Dr. Jen’s Skin Care Routine

I am asked quite frequently what products I personally use, so I thought we would go through my daily routine.

Morning Skin Care Routine

First an ounce of prevention, meaning in the morning I use two things to prevent sun and environmental damage throughout my day: sunscreen and an antioxidant. We all know that we should be applying sunscreen each morning come rain or shine, but did you also know that we should reapply in the afternoon if we are going to be out again as most of the sunscreen from the morning has degraded? For this I keep a tinted powder sunscreen in my car to apply over my morning routine. I prefer the tinted powder sunscreen by Colorscience, which is an SPF 50. For the antioxidant there a many to choose from including Lumevive, Vitamen A, C, and E, or many others. I am personally using Lumevive right now as it has added protection from blue light, the type of light emitted from our computer screens. Lumevive has an AM and PM application and goes on very nicely with my morning and evening routine. In addition to my sunscreen and antioxidant to prevent damage, I also do one treatment product in the morning called TNS Advanced. This product improves cell turn over, stimulates collagen, and helps fine lines and wrinkles. Think of it like the “souped up new version” of TNS Essential Serum. So, what order you ask?

1. Cleanse
2. TNS Advanced Serum
3. Lumevive AM
4. Sunscreen
5. Makeup/Moisturizer

Skin Care for the Neck

Worried about the appearance of your neck? You’re not alone. It’s not only the skin on our face that becomes more noticeable with age, but also the skin on our neck. I personally use all my AM products on my neck also. In addition, I like two neck creams, Neckletage by Topix and Neck Correct by SkinMedica®.

Evening Skin Care Routine

For the evening I do less prevention and more treatment with products like retinols and thicker moisturizers. Personally, my skin is so dry that I am only able to use retinol 1-2 times per week and I must use the thicker moisturizers every night. I also use the PM Lumevive and TNS Advanced again. So, the order for the evening is:

1. Cleanse
2. TNS Advanced Serum
3. Lumevive PM
4. Retinol (only once or twice a week for me)
5. TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream

For the neck and décolleté at night I use all the products here except the Retinol. Retinol is very irritating, and the neck skin is the second most sensitive skin on the body, so I avoid that area. If you have tough or oily skin and want to try retinol on your neck, please start with a small amount, mix with equal parts moisturizer, and apply to neck and décolleté once per week. If you do well for a month, increase each month as tolerated. If you are pregnant or nursing or have any medical skin problems on your face, neck, or décolleté, such as rosacea or eczema, I would recommend coming into the office first for a consultation as you may need specific products better suited to your skin.

Where Can I Purchase Skin Care Products?

Most of the products mentioned here are available on our online store if you would like to get started ASAP. You can also schedule an appointment with me or one of my staff  to see which skin care products will work best with your skin type and specific concerns.

DRY SKIN ON THE FACE, AND I LIVE IN RENO. HELP!

Dry skin, or dermatitis, is a generic term used to encompass multiple conditions. But when we are talking about dry skin on the face and living in Reno, there are some constants we can discuss and avoid to try to help most of us out.

Typical Dry Skin

Let’s start with the most common cause of dry skin: the weather. In climates with low humidity readings such as Reno, Nevada, it is common for people to have dry skin from lack of moisture. The dry air in Reno draws the moisture from our skin to maintain equilibrium. Wind (hello, Reno wind) will make it worse. This will manifest usually as dry flaky skin on the face and sometimes makes your skin burn or feel very tight. This form of dry skin is mostly environmental and is treated with thick moisturizers like TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream to increase the moisture in the skin and create a barrier from evaporation. If you have a different kind and you like it, make sure that you are using the cream form and not the lotion; cream is thicker and helps more.

Dry Skin from Too Much Product

The most common culprit to cause dry irritated skin on the face is retinoic acid, otherwise known as retinol or retin A. In Reno, our baseline dry weather makes it harder to use a retinol. I personally can only use mine 1-2 times per week, and I must put a thick moisturizer on every night. Other common causes of dry skin on the face are scrubbing too often, acids such as salicylic acid or glycolic acids, and harsh chemicals in makeup removers or scrubs.

Allergic Reaction

Although uncommon, another form of dry skin can be a true allergy to something you are applying. This would usually happen if you added a new product, and can be quite severe. If you have ever been exposed to poison ivy or poison oak, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are many topical facial products that can cause allergies such as lanolin, preservatives, fragrances, sunscreens, and even some prescription medications. If you suspect you have an allergy to one of your topical products, you should stop everything you are using until the rash resolves and then add one product back every three weeks so see which one is bothering you. Alternatively, you can see an allergist for patch testing to different chemicals.

Dry skin on our face prevents us from using our antiaging products to the maximum desired amount and makes our skin feel dry and crepey. For me, it happens the worst after I ski because of the cold wind, but with these few tips hopefully you can manage our dry climate a little easier and use your antiaging topicals to their maximum benefit. For tips on what I use for antiaging visit our other blog.