Facial Toner

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"Dortor, I have many open pores on both of my cheeks that make my face looks wrinkly. Please help me! "

Figure 1. Pores on face

Most of the teenagers or some adults are facing this ugly looking pores problem on their face , they worry about their face condition. I mean who doesn't want to be pretty and gorgeous like those celebrities on television? When patients seek for help/advice from skin professional, beauticians usually encourage people to apply facial toner after washing their face. What exactly the facial toner is?

Toner is referred as a toner/wash that helps to remove surface skin cells, soap residue and oil from the skin. They are often heavy on water and alcohol and sometimes contain other ingredients like salicylic acid, witch hazel, benzoyl peroxide. A good toner will remove surface oils and debris which may be helpful for oily or acne-prone skin. A big misconception is that a toner will close enlarged pores, but actually it gives the appearance of minimizing pores as the toner irritate the skin and make it swell slightly. The toners remove excess oil from the skin, whisk away impurities that usually lead to blemishes and breakouts.

Figure 2. Toner and astringent

Most of the dermatologists say that if cleanse your face regularly twice a day with appropriate skincare products you can go without applying toner after cleansing your face. But to those with oily or acne prone skin, they are advised to go with toner to keep their skin clean and frsh and t remove the excess oil from the surface of then skin. Toner containing alcohol benefits the patients with problem skin because it helps to dry the pimples faster. You should look for a product specifically designed for oil or acne-prone skin, containing salicylic acid, glycolic acid, hydroxyl acid. If the amount of alcohol is too much, it can provoke production of more oils which in turns causing more breakouts of pimples, more blackheads and clogged pores.

Toner can be applied in a few ways :

• On damp cotton wool. (most frequently used method)
• Spraying onto the face using a vaporizer.
  
• By applying a tonic gauze facial mask - a piece of gauze is covered with toner and left on the face for a few minutes.
  
  

Types of toners :

1. Skin bracers of fresheners
   This contains virtually no alcohol (0-10%), water and a humectant such as glycerin. humectants help to keep the moisture in the upper layers of the epidermis by preventing it frpm evaporating. A popular example of this is rosewater. These tones are the kindest to skin, and rea most suitable for use on dry, dehydrated, sensetive and normal skins. But it is not advisable to those sensitive skin patients because it might cause a burning on skin.
   
   
2. Skin Tonics
   These are slightly stronger and contain a small quantity of alcohol (up to 205), water and a humectant ingredient. An example of a skin tonic is orange flower water and it is suitable on normal, combination and oily skin.
   
   
3. Astringents
   
   These are the strongest form of toner and contain a high proportion of alcohol (20-60%), antiseptic ingredients, water and a humectant ingredient. These are commonly recommended for oily skins as they are drying, but note that the removal of oil from the skin can lead to excess oil production as the skin tries to compensate for this and prevent moisture loss. To prevent dehydration, astringent is best applied only to problem areas of skin.

Let's see what are the ingredients contained in mos of the toner products :
Clean&Clear Oil Controlling Toner
Water, Alcohol, Glycereth-26, Panthenol, Salicylic Acid, Allantoin, Sodium Hydoxide, Polysorbate-20, Fragrance, Polyquarternium-7, Benzophenone-4.

Glycereth-26
Glycereth-26 is a glyceryl ester and is a multitudinous oil used in cosmetics as an emollient, lubricant, as well as a water-binding and thickening agent. There is not much information on the use of Glycereth-26 specifically, or glyceryl esters in general, although it is clear that its primary function is as a thickener.

Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid commonly used to trear non inflamed acne. Salicylic acid helps correct the abnormal desquamation process that occurs in acne-prone skin. It works as an exfoliant, promoting the sloughing away of dead skin cells. Salicylic acid is especially helpful in treating acne because of its ability to penetrate the follicle. It encourages the shedding of dead skin cells from within the follicle, helping keep the pores clear of cellular debris. In this way, it reduces the number of pore blockages and breakouts on the skin.

Panthenol
Panthenol is a non-irriating form of Vitamin B that is usually derived from plants. When this natural, hydrating vitamin is applied externally, it penetrates into lower skin layers, gets absorbed into your skin cells and turns into pantothenic acid (commonly known as Vitamin B5). Because panthenol is absorbed deeply into the skin, it adds essential moisture and has a desirable plumping effect.

Allantoin
Allantoin relieves the skin irritation caused by soaps and detergent, acids, and alkalies in oral and skin care products. It is said to promote wound healing and tissue formation, but is not recognized for that by regulatory agencies.

Benzophenone-4
It is also known as sulisobenzone. When undiluted, some Benzophenones, were slightly irritating to the skin and eyes. At concentrations used in cosmetics and personal care products, Benzophenoens were not irritating. Benzophenone is used to prevent ultralight from damaging our skin.

Polyquaternium
Polyquaternium is the member of cationic copolymers used as ingredient for antistatic and film-forming properties primarily in hair-care products and in skin care products. These polymers are substantive to protein substrates and have water-binding property. They are used in hair care products for gloss, setting and antistat properties. They are added to skin care products to enhance a smooth and non-oily feel.

Polysorbate-20
Polysorbate 20 is a nonionic surfactant and emulsifier derived from sorbitol which comes from fruit and berries. Polysorbate 20 is a water-soluble yellowish liquid used as a dispersing agent -mixes oil and water, fragrance solubilizer and stabilizer, lubricates and has a soothing effect on the skin.

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Before buying any cosmetic product, please do consult to your dermatologist regarding the ingredient that suits your skin condition better. Or else, skin irritation might occurs and brings side effects to your health. :D





REFERENCES
"How to use and apply facial toner in beauty tips and makeup tips" Adapted from: http://www.beauty-advices.com/how-to-use-and-apply-facial-toner/ , Retrieved on 28March2010.

"Toner (Skin Care) - Wikipedia" Adapted from :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toner_%28skin_care%29, Retrieved on 28march2010.

Palmer, A. (Jan23,2009) Salicylic Acid. Adapted from: http://acne.about.com/od/acnetreatments/a/salicylicacid.htm , retrieved on 28march2010.

Jenkins, J. Panthenol and your skin-what you need to know. Adapted from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Panthenol-and-Your-Skin---What-You-Need-to-Know&id=447783
Retrieved on 28March2010.

Allantoin - Beauty. Adapted from: http://en.mimi.hu/beauty/allantoin.html, Retrieved on 28march2010.

Ingredients - Benzophenone. Adapted from: http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/benzophenone.html, Retrieved on 28march2010.

PolyQuaternium. Adapted from: http://chemicalland21.com/lifescience/UH/POLYQUATERNIUM%2010.htm , Retrieved on 28march2010.

Polysorbate 20. Adapted from: http://www.naturebath.com/polysorbate_20.html , Retrieved on 28march2010.

ErinP (March9,2009) Glycereth-26. Adapted from: http://truthinaging.com/ingredients/glycereth-26/ , Retrieved on 28March2010.