Here’s How To Get Smooth, Glowing Skin On The Body, Based On Expert Advice
How do you get smooth skin? It’s a question many of us will have considered in forensic detail when it comes to our faces with an arsenal of exfoliators, pore-minimisers and hydrators – but less thought is given to the rest of the body.
The Vogue-approved products for smooth, glowing skin at a glance:
“Body skin ages just like the face,” says skin expert and founder of Salon C. Stellar, Andrea Pfeffer. “It becomes thinner, less elastic and more prone to crepiness, especially on the arms, knees and chest.” This, she says, is down to a range of factors. “Hormones, sun exposure and the natural loss of muscle all play a role.” Pfeffer stresses the importance of maintaining muscle for skin structure, but there are skincare ingredients and tools, too, that can help you achieve smooth, glowing skin from head to toe.
It’s all about a layered approach, details Alexander Johnston, general manager at John Bell & Croyden, who describes a five-step process that includes dry brushing, chemical exfoliants, a serum, body lotion and body oil. “This layered approach ensures you both remove dull, dead cells and deeply hydrate, giving skin a fresh, silky-smooth, radiant look.” And when it comes to ingredients, Pfeffer says, “Think of body care like face care, you want actives, hydration and consistency.”
Read on to find out more.
In this article:
Dry brushing
“Dry brushing the skin removes dead skin cells, stimulates blood flow and activates lymphatic drainage,” details Johnston. “Dry brushing has also been credited with reducing cellulite, stimulating collagen and elastin production, and helping fade scars and stretch marks.” This first step also encourages better absorption of the products to follow.
Body exfoliation
Designed to be used once or twice a week, exfoliators remove dead skin cells and leave skin feeling soft. Johnston says, “Just as you would with your face, using a scrub that contains AHAs and BHAs to speed up cell renewal and remove debris from the skin will see your natural glow start to show.” This is an important step too in order to create a smooth canvas for the treatment step and encourage greater absorption of the all-important moisturising lotion.
Body serum
This is the moment where you can pack active ingredients into your body care routine to tackle concerns like lacklustre skin. “Consider an antioxidant serum,” recommends Johnston, especially “one containing vitamin C and niacinamide to really brighten the skin, help to reduce the appearance of any sun or environmental damage, stimulate collagen production and even out your skin tone.”
Body lotion
No matter whether you have mature skin or a specific concern like dullness or dryness, body lotion is the most important step in any body care routine, says the experts. Hydration will never go amiss. When it comes to choosing the best one, Johnston details, “There are many different options when it comes to body creams, from richer to lighter, dry textured to fully emollient – it really depends on your skin type. Look for creams rich in ceramides, lipids and hyaluronic acid to really lock in a layer of moisture.”