The start of the New Year often sees gym memberships peaking as people return from the holidays. Getting skin fit and back into a good routine is equally as important.

Ultraceuticals global education director Elizabeth Fardon offers her top tips for setting your skin goals for a successful skin journey for the year ahead.

Setting realistic goals – Are you comparing yourself to a celebrity, airbrushed model or FaceTuned Instagram influencer? Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your skin to a flawless image online. This will not only drive you into a self-loathing path but is also hugely unrealistic. Even models have bad skin days.

Lifestyle changes – Your skin goals shouldn’t stop at just topical solutions, but an all-encompassing lifestyle approach. Is dairy triggering your hormonal acne? Are you being sun safe and avoiding tanning to minimise hyperpigmentation? Are you planning to give up cigarettes to help with fine lines? Are you getting enough sleep, eating a well-balanced diet and plenty of water to help skin maintain a firm and healthy complexion?

Sourcing a reputable skin clinician for a professional skin analysis, a bonus if they use a skin imaging scanner such as Visia or Observ to identify key concerns and track your progress along the way. Before and after shots are a great way to track your progress, just like we do when starting a new gym program to track our body’s progress. Our brains don’t have a photographic memory, so looking in the mirror each day does not track subtle improvements each month that can further motivate us.

Invest in quality products based on science that are results driven. Do your research and ask your skin clinician who will happily recommend some reputable brands that are best for your skin concerns. Clinicians are a wealth of knowledge about the science of our skin health. Keep in mind that most brands are designed to work together, so cherry-picking from different brands and using them together may not be an effective approach and can even cause skin reactions.

Commit to your homecare regime – 80% of your skin’s progress is through using your homecare daily and 20% is from in clinic treatments to get desired results in 90 days. Just like the gym, your skin requires a consistent skin regime with professionally prescribed products to help you get the results you want for your concern. Consistency is key to gaining traction with your skin goals.

Be patient with your skin journey and most of all be kind to yourself. Accept what cannot be changed and remember, happiness will always be the best medicine of all.

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