Designing a suitable skin care routine is not easy, especially not in a time when there are more skin care products than ever and new trends to catch all the time. That's why we've made a list where Dr. Johanna Gillbro, founder of Skinome and author of the best-selling book The Skin Bible, shares her 5 best tips for better skin health. Spoiler alert - it's about a holistic view and "less is more", not about long routines with many different products.
1. Invest in a minimalist routine
We have seen trends and recommendations to use many products for a few years and the skin care routine has only become longer and longer. But, to improve your skin health, a simple routine applies. This means that you should scale down your skin care routine to a few products and choose products with short ingredient lists.
Why is a minimalist routine better for skin health?
This is based on the discovery of the skin flora (= skin microbiome). Just a few years ago, skin scientists discovered that we have trillions of microorganisms living on our skin, many of them good bacteria that control our skin health. The skin's microbiome protects the skin against attacks from harmful bacteria and viruses, and new studies show that they even protect against UV radiation. A disturbance in the skin's microbiome that creates an imbalance between different bacteria can, on the other hand, lead to various skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and eczema. This can be caused, among other things, by preservatives and other additives that are often found in traditional skin care. A ten step skin care routine means you apply preservatives x ten to your skin, something your skin health does not benefit from.
In summary, appropriate is a good watchword when designing your skin care routine if you want to prioritize your skin health. At Skinome, we recommend a simple routine with cleansing, moisturizer and possibly an additional product with a focus on active ingredients to e.g. see effect on age signs.
2. Choose skin care that contains skin-specific ingredients
Skin-friendly ingredients are substances that are naturally found in the skin and are therefore natural for our skin, which means that they work with the skin, and not against it. Examples of skin-friendly ingredients are squalane, glycerin, ceramide, cholesterol and pre- and postbiotics, but retinol is also found naturally in our skin. Ingredients like these contribute to good skin health when used correctly. By adding substances that are already in the skin and that decrease when we age or are exposed to UV radiation - such as amino acids, minerals and vitamins - we help the skin along the way. My tip is therefore to look for skin-friendly ingredients when shopping for your skin care.
3. Clean only in the evening
As I touched on earlier, it is important to take care of your microbiome and not overtreat it with different skin care products. Therefore, I also recommend cleaning only in the evening. Why? During the night, a fine composition of fats and moisture binders is formed to keep the skin soft and healthy - do not wash them off in the morning as they contribute to better skin health!
4. Support your microbiome
There are two ways to give the skin's good bacteria a push – through the stomach to the skin or directly on the skin. With fibres, live bacteria and substances that bacteria produce, the balance of the skin's microbiome can be favoured. In skin care, you should keep track of biotics, which include pre-, pro- and post-biotics used to enrich our microbiome.
These mean:
Prebiotics = the fibers that act as nutrition for the good bacteria
Probiotics = the good, live bacteria
Postbiotics = substances produced by the good bacteria, for example anti-inflammatory substances or moisture binders.
Instead of eliminating our microbes at all costs with antibacterial agents such as preservatives, we should take care of our friends in the best possible way. Maybe add new probiotic members or invite our good bacteria to a prebiotic dinner?
Because as unpleasant as it is to start cleaning and vacuuming the dining room during a dinner, it is unpleasant for our skin bacteria to be bathed in all the antimicrobial substances that we apply to our skin on a daily basis. This is one of the reasons why we at Skinome have developed fresh skin care without traditional preservatives.
5. Have a holistic view
Everything you put in your body, from carrots to tobacco smoke, affects your skin. You can make your skin healthier by exercising - or sicker by stress. In fact, it is believed that 75 percent of our skin status is determined by our lifestyle and that only 25 percent is in our genes. If you are interested in reading more about how food, stress, exercise, sleep, scare time and more affect your skin, my tip is to read our article "7 lifestyle factors that affect your skin" which you can find here .
