First off, thank you for the question. We see this topic come up often and have also seen it answered several ways.
Skin is the largest organ in our body and not surprisingly, it is complicated. With this in mind, there is not one single answer to this question but rather a number of ways to achieve vibrant looking skin. Here is a short list of four areas you can use to get your skin looking amazing.
#1 hydration
A really easy way to help make your skin glow is as simple as hydrating it. Our skin is over 60% water and it can quickly become dehydrated. Think about it. The double hot, no-foam, vanilla latte that you just drank and any salt in your diet will pull water out of your body. Drinking more water is one way to solve this issue. Next time you are at the drive-thru ask for a venti water or get a Nalgene bottle and sip on it throughout the day. The second part is to put moisturizer on your skin. Use a medical grade, non-comedogenic moisturizer and re-apply it when possible. Between these two steps, we promise you will see almost an instant change to the appearance of your skin!
#2 skin care regimen
You must be on a consistent skin care regimen to make your skin look good. There are no shortcuts here. It must be done every day and needs to be consistent. If not, your skin might look good for a day or two, but we want consistency here, right?
Every morning start with a cleanser that fits your skin type (normal, dry, oily, sensitive, or combo). You can put it on in the shower to make it faster. Next, use a serum that fits your skin concern and one that has antioxidants or anti-inflammatory elements in it. After this, apply a moisturizer or sunscreen with moisturizer in it. Sunscreen is the most important part so don’t skip it!
At night use the same cleanser and, assuming your skin can tolerate it, use a light retinol (please read our article for advice on retinol) or even the serum used in the AM. Follow it with a moisturizer and hit the pillows. If you need to know where to start, take our skin care quiz.
#3 Injectables
As we age so does our skin. The collagen begins to weaken, we lose fat in our face, and the muscles connected to our skin form wrinkles. Neuromodulators are injected into our muscles to disrupt the signals from our brains to make muscles move. Common brand names for this are Botox and Dysport. When injected, this allows for the muscles to relax and soften the look of our skin.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a substance found in all our bodies and is what most injectables are made from. Hyaluronic acid attracts water molecules to it. By holding a bunch of water in one place, it creates the appearance for smoother looking skin and compensates for the loss of fat/volume. Remember, we lose fat and have skin laxity as we age, right? Fillers can help that for 6-24 months or so. Juvederm, Restylane and even the new Versa filler are all common HA based fillers.
#4 lasers and microneedling
To get your skin looking healthy and fresh in a short period of time, lasers are always a good bet. Though they tend to come with a short period of downtime, lasers are good for regenerating new collagen. There are ablative lasers that remove skin tissue which is always a sure bet in getting your skin looking fabulous. CO2 and Erbium are the most common lasers used. Non-ablative lasers such as YAG and the newer Pico modalities cause tissue damage (forcing your skin to regenerate) without the downtime. Though significantly less painful, results are not as dramatic as ablative lasers.
Last are the microneedling systems that use a series of needles pushed into the skin. They work like ablative lasers by creating microscopic holes in your skin. Because of the “injury” that occurred to your skin your body responds by creating new skin cells.
Going from here
This is by no means a complete list of things you can do, but is a great start. A consistent skin care regimen augmented by fillers, lasers, and neuromodulators are an unstoppable combination for amazing looking skin. And don’t forget to drink that water!
To your new glow,
Team Reflect
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