MY SKINCARE REGIMEN

Here are 6 simple things you should do daily to show your skin some love!

The question I get asked the most in my line of work is, "What skin products should I be using?"

My answer is… it depends. The type of skin you have, your age, and the damage done to your skin over the years are all factors in deciding which type of products you should be using. But I counsel every patient to do two things: establish a good skin care routine, and use sunscreen.

Sunscreen is a must in a good skin regimen to prevent new brown spots from forming. Anything over a 30 SPF is adequate, and it should be used in addition to your makeup. If you already have dark brown spots from excessive sun exposure, prescription-strength hydroquinone (HQ) should be your go-to cream; however, I only recommend going on it for 5 months at a time.

If I were stranded on a desert island and I could only have two skincare products, they would be tretinoin and sunscreen.

Retin-A (tretinoin) is also recommended while you are on an HQ product. RA should be applied in the evening as it helps to increase penetration of the HQ overnight. The percentage of RA you should use will depend on how sensitive your skin is; I recommend starting out at 0.025% or 0.05%. I instruct my clients to not put RA directly around the mouth or nose area, just feather it in.

Brown spots, melasma, sun spots, hyperpigmentation, and the like are not curable, but they are treatable… it just takes consistency. What you do at home makes such a huge difference in how your skin looks long-term. It's essential to establish a good routine and to stick with it. Facials are just a nice luxurious supplement to a good skincare regimen.

The skin regimen routine I recommend goes something like this:

1. Wash

2. Exfoliate

3. Tone

4. HQ

5. Retin-A (evening)

6. Sunscreen (30 SPF or higher) (morning and throughout the day)

This regimen is recommended for 5 months. After 5 months, I switch to more of a brightening system, i.e. Vitamin C serums. I always recommend the first 3 components of the regimen (wash, exfoliate, tone). The only thing that changes is HQ and RA routine. Then after 3 months of the brightening system, I go back on the HQ/RA for 5 months. On and off, on and off.

Call today or come in to The Skin Clinic & Aesthetics to have a complimentary consult to see what skin care would be best suited for your skin.