The 5 Step Skincare Routine
The New Year is a great time to start prioritizing your wellness goals with eating healthy and exercising always being at the top of the list. In addition to these aspirations, have you also considered fostering a skincare routine that's intentional, simplistic, and addresses your individual needs?
Your skin is the largest and arguably most important organ of the body. It works to keep out bacteria and pesky skin damaging micro-orgasims while maintaining hydration levels and regulating body temperature. Since the skin plays such a critical role in overall homeostasis, keeping it healthy is foundational for maintaining optimal health.
And yet, when the traditional new-year-new-you mantras begin, people will spend inordinate amounts of time exercising, grocery shopping, food-prepping, water drinking, and applying makeup while basically ignoring their skin! We get it, life is busy, and at the end of a hectic day usually the last thing someone wants to commit to is a 15 step skincare routine.
Fortunately, the 15 step skin care routine is outdated and unnecessary to achieve and maintain a gorgeous complexion.There are few important things to determine before you begin simplifying (or even starting) a skincare routine.
Determine what your individual skin needs are. Is your skin oily, sensitive, dry, acne prone, sensitized, etc.? Are you protecting your skin regularly from UV light, dehydration, friction?
What type of skin care products do you like and use regularly? Do you have a preference for gel, cream, lotions, or oils?
Figure out your main skin concerns and prioritize them according to importance. There are many multifunctional products on the market that address a myriad of skin concerns mitigating the need to use multiple products.
Keep your routine simple. You can alternate products daily (this is known as skin cycling) that address your concerns while still keeping it low-key with just a few steps. Not all products are intended to be used daily and ingredients such as chemical exfoliants and retinol are often better tolerated when used less frequently.
Customize based on your preferences. After a little bit of research and experimenting you’ll likely find a simple, yet effective routine that is perfect for you. Keep customizing until you find the right combination and modify for seasonal/lifestyle changes.
All you need to follow for glowing skin is the 5 step rule.
Five steps may sound like a lot but if done correctly, they should only take 1-3 minutes to complete.
AM STEPS:
Step 1: Cleanse with a gentle cleanser
Assuming you cleansed your skin the night before, the only thing we're trying to remove is sweat, excess oil, and a little dust from your pillow so double cleansing isn’t necessary. Use a gentle cleanser that contains no hydroxy acids, enzymes, or microbeads.
Step 2: Use a hydrating or correcting toner
Using a toner is one of the best ways to hydrate the skin and help trap moisture. Water is both a performance and functional ingredient that helps deliver actives (the next step of your routine) deeper into the skin. If using a hydrating toner, look for a formulation that contains no alcohol, witch hazel, or astringents and is chock full of skin soothing antioxidants. Corrective toners can treat a myriad of skin concerns from fine lines and acne, to hyperpigmentation. When choosing a corrective toner look for a product that contains AHA’s, BHA’s, or both. AHA’s are better suited to those looking to reduce visible aging while BHA’s are a great option for those prone to breakouts and hyperpigmentation.
Step 3: Apply a multipurpose treatment serum
The best face serums are ones that tackle multiple skin concerns at once. Serums are more lightweight than moisturizers and contain a much higher percentage of active ingredients making them true powerhouses when it comes to results. Equally important to note is there are multipurpose serums for any and all skin types. Our top favorites are: SkinMedica TNS Advanced for aging or prematurely aging skin, Skinceuticals Silymarin CF for acne-prone skin, and our own proprietary Stay Calm serum for sensitive/reactive complexions.
Step 4: Hydrate/moisturize with an appropriate product for your skin type/condition
Although they’re quite trendy at the moment, face oils and heavy moisturizers aren’t always the best option. Thick moisturizers and heavier molecular weight oils can cause too much occlusion leading to congestion and breakouts. If your skin is oily or combination then a lightweight, o/w (oil in water) moisturizer is best.
The product should feel silky, breathable, and spread effortless into your skin. Skin prone to dryness and dehydration will want to choose w/o (water in oil) formulations to help replace structural lipids that are necessary for an intact barrier. The product should feel heavier, thicker, and more occlusive.
Step 5: Protect skin and prevent visible aging with a broad spectrum SPF
Your number one go-to product, regardless of age or skin condition, is sunscreen! UV light is the most significant contributor to visible aging (80-99%) and is responsible for everything from fine lines and wrinkles to pigmentation and uneven skin tone. Sunscreens have come a long way from their thick, gooey, sticky former selves. New technology has paved the way for sunscreens to be feather light while offering full spectrum UV protection.
Still not a fan of the layering and reapplying that traditional sunscreens require? Try a powder SPF product instead! Despite what you may have heard, powder sunscreens provide the same SPF protection as lotions and they don't metabolize as quickly. This provides a longer window of protection and reduces the frequency of reapplication. Just make sure to apply enough of the product to provide adequate coverage.
PM STEPS:
Step 1: Cleanse with an oil based cleanser followed by a gentle foaming cleanser
In order to thoroughly remove makeup, sunscreen, dirt, and oil you must perform a double cleanse. Double cleansing in the evening is a very important step as it ensures that there's nothing left on the skin that could block the penetration of your active ingredients.
Step 2: Exfoliate 2-4 times per week depending on your skin condition
Exfoliation comes in three different forms; chemical, mechanical, and enzymatic. Chemical exfoliation is a terrific option for reducing visible aging and preventing breakouts while mechanical exfoliation is better suited to thicker, denser skin susceptible to surface buildup. Enzymatic exfoliation is great for all skin types and is especially effective for those prone to sensitivity.
Step 3: Use a hydrating toner
When choosing a hydrating toner, look for a formulation that contains no alcohol, witch hazel, or astringents.
Step 4: Treat and correct with a multifunctional serum or cream
Evenings are the ideal time to focus on treatment and correction. Many ingredients such as retinoic acid and resveratrol aren’t photo stable and deteriorate when exposed to UV light rendering them ineffective. Some of our top-selling multifunctional nighttime products are our RetinA+Clindamycin+Hydroquinone+Dexamethasone cream, and our age-defying Cosmedix Serum 24. Both of these products contain highly effective ingredients that help firm skin, reduce visible wrinkles, and improve texture. Remember if you’re new to using correctives you’ll want to incorporate these into your routine gradually to reduce potential side effects like dryness and irritation.
Step 5: Hydrate/moisturize
Depending on the consistency of your treat/correct product, you may not need an additional moisturizer. Treatment and correction products need time to penetrate the skin, usually 5-30 minutes, and many are formulated with ingredients that make them naturally occlusive. To figure out if you need an additional moisturizer or hydrator, perform steps 1-4 then wait 30 minutes. Examine your skin for tightness or sensitivity and apply moisturizer if necessary.
The bottom line? To keep your skincare routine simple, achievable, and results orientated. Elaborate regimens (especially for skincare newbies) make things so complicated that it’s hard to follow through. Remember that just a few steps in the morning and few at night are plenty to create and maintain a radiant complexion.
Still have questions? We’re here to help! Book a consultation with one of our highly trained professionals and get all the 411 to help you love the skin you’re in.
Learn more about our skincare services here or contact our San Francisco office and call us at 415.409.6500.