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Aren't most skin care products basically alike? Does it really matter that I use different brands of skin care products together? I want to look great, and I don't want to waste my money. That was my attitude toward skin care and cosmetics for quite a long time until I learned that there really are some advantages to using a skin care system. Here's what I discovered.

The first and most important advantage to using a skin care system is that the products are designed to work together chemically. The cleanser might slightly reduce the pH balance of your skin while the toner or moisturizer might be formulated to restore the PH balance to your skin. The cleanser and toner may use different amount of an ingredient to remove oil, dirt, and dead skin cells from your skin. The moisturizer may contain oils or ingredients that help sunscreen absorb and work effectively. Even though the system is made up of four or five parts, those parts work so well together that they become something beyond the sum of their parts. Hang in with me for a second and let me explain what I mean.

Do you like peanut butter sandwiches? A sandwich is a system that's better than its individual parts. Imagine that I bring you a plate with a big scoop of peanut butter, a large blob of jam, and 2 slices of bread laying on a plate. I offer you this plate and ask if you'd like to eat it. After you roll your eyes and wonder if I'm nuts, you will decide what to do next.

Now imagine that I bring you a plate with freshly toasted bread, spread with a generous amount of peanut butter and evenly covered with jam, put together as a sandwich. Would you be more likely to accept this plate from me? I'm betting you would. Why is that? It's because your sandwich is complete, and the bread, peanut butter, and jam are working to make something better than the sum of the parts I used to put it together. The first plate had the components of the same sandwich, but they weren't working together, were they?

Skin care products work in a similar way, and when you use a system designed to work together, you get better results than if you use a cleanser from Company A, a toner from company B, and a moisturizer from Company C. Oh, and don't forget about the sunscreen! It comes from company D, and it doesn't absorb into your skin very well because the moisturizer from Company C has a base that won't let the sunscreen do its job. With a system, the parts support each other well so that there are no ingredient clashes.

The other advantages of using a skin care system are important too. When you use a system, it's much easier to solve problems that come up if your skin responds badly to something in the skin care product. Companies that sells skin care systems are usually very easy to approach with concerns and will refund your money if the system doesn't work for you. When you don't use a system, you can't be sure what's irritating your skin and don't know who to turn to for help when you need it. I discovered this for myself when I was using 3 products from different companies and ended up with a rash on my face. I was sure it was the cleanser and threw it away. I found out I was wrong in a hurry the next time I put on the moisturizer! Ouch! I ended up losing the cleanser and moisturizer that day, and that cost me quite a bit of money.

The final advantage of using a skin care system is that you often get a nice price break. Manufacturers reward their customers for making smart choices about their skin by offering them a discount over what they'd pay if they bought each product separately.

With the advantages we've talked about here, I hope you'll consider using a system of skin care products to nourish your skin. You'll save money, get support if you find that the products aren't working as you expect, and get better results to keep your skin looking young, healthy, and radiantly beautiful.