A Flawless Face

The Ins and Outs of Glass Skin

By Leslie Chatman

In recent years, Korean beauty or K-beauty trends have really grown in popularity in the United States. From the use of sheet masks to more unique treatments like applying snail mucin to the face, many Americans have fully embraced these treatments as part of their beauty routine and as remedies to common skin care issues. Glass skin is one of the latest trends to emerge from the K-beauty ethos.

What is glass skin?

Glass skin refers to a complexion with a very smooth, ultra-hydrated appearance that is so flawless it looks like glass. Overall, the skin is bright, even-toned, blemish-free, and appears poreless. The true hallmark of glass skin is a luminous, lit-from-within appearance created by hydrating products designed to firm and plump skin.

How can I achieve it?

Achieving glass skin involves a multi — eight or more — step process done twice daily (e.g., morning and night) and features ideal products for your skin that deeply cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, and protect. As you build your glass skin regimen, it is important to remember that products should be layered from lightest to heaviest, allowing time for each to absorb before applying the next.

Step-by-step

Begin your routine with a K-beauty technique called double cleansing. Use an oil cleanser to remove all makeup and dirt from the face, then follow with a gentle foaming cleanser to reach deeper into the pores to clean and prepare the skin for exfoliation.

Next, use an exfoliator to remove dead skin cells. This is an important step in achieving a bright, poreless-looking complexion. If you are still determining whether physical or chemical exfoliation is best for your skin, consult a professional to learn how your skin may respond to each before you commit to and invest in a method.

At this point, it is paramount that you return the skin to its proper pH with a toner to prepare the skin to accept all the hydrating products to follow. Then apply an essence, another K-beauty technique, as your first layer of moisture. An essence is usually a water-based skin care product that contains a high content of active ingredients designed to restore hydration to the skin cells. Apply with your hands, gently pressing the product onto your face versus rubbing it on.

Adding a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid to firm and plump the skin is a great next step to build moisture deep within the layers of the skin. Hyaluronic acid is like a big drink of water to the skin at this point in the regimen. Then lock in that moisture with a lightweight face oil and then top that with a skin-appropriate hydrating moisturizer. And if it is daytime, apply sunscreen to protect the skin.

As you work through your routine, take time to assess what is working for you and what is not. Once you start seeing the results you desire, consider tweaking your regimen to add weekly sheet masks to boost hydration even more after toning the skin.

The Buzz About Microtox

If your skin exhibits fine lines or other common signs of aging, you may be a good candidate to revive your appearance with a microtox treatment. Microtox is a very precise, noninvasive technique of injecting a neuromodulator, such as Botox or Dysport, into the superficial layer of skin. This treatment aims to reduce pore size, lift, and tighten the skin, giving it a naturally refreshed appearance with no downtime.

A major benefit of microtox is that results typically appear much quicker than with traditional Botox because the injection is not delivered into the muscle. Depending on how fast your body metabolizes the neuromodulator used in this treatment, results may last three to four months or longer.