“I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep. … What do you want — an adorable pancreas?” — Jean Kerr, American author and playwright

Determine your skin care type.  Do you have; oily, combination/ normal, sensitive, dry, aging or sun-damaged skin?

Skin test: suggested by Rona Berg, in her book “Beauty the New Basics,”: Wash your face, pat it dry then take a couple of pieces of rice paper or lens-cleaning tissue paper and press it onto different spots of your face. If you have oily skin then the paper will stick, pick up oily spots and become transparent.  If it doesn’t stick or pick up oily spots then you have dry skin.  About 70% of women have combination skin and you can determine if you have this skin type if the tissue sticks only to your T-zone.

Type 1: Oily skin is often shiny with enlarged pores, making it prone to blackheads.

Type 2: Combination/ normal skin types have medium sized pores, may have some dryness in the cheek while oily in the T-zone.

Type 3: Sensitive skin has small pores and delicate skin that flushes easily and may be prone to becoming rashy with allergic reaction.

Type 4: Dry skin can feel tight after cleaning.  Fine wrinkles, flaking and red patches may occur.

Basic steps to take for happy, healthy skin is as easy as: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Cleansing:  Find a cleanser that responds well with your skin type, it doesn’t have to be expensive, a low- mid prized one from the drug store will do.  Avoid bar soaps; they are more likely to dry out your skin.  TIP: If you have dry skin, choose a creamy cleanser.  If you have oily skin, then choose a clear cleanser.  Don’t cleanse too often, you should be good with just washing at night.  Use warm water to loosen dirt from pores.  Use your cleanser and rinse with cool or lukewarm water, never hot.  You should splash your face with water in the morning to remove oily build up from overnight, especially if you moisturized.

Exfoliate:  DON’T SKIP THIS!  Berg states in her book that men tend to look more youthful because they tend to exfoliate daily when they shave.  You can choose what type of exfoliating works best for you; Microdermabrasion, chemical peels and reinoids.
Scrubs remove the top layer of dead skin cells.  You only need to exfoliate with a scrub once a week to keep a year round healthy glow.  TIP: Use scrubs that have tiny grains and are gentle.  Cheap scrubs with big grains can do more harm than good.

Chemical peels can be pricy, but you can try some of the over the counter peels that work over the course of the month.  Try MD Skincare for this.

Retinoids also remove dead skin cells, but their purpose is actually to generate collagen (the structural fiber in the skin).  This is a pricey method but very effective.  Renova and Retin-A are available at beauty stores such as Sephora and Ulta.

Moisturize:  Everyone should moisturize.  Your skin will dictate how much and how often.  If your skin is tight it is dry and needs some moisture.  Moisturizing is especially important in the Fall and Winter months and in drier climates.  TIP: Don’t over moisturize, you can clog pores this way.

Use Sunscreen: This will help keep wrinkles at bay.  Start in your youth so as not to allow sun damage.  A good way to get your sunscreen is in a daytime moisturizer that you can apply before your make-up (you should use a different one at night).  Or you can use make-up with UV protection in it.

Trust me on this; your face will thank you for it!