February is the month of love. Whether you are in a romantic relationship with another person, spending quality time with your friends or are nurturing yourself, it’s a great time to give your skin some TLC so that it feels and looks great.

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard that your skin is your body’s biggest organ. It’s also working 24/7 to house and protect you. In the process, your skin gets dry, calloused, cracked, chapped, rough, and dull. It also responds in the most open, receptive way when you take the time to give it some TLC.

Here are my tips to give your skin a little love right now. Watch it transform from work-horse into starlet overnight!

Tip No. 1: Exfoliate the right way.

Did you know that there are two types of exfoliation? The first is physical exfoliation. This is where you remove dead cells using scrubs, slightly rough shower cloths, files or pumice stones, or with a microdermabrasion treatment.

With physical exfoliation, dead skin cells in the stratum corneum (outer dead cell layer of your skin) buff down instantly. The trick is to gently remove the cells without rubbing too hard and abrading your skin. Physical exfoliation is the easiest form of exfoliation and works well.

The second type of exfoliation is “chemical” exfoliation. In the simplest terms, acids and other keratolytics (meaning to break keratin protein) are used to chemically loosen the bonds holding together your skin’s keratin-filled dead cells (and potentially even living, epidermal cells) so that the cells come off.

Chemical exfoliation can be done with home skin-care products that you use daily. It can also be done by intermittent home or professional peels.

My favorite way to chemically exfoliate skin is with the alpha hydroxy acid called glycolic acid. Home-use products with just the right amount of glycolic acid are available in moisturizers, cleansers and liquids.

You can find a glycolic-acid product to fit every complexion type and preference. Ideally, you want a product made with an acid pH of 4 or under, and with a free acid content of 10 percent or more. In addition to exfoliating, glycolic acid will create three other, beneficial skin changes that will show up in the mirror:

1. It will compact your dead cell layer (stratum corneum) to give it a polished and refined appearance;
2. It will increase your skin’s production of hyaluronic acid, a carbohydrate produced by dermal cells that plumps skin to give it a dewy youthful appearance; and
3. It will reduce uneven skin hyperpigmentation to help reduce age spots and discoloration from melasma or old, acne lesions.

For the best exfoliation, I combine both physical and chemical exfoliation. And for years, I have guided my patients to use physical exfoliation in the form of a physical scrub, a Facial Buf Puf or a rough shower cloth when they cleanse their skin.

I usually recommend that be done at least twice a week. I have them apply a glycolic acid product after cleansing and toweling dry. Ideally, this product is used at a minimum of twice weekly, either after scrubbing or at a different time. If possible, daily use of the glycolic acid will give the best results.

Know that any effective AHA product will be a little irritating so it is important to balance goals with skin tolerance for exfoliation.

Tip No. 2: Increase the dewy youthfulness of your complexion with a well-crafted, hyaluronic acid serum.

Hyaluronic acid is the carbohydrate I mentioned above. Your skin makes it, AND you can supplement what nature gives you with a hyaluronic-acid-rich serum. The reason that hyaluronic acid is so transformational is that hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water—binding it to limp skin and instantly plumping a complexion into dewy youthful radiance.

I love to apply a hyaluronic acid serum right after physical exfoliation. You can add a glycolic acid moisturizer on top for the total treatment.

Tip No. 3: Use mineral makeup powders with just a little mica where you want shimmery highlights.

As an artist (who enjoys oil painting), I know that highlights of light bounce off the top portion of curved surfaces to create a “pop” of impact. Areas on your face where this makes a difference include your cheek bones, brow bones, upper portion of your forehead, and the mid top of your eyelid over your pupil.

Your plump, mid-lower lip will shimmer with highlighted light, too. Why not stop at the makeup counter and treat yourself to some new eyeshadows, mineral makeup powder and lipstick with just a hint of shimmer for these areas? It will draw just the slightest interest in a beautiful way to these key areas of your facial structure.

It’s February and Time for Nurturing.

Whether our date is with someone else or with ourself, it’s fun to nurture our skin. After all, dewy, soft, and shimmery skin is always in fashion!

Want more insights like this to have healthy, younger looking skin? Get the latest skin tips and insights from Dr. Bailey here.

Photo by Jeremy Cai

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Dr. Cynthia Bailey

With more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Cynthia Bailey is a sought-after dermatologist at her office in Sebastopol, CA, Advanced Skin Care & Dermatology Physicians, Inc. In addition, she provides articles, information and a host of holistic skin care products and routines for the full range of problems and skin types via Dr. Cynthia Bailey Skin Care at www.drbaileyskincare.com. As someone who has suffered from sun damage, sensitive skin, rosacea, and seborrhea, Dr. Bailey has first-hand knowledge of these skin issues. In addition, she is a breast cancer survivor who has chronicled her journey and the impact it, and chemotherapy, have on the skin to help others. Dr. Bailey is a graduate of Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, California Medical and Sonoma County Medical Associations, a Diplomat of the American Academy of Dermatology, has been on the clinical teaching faculty at the University of California San Diego Medical School, and a President, board of Trustee and Committee member on numerous, California and Sonoma County Health Care Organizations.

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