Goodskin Dermatology

Ingredients to Look For

How Well Do You Know Your Skin Care Products?

The simplest, least invasive, most conservative method of improving the look and feel of your skin can be achieved through the simple application of creams, lotions, gels, and solutions. Your daily use of skin care products is what can often make the biggest difference in your cosmetic improvement. The vast array of skin care products available can:
  • Soften and smooth the skin
  • Brighten and add translucence
  • Even out irregular pigmentation
  • Soften a leathery, time-worn appearance
  • Decrease pore size
  • Prevent sun damage
  • Reverse sun damage
  • Reduce finer wrinkles
With so many products out there, how can you know which ones will give you the results you want? The first step to choosing the right skin care is understanding the basic ingredients involved and what they do for your skin.
 

Sunscreens

With so many cases of skin cancer in the world today, sun protection is becoming increasingly important. Aside from cancer, sun damage actually causes the majority of skin deterioration and wrinkles that appear as you age.
 
If you were to ask any dermatologist, most would assure you that sunscreen is possibly the most important product you put on each day. Sunscreen application should be a daily habit, regardless of how much sun exposure you think you will get that day.
 
The days that you forget will add up over the years and show themselves in fine lines, sunspots, and irreversible sun damage.So, which sunscreen should you use? The truth is, even just SPF 15 with an added broad spectrum ingredient can be all you need to avoid skin cancer. This alone will block about 94% of UVB rays to prevent burning. For added protection, apply an SPF 30 sunscreen to prevent accumulating sunspots and unevenness over time. SPF 30 or higher will block closer to 96% of UVB rays.
 
When determining the UVA broad spectrum protection, look for a sunscreen rated with three stars or more.
 

Alphahydroxy Acid (Glycolic Acid, “fruit acid”)

Products containing this ingredient will help your skin feel softer and smoother. It works to improve the texture, brown blotchiness, and translucence of your skin and will start to show the majority of its results after about a year of application.
 
These products will tingle when first applied to the skin, but as your skin adapts, that sensation will go away. Once this happens, it may be time to advance to the next higher concentration of the active ingredient.
 
This ingredient is not suitable for all skin types, as some will experience irritation, dryness, redness, or peeling. If this happens, either switch products or look for a product with a lower concentration of the ingredient.
 

Retinoids (Vitamin A -related Ingredients)

There are a number of Tretinoin and other vitamin-A related prescription-strength products available for use.
 
These products thin the dead outer layer of the skin and stimulate new collagen formation in the dermis to thicken the epidermis layer. While it may take a year or more to appreciate the results, these products work as effective wrinkle treatments.
 

Bleaches

For skin that suffers from dark, blotchy brown patches, look for products that contain a bleach such as hydroquinone, kojic, and azelic acids. These products should only be used temporarily, only a few weeks, as they can be irritating.
 

Vitamins and Antioxidants

Antioxidants such as green tea, ferulic acid, idebenone, polyphenols, and vitamins such as E, C, and A should be helpful skin care aids, but there isn’t much rigorous data on the subject.

In theory, they protect the skin from free radicals produced by ultraviolet light and other environmental toxins. These free radicals react with components of cells such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and cellular membranes.

They cause damage that can lead to skin cancer or aging. The antioxidant is thought to react with the free radicals before they cause damage.Many of these skin care products and ingredients can be irritating.

Too many at once will only give you results of redness, dryness, itching, and swelling, which is why it is best if they are initiated under supervision and then adjusted or changed according to your skin’s response and even seasonal or weather changes.

Here at Goodskin, we are ready to help you determine the best skin care regimen for your personal needs.

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