What’s in a good moisturizer?
There are a ton of skin products on the shelves. To ensure you’re using the safest and most effective products, you should follow two steps:
- Determine your skin type so you know the right kinds of products for your skin. Refer to this blog to determine your skin type.
- Check the ingredients to make sure the appropriate products are effective.
Here are the best ingredients to look for when determining which moisturizer to purchase at check-out.
Glycerin – As stated in our blog about winter skin, hot showers and heaters can sometimes suck the moisture out of your skin. Glycerin does the opposite – it sucks moisture in the air back into your skin. It also makes lotions silkier, allowing you to put makeup on almost immediately after application.
Lactic acid – Lactic acid should be applied just out of the shower and is another good moisturizer to treat chapped skin. It’s especially effective for healing dry legs.
Ceramides – Ceramides reinforce the skin’s moisture barrier. They seal water in so cells don’t dry out. It primarily helps to relieve dry, itchy skin and tends to leave an afterglow.
Key antioxidants – There are dozens of antioxidants that can help the skin in a variety of ways. Keep your eyes peeled for: grape extract, resveratrol, green tea extract, vitamin C, vitamin E, epigallocatechin-3 gallate, superoxide dismutase, ferulic acid, quercetin, willow herb extract, feverfew extract and licorice extract. Because they each have a different effective quality, the more antioxidants in your moisturizer, the better.
If you’re worried about an ingredient in your daily skin routine or need advice on how to treat a problem area, consult KDG. Schedule an appointment with Knoxville Dermatology Group by calling (865)690-9467.
