20 June 2023 , 15:45
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These days, getting started with skincare can seem incredibly daunting, with so many beauty influencers sharing their lengthy morning and evening routines online and so many different products available.
From serums to exfoliants, there are all sorts of lotions and potions on the market, and knowing which your skin really needs and what to start with can be confusing.
Thankfully, an expert has come to the rescue and revealed the minimum we need to all be doing to our face each day to ensure we're looking after our skin.
Dr Hilary Jones, known for his work on TV shows such as Good Morning Britain, has explained the three crucial skincare steps everyone should be doing.
You've got to cleanse, tone and moisturise your face (stock photo) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)"Cleansing, toning and moisturising, those three things should be your everyday routine," he told The Mirror.
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"Our skin is the largest organ in our body and it gets quite a pounding every day from UVA and UVB radiation, air conditioning, and central heating.
"So the minimum we should be doing is a fairly regular cleansing, which is for taking off make-up and getting rid of any oil, sebum, and grime that has built up on the face from the atmosphere and pollution in the cities and elsewhere.
"Then you should use a toner. People have this misconception that moisturiser is all we need to use, and while moisturiser is important, it can't really work very well unless it can absorb into the deeper layers of the skin.
"Using a toner effectively enables moisturiser to get into the outer layer of dead skin cells.
"It's a bit like if you compare the recent flash floods we've had when it rains on very, very dry ground. The water has nowhere to go, it can't absorb into the ground.
"Toner enables your moisturiser to get into the skin."
The expert, who is also an adviser to Hada Labo Tokyo Skin Care, continued to say that there will be times when you need to add a fourth important step into your skincare routine.
"During the summer months the British Association of Dermatologists recommend sun cream with an SPF factor of at least 30 should be used for six months of the year, between April and September, because we shouldn't underestimate the effects of the sun, even in the UK."
The skincare routine is for everyone (stock photo) (Getty Images)While these three steps are the bare minimum we should all be doing, Dr Hilary advises that as we get older our skincare routines should adapt according to what our skin needs at that time.
He also wasn't against adding lots of extra products into your routine if you were inclined.
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"I think if we look at what comes off our face when we cleanse, it's a bit of a lesson. You can see just how much grime we're exposed to and we produce oil all the time which can make our skin quite greasy and predisposed to breakouts of acne.
"Acne isn't just an adolescent thing, a lot of women in their 30s and 40s for different reasons, will get breakout spots.
"Women approaching menopause tend to lose oestrogen and hyaluronic acid, those levels start to drop so that means their skin becomes drier and then we're going to be more aware of fine lines, wrinkles, and deep lines.
"At different ages, skincare routines have to change and you've got to adapt according to what's needed."
And in terms of ingredients to look out for when buying skincare products, Dr Hilary claims hyaluronic acid is a "skin saviour".
This is because it's great for hydrating the skin, which is "key" as as "dehydration is the major factor that makes us look tired and dry and a bit washed out."
He adds: "Hyaluronic acid is very powerful. It's a molecule that can hold up to 1,000 times its own weight in water, so sodium hyaluronate can replace a lot of the water that's lost from the epidermis, the outer layer of skin, so look for products that contain that."