakes with milk that are often consumed for breakfast. Cornflakes are our hyaluronic acid, and milk will play the role of collagen and elastin, which floats around the flakes, our HA. After some time, cornflakes will soak in most of the milk and expand; that is how hyaluronic acid works. One cell of HA is able to shift 1000 times its weight of water. Therefore, drinking 2 litres of water daily is a major practice in skin hydration.

Unfortunately, the epidermis lacks HA; for that reason, it is very important to hydrate the skin from the outer side. The best beauty product design to do just that is a serum based on HA. It will not just hydrate but also fill in those little skin lines and wrinkles.

Occlusion and the importance of

skin protection layer

When applying HA serum, we have to remember to create occlusion, a protective layer. Why? Only because HA likes to deliver moisture from lower skin levels, so to protect from moisture and HA evaporation, it is best to apply a layer of cream on top of serum. Tip to remember: first serum, second cream.

We talked a lot about skin moisture, which is also responsible for many skin conditions, for example, traditional acne and sensitivity. To keep your skin balanced, it is crucial to keep it clean.

Now I would like to take you

for a chemistry lesson

Do you remember the pH scale? The pH scale is used to rank solutions in terms of acidity or alkalinity between 0 and 14. Balanced skin's pH varies from 4.5 to 6, roughly in the middle of the scale. The closer to 0, the more acidic and the closer to 14, the more alkaline (dry).

The most popular spring facial - the professional Chemical Peel is based on acids AHA or BHA. This is when we lower skin pH to give skin a boost through exfoliation.

But what happens when our skin is taken higher than pH 6.0? It then enters an alkaline environment. A good example would be wrong cleansing habits, like using a bar of soap or cleansing gels that are highly alkaline, damaging the protective layer. No matter how good the cream is, if the wrong cleanser is applied, our skin will take longer to bring its natural skin balance.

When selecting a range of cleansers, always go for skin pH-balanced and use toners after morning/evening cleansing.

Make-up removal is a key aspect

Remember, when cleansing skin with micellar water, always end cleansing with toner or clean water. Try not to let the micelles sit on the skin for a prolonged time.

Key roles of micellar water are loosening make-up and clearing up traces of pollution. If micellar water is left on the skin for too long, it will start to "eat up" through the skin's protective layer and cause irritation. The best option is to use two different products to double cleanse, first oil based to clean makeup, and second matched to your skin needs. If only micellar water is used, it is best to cleanse it with a pH-balanced toner.

Also, say big NO to cleansing wipes or makeup-removing wipes. Firstly, they do not take off make-up; they rather smudge dirt all over their face. Secondly, they contain chemicals unsuitable to your skin like alcohol, the main skin irritant, causing dryness, especially with a sensitive, acne rosacea condition.

The next step after cleanse and tone would be serum and cream application.

Take care of your skin during the spring season

Spring is a great time to plan professional cleansing, for example, a chemical peel, which gives your skin a fresh look and glow. With medium-depth peels, always make sure to prepare your skin at least two weeks prior to treatment.

During winter, we protect our skin with thicker occlusive products like Shea butter, but during spring choose lighter moisturisers, half occlusive, half humectant.

Last but not least, and I always stress this to my clients - use UV protection. Broad-spectrum UV filter is a secret to beautiful, fresh-looking skin, but only if used every day all year round. Go for separate SPF30-50 filters as make-up containing UV filters with SPF10-15 will not be enough to protect your skin.

There are a few UV radiation levels:

- UVC, stopped by the ozone layer (as long as we still have it)

- UVB, responsible for skin burning, is stopped by clouds

- UVA reaches the deepest layer all the way through our organs, degrades collagen and elastin. It is strong enough to break through the clouds, a car's windscreen or even our home windows

- UV wavelength used in sunbeds

UV radiation degrades our organs and skin.

It is the main aggressor of cuperouse skin and acne rosacea. When selecting SPF moisturiser, make sure it is broad spectrum, protecting from UVA/UVB and preferably IR.

Once your skincare routine is in place and planned according to your skin needs, it will protect you from skin conditions and diseases, giving you a radiant glow and a fresh look.

Bonus tip:

-double cleanse

-tonic water (pH-balanced)

-serum

-eye cream

-moisturiser (according to skin type)

-SPF every morning

Aggie Singh, cosmetologist in Grimsby