I asked a celebrity dermatologist, Dr. Dendy Engelman, to go over my skin-care routine with a fine-tooth comb to show me what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong.
Below, Dr. Engelman uses my routine as a template to offer product recommendations and helpful advice on how to make sure your products actually work together.
In the past few years, I've been lucky to work in a field that requires me to spend an extensive amount of time researching skin-care products and then testing them out on myself to see what's worthwhile. Quickly, you get good at spotting the winners from just the ingredient lists, and you become more adept at addressing your skin's needs as they arise.
But back in the day, I was a high schooler dealing with my first round of acne that couldn't be solved by what my mother recommended: freshly washed sheets, a simple face wash, and drinking more water. At the end of the day, I just wanted someone to put my skin-care routine under a microscope, and explain to me in plain English why things weren't working. But the expense of dermatology appointments meant the resource was more of a luxury. A new salicylic topical treatment from CVS was cheaper and more accessible than to pay for ongoing prescriptions.
Now, things are different. My skin is mostly clear, and I have the privilege of visiting a dermatologist continually.
I also have the encouragement and resources to regularly discover solid products, rather than buying whichever has the best marketing campaign. But, I'm still human, and I regularly and knowingly cut corners with my own routine. I don't always follow best practices. Plus, even if what makes a good product actually good is no longer a mystery to me, what makes a harmonious skin-care routine still is.
To help myself, and anyone else reading, figure out how to construct a good skin-care routine, I asked a dermatologist to deconstruct my own.
Dr. Dendy Engelman is a nationally acclaimed dermatologic surgeon and renown dermatologist. Previously, she's offered expertise and been interviewed as a celebrity dermatologist in publications such as Glamour, Vogue, and W Magazine. Currently, Dr. Engelman sees patients at MDCS: Manhattan Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery and is a clinical assistant professor and director of dermatologic surgery at Metropolitan Hospital Center.
Below, you'll find Dr. Engelman's input on what I'm doing right, wrong, and which products she personally recommends.
This is a great start, but you are missing a step. In the evening, it's about removing the day's grime and gunk off your face. I follow a double-cleansing ritual. (Which it looks like you do, too!). Step one involves removing the day's cream, makeup, and dirt with a nutrient-rich towelette or cotton pad to erase every trace of eye makeup with a liquid remover. Next, draw out sebum and bacteria using a gentle oil cleanser and lukewarm water. Oil eliminates impurities without drying out your skin. I use an oil-based cleanser first like Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Replenishing Cleansing Oil ($36).
Lastly, you need a moisturizer. While you're sleeping, the body's hydration rebalances. Skin is able to recover moisture, while excess water in general in the body is processed for removal. How this works is that skin can lose water while you sleep, and serums and creams can create a permeable seal on top of your skin so that whatever you have underneath it can penetrate. When the body is in a deep, restful sleep, the skin's metabolism increases and cell turnover escalates, so we want to support that crucial renewal process. I like First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer ($24) and SkinCeuticals Renew Overnight Cream Dry ($61). Elizabeth Arden and Dr. Brandt also have a great overnight mask.
When it comes to skin care, always start layering the products with the lightest consistency like toner, followed by serums and ampoules. Next are any prescription topical treatments and lotions and, finally, sunscreen. I definitely want to see a sunscreen in your skin-care routine!
Since all you did was sleep after applying your nighttime skin care, cleansing is less important. I like this serum, [but] it does have lactic acid and glycolic acid, which could be exfoliating your skin too much. I like vitamin C serums during the day to help fight free radical damage. Then a moisturizer. I like this Maelove moisturizer — squalene provides intense hydration and I am a big believer of probiotics to keep the skin balanced.
Lastly, sunscreen should be applied daily. Incidental sun exposure for only 10-15 minutes a day adds up over time and can cause significant sun damage and accelerated photoaging. (Editor's note: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer ($8) is a popular and affordable non-greasy option.)
Differin is great, and I highly recommend it. But retinol is drying. Apply a gentle moisturizer [like Maelove's The One Cream] over it; just use one without BHAs (since they'll deactivate each other) and vitamin C (which can be too active for the skin).
Clay does a great job at absorbing excess oils, but if you put it on for too long, you will notice your face becoming really dry. The goal is to absorb excess oil but not absorb so much that your skin is dry and overcompensating by producing extra oil. Therefore the goal should not be to prolong the time the product is on your face but to stick to the recommended time or when you start to feel tightness from the mask, you should plan to rinse it off in two-five minutes.
What I learned
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1. I know sunscreen is the golden rule of any skin-care routine, but I've been overlooking it with the usual excuses: I don't spend much time outside, I always wear sunscreen for outdoor trips, and I hate the greasy feeling and the time it takes the absorb. However, Dr. Engelman says only 10-15 minutes a day is enough to add up.
2. While I do use serums, I definitely underestimated their importance. Dr. Engelman calls them the "workhorse products" that deliver actives deep into the skin for specific concerns. Now, I'll make sure not to skip them — and to pay more attention to the serums built to target specific concerns, since they're the ones most capable of addressing them (think: fine lines and hyperpigmentation).
3. I had also heard conflicting advice on whether I could layer moisturizers over my other products — would it counteract what I just put on (and likely paid so much for)? Dr. Engelman says I should be layering a moisturizer over other (lighter) products, especially at night when the body's hydration is rebalancing. The skin can lose water while we sleep, but a serum and a cream at night can create a permeable seal so that whatever you have underneath can penetrate and hydrate. The only thing to avoid is layering BHAs and vitamin C over Differin — my retinol treatment.
4. I'll also be buying an overnight mask. Dr. Engelman explained that while the body is in deep, restful sleep, the skin's metabolism increases — making cell turnover and renewal faster. Overnight masks support this.
5. Lastly, I'm going to be more precise about how long I leave my clay mask on. It's great at absorbing oil, but if it absorbs too much it can force the skin to compensate by becoming more oily itself.
All the products Dr. Engelman recommended while critiquing my skin-care routine: