SCIENCE MEETS BEAUTY: SKIN CARE ROUTINE RECOMMENDATIONS

In the pursuit of healthy and radiant skin, a well-crafted skin care routine is the cornerstone of effective self-care. Our skin, the body’s largest organ, requires personalized attention and care to combat the challenges of daily exposure to environmental stressors and aging. Whether you’re seeking to address acne, enhance hydration, or maintain a glowing complexion, these recommendations from Vitalogy Skincare are designed to empower you on your journey to achieving and preserving skin health and beauty.

Importance of a Good Skin Care Routine

A skin care routine is essential for basic hygiene. We need to clean our faces from the dirt, sweat, bacteria, and other elements our skin is exposed to continuously. Taking care of our skin every day works as a preventive tool to help improve skin concerns, keep skin hydrated and healthy, and avoid future problems. The best part is that routines are customizable to any skin type and concern. Lastly, a good routine helps protect the skin from UV radiation damage, which can lead to premature aging and increase the risk of skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has some helpful tips on how to care for your skin.

Steps that Should be on Everyone’s Skin Care Routine

The three most important steps in a skin care routine are:

1. Cleansing – cleansing your skin twice a day removes all dirt, makeup, bacteria, and sweat and leaves a clean canvas for the products you apply after, such as serums and moisturizers. It also helps prevent clogged pores, breakouts, and the buildup of impurities.
2. Moisturizing – using a hydrating serum and moisturizer restores the skin’s protective barrier and adds moisture back into the skin. Keeping your skin hydrated is crucial for maintaining its elasticity, suppleness, and overall health.
3. Sunscreen – protecting your skin from the sun’s UV radiation helps prevent collagen and elastin breakdown, hyperpigmentation, and formation of skin cancer cells.

From there, you can add treatments for more individualized needs, such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, or aging skin.

AM Routine vs. PM Routine

Products used can vary in the morning and evening depending on the skin type or concerns you are dealing with. The main products that change from morning to night would be vitamin C, retinol, sunscreen, and moisturizer. Vitamin C products are best used in the morning, and of course, your last step should always be a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Instead of vitamin C, use retinol or retin-a as your antioxidant step in the evening. You will not need to use sunscreen at night, but definitely add a moisturizer after the retinol to help add more moisture and anti-aging ingredients to the skin.

Here is a well-rounded daily skin care routine with some recommendations that you might find helpful:

• Cleansing: The first step in a good skin routine would be a cleanser or two. The first cleanser can be a cream-based cleanser like the SkinCeuticals® Gentle Cleanser. For problematic skin, a second cleanser could be SkinCeuticals Simply Clean or Papaya Enzyme Cleaner.

• Rebalancing:  After cleansing, we want to rebalance the skin’s pH with a toner. SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Essence Mist is suitable for all skin types. It’s soothing, calming, and hydrating for the skin.

• Correcting and Preventing: Once the toner is adsorbed into the skin, we need to prevent damage to our skin from outside factors. Vitamin C does this well, as well as evening out skin tone and stimulating collagen production. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic® is great for aging skin, or use the Revision Skincare® C+ Correcting Complex 30%™ for inflamed skin.

In the evenings, retinol will replace the vitamin C step. The AlphaRet® Clearing Serum from skinbetter science® is an excellent option to apply after the toner step. If you need to correct some pigmentation damage, Skinbetter Science Even Tone Correcting Serum™ can be applied after the antioxidant application.

• Moisturizing and Protecting: Next step is moisturizer and sunscreen in the morning. If you want to save a step, many moisturizers have sunscreen included. The Revision Skincare Intellishade® is a 5 in 1 daily anti-aging tinted moisturizer with broad-spectrum SPF 45. 

In the evening, you just need a moisturizer, such as SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore, which hydrates, helps restore the skin barrier, and minimizes signs of aging.

Don’t forget to moisturize your neck as well. As we age, the skin in this area gets thinner, skin elasticity breaks down, and we start seeing the appearance of fine lines. A product such as the SkinCeuticals Tripeptide-R Neck Repair corrects these issues with retinol and tripeptides.

Remember that your skin is unique; a product that works for one person might not work for another. If you have any particular skin concerns or need help customizing your skin care routine, a consultation with one of our Providers or Aestheticians can guide you through finding the perfect routine.

Serum Recommendations

Serums are an excellent tool for working on specific concerns for your skin. When dealing with hyperpigmentation, the skinbetter science Even Tone Correcting Serum™ or SkinCeuticals Discoloration Defense helps minimize the appearance of hyperpigmentation and sun damage. They pair well with the skinbetter science AlphaRet Overnight Cream. For rosacea, red, inflamed, and sensitive skin, the SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel has natural botanicals and a green tint to help soothe, neutralize, and hydrate the skin. It also improves and minimizes the appearance of those skin concerns. For dry skin, adding a hyaluronic acid serum increases the amount of water in the skin. The SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel and the H.A. Intensifier both increase hydration, leaving skin supple and smooth. They work well with advanced skin treatments and filler injections. Lastly, for oily and blemish-prone skin, using SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF™ works as a vitamin C for this type of skin. We also recommend using SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense as a spot treatment or a full-face application before using a vitamin C serum.

Products that have the most impact in improving and correcting damage are serums, masks, and exfoliators. Serums and masks have the highest potency of ingredients; serums are usually thinner and can penetrate through the skin with beneficial ingredients, while masks are thicker and are applied after an exfoliation treatment. Exfoliators help increase cellular turnover, remove build-up of excess skin cells, and create a pathway that allows other products to absorb more effectively into the skin.

Using Facials to Boost Your Skin Care

A facial treatment performed by a skin care professional can assess the problems and damage to the skin and create a treatment plan to improve specific concerns. Facials can boost the performance of your skin care routine and help maintain the health of your skin. For most skin concerns, it is recommended to come in about every four weeks for a facial, chemical peel, or other advanced treatments.

Vitalogy Skincare and our caring Providers are available to discuss any Medical or Cosmetic Dermatology concern. You can book an appointment online or call us at 512.930.3909 for a consultation at any of our locations in Bastrop, Burnet, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Harker Heights, Marble Falls, San Marcos, or Southwest Austin.

About the Author
Leila Mundell, Licensed Aesthetician – Leila is a Licensed Aesthetician who is passionate about helping her patients achieve healthy skin. She provides effective treatment plans and educates her patients on comprehensive home care regimens for long-lasting results. When she is not working at our Cedar Park location, Leila enjoys spending time in nature, going on hikes, and spending quality time with her family and friends.