What's the best daily skin care regimen?

Six steps to great daily skin care

My advice for daily skin care is to feed your face! I know you are hoping that the advice that follows the title "feed your face" will include the words, "with all the chocolate you desire", but I am talking about feeding the skin. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and for most of us it is malnourished. Every day your skin begs to be feed, nourished and pampered.

But forget about all of the skin care confusion, all it takes is six easy steps – three for basic care and three for extra pampering. The proper care and feeding of your skin will take years off of your appearance later in life.

Basic Care

Step One: Cleanse your face and neck every morning and night. Always cleanse in circular motions in an upward direction. Be gentle with your skin, you do not need heavy pressure to cleanse. And you don’t need to use anything but your hands, washcloths are optional. I use von Natur Absolute Cleanser.

Step Two: Tone your skin every time you wash your face and neck. It is one of the most important steps in your skin care regime, but often forgotten. When you tone, you are adjusting the pH of your skin back to normal which is critical to keep your face balanced and healthy. Toning will also remove any stubborn dirt left on your face and prepare your skin for moisturizing. For best results, gently use a cotton ball in upward motions. I use von Natur Chaotic Toner and love having the toner pads already presoaked in the container!

Step Three: Moisturize your face and neck every morning and night after you cleanse and tone. Always moisturize your face and neck in upward motions. Step three is important for all skin types, and take note that this is the step that feeds your face. I know I sound like a broken record, but always use circular, upward motions with a gentle touch on your face. Don't help gravity by tugging down on your skin and remember that the skin on your face, especially around the eyes, is very delicate. Extra Pampering Now if you want to go all out and give yourself a home spa treatment every once in a while then let's get daring and try just a few of these steps.

Extra Pampering

Step One: Exfoliate your skin no more than every three to five days. Exfoliate your face and neck in circular upward gentle motions with very gentle products. Remember that you are simply exfoliating off dead skin which takes very little pressure and a scouring pad, abrasive loofahs or shell powder based exfoliants are just not necessary. You would never take scouring pad to your fine china so please don’t do it to your far more precious face.

Step Two: Eye Crèmes are designed to super moisturize the finest skin on your face. When you apply eye crèmes always use your ring finger or pinky to apply products around the delicate area of your eyes. Your pinky and ring finger are weak by nature and force you to apply gentle pressure.

Step Three: Mask on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to detoxify, renew, and tighten your pores. Before you mask, it is important to cleanse and tone. Be sure to leave the mask on your face and neck for five to twenty minutes depending on the mask type. Gently and thoroughly remove the mask with warm water. And after you mask always tone and moisturize your face and neck.

Personally, I am in the business of skin care and am expected to have flawless skin. I know what to do and how to manage my skin and still there are days where simply following the basic three steps is a struggle, let alone adding an extra step here and there. The thought of some day being the youngest looking grandmother gives me the extra motivation to maintain a healthy skin care regime.

Everyday our skin is attacked by the sun, smoke, pollution, toxic air and the march of time. Proper care and feeding of your skin will give your appearance a fighting chance. The skin care products that you use should be designed to feed your skin vitamins, mineral and nutrients. If you can't decided between a natural or chemical filled product, then imagine the difference between eating fresh fruit and eating a fruit flavored candy. Your skin hungers for the fresh fruit options in natural skin care as life will always be filled with candy. Pamper yourself today.

Your home care should consist of the following steps:

A.M. Routine: cleanse with a gentle, sulfate-free cleansing wash, wipe an alcohol-free toner over the skin to remove impure tap water (leave toner damp), apply an antioxidant Vitamin C serum (for an anti-aging boost) followed by a moisturizer that contains a sun block with the minimum of an SPF 15. Proceed with makeup.

P.M. Routine: cleanse with a mild cleansing lotion to remove makeup, oil and debris, wipe an alcohol-free toner over the skin to remove impure tap water (leave toner damp), apply an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) serum (for skin exfoliation), apply a night time cream or lotion and follow with the application of an eye cream.

Twice a week: use a gentle face scrub (avoid scrubs that use almond or apricots) in the shower twice a week for an extra boost of exfoliation.

Any skin care regimen should not be so complicated that one cannot make it part of their daily routine. There is also no reason to spend a lot of money. With that said, Glycolic Acid is a wonderful and often overlooked ingredient. Our patients see value in using this in their face wash. It is a gentle way to exfoliate and thin out the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the epidermis). This will help eye serums, moisturizers, and other products absorb better. Better yet, this type of exfoliation will help stimulate collagen remodeling.

