How to Build Your Skincare Routine | Skincare Basics

Skincare Basics

Feb 3

Hello and thank you for joining me! Today we are diving into skincare. I am going to share my advice on how to build a basic skincare routine, one that will help support a healthy barrier function and set the stage for adding more active ingredients. As a medical aesthetician, my goal is to help you achieve your best skin days sooner rather than later, while minimizing chances of irritation.

With that being said, I like to treat everyone as if they have sensitive skin; in my experience, a lot of people have unintentionally sensitized their skin in the pursuit of the best skin possible and I want to help avoid the “ugly phase” when using ingredients like exfoliating acid and retinoids. So, if you are intrigued and want to have your best skin days then keep on reading!

Assessing Your Skin Type

Before jumping into steps and products, you need to figure out what your skin type is. Skin type is set from birth thanks to genetics, although it’s not always obvious until puberty. Skin types are generally classified as dry to very dry, normal to dry, normal to oily, and sensitive; however, these can change as you grow older and hormone levels change. Sometimes, things like pregnancy, birth control, or taking something like isotretinoin (Accutane/oral acne medication) can effect a temporary or permanent change in your skin type. So, with that said, how do you tell what your skin type is?

Dry to Very Dry

Pore size isn’t typically visible to the naked eye
Low sebum (oil) production
General feeling of skin tightness (especially after exposure to water)
Feeling of itchiness
More prone to fine lines and wrinkles

Normal to Dry

Pore size is small to non-visible to the naked eye
Balanced sebum (oil) production
Few to no active blemishes
Skin is generally radiant

Normal to Oily

Pore size is visible to eye and possibly enlarged (forehead, nose, and chin)
Excessive sebum (oil) production
Skin can feel greasy/slick
More often prone to open comedones (blackheads)
More prone to active blemishes
Less prone to lines and wrinkles

Sensitive

Genetic
Prone to redness
Allergy-prone
Easily irritated
Prone to Couperose and rosacea

Skin Condition

Now that you have a better grasp on what your skin type is, let’s figure out your skin condition. Skin conditions are generally a temporary state for your skin; however, some conditions like acne and rosacea are often genetic and need more assistance from your dermatologist or healthcare provider. Don’t get too hung up on skin condition because your new routine will address these common conditions:

dehydration (often mistaken for dryness)
sensitization (compromised barrier function)
sun damage
acne

Building the Routine

With starting your new routine, I want to reduce the products you use to fit a very simple process – cleanse, moisturize, and sun protection. Nothing too crazy here because we are building the foundation for your future routine – possibly filled with actives to address additional concerns – but for now stick with me and let’s get you set up for healthy skin success!

Cleansing

Cleansing is an underrated step in my opinion because cleanser not only removes the daily gunk and grime, but also sets the stage for feeding your skin all the nutritious yummies! There is no set answer for when and how often you should cleanse. Generally, I will encourage those with sensitive, dry, and normal skin to try only cleansing in the evening to minimize contact with water.

Fun fact: Most people don’t moisturize their skin quickly enough after exposure to water, which can lead to trans-epidermal water loss (water evaporation from the skin), which can lead to dehydration, which can lead to sensitization. So, I prefer to minimize the risk and recommend cleansing only when necessary. If you skin has an overzealous production of sebum (oil) or you get especially sweaty in your sleep, then you might want to consider cleansing in the morning as well.

My favourite cleansers are the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser and CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. I generally find my sensitive, dry, and normal friends love the La Roche-Posay for its richness, while those with normal and oily skin types like the “clean” feeling of the CeraVe. However, I will mention that I have normal-to-oily skin and I still use the La-Roche Posay Toleriane cleanser – but if my barrier is off or it’s really warm and I get oilier than normal I will use the CeraVe.

Note that if you wear a lot of makeup or a water-resistant sunscreen, you might benefit from an oil cleanser before your standard cleanser, as this helps to remove the products so your cleanser can properly cleanse your skin. My favourite is the Clinique Take The Day Away Balm or the Avene XeraCalm A.D Lipid-replenishing Cleansing Oil.

