New year, new start for your skin

It’s getting to be that time again when most of us start thinking about the goals we’d like to achieve throughout the upcoming year. If taking better care of your skin and getting the glowing, healthy-looking complexion you’ve always wanted is at the top of your list, take a look at these five excellent New Year’s resolutions for your skin. They will help you knock your beauty goals out of the park in 2018.

Baumann

▪ Get to know your skin. A surprising number of women and men don’t know their skin type and have self-diagnosed their skin type incorrectly. Understanding more about your skin’s unique characteristics will help you to care for your skin much more effectively. Once you know your skin type, you can then choose the right products that will improve your skin concerns without worsening other conditions such as dryness, oiliness, or wrinkles.

 Know when to save and when to splurge. Contrary to popular belief, getting healthy-looking skin doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, you can find most of the skincare products you use on a daily basis, like your cleanser, sunscreen, and moisturizer, at your local drug or department store.

If you are going to splurge on a product, let it be a high-quality vitamin C serum or other antioxidant serum. Since vitamin C can be unstable, you want to make sure you’re using a product that has been formulated properly to stabilize this ingredient and therefore enhance and prolong its effectiveness.

Vitamin C serums also need to be stored and packaged in cool, dry, dark locations and containers to keep them from degrading prematurely. This, of course, can be an added cost for manufacturers, so a good vitamin C serum is going to end up costing the consumer a little more, too.

▪ Buy a new sunscreen. Sunscreen is an essential part of any skincare routine, no matter your skin type. Keep in mind, however, that sunscreen can expire, especially if you leave it sitting in a hot car — attention men, I am talking to you, too! To make sure your sunscreen is as effective at blocking UV rays as you think it is, try to get a new bottle about every six months and store it out of direct sunlight.

▪ Give retinoids a chance. One of the biggest problems dermatologists see when prescribing retinoids is that patients end up giving up on these products due to dryness and flaking. However, you won’t see the benefits of retinoids on your complexion unless you consistently use them for several weeks, so it’s important to stick with your prescribed regimen. If you have particularly sensitive or dry skin, you may need to begin using retinol every other day or even every third day.

▪ Treat yourself to an anti-aging treatment. There are many different types of nonsurgical anti-aging treatments available that can help to improve the look of lines and wrinkles, sun spots, and even loose skin. Wrinkle treatments like botulinum toxin injections and dermal fillers can even fit right into your lunch break and don’t require any downtime.

Ultherapy is a nonsurgical device that uses ultrasound energy to help lift and tighten your skin’s appearance without any downtime. Other effective anti-aging treatment options include microneedling, platelet rich plasma (PRP), and chemical peels.