With the help of these at-home solutions and professional tips, your skin will be glistening in no time.
1. CAUSE: Dead skin cells — they're everywhere. 2. CAUSE: A fossil-fuel-based economy and eased environmental regulations. 3. CAUSE: Skin issues cause stress, which causes skin issues, which...
Allure Magazine
SOLUTION: Being told to relax or get more rest tends to raise cortisol levels further rather than lower them, so we’ll skip the obvious advice for now. Instead, try a quick facial massage while cleansing or applying moisturizer. “It’s a great way to stimulate blood flow, which will add radiance and plump the skin,” says Gohara. For a more lasting glow, consider a microdermabrasion session at a dermatologist’s office. It will remove dead skin cells and boost circulation.
4. CAUSE: Your skin is dehydration station.
Without moisture, your skin looks dull, but the problem is deeper than you may realize. And we mean that literally. “Loss of hydration from below the skin’s surface — in the dermis and the lower levels of the epidermis — causes a decrease in the thickness of the skin,” says Zeichner. “Think of a deflated balloon: It doesn’t shine as well as an inflated one.”
SOLUTION: Pat on a hyaluronic acid serum with damp fingers to drive moisture deep into skin. (Try SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier.) Then layer a moisturizer with powerful emollients, like cetyl alcohol or dimethicone, on top. (A good choice is First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration.) “Emollients create a thin, transparent film over the skin’s surface,” says Zoe Diana Draelos, consulting professor of dermatology at Duke University. That film will help skin cells lie flat and reflect light better.
5. CAUSE: You're not getting your daily serving of...metal?
Trace minerals are vital to forming the body’s natural antioxidants, which protect the components of healthy, radiant skin, says Draelos. But it’s difficult to get the recommended daily amounts from food alone (current farming practices are causing soil to become increasingly nutrient-bare, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).
SOLUTION: Pop a daily multivitamin. Draelos says to look for one that includes selenium, copper, iron, and zinc. The required amount of each depends on your age and sex, so clear the breakdown with your doctor first.
6. CAUSE: It's impossible to avoid the sun entirely.
We don’t know anyone who gets excited about discovering a new sun spot on her face. Even less thrilling? Allover hyperpigmentation, which can result in mottled skin. Sun damage is also a main cause of weakened collagen — and the slack, dull skin that comes with it.
SOLUTION: We know you know, but do it: Wear. Sunscreen. No treatment will be effective as long as your skin is still exposed. Next — and, OK, you probably know this, too — use a product with retinol every night. It will protect existing collagen from breaking down and build more of the structural protein, says Gohara. Then add in a serum or a cream with a brightening ingredient, like kojic acid or arbutin (try iS Clinical Pro-Heal Serum Advance+) to fade dark spots.
7. CAUSE: Hormones go out of whack.
When hormone levels fluctuate — because of puberty, menopause, medications, or other uncontrollable circumstances — they often affect the appearance of skin. Just look at what happens when estrogen dips, leaving a higher proportion of testosterone: Skin can get oilier, and greasiness creates a surface shine that accentuates pores and makes your skin look less glowy. And melasma, a hormonal form of hyperpigmentation, leaves you with dark patches that don’t fade with topical brighteners because the pigment takes hold in both the uppermost and deeper layers of skin, says Arielle Kauvar, clinical professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center.
SOLUTION: Blotting sheets and clay masks get excess oil off your skin. But if that’s not enough, your dermatologist can prescribe medication, like the Pill or spironolactone, to treat the hormonal cause of oiliness. For stubborn melasma, ask your dermatologist about prescribing hydroquinone or obliterating the pigment with a YAG laser or Fraxel treatment.
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