When it comes to great skincare, most people have perfected their routines for the face. Some super savvy skincare lovers may even include the neck and décolletage in their daily practice – but what about the rest of the body?
While it’s certainly important to nail your skincare routine for the face, body care should come a close second. After all, the skin is our largest organ and protects our entire bodies from top to toe! It’s only fair that we look after every inch.
So, if your body care currently consists of supermarket suds and the occasional lather of moisturiser to the legs, it’s time to settle in and sort out your all-body skincare routine with these seven simple steps.
Invigorate with dry brushing
Before jumping in the shower, take five minutes to prepare and stimulate your skin with a dry brushing session once or twice a week. Not only does dry brushing feel fantastic, it also physically exfoliates the skin in a similar fashion to a body scrub, helping to remove the dead, dry skin and preparing you for the next step in your all-body care routine.
The movement of the bristles across your skin will also help to temporarily increase circulation so that after dry brushing your skin will be instantly softer, smoother and more invigorated! Just be cautious not to brush over any wounded or irritated skin, including conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.
Full body cleanse
Next, it’s time to jump in the shower and give yourself a full-body cleanse. A gentle body cleanser often does the trick but try to avoid harsh ingredients such as alcohols, perfumes or drying soaps such as sodium lauryl sulphate. If you suffer from body acne on the back, chest or arms, look for ingredients such as salicylic acid and calming, anti-redness extracts such as tea treat oil, licorice or blue-green algae.
Exfoliate the rough patches
Try the Balense Jojoba Exfoliating Cleanser and really get into those rough patches around the knees, elbows and heels of the feet – the encapsulated salicylic acid provides a chemical exfoliation while the exfoliating spheres are bio-degradable and aquatic-friendly. Looking after yourself AND the environment? It’s a win-win.
If you’re already dry brushing, you might choose to skip or reduce this step – but if you don’t have a dry brush at home, then using a body scrub can be a beneficial alternative (especially for those suffering from body acne).
Ditch the razor for laser
Not only does shaving take way more time than we’d like, but it can also cause damage to your skin. From rusty old razors causing irritation, to nicks, cuts, ingrown hairs and shaving rash – there is more than one reason to ditch the razor and switch to laser. Adding laser hair removal to your all-body skincare routine is a great way to keep your skin silky-smooth all year round, save time in the shower AND avoid the skin issues that often come with shaving.
Moisturise, moisturise moisturise!
Moisturising your body should ideally be done after showering, to help trap some of that water into your skin and keep it hydrated for longer. The skin on your body isn’t as delicate as the skin on your face, neck or décolletage, so you might like to try a thicker, more indulgent body cream. However, if you experience back acne or body acne, stick with your professional cosmeceutical products. Vitamin C and retinol are two powerful serums you might also like to introduce to your body routine to promote collagen, inhibit pigmentation and increase collagen on areas such as the hands, arms, neck and chest.
Tailored body treatments to suit you
Your skincare routine isn’t just about what you do at home, it should also include professional treatments to improve your overall skin health and address deeper concerns. Australian Skin Clinics offer a wide range of advanced skin treatments for the body.
For sufferers of body acne, we recommend a tailored series of High-Performance Microdermabrasions. Microdermabrasion takes exfoliation to the next level and can be performed on many different areas of the body such as the back, chest and arms. For scarring, stretch marks and loose skin we offer treatments such as micro-needling and Fractional RF that can greatly improve the appearance of such concerns. We even offer Cryo at select clinics to assist with the reduction of unwanted body fat.
Safe tans and sunscreen
The final step to your new all-body skincare routine comes as no surprise. No matter what area of skin is exposed to the sun, it is always important to stay sun safe. We recommend choosing eco-friendly fake tan products over sunbathing or solariums and applying a long-lasting SPF 50+ every four hours when spending time outdoors. We love the Balense UV Defiance SPF 50+ thanks to its excellent skin feel – plus it’s suitable for sensitive skin.
Book a complimentary consultation today and ask your trained Australian Skin Clinics dermal or laser technician about our range of skin treatments for the body. We’ll tailor a treatment plan to target your individual concerns and offer a customised product regime that you can implement at home to optimise your results! You can find your local clinic here.
