5 WAYS TO GET SPRING SKIN

Spring is upon us, the weather is warming up and we are coming out of our Winter hibernation. Now is the time to get your Spring Skin ready!

Here are my top 5 tips on how to get Spring Skin.

1. The inside workings of our body play a major role in what condition our skin is in. Now is a good time to do a little health check and make sure that you are attending to anything that is out of the ordinary. The skin is the largest organ and essentially it is an excretory system. Here are some pointers that will help you get started:

• address any fungal, yeast or bacterial infections, such as thrush.
• if you have recently been on antibiotics, taking a course of acidophilus will help to strengthen our immunity and maintain our acid levels in the body.
• start your exercise regime. Sign up with a personal trainer, or resume your pre-winter routine. Exercise is fantastic for the skin. This is a way to really help toxins to be eliminated from the body. Make sure you rehydrate after exercising and take it easy when you first start up again!
• any medical concerns: now is the time to see your doctor and put your mind at ease.
• see a naturopath, Chinese doctor or herbalist to make sure your body is in harmony and functioning at is optimum
• drink plenty of water - add a little lemon juice to your water to help alkaline the body. This is great at the start of your day
• have an alcohol free month
• enjoy a daily cup of green tea, preferably Matcha Tea - 100% unoxidized.
• make sure you have frequent bowel movements, if not this needs to be addressed with your health care practitioner to find out why and how to get this happening. An easy way is to reduce stodgy foods like fast foods and eat more leafy green vege's, fresh juices and fiber.
• assess your sugar intake. Are you having too much? This is especially important for clients who suffer from acne.

2. Visit your Skin Care Professional for a skin consultation and skin treatment and put together a skincare plan that suits your budget for the months of Spring and Summer. You want your skin to look its best, so take the guess work out of it and seek advice from someone you feel comfortable with and trust. We want results, there is no time to find out what you are using is doing nothing for your skin. This point is well worth your investment.

3. Some home care tips that you can start on now for your skincare are:

• make sure you are cleansing morning and night
• if your cleanser leaves your skin feeling tight - change! This is not a desirable outcome of a cleanser. Over stripping your skin with harsh ingredients will not benefit you at all over time.
• exfoliate at least once a week. Choose between a facial scrub with granules, or an enzyme mask such as the Polish from Osmosis. The enzymes exfoliators are especially fabulous for clients with rosacea/sensitive skins and for those that do not like the scrub exfoliators. By exfoliating the skin you encourage your skin to renew quicker, you allow your products to absorb more efficiently, your make up will sit beautifully on the skin and open pores will appear smaller.
• do a weekly mask if you are not using medical-grade skincare serums. These serums are designed to penetrate deep within in the skin, so doing a weekly mask is not as vital as you receive daily serum nourishment. Do a mask under all circumstances though if your skin feels tight or is flaking from post-treatment side effects. Cosmedix have a good one called Rescue that will help to alleviate any peeling or sensitivity.
• moisturise morning and night, even if you have oily skin, you still need water hydration. This is very common that I see clients who have acne, but their skin is dehydrated because the client thinks all moisturisers will clog their skin. You will need to ask your skincare professional for a suitable lightweight, water dominant moisturizer to prevent dehydration. I find that this also helps with acne conditions better than no moisturiser at all
• wear a non chemical sunscreen daily, prevention is better than cure

4. Ditch products that are not working for your skin

• sometimes do more harm than good by using up what we have even though our skin has become a lot worse since using them. If your products aren't working - seek advise and get on a routine now to get your skin where you want it to be