Skin Care

8 Habits of Women With Perfect Skin

You don't need excellent genes to have great skin. We asked women ages 24 to 83 to share their perfect-skin secrets -- here's what they said

by Anna Jimenez, Allie Flinn

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The Habit: They Know the Right Way to Exfoliate Their Skin Maybe it sounds a little new age-y, but part of having great skin is being intuitive about its needs. Exfoliation regimens in our interviewees ranged from once a week to once a day, depending on their skin's needs -- but it was a process they all did routinely. For instance, Joey discovered that the multitude of masks, steams and treatments she used to do began to be more irritating -- as opposed to skin-beautifying -- as she got older.

Why you should try it: Exfoliation is extra important because you have to shed the dead skin cells on the surface in order for the skin to glow -- kind of like how a snake sheds its scales (only less gross). But there's no magic exfoliation number that works for everyone, and that's because some people have better natural exfoliation than others, says Jaliman. "As you age, the exfoliation process becomes more sluggish and cells turn over more slowly. It's important to use an exfoliant more often to compensate for this change in turnover."

In general, if you are oily and prone to acne, you need to exfoliate more than people with normal skin in order to help remove clogged pores and blackheads. It's also important how you exfoliate: oily skin can use cleansing grains and even glycolic or salicylic acid.

People with rosacea, sensitive skin or eczema, however, will want to exfoliate less for optimal results. In lieu of chemical exfoliants or harsh scrubs, they may want to choose a sonic cleansing brush designed for sensitive skin, though Jaliman also recommends using green tea (a mild antioxidant) or lactic acid for light exfoliation.

Image via picsjpg.com

SEE NEXT PAGE: The Habit: When They Wear Makeup, They Choose the Right Formula for Their Skin

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