As we roll into 2023, now is a good time to adopt a fresh approach to our skincare goals.
Taking better care of your skin is an easy goal to start with. But it can be confusing to know exactly where to begin. We can get caught up in gimmicks and slick marketing. To the point that it becomes very easy to purchase products without really understanding what they can do for your skin.
So why not let this year be the year you make some informed and well considered health and wellness resolutions?
With that in mind, here are eight goals that will help you achieve healthier skin in 2023.
Goal 1: Skin Cycling
Skin cycling is one way to personalise your skincare routine, especially if your skin can tolerate ‘push’ products like exfoliating acids and retinoids more frequently. You will need to add ‘recovery’ nights into this method where you use a simple and gentle cleanser and moisturiser.
If your skin is happy to do this, you will see results.
You can supercharge your cleanse routine by double cleansing first with a gentle cleanser and then with a serum cleanser using a soft face cloth or microfibre cloth.
Regular face massaging – either with your fingertips or a massage tool – helps to drain toxins, reduce puffiness, and bring more oxygen and blood cells to the skin. Hence providing better absorption of the products.
A skin cycling routine could be like this:
Night 1: Exfoliation night. Use either a chemical exfoliant like AHA, BHA or PHA or opt for a gentle cleanser and exfoliating mask.
Night 2: Retinol night. Use any form of retinol product you and your skin feel comfortable with.
Nights 3 & 4: Recovery nights. Don’t use any actives these nights. Let your skin rest and recover.
Goal 2: Serums, Ceramides & Collagen
Try and choose a multi-use serum that contains active ingredients and addresses a range of your skin concerns – instead of using single active multiple serum products. Make sure to find one with the best anti ageing ingredients for a more effective treatment.
The skin only needs ingredients rich in phytonutrients that can address a variety of skin concerns.
Some ingredients to look out for are:
Vitamin K (reduces redness, strengthens skin or hydrates the skin barrier) and Vitamin C (brightens skin, reduces pigmentation and fine lines).
Ceramides: These are imperative to healthy skin and are naturally occurring lipids (or oils) in the skin. They secure hydration in the skin and support a healthy skin barrier.
These combined with other hydrating ingredients like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid lead to intense moisturisation.
Collagen supplements: Collagen peptides support the skin’s natural ageing process and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. These promote the body’s natural collagen production and other skin molecules like elastin and fibrillin. Furthermore, collagen supplements can help thicken the skin, which may aid in preventing cellulite on stomach, thighs, buttocks, and other areas of the body that are less prone to cellulite formation.
Goal 3: Moisture & Skin Neutrality
Layering and trapping hydration in your skin isn’t a trend and is more about protecting your skin barrier and respecting your skin.
Hyaluronic acid and glycerin are the two main ingredients found in lots of moisturisers, to boost dry skin and help create a dewy, hydrated look.
Tremella Mushrooms are also a popular natural alternative to hydrating this skin. This has healing benefits, skin rejuvenating properties and great humectant binding ability which makes it extremely hydrating.
To achieve a balanced, healthy skin barrier, hydration is critical.
Skin Neutrality encourages you to view your skin as a healthy function of your body. It is our biggest organ and should be viewed with a positive mindset and not unrealistic beauty standards.
Our skin is built to reject things that aren’t good for it as a defence mechanism, and it will tell you when it is not happy. So next time your skin reacts to a ‘threat’, instead of saying ‘Oh, it’s just my sensitive skin’, take the time to listen to it, take care of it and congratulate yourself on being resilient instead.
Goal 4: Hybrids & Refillables
No one has the time to devote to skincare that involves a multitude of products and steps. We want a solution to our skincare concerns that isn’t wasteful or leads to irritation with an excessive layering of products.
More hybrid products are flooding the market with their multi-ingredient capabilities. So instead of using five individual products, we should be looking for one product that combines those five ingredients into one formulation.
The skin care refillable market is just starting to boom, as some brands and products are now becoming available to buy as refills. This development encourages sustainable practices and leads to significantly less waste.
Potentially a huge growth area in the skincare market, it is in the best interests of ourselves and most businesses to provide a re-use option over single-use.
Goal 5: Sunscreen
Sunscreen and sun protection should be paramount to everyone, from babies to the elderly. Keeping your skin protected from damaging UV rays is the only way to keep your complexion the healthiest, brightest and most glowing it can be.
If you want to look young for your entire life, then wearing good sun protection will reduce wrinkles and prevent skin discoloration, melasma, sun spots and other signs of ageing.
Whereas sun damage makes your skin appear older than it is. It also thins your skin making it more prone to tearing, bruising, and scarring and increasing your risk of skin cancers.
Goal 6: Body Care
For those of us who want to treat the skin on our body like we do the skin on our face, 2023 is your year.
This year should see a plethora of new products come out to treat your body skin with the same intense care as your face.
Body serums, body masks and body sculpting tools will be all the rage. This year move away from the simple body lotion or oil and try out a new body care product with active ingredients to make a difference to your body.
Goal 7: Devices & Treatments that deliver
There are more machines and tools to use that help you treat, clean and sculpt than ever before.
Masks are still a staple treatment. But using a facial tool or device once a week will turn your traditional mask night on its head. Devices such as LED light therapy, vibration therapy and facial sculpting tools will become ever increasingly popular to help you achieve your best skin. These devices can help treat pigmentation, texture, redness and plump skin.
A good versatile treatment to plump skin, create instant hydration and reduce fine lines is bio-remodelling. Bio-remodelling injections treatments like this one are made from hyaluronic acid but have different properties to stimulate the production of elastin and collagen. It improves skin quality and helps prevent skin ageing, giving the skin an all-around boost.
Goal 8: Better Skin from a de-stressed mind
Being stressed regularly harms your skin. It will keep your cortisol levels elevated. Potentially causing inflammation throughout the body, which can show up in your skin in different ways.
Inflammation in your body can cause acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and a weakened skin barrier.
Our emotional well-being is the bridge between our mental and physical health. So in 2023, our focus should be on the link between our skin and our mind.
Look after your mental health. Be kind to yourself. Take time to re-centre yourself by mindfully breathing each day. Go for a walk. Listen to your favourite music. Chat with your friends. All of these little things help to boost our mood and take away any of life’s stresses.
The Takeaway
Ignore the fads and trends and focus on what your skin needs for long-term health. Love the skin you are in and work to achieve healthy skin rather than ‘perfect’ skin.
Embrace your skin concerns and don’t hide or cover them up. Apply ethically made clean cosmeceuticals to your skin to give it the best possible, healthy complexion you can.
After all, 2023 is the year to get your skincare goals on track!