Raise your hand if you have never had skin problems! However, whether it is discoloration, scars or wrinkles, being able to have smooth and compact skin is easy. How to improve it? By changing your lifestyle, using the right care and makeup products, and visiting a dermatologist.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Change Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Drink plenty of water, which will cleanse the skin from the inside and prevent wrinkles from appearing
Good hydration will make it appear soft and fresh.
- Try to drink at least two liters of water a day. Sip it instead of sugary drinks and alcohol, which can be harmful.
- The sugar and chemicals in sugary sodas cause acne and sebum build-up, while alcohol dehydrates the skin and causes it to age prematurely.
- Try adding cucumber or lemon slices to the water, which also have excellent moisturizing properties.
Step 2. Apply sunscreen regularly
Sun damage is a major cause of uneven skin tone. Choose the right sun protection factor (SPF) for your skin.
- Avoid sunlamps and lie in the sun for hours; doing so is dangerous for both aesthetics and health.
- The minimum SPF is 15, but you should still opt for 30 if you have a dark complexion and 50 if you have fair skin.
- Apply sunscreen every day, even if it's cloudy. 80% of solar radiation penetrates through the clouds, so it is harmful even on gray and rainy days.
- Use an SPF with protection against UVA (the ones that cause wrinkles and age spots) and UVB (responsible for skin burns) rays.
Step 3. Exercise regularly
Moving is not just a matter of maintaining a healthy weight, it also helps to generate new skin cells, which will keep the skin smooth and youthful.
- However, you don't necessarily have to do grueling workouts. The important thing is to keep yourself moving every day.
- If you sweat while exercising, be sure to wash your face to prevent oil and dirt from clogging your pores, causing blemishes.
Step 4. Eliminate junk food and welcome fresh fruit and vegetables
The chemicals, oils and sugars in junk food will stimulate the production of more sebum, which will clog your pores.
- Instead of drastically cutting it out of your diet, slowly incorporate more fresh, less processed foods to help your skin.
- Some foods, such as blueberries and salmon, are high in antioxidants, which are great for firming the complexion.
Method 2 of 4: Even Complexion Using Spa Products
Step 1. Exfoliate the skin
Dead skin cells build up over time on the surface of the skin, making it appear dull and dry. Eliminate them to give her a revitalized look.
- In the supermarket or perfumery you will find inexpensive exfoliating products and brushes.
- Make your own sugar and honey scrub. Massage it into your face in circular motions and rinse it with warm water to remove dead skin cells. If you prefer a gentler exfoliant, replace the sugar with oatmeal.
- Most dermatologists and spas offer exfoliating treatments. Trust a professional for an impeccable result.
- There is also the option of an electric exfoliating brush, like the Clarisonic, which you can use twice a day. It is expensive but works wonders, as it makes the skin soft and the pores clean.
Step 2. Apply a face mask
You will reduce redness and even out the complexion and texture of the skin.
- You can buy one at the supermarket or perfumery; choose the one that suits you (to reduce redness, sun spots or acne or to smooth the skin). You will also find convenient single-dose sachets.
- Or, make it at home by mixing a banana and honey. Apply the mix on your face, leave it on for 10 minutes and rinse it off with warm water.
Step 3. Try face peeling, a kind of acid-based mask or gel that dissolves dead skin cells
This removes the superficial layer of the skin, the one that appears dull, uneven or characterized by scars.
- Use one containing salicylic acid if you have acne or acne scars.
- Those with glycolic acid will help skin with wrinkle problems.
- Always wash it off with lukewarm water after the time indicated on the package (usually 10 minutes). This way, you won't exfoliate the skin too much.
- Avoid it if you have eczema or rosacea, which can be aggravated by acids.
Step 4. Get rid of dark spots with special products, which break down the unwanted pigmentation formed due to sun damage
- Many products work for both sunspots and age spots.
- Freckles are a type of sunspot, but products of this type will not lighten them.
- If you prefer natural cures, use lemon juice. Dab it on dark spots, let it sit for 10 minutes and rinse it off. Its acid allows you to lighten imperfections.
Step 5. Finally, moisturize the skin to make it even
Choose a cream or gel suitable for your skin type (dry, oily, mature…).
- Use one that contains an SPF, so you don't have to apply sunscreen as well.
- Tinted moisturizers can further help even out your complexion, but choose one that suits your skin tone, or you risk making it look orange or less-than-healthy in complexion.
Step 6. Use pure rosehip oil on hyper-pigmentation, burns and scars
It can speed up the healing process, and deeply hydrate the area.
