I get a lot of questions about how to achieve a brighter, more radiant complexion. People have often had the sad experience of getting ‘bleached’ or having a spotty appearance from using treatment products with hydroquinone in them. Ingredients like hydroquinone do in fact, lighten the skin, but not overall…and not evenly. And, let’s not forget hydroquinone is toxic and actually banned in more enlightened countries like Sweden.
What to do? Well, the cosmetic industry has evolved well, let’s face it, they’ve reacted to the pressures consumer wallets are putting on them to come up with better, non-toxic ingredients, and have indeed discovered some amazing ingredient substitutes. In clinical tests, promising ingredients that create real, visible results and an overall radiant glow without side effects include: licorice root, arbutin (actually bearberry), songyi mushroom, lemon peel and resveratrol (a powerful grapeseed extract – think red wine for the skin).
But helping these ingredients along with a strong commitment to a daily routine is essential. I highly recommend jump-starting your “bright skin routine” by first having either a microdermabrasion and/or a professional peel procedure performed. This will remove a lot of the top layer of dead and dull skin and refresh your complexion, getting that radiant glow started!
But to keep that glow going, you must follow a diligent day-to-day routine that enables healthy skin functioning, collagen turnover and fabulous even skin tone.
Allow 3 days for your skin to heal from your professional procedure depending on how deep the therapist went in, and how sensitive you are, then start my recommended home regimen:
1. Exfoliate daily with your favorite manual exfoliate (scrub).
2. Use 2-3 drops of a medicinal brightening serum before your moisturizer and after toning. Always looking for a combination of the above ingredients in all your leave-on products.
3. Use 1-2 drops of 100% pure, botanically-based facial oil while moist from toning and using your serum.
4. Apply your moisturizing cream, infused with actives like the above suggested for brightening.
5. 1-2 times per week, use a masque specifically formulated for brightening the skin.
6. I also highly recommended using an at-home facial peel at least 1-3x per week to continue with the removal of dead skin, to purfy pores, continue to ensure collagen production is amplified and that skin is at it’s ultimate in radiance, smoothness and evenness.
It’s pretty simple. Use premium, non-toxic ingredients, in the right combination, with diligent attention, and you can overcome most skin issues and achieve most of your skincare goals.
Speaking of which, check back tomorrow for my tips for oily skin!
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