Beyond The Surface: Love From Inside To Out

Does the row of skincare products on your bathroom shelf feel as though it’ll never end? Does your skincare regime now feel like a chore rather than a simple exercise in cleansing and self-care? Could it be time to clarify what is really necessary, rather than jumping from one new product to the next? The reality is that it is simply impossible to reverse the age of our skin, but we can look after it. We often expect to see skincare results very quickly, a surface show, if you like. We also know that ‘eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, with the fruits of our efforts not showing up immediately, it’s all about the long game. Should we, then, be seeing what skincare does for us within a matter of days? Is it time to take a step back and begin looking inside-out rather than outside-in? Is it time to rethink our skincare approach, or better yet, clarify it? Really, how can we take better care of our skin? Find out more in Beyond The surface, Love From Inside To Out

Skincare Routine

Could this be the new way to view our skin? When we think of emotional healing, we look inside ourselves first. Careful that we are being honest and aware of the way we interact with ourselves and our surroundings. Is this the approach we are missing in our skincare routine? The approach that works from inside to out? After all, the concept of skincare isn’t new, and has actually been around for quite a while now.

Ingredients

Who knew Olive oil, Honey, and Aloe Vera were the original heroes of skincare? Documented records from around 3,000 BCE show that skincare began with homemade remedies to exfoliate, moisturise, and soften the skin. It’s rather wonderful to think that even our most distant ancestors understood the basic need to care for their skin.

Photo by Jocelyn Morales 

Skin

We mostly understand now that skin, our largest organ, is our most vital barrier, a protective organ, with three layers: The epidermis (top), dermis (middle), and, far beneath, the hypodermis (bottom). But are we fully aware of what these layers actually do, or even what they are? Well, the epidermis deals with pigmentation and the constant replacement of shedding cells, while our dermis regulates oil production and, most importantly, collagen. The hypodermis cushions organs and insulates the body. Starting around age 20, we naturally start producing less collagen. Collagen, primarily found in the dermis, is the most abundant protein in the human body. Like a structural glue, it’s what provides strength and elasticity to the skin. So as we age, and get looser skin and finer lines, we cry out, ‘How do we rewind time?’ We can’t, but at least for our skin’s sake, we can future-proof it.

Routine Wellness

It’s hard to fathom that, back in the 80s, a three-step cleanser, toner, and moisturiser routine was really all there was. The concept of care was there, but carefulness fell short as skincare just wasn’t nearly as researched as it is today. Many products featured harsh chemicals that prioritised maximum strength, rather than deep care. Of course, we’ve progressed in terms of research, with much scientific knowledge coming from doctors who have worked to help treat extreme conditions like burns, rosacea, acne, etc. We have more information than ever, but even still, we feel unaware of what we need because treatment-driven skincare isn’t the correct care for everyone: our skin is personal. So, how can we be more aware, more honest, more personal with what we use, or with ourselves? After all, this is the most vital organ we’re talking about.

Skin Care

Have we possibly become immune to this over-abundant skincare regime? We’ve seemed to overcomplicate the task for ourselves by adding more. Truly, do we really need a ten-step beauty regime? And on top of that, do we really need more gadgets that claim to assist in our routine? Skincare accessories have almost gotten just as much recognition as the products themselves. Tools like rollers and massagers have become the sculptors that our hands once were.

Cosmetics vs Pharmaceuticals

The beauty aisle in so many shops has never felt more daunting and overstimulating, and what are all these products? Well, pharmaceuticals, chemical or biological substances, initially designed to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure medical issues, alter the skin barrier. But why are these pharmaceuticals, with higher-concentration ingredients, advertised to all skin types, when they’re usually meant for skin with medical-grade conditions, albeit at lower percentages than prescription-based lotions and potions? Maybe our routine should begin more simply: understand what it is we actually, truly need for our skin.

Cosmeceutical Products

Cosmeceuticals are a newer category of products that are intended for the enhancement of both the health and the beauty of the skin. Think of them like a hybrid category of skincare, bridging the gap between cosmetics for beautifying and pharmaceuticals for treating.

