Today over on our Instagram and Tik Tok we asked our staff there morning and evening skin care routines. There are a variety of ways to have a skin care routine, the most important thing is to find what works for you and your skincare goals. So, let’s talk about some key points in a skin care routine…
AM Skincare
- Cleanser– To start off the morning you should use a cleanser to get off any dirt or oil that may have accumulated overnight. If you are on the dry side, you may benefit from using a creamy or milk cleanser to help add some moisture. These types of cleansers leave moisturizing agents on the skin to help improve dryness. A gentle cleaner will also do the trick for those who have normal or normal to dry skin. Now if you have a normal skin type or are slightly more on the oily side a foaming cleanser is great for getting off any excess oil. Those who have acne prone skin will also benefit from a foaming cleaner or from using a cleanser with benzoyl peroxide to help clear up some of those breakouts. For most cleansing products you do not want to apply the cleanser directly to the skin, you will want to add water first to prevent irritation. My last cleanser tip is to use lukewarm water to cleanse your skin. Hot water can be irritating and drying then cold water is not as effective for removing oils.
- Toner– Traditionally toner was used to help balance the pH in the skin after cleansing. Nowadays cleansers are pH balanced so toner is not a necessary step like it used to be.
- Serum: There are many kinds of facial serums available on the market, and it can be very overwhelming to decide what serum is best for you. My first tip is to determine what skin condition you are wanting to target and pick a serum best for that skin condition. For example, Vitamin C is a great anti-aging serum that contains antioxidants to help reduce the appearance of aging. For dry skin a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid is a great choice. Those with oily skin or suffering from breakouts, Vitamin C and Niacinamide based serums are excellent for reducing inflammation in the skin. Those suffering with hyperpigmentation Vitamin C and Niacinamide can help reduce pigmentation.
Find out more information on Vitamin C: https://mgppaz.com/2023/04/12/topical-vitamin-c-2/
Find out more information Hyaluronic Acid: https://mgppaz.com/2022/09/21/hyaluronic-acid/
Find out more information Niacinamide: https://mgppaz.com/2022/06/15/niacinamide/
- Moisturizer: Moisturizer helps hydrate the surface skin. This is essential in keeping the skin healthy and protecting your skin’s barrier function. There are 3 different kinds of moisturizer agents, humectants, occlusives and emollients. Humectants maintain skin hydration by attracting water to the skin. This can temporarily plump the skin. Some examples of humectants are hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Occlusives create a barrier over the skin, so this is great for preventing water loss. This is great for those with really dry skin. Some examples of occlusives included squalene and shea butter. Emollients are the most common agent found in moisturizers. This helps replace skin lipids and helps fill in the gaps between skin cells. A common emollient is ceramides. Most moisturizers will use a combination of these agents to help maintain skin moisture. But some things to consider when looking for a good moisturizer is to keep your skin type in mind. Those who are oilier or have acne prone skin may want a moisturizer that is higher in humectants and lower in occlusives. Then those with dry skin will want to look for a moisturizer with a higher amount of emollients and occlusives.
Find out more information on Ceramides: https://mgppaz.com/2022/08/17/ceramides/
- Sunscreen: Arguable the most important step in your skincare routine! Sunscreen should be worn every single day. Yes, even on cloudy days and yes, even if you are not going outside. The two main reasons you should be wearing sunscreen is that it will help prevent skin cancer and the sun is responsible for about 80% of aging. This includes fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation. When looking for sunscreen you want to look for SPF 30 or higher and broad spectrum that way it protects you from UVA and UVB levels.
PM Skincare
- Cleanser– To end your night it is important to make sure the skin is clean from all the grim from the day. This is going to help prevent breakouts and clogged pores. Double cleansing has become popular over the years. This method is great especially when removing makeup. Using micellar water or facial oil is great for breaking up the makeup. Then you can use your daily cleanser after to remove any excess dirt and oil. With double cleansing you do run the risk of over cleansing your skin causing irritation and dryness. Typically, I only double cleanse when using makeup. Otherwise, your daily cleanser should do the trick!
- Toner: Instead, I like to take this step to ingrate chemical exfoliation into the skincare routine. Chemical exfoliation is an important part of the skincare routine because this is going to help improve skin brightness, remove dry skin and improve skin texture. The two main types of chemical exfoliants are AHAs and BHAs. Common AHAs are glycolic acid, lactic acid and malic acid. This is going to help with surface texture and help with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. BHAs are oil-soluble molecules that penetrate into the pores rather than acting on the surface. A common BHA is salicylic acid. Salicylic acid has both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, so it is an excellent choice for those with acne prone skin types. AHAs and BHAs can be used in the morning as well but some can make you sensitive to the sun so be sure to use sunscreen. How often you exfoliate completely depends on your skin type. Those more on the oily side can tend to handle daily exfoliation while those who are dry may only be able to tolerate 1-2 times a week. The key is to see what your skin can tolerate without experiencing dryness, burning or irritation. It is common and easy to over exfoliate but this can lead to worsening breakouts and inflamed skin.
To find out more information on Glycolic Acid: https://mgppaz.com/2022/10/19/glycolic-acid/
- Serum: To improve effectiveness of your serum consistency is important to yield results. Most serums recommend application both morning and night.
- Moisturizer: If you are dry, you can use a heavier moisturizer in the evenings to help with dryness.
Now if you want to step up your evening skincare routine you can add retinoids. There are two different kinds of retinoids, over the counter such as retinol or retinaldehyde and prescription strength such as tretinoin. Retinoids are effective for their anti-aging and anti-acne benefits. Retinoids can be very irritating, so it is important to start slow and work your way to using a retinoid serval times a week. After cleansing apply a pea sized amount of the retinoid to the face and neck. Then you can apply moisturizer after it dries (about 20-30 mins). Start with once or twice a week then build to every other night to eventually every night if your skin can tolerate it. Some other tricks to prevent irritation is to apply a thin layer of moisturizer on the skin then use the retinoids followed by another thin layer of moisturizer. Or you can even do this in areas where you tend to get more irritated. Retinoids can make you more sensitive to the sun, so it is important to only use retinoids at night and to always wear sunscreen during the day.
Hopefully this gave you some tips on improving your skincare routine. If you have any questions please leave a comment below. We do offer free skin consultations if you would like to talk with our aesthetician to come up with your perfect skincare routine!
Resources: The Skincare Bible by Dr. Anjali Mathto