Cleansing of the skin – you do it every day and dermatologists constantly recommend “gentle cleansers” – but what exactly makes a cleanser effective and gentle. Cleansers may not seem to be as exotic as peptide serums, low molecular weight hyaluronic acid preparations or the next great
antioxidant, but they are critically important for your skin care routine. Why? Simply put, the dead skin cells, excess oil, sebum, bacteria, makeup, skin care product residue and pollutants that the skin encounters every day needs to be removed. Perhaps nothing is more effective for this than isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, but we don’t ever recommend this approach as it would wreak absolute havoc on your skin. The cure would be worse than the disease.
There is a difficult balancing act for cleansers: strong enough to remove what must be removed but gentle enough so that the skin is not left harshly dry, raw and desiccated. Happily, we now have remarkable products for cleansing all skin types.
Skin cleansing needs to reflect several things including age, skin type and sun exposure history. In addition, many common skin conditions have their own cleansing requirements. A few of these will be highlighted here:
The Best Skin Cleanser For Rosacea
Rosacea is a very common skin condition characterized by excess
facial redness, overgrown capillaries and sun-sensitivity. The cleansing needs for rosacea prone skin reflect the intrinsic epidermal barrier defect (minimized by
water binding peptides and
sodium hyaluronate) and tendency for redness to flare with even minor irritation. Thus, the
best skin cleanser for rosacea which does not flare rosacea blood vessels (natural soothing
plant extracts are ideal to minimize this) and does not clog pores (here is where
sodium hyaluronate comes into play).
The Best Skin Cleanser For Acne
The cleansing needs for acne prone skin can be quite complex. In acne, there is overproduction of oil and sebum, there are clogs within pores and there is excess inflammation as well as bacterial overgrowth. What complicates cleansing needs even more is that the compounds which get acne under control (be it prescriptions, cosmeceuticals or even over the counter preparations) can significantly sensitize the skin. Cleansing acne prone skin is akin wo “walking on thin ice”. But fear not,
Acneclear is a non-irritating micronized 5% benzoyl peroxide cleanser which is deeply penetrating into acne pores (where it kills bacteria on contact). It is an excellent cleanser in most active
acne treatment regimens and also helps to keep skin in a breakout-free state once the acne is under good control. If your skin is very sensitive, we recommend
AcneBIOTICS Beta cleanser - a gentle salicylic acid based cleanser.
The Best Cleanser For Dry Sensitive Skin / Best Cleanser For Sun Damaged Skin?
Revoderm is based in the Rocky Mountains; the climate here is especially harsh for skin. It is a cold, dry climate and the effects of chronic ultraviolet light are more acute given the high altitudes of western North America. With increasing age and sun damage, the skin becomes thinner, loses its ability to retain water and is easily irritated by pollutants, irritants and allergens because the barrier function of the skin becomes progressively compromised.
For dry and sun damaged skin, fragrances are a no-no; they smell pretty but can leave you with a red, itchy peeling face.
Revive Cleanser was envisioned with these realities in mind. This novel cleanser contains ultra pure sodium hyaluronate, which is a natural body molecule that acts as the ultimate “sponge” for your skin. Sodium hyaluronate recruits water from your bloodstream as well as from the outside environment. Acetyl Octapeptide (a small protein complex) is added to help boost skin hydration through its water binding properties. In addition, this cleanser has many soothing botanical extracts including:
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Cucumber Fruit extract – to firm and protect the skin
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Orange oil – a natural astringent and antiseptic that produces calming effects on the skin
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Allantoin – an extract of the comfrey plant which helps promote the growth of healthy new skin cells
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Clary Sage extract – as with Orange oil, this is a natural astringent and antiseptic
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Sweet Almond oil – helps clean prominent pores; also helps with puffy loose skin around the eyes
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Vitamin B 5 (panthenol) – an excellent lubricant and emollient
Best Skin Cleanser For Dry Skin And Eczema
Dry skin is thirsty skin; a common error we see all the time is patients treating with oil – coconut oil, olive oil or practically any other oil – you name it, we’ve seen it used. The problem of course, is that dry skin needs hydration, not lubrication. Skin that is oiled up will have a nice “feel” but it is still dry. When you are thirsty, you don’t drink oil, you drink water –
do the same thing for your skin... Revoderm Detox cleanser is one of the best skin cleansers for eczema and dry skin. This is because it has an ideal combination of soothing, non-irritating anti-inflammatory botanical oil extracts (Aloe extract, ginger root oil, peppermint oil, orange oil) as well as allantoin and the water absorbing acetyl octapeptide and sodium
hyaluronate.
Of note, hyaluronic acid serums are combined beautifully with good moisturizer. Hyaluronic acid serums should go on before the moisturizer – they “seal” the moisture in the skin... And finally, when a skin condition is treated, or when the weather changes, a person’s cleansing needs often change. If you have questions, please talk to us.
Here’s to healthy, beautiful skin!
Sincerely,
Ildikó Juhasz