Washing Your Face.......Keep it Simple!

Keep it simple and soft is my advice.....  Facial cleansers promise mild formulas that won't dry out the skin. Clarisonic brushes offer deep-clean claims but with a lighter touch. At home peels offer mild exfoliation.  I practice what I preach......pick a cleanser that works...wash once a day...at night. Wash GENTLY.....no brushes, no scrubbing, just the softest washcloth you can buy or better yet, use the palms of your hands.. Many people take that squeaky clean feeling as a sign of effectiveness, when actually it is a sign of overdrying or damage. Regardless of the problem....fine lines, acne, dark spots....people just scrub harder. Stop that!!

Most cleansing products have a surfactant, a chemical or natural compound that helps break through the surface tension of the skin. The cleanser absorbs dirt and oil and removes them during rinsing. While removing dirt and oil, the surfactant interacts with the stratum corneum, the skin's outermost layer and protective barrier—and that is where problems begin. Thus, you need to pick the right cleanser, or cleansers, and use them correctly. I use Jan Marini's Bioglycolic Wash about three times a week and the Sonya Dakar Ultraluxe Nourishing Wash the rest of the week......once a day.....at night.....no scrubbing....just my hands and only occasionally a very soft washcloth.

Face washing at night is most important. It removes dirt, grime and pollutants that have gathered on the skin during the day, as well as makeup.  As far as washing in the morning, your skin has just slept on a pillow; it is clean; it doesn't necessarily need to be washed unless your skin is extremely oily.

Many folks, especially teens, prefer cleansers that foam or create suds. They tend to believe foam cleans better, which it doesn't. None of the face washes we sell at Sei Bella Med Spa  foam like the ones you can buy at Target. But you need the right one. Talk to me about your skin when you come in. I can ask you a series of questions, look at the services you are having and know which wash is best for you. None of them are expensive, especially since you use less than the over the counter products and 90% of you are only going to need to wash at night. 

Acne sufferers, as well as those with rosacea are likely to overcleanse, either with harsh products or rough scrubbing. Well, you can't wash pimples off your face and you sure can't wash off the redness of rosacea. That redness with rosacea is caused by superficial, fragile blood vessels. Scrubbing with a gritty wash, scrubbing with a washcloth or using a Clarisonic type brush is absolutely the worst thing you can do. It only makes the redness worse.

So the moral of the story.....save yourself some grief AND money.....let me help you pick the correct cleanser, and show you how to use it.....once a day....at night....gently....simply....