5 ways to combat dull skin

What is dull skin? It depends on who you ask. In my opinion, it is a non-existing skin condition, The opposite of dull skin, however, does exist, on babies and in Photoshopped pictures. The famous “glow” of the actresses photographed in the 1920s was obtained by careful lighting, make up and touch-ups.

Photo: the great Greta Garbo.

Now we have Photoshop and people still dream of the after-Photoshop skin of Julia Roberts. But remember that before Photoshop, her skin is just like yours and mine.

. Photo: Julia Roberts: beautiful with or without Photoshop. What a smile!

Incidentally, some insects can actually make light. It is called bioluminscence. The insect uses a chemical called luciferin, and, with an enzyme called luciferase, plus energy (as ATP) and oxygen, voila! there is the light made by the firefly and other insects. This is a tool used in genetic engineering. Fun!

You don’t want to glow. But you can stuff to glow by mixing a radioactive material with chemicals that act as scintillators. This technique is used to measure radioactivity in the biochemistry lab.

Some teenagers will try to get that glow anyway, and they can glow for sure after a lot of polishing and alcohol-based toners. True, that is not actual glow (which does not exist) but inflammation, and after inflammation and erosion of the skin barrier, acne will follow.  An older woman may have enough money to pay for a microdermabrasion of microneedling, but the principle is the same: sand your skin like crazy, irritate it until it is inflamed and red, and hope for the best.

Your skin will never glow, not literally. But you can make it look its best and still guarantee its health. I will tell you a few things you can do.

1) Yes, use a vitamin C serum with pure L-ascorbic acid, but don’t do it too often. This will smooth out your skin by removing the very superficial layer of dead skin without interfering with the stratum corneum and its job as a preserver of skin equilibrium. The advantage? It is fast. Just follow the instructions and remember that, with skin, more is less, or, more erosion is less skin barrier!

2) Yes, use Vitamin A cream: it will normalize skin renewal and keep your skin working young. This is a long term, good habit, and the retinoid will bind to receptors on the cell membranes promoting cell division and macromolecule synthesis.  The befits will take some time to show, but will last forever! Make sure you complement it with collagen serum (see below).

3) Yes, use an alpha/beta exfoliator, but not too often and not if you are already using an acidic C serum. Again, this will give you fast results, a smoother skin that will show its beauty within minutes. It will also help fight acne.

4) Yes, use collagen serum, it allows your skin to renew and follow the instructions of the all powerful epidermal growth factor (EGF) while also “closing” your pores by promoting the synthesis of structural macromolecules. A perfect complement to Vitamin A cream (see above). If you remember, add a few essential fatty acids into the mix with ELS serum.

5) Yes, you can use a protease exfoliator to eliminate the very superficial layers of the epidermis, but please be nice and don’t sand your skin as if it were a wall! Here you will only get an immediate improve in appearance, but the mask may fulfill that need for pampering and you will like the scent of pumpkin pie.

X) And, finally, there is make-up. Some chemicals reflect light. But, isn’t it funny that we don’t want oily skin (which would reflect light) but want the shine. In this case, use a highlighting make-up, just for that special party.

As for what not to do, just look at my other blog posts. You don’t want to end up with sensitive skin, do you?