Want to Know the Key Steps for Maintaining Healthy Skin?
Before we get into the key steps for maintaining healthy skin, let's talk communication. Communication is key in any good relationship—even the one that exists among your cells. As it turns out, behind the scenes your skin cells have their own special language to help them get their job done: keeping your complexion healthy, smooth, and youthful looking. “Cell communication typically refers to cells working together within the skin to function optimally,” says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. “Signals may be sent from one cell to another to help maintain proper hydration levels, pigment production, and even production of hyaluronic acid, collagen, and elastin,” he says. This is also known as cell metabolism. But this cellular convo is easily interrupted. External
climate aggressors—extreme temperatures, sun, pollution—can damage
skin’s barrier, the outermost layer of skin, causing the cells beneath the surface to stop signaling properly. When that happens, cell metabolism slows to a crawl. “Skin barrier dysfunction means loss of hydration, aka transepidermal water loss (TEWL), inflammation, and inability of the skin to protect itself from the environment,” says Zeichner. “This interferes with individual skin cell functioning and improper cell communication, and overall skin health,” he says. A decrease in cell function due to harsh climate situations can mean an increase in
external aging: loss of firmness, lines and wrinkles, and dark spots. So, how do you combat these external threats and keep your cellular activity going strong in the face of extreme climate elements? That’s where
Pour Moi Skincare comes in! The
three-step ritual is meant to layer on hydration, protect skin from environmental aggressors and keep anti-aging benefits consistently optimal. Plus, we asked top dermatologists to share their best skin metabolism-boosting tips.
Key Steps for Maintaining Healthy Skin - Tune into Your Skin's Needs
A one-size-fits-all skincare routine isn’t going to help skin cells function optimally. For example, loading oily, acne-prone skin with heavy moisturizers can clog pores and cause inflammation that will ultimately affect the way your cells behave. Not sure exactly what your skin needs?
Start with where you live. If you dwell in a hot and humid climate, you want lightweight hydration via humectants, ingredients that draw moisture into skin from the atmosphere without feeling greasy, as well as ingredients that keep pores clear. Get both with
Pour Moi Tropical Day Cream. If you live in a hot and dry region, your skin needs more hydration and protective,
barrier-strengthening ingredients. Find them in
Pour Moi Desert Day Cream. If you’re in a temperate climate—not too hot, not too humid—you want to keep skin balanced with a blend of humectants and emollients like those in
Pour Moi Temperate Day Cream. And if you reside in a frosty environment, you need hydration, barrier repair, soothing ingredients to keep redness at bay. Try
Pour Moi Polar Day Cream.
Key Steps for Maintaining Healthy Skin - Come Clean
“Air pollution which consists of particulate matter, cigarette smoke, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds also affect our skin,” says Deborah Jaliman, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City and author of Skin Rules: Trade Secrets From a New York City Dermatologist. “They can cause darkening of the skin, skin aging, acne-like eruptions, and even skin cancer,” she says. To prevent pollution from damaging cell function, Jaliman says cleaning skin properly to remove all that gunk from the surface is a must. She recommends sonic cleansing brushes, which vibrate to release dirt and debris from the pores. Otherwise, use a washcloth or cotton pad with your cleanser to get a deep clean. Follow your cleanser, both morning and night with the
Hydrating Balancer to prep skin, balance pH levels and remove any remaining, dirt, oil and makeup residue. “It's especially important to wash your face at night before you go to bed so the pollution doesn't stay on your skin overnight,” she says.
Key Steps for Maintaining Healthy Skin - Send in the Messengers
Peptides are little proteins that tell skin cells to produce more skin-firming collagen and elastin. If cell communication is lagging, applying them topically can kick it back into high gear. “Some peptides may be used to promote collagen production, while others may specifically target elastin,” says Zeichner. Bonus: Peptides in
Pour Moi’s Black and White Serums, rarely cause
skin irritation, so they may be used on the skin even during times of travel to different environments, he says. Applying
ingredients such as alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and retinoids (vitamin A), like in
Pour Moi’s Night Cream, topically help rev up cell turnover, which boosts cell activity underneath skin’s surface, too. “They stimulate collagen growth in the first two layers of skin,” says Shah.
Key Steps for Maintaining Healthy Skin - Load up on Antioxidants
Adding antioxidants to your routine will prevent harmful agents in the environment from causing injury to your skin, says Avnee Shah, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City and New Jersey. They work by neutralizing free radicals from UV radiation and pollution that can get into your cells and reap havoc, interrupting proper cell communication.
Pour Moi’s Day Creams or
Serums contain
vitamins C and E, two tried-and-trusted
antioxidants that have been proven to work even better against free radicals when paired together.
Key Steps for Maintaining Healthy Skin - Shore up Your Barrier
As we already noted, if skin’s outer layer is compromised from sun, pollution, or extreme weather, it affects the way your skin cells function. To strengthen skin’s barrier, you need ingredients that will prevent moisture from escaping, a process known as transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and fill in little cracks along the surface, keeping irritants out. The key players in barrier repair are humectants such as hyaluronic acid (
Pour Moi Day Creams contain 3 different sizes of molecules), emollients including squalane oil in
Pour Moi Desert Day Cream, and occlusive like shea butter in
Pour Moi Polar Day Cream. They give skin a protective barrier, keeping your cells safe.
Key Steps for Maintaining Healthy Skin - Don’t Skimp on Sunscreen
It should be a no-brainer, but it’s worth repeating: Sunscreen is essential every single day, whether you live in a chilly, polar climate, or a hot and sunny, tropical locale. UV radiation, which penetrates even on a cloudy day, damages skin’s barrier and ultimately skin’s DNA, affecting the way your cells behave. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 every morning and any time you’ll be out in the sun. Layer it on as the last step after you apply your
Pour Moi Hydrating Balancer, Serum and Day Cream.
