How to get Smoother Skin & Improve Texture on My Face

Your face’s skin texture says a lot about you, the environment, your habits and your diet. Learn how to improve how you look and feel by making a few simple changes to your daily routine.

Let’s be honest. It's hard not to feel a certain amount of pressure living up to the various expectations set by the societies we live in. Being financially stable, being a good partner, a good parent or a good friend. These pressures get ratcheted up once you add in the effects of your social media feeds presenting the highly curated and photoshopped lives of your friends and influencers. And finally, there’s having to be camera-ready for that plethora of Zoom, Teams and Hangout calls we now inevitably do multiple times a day. 

Getting good at stuff is hard. You don’t get lean and muscular by visiting the gym once a week. You can’t eat a salad on Monday and then smash down pizza for the rest of the week and expect to lose weight. Things take time with a minimum level of consistency but it's not all hard. In fact, once you get into a new habit it becomes kind of great. People who go to the gym eventually find their bodies start to really crave that next workout. Once you start eating clean and lean you’ll find you can’t imagine polluting your temple-of-a-body with that same junk food that used to taste so fabulous.

So, when it comes to your skin. You guessed it, great skin requires a little work and a little consistency to create those new habits that will eventually become awesome, relaxing and therapeutic.

What kind of skin are you working with?

There can be a big difference in your approach depending on your skin type and its current condition. Mostly, the world is divided into two types of people. Those with dry skin and those with oily skin.

Dry skin people will find they have a rough complexion with red patches, and hard-to-see pores. They’ll experience cracking, peeling, itchiness, or inflammation. The backs of the hands, arms and legs might feel particularly rough and scaly. Dry skin usually gets worse due to things like:

• The elements, like wind, sun, or cold
• Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, including those from tanning beds
• Indoor climate control, such as air conditioning or heating
• Long, warm baths or showers
• Certain ingredients in soaps or make-up

Oily skin people will experience both a dull or a shiny complexion with large, more visible pores which are prone to experiencing breakouts of blackheads and pimples. Oily skin usually gets worse due to:

• Too much heat or humidity
• Hormonal imbalances
• Stress

Combination skin. Yes some people experience both: dry in some areas, oily in others. Those with combination skin tend to experience more blackheads, look more shiny, and produce more oil in the nose, forehead, and chin areas. Combination skin can get worse due to any combination of the aforementioned conditions.

So what does your skin texture say about you?

Your skin texture can give away your habits, the environment you live in, and your mood. Those who live in a warm, sunny area where air conditioners are alway running are more likely to have dry skin - think Vegas or Phoenix. Or perhaps you live in Chicago but you spend most of your winters on the tanning bed. Conversely, those who hail from the humid marshlands of Florida will more than likely have oily skin.

Why does your skin get rough?

Though you may like the idea of being permanently bronzed like a Greek goddess, those UV rays you’re soaking up are working hard to mess up your skin. It doesn’t really make much of a difference whether you’re frequenting your local tanning salon or hitting the beach. UVA and UVB rays will get you. UVA rays cause skin cells to age and they damage the cell DNA. Even on a seemingly cloudy day, as much as 80 percent of UV rays can penetrate the clouds. When exposed for a prolonged period, collagen fibers and elastin in your skin can break down and lead to a rougher appearance. Not surprisingly, drinking a lot of water every day really helps your skin elasticity in addition to all the benefits of being generally well hydrated.

Another dry skin culprit is smoking. And while yes, smoking too much should also be avoided, we’re more specifically talking about smoking cigarettes. Tobacco smoke, both externally and ingested internally, leads to premature wrinkling and aging of the skin. As Nancy Reagan taught us, Just Say No...

How do I get smoother skin?

• Wear sunscreen everyday. Even when it’s cloudy! We recommend a 30 SPF or higher. And then reapply often, about every two hours.
• Drink lots of water! Start your day with a nice big bottle, keep drinking it and keep filling it up. Bathroom breaks be damned!
• Cut the cigs if you’re a smoker, or your friends if they are the smokers blowing their smoke onto your delicate face.
• Purchase a humidifier if you live in a dry area, a dry house or a dry apartment. Cold climates can be super dry because the heating is always on and you tend to feel less thirsty so you are getting dehydrated from both the inside and outside.
• Then there’s exercise. We know that’s a sore subject for a lot of us, but a little bit can work wonders on the texture of your skin. It turns out getting a little sweat on your yoga pants can help thicken the outer layers of your skin.

So there you have it. A blueprint for getting better, softer, smoother skin and we got there without even talking about any skincare products!