Scrub a dub dub...

Skincare Regime Part 2
Skill level: Easy
Cast time: 5-10 minutes
Duration: 12 hours (serum)/4-7 days (scrub)
+7 to Cleanliness
+5 to Blemish Prevention
+8 to Smooth Skin
+4 to Combat Against Wrinkles

After an invigorating face and body scrub, I realised that I'd completely forgotten to write the next post in the series - scrubs and serums.

The main reason why you would exfoliate (or scrub) is to remove dead skin cells, exposing the soft and luscious new skin cells beneath. Don't think too much about it, because the idea that everyone's body is covered in flaky, dead skin is a little too icky for my tastes, but that's essentially what it's all about.

The benefit of getting rid of the dead skin is twofold: first, your skin underneath is much smoother and cleaner; and second, because if they're being washed down the drain, they aren't clogging your pores, and if they aren't clogging your pores, you're less likely to get pimples.

It depends on the scrub as to how often you should use it, but generally speaking, no more than twice a week. Your skin takes around 28 days to regenerate: from cell division at the base of your epidermis (the outer layer of skin) to dying off at your skin's surface. Once those skin cells reach the surface, they last for about a week, so scrubbing more often will usually just be abrading away at healthy skin cells, leaving you feeling raw and irritated.

The flip-side is not exfoliating often enough. If your skin is particularly oily, the sebum (the type of oil your skin produces) will mix with the dead skin cells, creating a plug at the opening of your pore. That's right, it's a pimple. Fortunately, exfoliating can help gently remove that plug before it gets worse. I'm lucky enough to only really get hormone pimples (i.e. they only crop up at that time of the month), but for my job, I'm supposed to have flawless skin, so even once a month is too often.

Here's my skincare routine:
Daily: Cleanse morning and night, using a facial brush to gently exfoliate and stimulate my skin, then follow with toner, serum, eye cream and cleanser.
Weekly: Use a super-fine, super-effective exfoliator once a week. I prefer The Body Shop's Vitamin C Microdermabrasion, but it's not suitable for everyone. When looking for your own face scrub, find the friendliest salesperson you can and ask for advice - if they're asking you lots of questions about your skin and your routine, you can generally trust what they're telling you.
Damage Control: Again, I turn to The Body Shop. They have a Blue Corn Mask that exfoliates and draws out impurities (i.e. pimple gunk) so it's perfect for getting rid of blemishes.

On a side note, you should never squeeze pimples. They're like icebergs: most of the gunk is deep beneath the surface and while squeezing will clear the gooey, pus-filled head (that sebum-dead-skin plug I mentioned earlier), it will also push the rest deeper down, causing more problems later. What you should be doing is clearing the blockage and then drawing out the backlog, hence why I favour an exfoliating, deep-cleansing mask. Slap it on once a week, play a few rounds of TF2, then jump in the shower to wash it off and go about your day. I also dab it directly on the pimple every morning and night, leave for about 10 minutes then wash off, just to really draw out the gunk and get rid of the pimple sooner.

Now onto the other end of the spectrum: serums. While they sound like something cosmetics companies made up to make you spend more, some of them really do work. The idea is that they penetrate deeper into the epidermis, nourishing the skin cells as they grow. What this means in practice is that they act as a pre-moisturiser, making your moisturiser more effective (so you use less of it). Different serums also offer secondary benefits, including anti-ageing, soothing, protecting, or hydrating effects. Why don't they make a 2-in-1 serum/moisturiser? To give you choice, mainly - mix and match, don't use one at all, it's all up to you. The main reason to try a serum is to achieve a specific result from the secondary benefits, without having to change your regular moisturiser. That said, as they get older, many women find that their regular moisturiser isn't moisturising enough, but heavier moisturisers feel greasy or heavy - and that's where the increased effectiveness of serums really comes into its own. If your skin feels dry and tight, even after moisturising, try adding a serum to your routine - if you get the right one, the effects are amazing.