The Secret to Clear Skin
How Effective Is Your Skincare Routine and The Products You Are Using?
Washing your face seems like a rather simple task, right? Well, not anymore. Taking care of your skin just got a little more complicated thanks to an overload of beauty and skin-care related products from the booming skincare industry, and social media trends like “skin fasting,” jade rollers, gua shas, and more.
These endless products and fads may fool you into believing that skincare is much more complex than it really should be.
Testimonials
There are 3 types of people in this world: one who has a meticulous skin care routine, one who just washes their face and calls it a day, and one who doesn’t do anything to their skin.
Josie Hill is one of those so people who practices a strict cleansing routine and NEVER skips it. After experimenting with many different types of products and trial and error routines to help combat her hormonal acne, she decided that investing in her skin care products was the way to go.
“The issues I faced with my skin definitely had to do with the type of skin care I was doing. I used to use drug store, cheaper skincare products, and it worked in ways, but I can see a difference in my skin now after using the higher end products,” said Hill.
Hill also added that taking birth control was a big factor for her in clearing up her skin, raising the question if having good skin simply comes down to one’s hormones.
“I would definitely think it would make my skin a lot worse if I went off birth control. I do think products would still help my skin, in some way, if I continued to use them without birth control because I've noticed they do minimize the breakouts that I still occasionally get on the pill. However, products alone certainly wouldn't be as helpful as birth control is,” Hill said.
Rachel Liberman on the other hand is one who has never used any facial cleansers in her life, but considers herself “genetically lucky” with her clear skin.
“I feel like the more stuff you put on your skin, the more it will react. I have used face masks for fun with my friends, but my skin just ends up feeling irritated. I just like to leave my face alone and not touch it, and for some lucky reason it works," said Liberman.
No Two Faces Are Alike
So which method is correct? Is attaining clear skin about finding the perfect products or, does it really come down to a person’s DNA? Despite the commercialized skincare industry and influencers advertising “holy grail” serums and creams that everyone should buy to supposedly save their skin, Amyan Arrington, a certified esthetician, says that we need to proceed with caution.
“It is definitely a customized experience, and not everyone’s holy grail product will work for everyone. It’s not something to listen to other people's routines, you have to find your own routine that fits your specific needs,” said Arrington.
According to Essence, as wellness content proliferated, the way we care for ourselves, especially our skin, has become deluged with misinformation.
“I find that a lot of the people trying those trends they see on the internet, are not what they need to be doing and actually end up irritating their skin more. With skincare regimens, it can be nice to see some other tips and tricks, but you should never just try something because you saw someone else do it,” said Arrington.
Arrington sees over 30 clients per week. She explains how all her clients have differing skincare regimens.
“Even my clients who have non problematic and better skin…they aren’t all doing one thing that is making their skin look great. There is not one common factor or something they are doing right or wrong,” said Arrington.
Cheap v. Expensive Products
It can be confusing to maneuver between the pricey options and the affordable, drugstore ones because some beauty lovers say the expensive options are expensive for a reason, while others swear by affordable, drugstore products.
A correlation between quality and price can sometimes give us a good idea about a product, but it is not always accurate. Cheap items are not necessarily poor quality, and high-quality items are not necessarily expensive. The decision to buy a product requires a little more research.
However, after conducting some Instagram Polls, the majority of my followers seemed to fall under the umbrella of people who believe in the marketing tactics that there is a difference between expensive and cheap products we are buying, and that they have a strong impact on the health of our skin.
Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash
Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash
Photo by Brittney Weng on Unsplash
Photo by Brittney Weng on Unsplash
Dr. Sergey Rekhtman, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, explains how skin care is a lot more simple than people think.
“I always urge patients that most of the products out there that are actually data driven and are really effective, are not going to be those expensive products. Sometimes those products will have the same ingredients that I use and prescribe anyway, but in order to treat acne you shouldn’t have to spend an enormous amount of money if we are taking a systematic approach to it,” said Rekhtman.
Cleanse, Moisturize, Repeat
Dr. Rekhtman adds that genetics do play a role in our skin, along with environmental factors, and that some people just win the genetic lottery and are less likely to develop it. But a majority of people will struggle with acne at some point in their life.
The general rule of thumb is that if you follow a few very simple steps, you can still take great care of your skin. Most of the extras are not necessary for most people.
“I don’t think there is a big secret here. There is an enormous market out there that addresses this in a roundabout way, and a lot of it is brand recognition for these more costly products. The secret here is that it is far more simple than people think,” said Rekhtman.
So what is the secret to skincare and a perfect routine? Well, there is none. Dr. Rekhtman recommends sticking to the basic routine of gentle cleansing and moisturizing, and ditching that expensive 20 step skin care routine because it may even be doing more harm than good.
When those basic steps fail to work for an individual, that is when you should seek a professional's help. If you’re looking to learn more about your skin type, or try a new product or process, it’s important to work with an aesthetician or dermatologist.
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