Q: How does a moisturizer increase skin firmness?
A: “Increased firmness” is commonly used by skincare companies to describe the beneficial effects of moisturizers.
You should know that the substance that naturally gives our skin firmness is collagen, while the substance that increases skin firmness from the use of a moisturizer is water. Moisturizers work by creating an environment for enhanced water content in the skin. Ingredients such as dimethicone, petrolatum, mineral oil, and hyaluronic acid reduce trans-epidermal water loss, thereby increasing the skin’s water content. When the skin is full of water, it becomes firmer – like a full water balloon, versus a half-full water balloon. Likewise, if you want your skin to be more luminous, it needs to be well hydrated.
Revision Skincare Hydrating Serum, an oil-free moisturizing serum with 2 kinds of Hyaluronic Acid for both short and long-term skin hydration.
Q: How does makeup enhance the luminosity of the skin?
A: Luminosity is a measure of the intensity of the light reflected from the skin’s surface as it bounces back into the observer’s eye. The amount of light reflected from the skin is dependent on how smooth the skin is. Many facial foundations also enhance light reflection by adding very small light reflective particles and pigments suspended within the liquid foundation. These small particles cannot be seen on the skin’s surface without magnifications, and they create a facial glow that is attractive and youthful, even though the skin beneath the foundation may not be perfectly smooth. This optical illusion is the magic of makeup!
If you want the skin to really be smoother (so you don’t need magic makeup), you should be using a physician-grade Retinol product (topical Vitamin A). Drugstore products will not have a high enough concentration of the active ingredients necessary to affect change to the skin. Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center has a variety of pharmaceutical-grade products, like prescription Obagi NuDerm Tretinoin (Retin-A) and non-prescription Revision Skincare Retinol Complete 1.0.
Ask our skin-care specialists for a personalized recommendation, or Call (540) 341-1900 to schedule a FREE Cosmetic Consultation appointment for a customized skincare plan.
