Have you set any New Year’s resolutions? In these unpredictable times, considering along-game approach might prove tricky, but one area where it’s easy to commit to making positive change is the appearance of your skin, and the way you feel about it.
Admittedly, what to do first can feel overwhelming, and given the number of new products launching each week, even if the intention is there, indecision can hinder progress.
Thinking about your specific goals is a good idea – is it to tackle recurring breakouts? To look less tired? To feel more confident about your skin overall? – as well as taking stock of what you’re currently using. The next step is to consult an expert, armed with the things you’ve narrowed down, who can help you cut through the clutter. Caci Skincare Educator Linda Sharrem says it can be hard knowing where to start. “What works for someone else does not necessarily work for your skin type. That’s what we specialise in, helping customers to navigate the options, keeping it simple with skincare and treatments that really do work.
”Establishing your basic home routine is an important step. “That means cleansing and exfoliating, otherwise any other skincare will just sit on the skin’s surface, as well as day and night cream,”says Sharrem. “This builds strong, healthy skin to work with to produce great results.
”One of the most common mistakes is thinking a serum will offer extensive repairs and is the only skincare you need. “If you have not prepped the skin to start with, by reducing cellular build-upon the skin with cleansing and then hydrating, the serum will not even reach the targeted area – it will just sit on the top and achieve very little,” says Sharrem.
“Of course, it’s also pointless if you have not applied SPF. You want to protect your skin from damage and to preserve the good results gained from your hard-working skincare.”
She says it’s also important to accept that your new habits won’t deliver miracles overnight.
“People often hope one treatment will do the trick.With experience, we know that repairing and maintaining good skin health can take time.You generally need to have a personalised regime and to be consistent at sticking to it fora period of time to produce real results.”
That means maintaining the new approach for at least three months. “A new routine will start to produce results sooner or later depending on what you are wanting to achieve,” says Sharrem. “You’ll see texture changes within six weeks, and deeper damage improving in two to three months. The important thing is to stop chopping and changing too soon. It doesn’t give skin time to do what your routine is trying to achieve and it can be stopping repair mid-cycle.”
That being said, adding regular in-clinic treatments can supercharge the results you’ll see from products alone.
“They can really speed up the process in terms of the improvements you would like to see,” says Sharrem. “Sticking to just a skincare routine at home means you will only be targeting surface layers of the skin. Again, the staff at Caci guide you through deciding what might be beneficial and a membership with ongoing treatments and a payment plan makes it easy to treat your skin in-clinic and at home consistently.
“There’s a range of memberships and they’re personalised just for you, each and every visit. Think of it like a gym membership, but for skin health.”Now that’s a resolution you can enjoy sticking to!
QUICK STEPS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR SKINCARE
Linda Sharrem’s tips to streamline your routine:
• Keep it simple: cleanse, treat, moisturise. Three steps, three products.Four, if you include SPF, and you definitely need the SPF!
• Be more targeted with your skincare routine. Narrow it down so that everything you are using is targeting and working hard to achieve your skin goals, and there’s no doubling up on products that do the same thing.
• You can use one cleanser or one moisturiser morning and evening, rather than two different ones.
• If you have a good base regime, you do not necessarily need to add a mask too. For example, if your moisturiser is hydrating your skin really well, you don’t need a hydrating mask.
Visit caci.co.nz or phone 0800 458458 to book a consultation at your nearest clinic
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