It’s taken me months to get this blog post together! I’ve been fully immersed in “summertime Chicago” and puppy training and totally forgot to finish this post. For years, my friends have been asking me what I put on my skin. As an allergy doctor, I diagnose and treat a lot of different skin conditions and allergies, but I still go to a board certified dermatologist for all of my own skin issues. I have combination skin – dry in certain spots and oily in other. I also have a really busy morning routine before work and don’t like to have too many steps at one time, so I split up my skin care routine in the morning and at night. I’ve added hyper links to all of the products so they’re easier to find but please feel free to comment if you have any questions. The key to good skin is to be consistent and follow your routine no matter how tired you are. Wear sunscreen every day because the sun can come out even after a rainy morning. If I’m out in the sun for a long time, I wear sunglasses and a hat. I always take my makeup off before bedtime which has helped me prevent break outs. A lot of people focus on food as the cause of skin problems these days because that’s what certain ‘influencers’ like to blog about, but it’s important to realize that your skin care regimen, stress levels, and shifts in your hormones as you age, can play a really big role.
The first thing I do is cleanse with CeraVe cleanser for oily skin . The second step is an anti-aging vitamin C serum. I use 3 drops of Skinceuticals C E Ferrulic on my face and neck. This serum is smoothing but a little on the oily side so use less if you have oily skin. It also has a noticeable smell like iron (which doesn’t bother me now but took some getting used to). I use a tiny bit of LaMer Eye Concentrate eye cream around my eyes followed by Cle de Peau concealer under my eyes (it now has SPF 25). The LaMer eye cream is definitely an investment but it lasts a long time and a little goes a long way! For summer time, I love using a CC cream. It’s a great, one step way to get medium blemish coverage and sun protection all in one. I’m currently using Lune + Aster CC cream with SPF 50 which I found at Blue Mercury. It’s definitely dewy but provides great coverage that goes on really easily. I use Armani Luminous Silk powder to tone down the glow (it has a natural, semi matte finish and lasts all day).
Before bed, I cleanse again with CeraVe cleanser for oily skin and start with a thin layer of Finacea 15% gel (this is a prescription from my dermatologist). Finacea is typically used for a condition called rosacea but I use it to even out my skin tone and fade blemishes and dark spots. It takes a few weeks to start evening out dark marks but works better than any non-prescription brightening agent I’ve tried. I think it’s much better for brightening up blemishes in darker skin tones like mine. I then follow with a thin layer of NeoCutis Hydrogel. This helps to maintain the collagen in my skin. It’s really helped to keep away any wrinkles and fine lines and has helped to maintain the elasticity in my skin as well. I really swear by it! I avoid consuming collagen supplements because the research behind the presumed health benefits is still not strong enough in my opinion. (From what I’ve read, most collagen supplements are derived from animal products and there is a small risk of contamination with certain harmful biproducts.) I finish up my night time skin routine with a small amount of CeraVe PM moisturizer and CeraVe eye cream.
I’ve stuck with a consistent regimen for my skin for the past ten years and it’s really worked for me. It definitely takes trial and error to figure out what works you but sticking with it is the key to healthy skin. Everything on my list is pretty easy to find and I get most if from Blue Mercury, Amazon, Walgreens, and my dermatologist. Until next time, happy cleansing!