Skin Care

Skin care is very important. Botox and Fillers work great to improve fine lines and wrinkles and areas of volume loss, but they don’t help with skin quality and texture. There are non-surgical options such as lasers and chemical peels that help to improve skin quality and texture. But today we will talk about ways to improve your skin without a visit to your local plastic surgeon since we are all practicing social distancing right now.

And even when you will be able to go to your plastic surgeon, it is important to maintain healthy skin between your treatments. Healthy skin starts with good skin care. If you have a regimen and are happy with it, continue it. But for those of you that don’t have a set routine or are looking to change, I’ll talk about my routine. When most of us read about skin care routines, it is sometimes overwhelming. Usually it involves a long list of products that take many steps to apply and then remembering the order in which to apply the products. However, I try to keep my skin care routine simple. More products doesn’t mean better. Sometimes too many products can cause over drying of your skin. Also another thing to remember is not to change the products you use or your routine too often. If a product works for you, stick with it. And if you are in the phase of trying out new products, give each product a couple of months before you change to another. Also if you change too many products at once, then you won’t know which one is actually working. And always remember what works for one skin type, may not work for another skin type so always test the product before using on your face.

It is a good idea to have a morning routine and an evening routine. There are different skin care needs that are addressed with each routine. My morning routine is simple. I wash my face every morning with a mild cleanser. My favorite is Noxzema Original Deep Cleansing Cream because it is mild and not over drying for my face. Next, I apply Bio-Oil and massage it into my skin for 2 minutes. I massage the jaw line and cheeks and forehead with light upward strokes and then under my eyes by gently tapping from the inner aspect outward. I let the oil sink in for a few minutes and in the mean time do something else. Then I apply a moisturizer. Again, I keep it simple. I have tried many moisturizers, but my favorite is drug store Ponds. Lastly, I finish with sunblock. I use Neutrogena. I apply sunblock 365 days a year rain or shine. I usually reapply sunblock throughout the day if I am outside. I don’t use makeup, but if you use makeup, you can apply on top of the sunblock once the sunblock absorbs and dries. If you use makeup, you might want to consider a more shear or tinted sunblock.

My evening routine is the last thing that I do before I go to bed. Again, I start by washing my face. This time I use Noxzema again, but I use it with the Clarisonic brush. After drying my face and waiting for a few minutes, I apply Retin A 0.1%. Retin A is the only product that has been shown to improve fine lines and wrinkles. However, it doesn’t work as quickly as Botox. It takes years and years of using Retin A to see the difference. If you have never used Retin A, you can start off with an over the counter Retin A with low concentration or a prescription strength low concentration. After applying Retin A, I don’t apply anything for about 20-30 minutes. Again usually at this time, I am doing something else. Then again I massage Bio-Oil onto my face similar to the morning and few minutes later finish with Ponds Moisturizer. Pretty simple routine and I have been doing this for years.

Once a week, in the evening after using the Clarisonic, I exfoliate using a mild scrub and then apply a clay mask for 15 minutes. On those days, I don’t use Retin A because the mask is a little drying so I skip to the Bio-Oil.

This is my simple routine which you can try or if you want to use different products that is fine also, but the concept is the same. In the morning, wash your face. Always use a moisturizer and sunblock. Dry skin can also cause fine lines to appear. Sunblock is a must to prevent photoaging. In the evening, always wash your face and remove your makeup if you use it. Try to use a retinol product and always moisturize. Exfoliate once or twice a week. Don’t over exfoliate.

Stay tuned for more anti-aging techniques without plastic surgery…

Author

Nima P. Patel M.D. FACS Board Certified Plastic Surgeon