Facial skin care is more a matter of discipline than anything else. A facial skin care routine is what you need, and you need to follow the facial skin care routine with complete seriousness. So the question becomes, what comprises an effective facial skin care routine?

Four Steps to Effective Facial Skin Care

Well, very simply, a facial skin care routine can follow the following 4 steps:

Cleanse
Tone
Exfoliate
Moisturize

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Step 1: Cleanse

Cleansing is the first step in any facial skin care routine. Cleansing helps remove dust, pollutants, grease and extra oil from your skin, thereby preventing damage to your skin. Spot your face and neck with a good cleansing lotion or cream, and gently massage it into your skin using upward strokes. Then, use a soft face tissue or cotton cloth to wipe your face in a gentle patting fashion (do not rub). Cleansing should be done twice a day, in the morning as part of complete facial skin care routine, and in the evening as a standalone routine. Water soluble cleansers are the best for inclusion in your facial skin care routine.

Step 2: Tone

Toning is the next in a facial skin care routine. However, this is an optional part of the facial skin care routine. Mostly, proper cleansing can compensate for toning. Toning helps remove all traces of dirt, grease and excess cleanser. Instead of making it part of your daily facial skin care routine, you can using toning occasionally, for example, when you have been exposed to a particularly harsh environment.

Step 3: Exfoliate

Exfoliation is again, an optional step in everyday routine for facial skin care. However, exfoliation is necessary at least once a week (or twice, depending on the skin type and the environmental conditions). Exfoliation finds its place in facial skin care routine because of the natural tendency of skin to replenish the skin cells every 3 or 4 weeks. As a facial skin care technique, exfoliation helps in removing the dead skin cells that block the pores, thus assisting the skin in the natural process.

Here are Pretty Faces Atlanta, our favorite deep exfoliating treatment is medical microdermabrasion. This is a procedure which "blasts" tiny crystal shards across the face, while simultaneous suction removes the crystals and debris from the surface of the skin. Medical microdermabrasion, in conjunction with Surgical Acne Extractions, is a very common bi-weekly or monthly procedure for many of our patients.

Step 4: Moisturize

The final step in an effective facial skin care routine is moisturizing. In fact, moisturizing is the most important part of facial skin care routine. Moisturizers prevent your skin from getting dry. Again, use light upward strokes to make the moisturizer more effective. Moisturizers work the best when applied on warm, damp skin.

We are here to help you experience a natural, healthy glow. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Jing Jing today to get started on your healthy skin journey.