Skincare-infused makeup

The other subgroup trending in the realm of skincare is skincare-infused makeup. These products, such as foundations, concealers and blushes, are formulated with active ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and peptides: ingredients that are popularly found in common skincare products.

What does this mean for our skin? Well, these products aren’t necessarily the root of the issue; however, the layering and layering of them upon our skin may be. What may seem like full coverage could really just be product buildup because each category of skincare is meant to offer different benefits, different functions. The more we apply, the more irritated and overwhelmed our skin can become. We know that too much of anything is no good for us, so, regardless of how safe these products or ingredients are, the application of them all at once, all the time, might be contributing to the deterioration of our skin’s health.

Skincare Ingredients

What are the currently favoured ingredients at the height of the industry right now? Well, there’s Glycolic acid, which acts as a collagen producer, Salicylic acid, which regulates skin texture and colour, Retinol, a scarring and wrinkle reducer, Vitamin C with its antioxidant properties that neutralise free radicals from sun and pollution and last but not least, Niacinamide, a moisture-retaining agent. These ingredients reach the skin’s second layer, the dermis, and are used by many daily. All these chemicals (even if naturally derived) work on top of the skin downwards.

Photo by Paula’s Choice

Beyond these five, one more ingredient has slowly emerged its way to the front of the industry: NAD+. Short for Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, this ingredient plays a key role in DNA repair, which ultimately helps cells recover from daily stressors like environmental changes and UV exposure. Surprisingly, even though it has been studied for decades, its use in actual skincare is fairly recent. Rather than plastering over a surface-level blemish, this ingredient focuses on the health of the skin from within; it is a meaningful approach that prioritises the resilience of skin.

Paula’s Choice

Using this technology of NAD+, Paula’s Choice’s new Cellular Youth features a serum that visibly helps your skin retain its youthful vibrancy. Instead of trying to resist the clock, it works with it by simply slowing the signs of ageing: strengthening the skin barrier, boosting elasticity, lifting and firming the skin.

What is most exciting about this product is that it targets both the epidermis and the dermis, meaning some effects will be visible, and some won’t. The serum is lightweight so that its benefits ensure a graceful progression of skin ageing, one you can see and even feel. By balancing what we do from the outside-in with what we do from the inside-out, we’re able to correctly target the function of each respective layer and support their respective needs. When we understand how our skin works, we become more sensitive to it and what we do for it. Could an emotional approach make for a more successful solution to visible results?

Paula Begoun

Paula Begoun, the founder of Paula’s Choice, focuses on this aspect of honesty; it’s what her career was rooted in. Before she was an entrepreneur, she was a professional makeup artist, an esthetician, a self-published author, and most interestingly, an investigative journalist. In 1982, she published a book titled Blue Eye Shadow Should Be Illegal, which offered reviews of skincare and makeup products. She then started a column, Dear Paula, that directly answered common consumer questions regarding the beauty and skincare industry. Inspired by the hundreds of requests and questions she received regarding the matter, Begoun wrote Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me. The book was initially published in 1992.

In hopes of debunking the industry myths regarding product effectiveness, Begoun guided her readers through research in science-backed studies. It wasn’t until 1995 that she eventually launched the Paula’s Choice skincare line. Now a renowned beauty industry entrepreneur, Begoun is best known as the “Cosmetics Cop.” What is most successful about Begoun’s career is not only her care for skin, but also for consumers. Before she even thought about starting a business, she took her time to research, to study, and to understand. Because of this, Begoun was able to locate a need for the people, an honest, missing-in-the-industry need.

Begoun has been upfront with skincare from the start. Naturally, her brand is entirely centred around this transparency, using safe, effective, and cruelty-free ingredients to take the guesswork out of skincare, because why overcomplicate it?

Let’s carry that honesty forward and admit that there will never be a single solution to skin, a one-size-fits-all if you like. Genetics will always play a role, and even if it isn’t something that we keep on our bathroom counters, so will our lifestyle, our diet, and our environment. There isn’t a magic formula that will fix our skin, no lotions or potions can make us look younger. However, we can formulate a routine that suits our unique skin.

Find the new serum here at Paulaschoice.co.uk

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not try reading: Films That Question The Fragile World Of Our Reality

.Cent Magazine London. Luxury Mindset