Whether you’re the type of skincare aficionado who has an in-depth 11-step beauty routine or more of a tried and tested, stick to what you know kind of girl, one thing is for sure – getting perfect skin is what we’re all striving for. We all long to have that gorgeous glass-skin, packed with an inner glow that’s like a ring light in real-life and as clear as if we’ve put a filter on it. So what’s the secret to good skin? It’s all about keeping your skin healthy – the healthier the skin, the more youthful, even and fresh it’ll be, naturally. From keeping it simple to slathering on SPF, we asked celebrity skincare expert Dr Michael Prager for his top skincare tips which you can do at home.
1. Shield your skin
Whatever your skincare products, they mean nothing if you don’t consider what’s actually ageing or damaging your skin – UV and the environment. SPF is an obvious way to save your skin from UV light, but did you know that environmental pollutants damage the skin just as much? Pollution can cause premature ageing and dermal-damage, and your priority is to protect your skin, rather than relying on healing and repairing it afterwards. Save yours from the environment with a skin-shielding product, designed to keep out the nasties by forming a protective barrier, like Dr Michael Prager’s Urban Protect Day Moisturiser and Primer.
2. Ease up on the exfoliation
Find yourself exfoliating daily? Stop! It might feel satisfying but you’re removing the dead skin cell layer, your skin’s most reliable protection that filters UV, mechanical and physical aggressors. A few times a week is more than enough, and if you find your skin suffering from milia – those little white spots – it is often a sign that you’re overdoing it.
3. Look at your lifestyle
Lifestyle is the best, and most effective way to support your skincare. The most luxurious, expensive products in the world will be rendered ineffective if you’re not respecting your diet and health too; drink less, sleep more.
4. Clever cleansing is your mantra
It’s not enough to simply swipe a face wipe over your skin before bed and be done with it – your skin needs a thorough, but gentle, clean day and night. A foaming cleanser will remove dirt and pollutants from the skin, allowing the products you use post-cleanse to sink in properly to work their magic. While you’re cleansing, up the ante by massaging the product into skin in circular motions, which increases blood flow and encourages cell turnover. That’s just skin sense.
5. Make friends with an antioxidant
Think of anti-oxidants as your skin’s super supportive sister. With a good antioxidant serum or oil, your skin will be able to defend itself against the most ageing substance we know of – free radicals. That’s why UV light, pollution and smoking all age your skin because of their free radical potential, so stock up on antioxidant heavy products.
6. If in doubt, stay simple
Dr Michael Prager recommends that, above all else, keep things simple. That includes the ingredients in your skincare, which he says should be regarded as potentially troublesome, whatever they are. Always read the labels, listen to your skin (for example, sensitivity is usually a sign that something you’re using is aggravating your skin), and if in doubt, always go back to something natural rather than synthetic, which is devoid of annoying allergens.
