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There’s no denying that Korean culture and K-Pop have received a huge boom in popularity lately. But it’s not just the music that’s getting popular—South Korea has taken the beauty market by storm!
There’s a good reason why so many aesthetic doctors are turning to K-beauty products these days. It really seems like Korean women defy aging; everyone is asking: “Why do Korean girls look so young?!”
In this case, beauty is literally skin-deep. Korean women take their skincare routines very seriously, and this care pays off in making them look much younger than their actual age.
So we’ve investigated these skincare routines and we found out why they’re so effective. If you want to learn how to look younger than your age then you’re in the right place! Read on for expert skincare tips straight from South Korea.
Principles of Korean Skincare
The typical Korean skincare routine is ten steps long! Below, we’re going to lay out the important parts, so you understand how it works. It’ll also help those of you who don’t have the time or ability to commit to such an extensive routine; as long as you understand the principles, you can learn how to make your face look younger.
Prevention Is Better Than Cure
It’s an old adage, but it holds up here. The earlier you get to a problem, the less time it’ll have to do any damage. For instance, take your pores. Leave one blocked up, and it’ll soon turn into a whitehead or a blackhead. But if you maintain a constant skincare regimen, debris will never have enough time to build up into something serious. And the less damaged your skin is, the younger you’ll look. This is also why the Korean skincare routine is so thorough; it aims to remove every problem and pollutant on your face so that it never has a chance to interfere with your appearance.
Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize
As obvious as it sounds, dry skin is a consequence of skin not being hydrated enough. Dry skin also leads to a host of other concerns. Your face and ears replace their skin cells more often than most other areas of your skin, and this turnover rate means they’re vulnerable to damage. Keeping your skin well moisturized not only keeps it looking healthy, but it also firms up the face and keeps wrinkles away. Want to know how to slow down aging? Moisturize!
Don’t Stop With One Cleanser
The standard ten-step Korean skincare routine starts with two cleanses. The first uses an oil-based cleanser to remove excess sebum, makeup, and dead skin cells. This works on the principle that oil attracts oil, so oil cleansers have an easier time removing sebum and makeup. This is then followed by a gentle water-based cleanser that removes debris like sweat and dirt, which respond better to water. This double cleanse ensures that none of the environmental stressors of day-to-day life have a chance to damage your skin.
Even if you don’t wear much makeup, the double cleanse is still advisable. Water-based cleansers have a hard time dealing with sebum, sunscreen, and pollutants, so you’ll need an oil cleanser to remove these. Keeping your face clean plays an important part in how to look younger.
Avoid The Sun
While the sun is a great bioavailable source of vitamin D, staying in the sun for too long can be really damaging to your skin. Ultraviolet rays are bad news, and they do more damage to your face than nearly anything else! They speed up the aging process, they remove elasticity, they promote wrinkles, promote sagging, and they dry out the skin. Even sporting a light tan in the summer can be extremely damaging year after year.
If you want to keep your skin protected, stay out of the sun as much as possible and wear sunscreen or use makeup that incorporates SPF. Your skin will thank you for it!
Don’t Believe The Hype
Let’s face it, the beauty market is expanding every year, especially with K-beauty products giving manufacturers more things to think about. They’ll try all sorts of new ingredients, looking for the next big thing to keep your skin brighter and healthier. And you’ll get the manufacturers who’ll just outright try to lie about what benefits their products bring.
One huge downside of beauty products is that there isn’t enough regulation to ensure that products live up to their claims, so you always have to do your own research. Look for any reviews of the product and see if they sound credible, or check with your dermatologist.
Coordinate With Your Doctor
You should always check in with your aesthetic doctor to see if your skincare routine needs a little extra help! Plus, since they have an up-close look at your skin and the right expertise, they can recommend what products will work best and what you should avoid. And when your skin needs a little bit of extra help, they might even be able to recommend slightly more intensive procedures like placenta and stem cell therapy, and see if they may be helpful to your case.
Staying Forever Young
Make no mistake; a full ten-step Korean skincare routine will take quite a bit of effort! You’ll have to invest in the products and commit to using them every day. You’ll also have to sacrifice quite a bit of time; around thirty minutes per night, every night.
If you’re looking for something that’s a little more ‘once and done’ maybe you could consider something like placenta and stem cell therapy. It might sound pretty sci-fi, but the results speak for themselves. If you’re 45 and you want to look 25, this might be the treatment for you!