Cream and Lotion Cleansers

The traditional way to remove your make-up is with a make-up remover or lotion, followed by skin tonic or freshener on cotton wool. Always considered a soft touch for your face, these products have currently been coming in for more scrutiny. Sometimes they are found wanting, under suspicion of triggering off cosmetic acne and blocked pores. The key word is icomedogenic'.

Some ingredients in creams and cleansers could indeed trigger not only sensitive skin reactions, but also spots. Try to buy products that are labeled `non-comedogenic', or just be vigilant. If you find your skin is breaking out more than usual with your favored products, perhaps you should change to another brand.

Alcohol is an effective depressant but can also be an irritant. It is mostly found in the stronger astringents used for greasy skins. Gentle skin tonics and fresheners are alcohol-free. Very dry and sensitive skins cannot use alcohol-based cleansers and may even find water-cleansing too much. These gentle creamy cleansers may be the answer. But remove them carefully with tissues, and use a non-alcoholic gentle freshener on cotton wool as a 'rinse' to wipe away the last traces.

Even if you are careful to wipe away as much of the cleanser as possible, faint traces will still remain, and this can be irritating for the skin. Cleansing lotions and creams are formulated with surfactants, a kind of detergent, and are meant to be taken off - not left on.

Eye make-up removers are useful because they enable you to take off eye shadow, liner and mascara gently and efficiently. Use a non-oily remover if you wear contact lenses. In any case, take off eye make-up gently with a cotton ball, stroking up and out.

And remember, nothing - no skin tonic, astringent, freshener or plain cold water - can close your pores. Would life were that simple! Pores are not doors in the skin that open and close. They are the openings to the hair follicles. Slight irritation can swell the skin and so make the pore openings look less obvious temporarily. Greasy skins often have more coarse and 'open' pores. Dry skins are usually finer with less obvious pores. It is a matter of genetics. You inherit your skin type. But all skin can be improved with consistent care and protection.

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