Method 3 of 4: Even out the complexion with make-up
Step 1. Apply a liquid or cream concealer that blends into your skin to hide dark or red spots and dark circles
This step is important for starting to even out the skin.
- Concealers can be flesh-colored or yellow, green or purple, and serve to neutralize certain stains. Use the color scale to figure out which concealer to use based on the color of your imperfections.
- Always use a small, stiff and rounded concealer brush. Applying it with your fingers can expose pores to more bacteria or make acne or redness worse.
- Do not rub it: dab it and mix it with the skin color using the brush.
- Make sure it's not too dark, or you will have rusty orange patches in place of sunspots or age spots. Better to use a lighter than a darker concealer, because the foundation will darken it.
Step 2. Apply foundation to completely even out the complexion
You can choose it in powder, liquid, cream or spray form. The powder one, for example, tends to last longer, so it is ideal when it's hot and the makeup melts, and is especially good for oily skin.
- To apply it, use a special brush, such as kabuki, of whatever consistency it is. This tool is essential to spread it well. You can also use your fingers with fluid or creamy products, but wash your hands well, or the bacteria will spread more easily.
- Dab some extra foundation on the spots to fix the concealer better, get extra coverage and even out any areas lightened by the concealer.
- Apply foundation to your neck as well for full coverage.
Step 3. Add color and depth to the face
Now that you have evened it out, your skin is “flat” and of a single color. Apply blush and, if you want to contour, bronzer.
- The blush should be applied to the cheeks with a round brush. For optimal application, smile, dab and blend it over the area.
- You can use either a cream or a powder one, the important thing is that it suits your complexion.
- Blushes can be pink, peach or purplish. If you have fair skin, opt for the former. Do you have a medium or olive complexion? Go for the seconds. If your skin is dark, choose purple ones. But this rule is not absolute, try to understand what suits you best.
Step 4. The bronzer is used to contour and therefore give further depth to the face
Apply it under the cheekbones and then add a highlighter across the top to mimic natural highlights and shadows.
- Spread it from the hairline to the nose, but with a light hand. Blend it to perfection.
- Use a highlighter for sun-kissed areas of the face. This product is usually a light and iridescent cream that you can apply with a brush or its roll-on. Spread it under the browbone, at the inner corner of the eye and creating a “C” from the bottom of the cheekbones to the base of the forehead.
Step 5. Add the powder
This step is optional, but it allows the makeup to last longer.
Method 4 of 4: Even the complexion with professional help
Step 1. Go to the dermatologist and, if applicable, get a prescription for skin lightening products
Your doctor will analyze your situation before advising you what to do.
- Some remedies come in the form of pills and help control the hormonal imbalances that are causing your skin problems.
- Your dermatologist will likely prescribe creams as well.
- Ask about the side effects.
Step 2. Get a facial cleansing at a spa or a dermatologist to improve the texture and color of your skin
- The treatment will adapt to your problem: acne, sun spots or age-related …
- These treatments can be expensive, but it is better to pay a trusted professional a little more than to risk it. They are not particularly dangerous, but to get excellent results, you should consult an expert.
Step 3. Go for the laser, which helps fight sun spots and wrinkles
This treatment can only be done by a dermatologist and is expensive.
- Short, intense pulses will be sent to remove layers of skin. This is why the treatment is sometimes called "laser peeling".
- In some cases of severe acne it should be avoided, as it could make the situation worse.
- Healing takes up to two weeks, by which time the skin will regenerate and the blemishes will have disappeared completely.
Step 4. Undergo a session of microdermabrasion, a combination of a peel and an exfoliant that removes dead cells and blemishes
It is performed by dermatologists and in some spas.
- Microdermabrasion consists of smoothing the skin with a peeling and a special tool. It works best on dark spots and dull skin.
- Dermabrasion, similar to microdermabrasion, is primarily effective for removing scars. However, it is mostly safe for light-skinned people, as it can make scars on darker ones worse. Consider it an option if the scars were caused by a skin disease, severe acne, or an accident.
Advice
- If your complexion is both reddish and yellowish, decide what to correct, since using both a mint and lavender concealer will make the skin look too uneven.
- Always wash your brushes between applications to prevent bacterial buildup.
Warnings
- Some skin problems can be symptoms of other diseases. If you think this is your case, consult a doctor.
- Sometimes cosmetics can induce allergic reactions. If you're trying a new product, monitor your skin's response and any changes.
