Korean Skin Care Products
Before we discussed products, we should discuss principles.
Healthy skin is good looking skin. Before any products or procedures are considered, a person should consider their attention to their general health. The following elements must be optimized before any kind of topical treatment or product will have a significant effect:
Smoking and alcohol cessation
Good nutrition
A reasonable level of fitness
Consistent sun protection
Skin is living organ and it must be treated as such. The bad news is that this means it has vulnerabilities to all forms of toxins and deficiencies. The good news is that it can restore itself given the proper protection and support.
Skin steps: ( Adapted from the Korean 10 step regimen)
In general, skin needs to be cleansed twice a day. Unbeknownst to most Americans, this is a two step process. First a cleansing oil is applied and tissued away. This is to remove facial oils and products applied the night before.
Secondly, a sudsing cleanser is applied to remove the oil.
Periodically, such as three nights a week, exfoliation should be done. This can be done chemically or mechanically. I prefer the mechanical version using a cream made with grit for this purpose. One should never press hard or provoke irritation. Exfoliation is mean to remove dead skin cells, not the live ones.
At this point, nutrients can be applied in the forms of serums. Evidence based nutrients include vitamin C and hyaluronic acid.
Moisturizer should be applied, even if the skin is oily.
In the day, sunscreen must be applied, even if the weather is cloudy or even if the patient is only sitting in front of a computer screen.
In the night, sunscreen is replaced with a rich moisturizer or for those over 40 a retinoid of some kind, such as retinol or Retin-A. Retin-A is given by prescription and should be preceeded by a visit with a dermatologist. It is also critical that those using Retin-A have a highly reliable form of birth control because it is contraindicated in pregnancy.
Special facial masks are simply methods to deliver and keep products on the skin. They are not essential to a skin care regimen.
My favorite Products:
I tend to prefer Korean products since the quality is higher and the prices better. But there are some US products which I like as well. Each are hyperlinked to Amazon associates account, where you pay the same and I get a commission.
My favorites:
Burt’s Bees Facial cleansing oil
Peach Slices Snail Rescue Purifying Cleanser
St. Ives Radiant Skin Pink lemon and mandarin scrub