The Complete Guide To The Best Skin Care Routines

Skin care routines involve just washing your face, slathering on a moisturizer, and going to bed, right? While skin care routines can be simple, they are slightly more involved than that, and for good reason! 

Finding the “best” skin care routine involves being able to really take a critical look at your skin, so that you can find the right targeted skin care products to help you with your concerns. 

MiamiMD’s functional beauty products are just what you need to help you create your perfect skin care routine, so that you can reveal the best skin possible.

Why Do I Need A Skin Care Routine?

Taking care of your skin isn’t a luxury, it’s a need. Think of taking care of your skin the same way you would take care of any other organ in your body, like your kidneys or your heart — after all, the skin is the body’s largest organ and we only get one. 

However, because of the influx of products and opinions on exactly how to do skin care “right,” there are a nearly endless supply of skin care products on the market. That can be incredibly overwhelming! Often, people get lost in the hype and give up on creating a skin care routine at all because they don’t know where to start. 

The first place to start, for anyone interested in being able to customize their skin care routine to their own, unique skin, is by being able to identify skin type. There are five different skin types:

• Dry – Dry skin is also “tight” skin, but not in a good way. It may also be either flaky or scaly in nature, with nearly invisible pores and a dull or rough complexion. Dry skin is also more prone to developing wrinkles and fine lines, as the skin is much less elastic than other skin types. 
• Oily – Oily skin is often noticeable for its “shine,” which is different from the glow that so many people are going for. Oily skin tends to have more visible pores, and is far more prone than any other skin type to acne and breakouts. 
• Normal – Normal skin is just that… normal! While it may occasionally have blemishes or be either dry or oily, it tends to be radiant with small, barely noticeable pores and an even skin tone.
• Sensitive – Sensitive skin may look like the other skin types, but they are mostly known for being prone to redness and irritation. 
• Combination – Combination skin is skin that shows characteristics of more than one skin type, quite often dry and oily. Often, this happens in the T-zone, your forehead, nose, and chin. 

Once you are able to be able to correctly identify your skin type, you can customize your skin care routine to make sure that you’re taking care of your specific skin.

Remove Your Makeup and Cleanse

Step one of any skin care routine is, and should always be, removing your makeup and cleansing the skin. Whether you are washing your face in the morning or at night, the skin acts as a sponge, soaking up everything around it. 

In the morning, your face will be covered in not only the natural sweat and oil that happens as we sleep, but also all of the chemicals that may be located on your sheets. At night, it has all of that residue from what you’ve encountered during the day (pollutants, etc) as well as makeup, dirt, and debris. 

That’s why cleaning and washing your face is so incredibly important. If left on the face, all of those things can clog pores and stop cellular turnover from happening. With a build up of dead skin on the epidermis (the top layer of the skin), it makes the complexion look dull.

Part of choosing the right cleanser is taking your skin type into account. 

People who have naturally dry skin may want to only use water to cleanse their face in the morning, while those with sensitive skin will want to choose as mild of a cleanser as possible. People with oily skin are advised, more than any of the other skin types, to avoid scrubbing as they cleanse. Hydrating cleansers with no fragrance and minimal ingredients are generally acceptable for all skin types.

No matter what cleanser you choose, always pat your skin dry instead of rubbing it. Rubbing the skin, especially in the under eye area, can actually hasten the formation of fine lines and wrinkles as well as making dark circles more prominent.

Consider Using a Toner

Toners are often written off as part of a skin care routine, mostly because they are still thought of by many people as the stinging, burning liquid that they used to be. However, toners have come an incredibly long way since then, and are incredibly beneficial for many people. New toners are even catered to every different skin type, so even those with sensitive skin may be able to use them without creating too much irritation.

The benefit of toner is that it is one final step toward removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin and helping to prepare the pores to accept more product. When your pores are open, any skin care products that you use (and especially those that are meant to be anti aging) can be even more effective. 

Toner can be applied either with the fingertips or with a cotton pad, just depending on preference. However, you don’t need to completely soak your skin in toner to see the benefits of their use. Use sparingly, and don’t rub too hard if using a cotton pad.

Apply Your Serum or Serums

Now that your skin is clean and your pores are open, it’s time to apply your targeted serum (or serums). 

One of the places that serums tend to target is the eye area. MiamiMD has developed a scientifically-backed product specifically for this: our Intensive Eye Repair Serum. It combines multiple ingredients that have proven abilities to help tackle some of the toughest to target signs of aging and sun damage — crow’s feet and wrinkles. It can also help not only to fight bags under the eyes but also help prevent them in the future, while also firming and toning the area. 

Serums should only go on skin that has been thoroughly cleansed, as they need to be able to get deep into the pores to be at their most effective. All you’ll need is a quarter sized amount of serum applied to the under eye area using your fingertips. You’ll want to use as gentle pressure as possible, and many dermatologists will actually recommend that you use your ring finger so as not to disturb or pull the skin around the eyes.

Serums should be allowed to dry fully on the skin, for at least three to five minutes, before moving on to the final step of your skin care routine. This allows them the ability to absorb fully into the pores. 

Finish With A Moisturizer

The final element in any skin care routine should always be a moisturizer (unless you’re heading out for the day, in which case you should apply sunscreen on top). 

A lack of moisture in the skin is often the trigger for many of the common skin complaints that many women have, like crepey skin or skin that has fine lines and wrinkles. Often, this is caused by damage to the skin’s moisture barrier, which can happen for a variety of different reasons. However, the end result is the same: dry, sensitive skin that can sting or burn when product is applied.

The skin’s moisture barrier is part of the epidermis, or the outside layer of the skin. More specifically, it is a sublayer of the epidermis known as the stratum corneum, which is made out of amino acids, lipids, and skin cells. This barrier not only helps to keep things out of the skin, like pollutants and other toxins, it also helps to keep hydration in. That’s why moisturizers are so important; they help to maintain that barrier.

If you’re looking for a moisturizer to add to your skin care routine that also helps to keep the skin looking youthful, try MiamiMD’s Age-Defying Lift & Firm Cream. Using ingredients like Progeline, Matrixyl 3000, and Argireline, this cream helps to transform loose, saggy skin while rolling back the clock. It’s an amazing end to a skin care routine that will take your skin from dull and tired to youthful and radiant.

In Summary…

Whether you’ve never developed a skin care routine before or you’re interested in revamping your current routine, make sure that you cater your routine so that it’s exactly what you need it to be. Learning more about your specific skin type, and what components should be involved, can help take any routine from drab to fab. 

MiamiMD has all of the products you’ll need to be able to get exactly the skin that you want, and keep your skin looking youthful no matter what your age. 

Sources:

https://www.webmd.com/beauty/whats-your-skin-type#1

https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/skin-pores.htm

https://www.allure.com/story/what-is-moisture-barrier-skin-care