Improve Pigmentation and Dull Skin
One of the signs of aging is pigmentation and dull skin.
You know, your skin looks lack-lustre.
It feels rough or bumpy to the touch, maybe it appears dry and patchy.
Often there is an uneven skin tone.
Dull skin occurs when skin can no longer reflect light uniformly and leaves skin looking tired and listless.
With age, comes a decline of cell regeneration.
The shedding of skin cells that used to take a month to turnover now remain glued in place for two to three months longer.
This prolonged adhesion can cause a buildup of scaly flaky skin and a compromised barrier, leading to dehydration.
If bacteria is present, breakouts will also be present, even with mature skin.
I know that improving pigmentation and dull skin can be a real challenge, especially as we age. But don't worry, there are steps we can take to keep our skin looking radiant and glowing no matter our age.
Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Aging
First, let's talk about the two types of aging that can impact our skin: intrinsic and extrinsic aging.
Intrinsic aging is the natural process that occurs as we get older. As we age, our skin loses elasticity, becomes thinner, and there's a slowdown of cell renewal, which leads to dull skin, more clogged pores, so less clarity of the skin. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do to prevent intrinsic aging, but we can take steps to minimize its effects.
Extrinsic aging, on the other hand, is largely preventable. This type of aging is caused by external factors, such as sun exposure, smoking, chronic inflammation, and environmental pollution. These factors can damage our skin, leading to uneven pigmentation, those dark spots that show up and we just don't like.
I mean seriously.
Safe and gentle exfoliation is the solve.
The key to preventing hyperpigmentation and dull skin is proper exfoliation. Exfoliation is an essential step in any skincare routine. By removing dead skin cells and impurities, exfoliation helps to reveal fresh, healthy skin and can even out skin tone.
However, it's important to exfoliate properly to avoid damaging your skin. Over-exfoliation or using harsh exfoliants can lead to irritation, inflammation, and even more pigmentation issues. That's why I recommend gentle, yet extremely effective leave-on or chemical exfoliants, because that's what's going to not only remove the surface buildup, but increase cell turnover, leading to a smoother appearance.
This step is crucial if you care about the visible signs of aging. So, what you want are leave-on exfoliants that gently and effectively remove the excess dead skin cell and increase cell turnover. Plus, we're going to use melanin inhibitors to prevent more from coming up.
Product Recommendations
Both Radiance Reveal Exfoliant and Clear Skin Serum have retinoids to increase cell turnover, salicylic acid to help clean out the pores and exfoliate, fruit acids (see below) for gentle exfoliation, lactic acid and glycolic acid which are excellent for hydration and exfoliation, and vitamin C which also helps to support inhibiting melanin production, and we also have soothing and hydrating allantoin and sodium hyaluronic acid.
What makes our exfoliants shine is the gentle, yet extremely effective fruit acids used in our products, which include tartaric, malic and citric acids, which belong to the alpha hydroxy acid family (AHAs).
These water-soluble acids are usually derived from foods or plants. They weaken intercellular bonds between corneocytes, or “cellular glue” that makes dead skin cells stick together. After acids loosen those bonds, dead cells slough off, creating a smooth surface. Skin is prepped to absorb nutrients and beneficial actives.
Exfoliating fruit acids also promote cell turnover, encourage collagen production, smooth lines and wrinkles, improve sun-damaged skin, suppress hyperpigmentation and help blemish-prone skin.
Which one to choose?
Radiance Reveal is excellent for you if you have anywhere from comfortable and on up to dry skin. This can be used regularly, even daily.
If you have oilier or blemished skin, then the Clear Skin Serum is the one you want to choose.
Now, personally I think that many of us could use both.
How to Exfoliate Properly
On clean skin, you want to use a couple of drops of either Clear Skin or Radiance Reveal and smooth it onto your skin, including your neck area and you decollate. And you can gently mix it with moisturizer and use it on the eye area as well. It doesn't matter if you use it in the morning or evening skincare routine.
Real results will start to show in 6-12 weeks.
Sunscreen
Every single day, even if you’re inside, wherever your skin is exposed. Because even if you're really, really good at using your Radiance Reveal or Clear Skin Serum every day or multiple times a week and you don't use sunscreen, those spots are going to come back.
So, they need to be working together.
Physical Exfoliation
I do like a physical scrub and this can be done on the days when you don’t do your Radiance Reveal or your Clear Skin Serum. I highly recommend Jojoba Creme Scrub. These are not rough pieces of exfoliation matter, they are tiny jojoba beads, perfectly spherical, and they will dissolve and not scratch your skin and they rinse away and they don't end up in the oceans as little plastic balls. They are not plastic.
This is a safe and healthy way to exfoliate your skin with a physical scrub, gently and you cause it to wash your face in the morning or in the evening.
Hope this helps! You can reach out to me and ask me how you would work it for your skin type. Because everyone's going to be a little bit different!
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