Always use a non-alcoholic cleanser and a richer moisturiser before you go to bed as your skin does its most repairing whilst you are asleep.

I also recommend exfoliating the skin at least once a week and using a moisturising mask to boost your skin when it feels dull.

I find that most of my clients want the best skin possible, but they don’t want steps in their routine that make it very time-consuming. I ask my clients to add just a few important steps to their routine, none of which are exhausting or overly time-consuming:

1) Observation: Really look at your face in the mirror (preferably a magnifying mirror) about once a week.

This way, you really get to know your skin, how it responds to more sleep vs. less sleep, to change of seasons, change of eating habits, stress level, change of skin care products. We are often so busy that we don’t stop to really look at the state of our complexion, and then our lives slow down and we suddenly realize our skin is in poor shape—dehydrated, impure, with brown spots or dry patches.

When you observe your skin closely, you can respond to new developments early. If you see increased oiliness or breakouts, you reach for deep-cleansing masks, exfoliants, or washes and antibacterial acne treatments; if you notice brown sun spots, you increase your sun protection and use whitening products; if you see new wrinkles on the forehead or neck, you use anti-wrinkle products on these areas.

2) Deep-cleansing face masks: About once a week, use a powerful deep-cleansing mask that exfoliates, gets rid of all kinds of impurities, and helps keep the pores clean.

Our environmental pollution is high and most people greatly benefit from such masks, even people with drier complexions. When your skin is well exfoliated and clean, it breathes better, absorbs beneficial ingredients better, and you will need this expensive in-salon facial much less frequently.

3) Cleansing pads and re-moisturizers: Use these throughout the day.

Most of us lead active lives and have long days spent mostly indoors. I recommend carrying with you gentle portable cleansing pads (and an SPF moisturizer, plus an eye cream). The pads are great to use after a lunch-hour run in the park or a workout at the gym to prevent bacterial infections and breakouts. They clean, refresh, and re-hydrate the skin after a day at the office and before a dinner out. And since you are cleansing, you have a good opportunity to apply a quick layer of nourishing eye cream and an SPF cream.

Whether you like to cleanse your skin midday or not, carry with you a re-moisturizer—a hydration booster that can be used anytime alone or over makeup. The skin always appreciates new injections of moisture and nutrients and looks fresher and dewier in the second part of your day.

4) Skip the toner: Unless you use a tissue-off cleanser, you can exclude toner from your beauty ritual.

Today’s facial cleansers are excellent at removing makeup and impurities and, if you apply moisturizers that hydrate, nourish the skin, and balance its pH-level, a toner is completely unnecessary.

Each line has their own merits, so I try not to cite any one line specifically, except Dr. Perricone, who has been my skin product/lifestyle guru for over a decade now.

Also, Avon has wonderful treatment, as does Neutrogena, Clairins, and La Prairie….but in this day and age, most of what is out there is competitive. It’s finding what works for your individual needs that is key.

Try not to over complicate your skin care regime.

It doesn’t have to be so complex.

You can achieve healthy, balanced, glowing skin in just a few simple steps a day.

I recommend specific regimens based on the patient’s skin color (fair, mid or dark), texture (thin or thick), sensitivity (easily irritated or not) and other medical issues such as rosacea, eczema or psoriasis.

For most people, I recommend cleansing morning and evening, application of antioxidants following this, application of sun protection in the morning and of moisturizers and repair ingredients in the evening.

In addition, I would add retinol or a retinoid product a few times per week and I also like to have my patients exfoliate with a home microdermabrasion system that I use.

The best beauty technique one could add to their regimen is to start using sun block.

Not only will they reduce their risk of skin cancer, but they may also reduce the premature signs of aging associated with tanning.

I think you need to assess your skin daily.

One day you may need moisturizer, the next day not.  Many factors come into play, like the weather, stress, diet, etc.

I tell my readers that without a doubt the number one beauty routine is 2 X 30 (31) = Beautiful Skin.

Taking two minutes in the AM to cleanse, tone, and moisturize your skin and two minutes in the PM to cleanse, tone, and moisturize your skin will make more of a difference to your skin that ANY and ALL spa visits you could possibly do in a lifetime!

A daily regime of these three simple things will keep your skin at its vibrant and youngest looking!

The best skin care regimen is twofold: There should be a good at-home skin care regimen and there should be a skin care program in place outside the home and supervised by skin care professionals at a medical spa.

