My Capsule Skin Care Routine

Marie Kondo has become a household name in the past few years, and so too, the emphasis on decluttering and simplifying our homes, lives and spaces, and only keeping things that ‘bring us joy.’

Well, I’m here to promote this idea with our skin care habits! All too often our skin care routine has become incredibly complicated with a dozen or more products being used at any given time. I see this with my patients, friends and family members. The thought is that if one thing is good for my skin, three more must be even better. But in terms of our skin, often this is not the case. Too many products, and too often, can lead to irritation and actually worse outcomes in the long run.

I want you to think about your daily skin care habits. What do you do when you first wake up in the morning? Do you wash your face? What do you use? What do you put on afterwards? How long does your routine typically take? And then what do you do in the evenings? For many, this morning and evening ritual has become a complicated and timely process.

Instead of adding more steps and products, try to pare down your routine. Here are my recommended steps for a capsule skin care routine:

Morning Routine

1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to just use lukewarm water.
2. Apply a broad-spectrum sun screen with an SPF 30+. This can be combined with a moisturizer if you have dry skin.

Evening Routine

1. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser to remove the dirt, oil and make up from the day.
2. Apply a retinol/retinoid to your face and neck.

Some extra tips:

• If you want to use a serum like Vitamin C, apply before your sunscreen in the morning.
• Using multiple serums is unnecessary and possibly harmful.
• Toners are not necessary for most patients.
• Exfoliators are unnecessary for daily skin care.
• Remember to reapply sunscreen if you’ve been outdoors or have been sweating.
• My splurge: I will use Latisse on my upper lashes at night for long lashes!

As you can see, your skin care routine doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, less is more!

Of course, yours will be specific to your unique skin care needs, but this can be a helpful framework for what is and isn’t necessary.

Definitely check in with your dermatologist who can help you design a regimen that works for you.