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How To Properly Care For Your Skin

Before you begin with this daily 4-step skincare routine, you'll need to know your skin type. How you care for your skin is largely dependent on the type of skin you have: oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive or sun- damaged.

Determine Your Skin Type

1. Wash your face with a skin cleanser, rinse and pat dry.
2. Wait one hour.
3. After the hour, note whether your skin feels "tight".
4. Press separate pieces of tissue onto the following areas of the face: chin, center of cheeks, outer cheeks, center of forehead, outer forehead and nose.
5. Examine each tissue, looking for oily or flaky skin residue.
6. Interpret the results. Oil on each tissue indicates an oily skin type, while oil on only some tissues (specifically those on the T-zone, which is the center of forehead, nose, chin and center of cheeks) indicates a combination skin type. Flaky skin residue on all tissues - without oily residue - or a tight feeling in the skin indicates a dry skin type. No oil and no flaky residue on any parts of the tissue indicates a normal skin type.

The Basic 4-Step Skincare Regimen

Step 1: Cleansing

Keep it simple. Use a good cleanser that your skin responds to well and stick with it. Be careful not to cleanse too often. Washing at night should do you. While some skincare experts swear you should cleanse skin with creamy cleansers that you wipe off with a tissue, never letting water touch your skin (some hard waters are especially hard on skin), we prefer the water method. In the morning, a splash of lukewarm water is all you need (we find it's great for removing excess oils from your nightly moisturizing). Never wash your face with hot or cold water (both can cause broken capillaries). Also be careful about over cleansing the skin.

Here's the best way to wash your face: Use warm water to loosen dirt and clogged pores. Use a dime-sized bit of cleanser, then rinse with cool or lukewarm water. You'll also want to take off your makeup with a proper makeup remover. My Favorites: Murad Skin Cleansers

Step 2: Exfoliate

Exfoliation is the step most people skip in their skincare routine. If you start properly exfoliating your skin (once a week), you will notice an almost immediate difference. There are several ways to exfoliate skin: Microdermabrasion, chemical peels and retinoids.

Scrubs work by removing the top layer of dead skin cells that tend to dull your complexion. We find exfoliating skin once a week with a microdermabrasion kit keeps skin glowing year-round. Make sure you use a gentle scrub with tiny grains. Big grains in cheap scrubs can tear skin and cause more harm than good.

Chemical peels are said to take off five years from your face, but can be expensive. For an at home solution, you may wan to try some over-the-counter peels that work over the course of a month. MD Skincare is a good brand to consider.

Retinoids, such as Retin-A or the more moisturizing Renova, also work by removing the top layer of dead skin cells while also generating collagen in the skin. "Collagen is the skin's structural fiber," dermatologist Dennis Gross said in O Magazine. "As we get older, it breaks down, creating lines and large pores." Skincare experts disagree on all sorts of things, but most of them consider retinoids to be a miracle skin saver.

Should you use a toner? Some people swear by toners, but many beauty experts do not. Toners are meant to remove all remaining traces of oil, makeup and dirt, but a good cleanser should do this. But, if you like the way your skin feels with a toner. Buy it. Use it. Enjoy it.

Step 3: Moisturize

Almost everyone agrees that one of the basic laws of beauty is that everyone, no matter the skin type, should moisturize. Even if your skin is oily, it will benefit from moisturizing. TThe only exception would be for those people with acne. Moisturizers seal moisture into skin. But how much moisturizer you use is key. When your skin is tight, it's crying out for moisture. Be careful not to overmoisturize -- this can cause clogged pores. See some of the best moisturizers on the market.

Are eye creams necessary? Well maybe. Some beauty experts strongly recommend eye creams. Why? The skin around the eye contains no fatty tissue and is therefore very thin and susceptible to wrinkles. Special eye creams are formulated to 'thicken' this area and keep it sturdy. Yet other experts believe that your daily lotion works around the eyes just as well.

Step 4: Apply Sunscreen

'O' magazine ran an article featuring interviews with several top skin care experts and dermatologists ( see article here ). Every single one of them said sunscreen was the most important part of your skincare regimen. It was the secret they would pass on to their daughters. The number 1 cause of wrinkles is sun damage, so it's important to use sunscreen from your early years on even in winter and on cloudy days. A great trick is to purchase two moisturizers: one for night and one for day that includes UV protection. Don't use moisturizers with sunscreen at night, the ingredients are not meant to be used 27/7 and can aggravate skin. When choosing a sunscreen, make sure it contains Mexoryl (found in my favorite sunscreen La-Roche Posay) or Helioplex, found in Neutrogena products.

Meaningful Beauty Source: 4 Basic Skin Care Needs, Julyne Derrick, About.com