Here's How You Can Build Better Body Skincare Habits

Another year is about to come to an end. After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we'll be back to making new plans for the new year, building new habits for ourselves, and looking forward to the future. Part of personal planning is ensuring we build better habits, not just in terms of our diet or our exercise routines, but with our body care and skincare routines as well. Oftentimes we overlook these and just dismiss it as unimportant, but knowing how to properly care for our skin is key to well-aging. Things like putting on SPF daily, or avoiding certain skincare ingredients go a long way. 

We were fortunate enough to talk to skin experts Hugo Kerriou, Johnson & Johnson R&D Scientist, and Ira Santos, Senior Brand Manager of Aveeno, about how we can take better care of our skin, given our country's climate, as well as how to ensure we're making the most of our showers. Read on for this quick and informative interview!

Metro.Style: What characterizes 'stressed out skin' or flare-ups? How can one tell he or she is experiencing such? 

Ira Santos:  A flare-up is one of the terms used to describe the phase when skin is at its most irritable. A flare-up is also known as the 'active phase' or 'acute phase' of the disease and symptoms include the following: Itchy or intensely itchy skin. It may be sore too, and some people experience a burning sensation.

MS: With unpredictable weather changes in the country, how can one protect his or her skin better

Hugo Kerriou: Choose products that are gentle to skin, for example those that are tested on sensitive skin or hypoallergenic. Right after bathing, make sure to lock in the water that went into your skin with your moisturizer/lotion. Using a product that is oat based is important for people who have sensitive to skin conditions. Aveeno’s triple oat complex formulation has oat oil, colloidal oatmeal, and oat extract. When combined, it improves skin barrier function, moisturizes skin which functions as a prebiotic to support the growth of good microorganisms to help maintain a healthy skin microbiome, soothes itchy skin and locks in moisture.

MS: Is it true that we need to apply moisturizing agents right after we shower? Is water temperature a factor, too?

Ira Santos: Yes, proper bathing practices by limiting bathing time to 10 minutes to prevent dryness, use lukewarm water and do not do vigorous scrubbing or use strong surfactant formula to prevent from potential irritation. After bathing ensure that you moisturize skin. Having a proactive regimen is crucial to prevent skin conditions. Best to use a wash like Aveeno Skin Relief Wash that will soothe and address your compromised skin and then top it off with Aveeno Skin Relief lotion to further prevent and lock in the moisture in your skin. 

MS: Are there skincare ingredients we should stay away from if we want to maintain hydrated, moisturized skin?

Hugo Kerriou: We recommend to always check the ingredients of your wash and lotion before buying or applying it in your skin. Make sure that the product doesn’t have potential harsh ingredients in it and stick with natural and oat based ingredients. Check if product is recommended by a pediatrician or dermatologist, tested on sensitive skin and is science-based. 

Banner photo by Henry Ravenscroft on Unsplash