It is never too early to start making your skin healthy. I read an article by a famous dermatologist who was recommending antioxidants for 10 year olds. Not sure quite about that, but by the time you are in your 20s, you should be on an active regimen to 1. prevent further damage and 2. reverse what you already have. (yes! you already have damage. I did a UV damage test on myself when I was 24. My skin looked really smooth, no blemishes, small pores but oh my! did I have a lot of damage already. Yes. Age 24. And during my medical school and residency studies I never got to go outside. Imagine how much more sun damage you may have.)
So what 5 things to do?
1. SUNSCREEN. Not going to go on and on about this one. You know it is good. SPF 15 or 30. Daily. I don’t care if you aren’t outside a lot. If you live in the Bay Area, you get tons of sun. Sun is one of the most damaging, aging things you can do to your skin. It will make you look old and wrinkly. Block it.
2. DON”T SMOKE. I won’t go on and on about this one either. Smoking damages your skin. It has toxins, it reduces blood flow, it causes little lines around your mouth. The effect of it won’t show for years, but when it does it hits like a brick wall. You can never fully reverse the damage smoking does. So don’t do it. It will make you look old and wrinkly.
3. EXFOLIATE. Cleaning your skin well is a must. It will keep your skin healthier, remove all those bad things in the environment, reduce your pore size, and help your products work better by penetrating more. You can use a chemical exfoliant (like my lovely glycolic acid pads!) or a mechanical one (like the clarisonic).
4. ANTIOXIDANTS. These are products which help repair the damage to your skin. Think of them as little doctors running around your skin fixing the injured cells. Don’t buy over the counter products. They are not the same strength and tend to cost as much. Buy from a MD.
5. VITAMIN A products, like Retin A and retinol. This is still the gold standard for reversing damage in the skin. I have tons of information on the subject. If you don’t tolerate full strength Retin A, retinol is a good alternative. Don’t do over the counter products- they don’t have the same strength medical grade products do. Also, if you are within six months of trying to have a baby, you need to stop these products. They are NOT safe during pregnancy and breast feeding.