1. The regimen at home consists of using a high quality facial wash, a toner, exfoliant and a moisturizer. It is extremely important to use a sunscreen every time you step outdoors.
2. In the medical spa, skin care begins with regular microdermabrasian and perhaps glycolic peel treatments. Great looking skin is enhanced with non-invasive procedures such as Botox and cosmetic fillers. It is so important to take care of your skin every day.

I would like to see all of my clients taking really good care of their skin by developing a skin care regimen. It must be an ongoing, daily routine. Wrinkle prevention and sun care protection begins by having a great regimen in place.

Watch Nina from Ummelina International Day Spa (Seattle) explain the benefits of face masks.

• A mild soap that leaves little or no residue

• A light moisturizer with sun protection factor (SPF)

• Adequate hydration (water is good but Gatorade or other electrolyte replenishing fluid is even better)

• Daily exercise routine (i.e. increases circulation to skin)

• Avoid sun exposure from 10-3PM

A skin care daily routine

My clients should create a daily routine:
Clean
Tone
Hydrate
Exfoliate

I never leave home without my Gel Purifiant (cleanser), my Herbal Care Lotion (toner), and my elixir or super rich cream (hydrate). If your skin has blemishes, just add a pea size of blemish balm to your day cream.

This is the best way to look younger for a long period of time, just add a Herbal Deep Peel and you will look at least 5 years younger in only 5 days.

• I always cleanse my face before I go to bed and moisturize with a lotion during the day that has an spf of 15 or higher.

• I get facials monthly-I love the Alpha Beta peel by MD Skincare.

• They make Alpha Beta Peel pads that you can use daily in between facials to extend the radiant glow that you get right after a facial.

• I love Cetaphil facial cleanser. It is a fragrance-free, no-nonsense daily wash that even gets off mascara, without over-drying.

• Next comes Neutrogena "silk finish" sunblock in SPF 55. It dries with a matte, silky finish that never looks shiny, and is perfect to put makeup over. It's hard to find an SPF that high that doesn't feel like sports cream!

• I finish with Jane Iredale Mineral makeup translucent powder]. It is like powder foundation that makes skin look "perfect", but is so easy to apply. You just literally slap it on with a powder puff.

• At the end of the day, I love Crème de la Mer. It is über-rich, and feels great after a good scrub to get the grime and pollution off my skin.

• If I don't need anything that heavy, you simply can't beat Night Nourishing Oil by Vaishaly. I can't get enough of this lightweight, delicious, organic oil. Skin drinks it up in minutes.

• Start with an oxygen mask to separate the myriad of toxins that everyone's skin gets exposed to on a daily basis.

• After such a deep purification, moisturizing and UV sun protection are a must! In cold and dry environments, it is very important to use lotion to moisturize the skin. In moist and humid areas, be sure to use facial scrubs with exfoliates to clear out your pores.

• Also…nighttime replenishment is probably the one thing most people completely forget about. This is when your skin does almost all of its reconstructive work, so give it the tools it needs to be an efficient healer. The payoff will be a wonderful one.

I do not over-do my skin care. Like I said, I prefer to keep it simple. 

• For cleansing, I use NeoStrata, which I got from my dermatologist. It has completely changed my skin. People constantly compliment me on how healthy and soft it looks & feels. I use the moisturizer at night
• During the day I use Lauder’s new Idealist, which has all but eliminated my pores.

• If I’m going to be outside, I use an SPF 8.

• I use Sonya Dakar's Oxygen Eye Cream at night, too.

• I am a nut about dry skin on my body so I am always applying Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse. And their Baume des Familles is great for rough spots (elbows, heels, just-shaved legs etc). They have some of the best body-care products ever!

• Also, I don't drink coffee, and try to drink plenty of water…particularly in extreme temperatures.

The standard skin regimen (cleanse, exfoliate, tone, moisturize, and sun-protect) is standard for a reason, and I would add to that a weekly mask and a monthly facial. The important thing to know is that you can modify any ritual to suit your own personal needs.

• For example, a lot of guys just aren't going to do all of these steps. So what do you do? Some men's products combine cleanser/exfoliate (Sharps has a great one), or a toner/moisturizer (MD Skincare), or a moisturizer/sunblock.

• Also, busy professional women or working mothers may not have the time to take care of their skin optimally. Maybe you can do the full regimen a couple of times a week. Just be realistic about what you can and will do. A little bit is most certainly better than nothing.

• Also, it makes no sense to walk out of a store with $500 worth of stuff that's just going to sit in your medicine cabinet gathering dust. Only buy it if you can commit to using it.