There is no doubt that glowing skin is, at its core, beautifully hydrated, healthy skin with a reinforced barrier.
The truth is we can all take achievable steps to get skin that has a natural glow by implementing an excellent skincare routine and making a few lifestyle adjustments – it really is possible.
The key to finding that glow is to address the factors that contribute to dullness, which may be preventing radiance from shining through. Dull, unhappy skin is often considered to be dry, rough and dehydrated. It can also have an uneven skin tone and be red and hypersensitive.
Keep reading to discover how to banish these issues once and for all, and to make way for beautiful lit-from-within illumination.
Dry and dehydrated skin
The problem: if your skin is dry, tight and uncomfortable, these are all signs that your complexion is lacking water and other natural moisturising factors.
A dry, compromised barrier is unable to protect your skin from external aggressors (think pollution and irritants) and lacks that supple, youthful glow.
The fix: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Hydration is the cornerstone of glowing skin. You want to be using water-based hydrators such as hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid to help return the water to the skin, as well as the right moisturisers to lock that water in afterwards.
Water-based hydrators such as hyaluronic acid can be used both day and night and need to be applied to damp skin to prevent dehydration. The ingredient also helps to combat dryness and irritation caused by other powerful actives, such as your retinol. Win, win.
Rough skin
The problem: rough skin often looks textured and flaky, rather than healthy and radiant. It can also mean that your skincare ingredients pill on the surface of your skin, rather than absorbing nicely into the epidermis to do their work.
Rough skin is caused by dead and dying skin cells that have built up on the surface. This prevents you from having that smooth, glossy glow.
The fix: gently exfoliate the skin with alpha hydroxy acids such as lactic or mandelic acid. This will help remove the upper layer of dead skin cells and reveal younger, fresher skin underneath. Start off with exfoliating once or twice a week to prevent irritation, and avoid physical scrubs at all costs (they can cause tears in the skin and do more harm than good).
An uneven skin tone
The problem: an uneven skin tone may also look textured, and have patches of pigmentation. This is in direct contrast to glowing, happy skin, which will have an even, uniform appearance.
The fix: consider antioxidants like vitamin C serums your new BFF; these help to brighten areas of pigmentation. Vitamin C increases collagen turnover in the skin, meaning fresher, bouncier complexions all round. Antioxidants also have the added benefit of preventing premature ageing and reversing some of the signs of sun-induced inflammation.
Red, hypersensitive skin
The problem: skin that is red and easily irritated doesn’t glow. Hypersensitive skin may react badly to the sun and strong actives in your skincare routine, and is likely to be blemish-prone.
The fix: stop sensitising your skin; avoid hot showers, scrubs and fragranced skincare, as well as too many strong actives like exfoliants or retinols. Switching instead to fragrance-free, gentler actives that can pack a punch without compromising your barrier is the key here.
The most important thing however is it protect your skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun with a broad spectrum, high sun-protection factor sunscreen.
Remember: great things take time. To achieve a glow you have to be committed to hydrating, gently exfoliating, brightening and protecting. And in time, you will find your dream skin.
What do you want to talk about next? Message me at @dr.fab on Instagram.
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