Somewhere, in the back of our minds, we are all aware that skin is just that - SKIN. Made up of layers of cells and glands, and tissues and proteins, and hair follicles, it’s a functional outer covering that protects us from the external environment. Additionally, there are numerous factors that determine skin health, including genetics, age, lifestyle, stress, environmental conditions, etc.
And yet, wrapped up in our own heads full of expectations, we blame the skin for the way it looks and still expect it to somehow flourish and look immaculate. Does the skin work like that, though? No, not really.
Then how exactly do you go about developing a better relationship with your skin?
Well, there might be a lot of time and patience involved in the process, but when you consciously add an element of compassion to it, the journey becomes far easier and not to mention, fun; so here are our top 5 tips on how to start building a stronger, healthier relationship with your skin.
- Realizing that the skin’s journey is both physical and emotional in nature: While change in skin is inevitable, it’s important to acknowledge that the skin's journey is multi-layered, including both external and internal elements to it, with neither of the two holding any more or less significance than the other. Essentially, this means that when you bear a negative self-image, even the best skincare routine in the world would fail to make you happy with what you see in the mirror.
Your skin’s physical progress goes hand in hand with the progress of your own thought process with regards to the skin - so understand that, keep working on both aspects little by little, and there is no way you won’t see a difference in your skin and in yourself!
- Treating your skin the way you would treat your best friend: Here’s an idea; instead of thinking of the skin as an enemy that’s deliberately making life difficult for you, what if you treated your skin like your best friend? If a best friend was having a bad day, a bad week, or a bad month, would you leave them or blame them for their state? No, right? You would be kind, compassionate, and basically a cheerleader to them! So why not show the same understanding to your own skin? Right there, that’s something to think about.
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Creating your own standards of beauty: Our eyes are constantly bombarded with portrayals of skins that have no pores, no acne, no texture, no pigmentation, no unevenness, and are essentially spotless! Such farfetched beauty standards perpetuated by the media is hands down one of the biggest challenges to the process of skin acceptance.
While logic dictates us to comprehend the fact that the perfection, we see out there is more often than not digitally altered, it cannot really stop the rise of constant comparisons and feelings of inadequacy and disappointment within.
Thus, in order to build a better relationship with your skin, you have to work on creating your own standards of beauty untouched by the likes of the media and the society, and independent of comparisons with other people.
Each skin is different, and each skin journey progresses in a different manner. So, why not have beauty standards of your own, based on your unique skin and its unique journey? It sounds like a much better option if you ask us.
- Choosing the right products for your skin and for you: While you work on getting more comfortable in your own skin (literally!), remember to be mindful of the products that you feed to your skin as well. Focus on formulations and ingredients that your skin needs to get healthier, but also recognize how using the product makes you feel.
That is why, we at Lisén believe in the power of Positive Skin Sciences, a concept that beautifully amalgamates a scientific approach to healthy skin with an emotional approach to developing a stronger, more positive relationship with the skin. With high-quality, scientifically proven formulations, we not only want to help your skin make progress physically, but we also aim to foster a culture of optimism, compassion, and kindness that encourages you to make progress with your skin on a deeper, more personal level.
The road to loving your skin can be daunting. Does it happen overnight? No. Is the journey linear? Definitely not! Does it require you to show up and try every single day? A big, resounding yes. But in the end, when you finally reach your destination of unconditional self-acceptance and self-love (and we know you will), everything just seems worth it.
The effort and action you put in today will definitely manifest themselves into a healthier and far more positive relationship between you and your skin. We believe in you!
