Simple Steps for Healthy Looking Skin

You can’t achieve healthy looking skin in one day, but following a complete skin care regimen that includes Cetaphil cleansers and moisturizers on a daily basis will help you to get that soft, smooth skin you want. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll see and feel the difference.

Protect

It's no secret: Sun exposure causes skin damage. In fact, over time, sun exposure can cause "photoaging" (premature aging of the skin). Photoaging (or "photodamage") is a preventable skin condition. While aged skin is smooth and unblemished with exaggerated expression lines, photoaged skin has more pronounced wrinkles and darkened spots like freckles, with other signs dependent on severity:

  • A mild case is generally characterized by wrinkles, freckles, blemishes and something called "telangiectases" (birthmark-type marks caused by small blood vessels)
  • Moderate photoaging typically comes along with tough, rough, thickened, sallow (yellowish) skin
  • Severe photoaging is usually indicated by a reduction in the skin's elasticity, scarring and something called "actinic keratosis" (permalignant skin lesions)

Certain skin types are more sensitive to the sun. They are called "photosensitive" and may include:

  • Fair or sensitive (sun-reactive) skin
  • Skin conditions like rosacea, melasma, and actinic keratosis
  • Skin being treated with certain acne medications or therapies
  • Skin that's undergone cosmetic procedures, peels and lasers

Regardless of your skin type, your face is exposed to daily UV radiation year-round, even on cloudy days, so you need to protect it every day against different types of damaging UV light:

UVA rays

  • Longer wavelengths that remain constant throughout the seasons
  • Penetrate more deeply into the skin and have cumulative effects
  • Contribute to photodamage and skin cancer

UVB rays

  • Shorter wavelengths that cause visible damage to the skin
  • Primarily affect the skin's outer layers and are the primary cause of sunburn
  • Contribute to skin aging and skin cancer
  • Are more intense during the summer months, at higher altitudes, and in areas closer to the equator

The Canadian Dermatology Association recommends using a sunscreen with broad spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays every day.

How to use a Daily Facial moisturizer with SPF:

  • Apply daily to face, neck to ears before sun exposure
  • Avoid eye areas
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