For an evening skincare routine, we cleanse to remove makeup and sunscreen, and prepare your skin for moisturizer. Choose a cleanser that suits your skin type, as it will be more effective and less likely to cause irritation. Also, at this stage in your skincare game I would advise skipping cleansers with actives like exfoliators, vitamin C, etc. because we are working on keeping things simple for the sake of long-term skin health.

Moisturizing

Moisturizer is, in my opinion, the easiest part of your skin routine as its only real purpose is to help prevent trans-epidermal water loss and give relief to any areas that might be dry or flaky. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Here I will also point out that it stays this simple even after we start incorporating actives into our skincare routines.

For most people (and myself), I adore the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream because it’s a workhorse for both face and body. If you have oily skin, then you might prefer something a little lighter like the Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Lotion, which has a thin watery gel texture.

If you have very dry skin, or you find yourself struggling with severe dry or flaky patches, then something like the CeraVe Healing Ointment or traditional Vaseline Original Petroleum Jelly can work wonders! Also, there have been a lot of false information spread about petrolatum (petroleum) and it’s a wonderful occlusive ingredient that can really make a difference when combatting dry, cracked skin.

Sunscreen – The Proven Anti-Ageing Superstar

Finally, you are at my favourite step in any skincare routine and that’s good ole SPF! Despite SPF being one of my favourite steps, I will admit it’s challenging to find one that is enjoyable to use all the time. If you have done any reading about sunscreen then you might have heard some mention of physical and chemical filters, but what are they?

In short, physical or mineral filters create a layer on top of your skin to protect your skin from UV damage. On the other hand, chemical filters are absorbed by your skin and once they have set up (generally after 15–20 minutes) they bounce UV rays away from the skin.

Mineral/Organic Filters: Titanium Oxide and Zinc
Often lead a white cast after application, however, they are gentler on the skin (great for sensitive and sensitized skin) and generally do not sting the eyes.
Chemical/Inorganic Filters: Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Octisalate, Octinoxate and Oxybenzone
General leave little to no cast on the skin, however these filters do require time (15–20 minutes) to properly set up for proper sun protection. Some people will find that these filters sting their face and/or eyes.
Combination Filters
A combination of mineral and chemical filters, with the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Fun fact: The level of sun protection determined in the lab calls for two milligrams of sunscreen for every square centimetre of skin. So, to achieve the level of sun protection that is on the label (e.g. SPF 50) you need to apply roughly 1/4 teaspoon of sunscreen. It’s safe to say that the pea-size amount you see models applying in commercials isn’t enough to cover your face, much less your face and neck.

Now that the sunscreen science is finished, I will share my favourite products and who they might work best for. My all-time favourite is the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids Lotion SPF 50, which works for most everyone from very dry to normal and slightly oily skin. If you have very oily skin, then I suggest using something like the Cetaphil Pro DermaControl SPF 30, which you can use as your moisturizer and SPF! For those with normal to oily skin like me, you might also be able to do double-duty with the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Kids SPF, using it as your moisturizer and SPF.

How Long Should You Stay on This Routine?

Congratulations! You now have all the information at your fingertips to create a great routine that will set you up for a future of skin success. I would advise you stick with this routine for at least four to six weeks (one skin cycle), but eight to ten weeks would be ideal! I always recommend spending longer than you think with your current routine, as it can take a while to get your skin back to a normal condition. Once it’s back to its healthy state, I like to give it a rest so it’s energized and ready to go for the next step! So, I am going to challenge you to stick with this routine until my next skincare routine post where we will talk about adding actives!

You have successfully made it to the end of this post and I truly hope that you found this post informative yet easy to follow. Skincare does require a little bit of homework to find the best match for you, but luckily you have me to research and test out new products that I can share and recommend to you! Stay tuned as I will have a second part to this routine coming up in the next few weeks!

Thank you for spending your time with me today!

Warm Wishes,

Zack