Medical Grade Skin Care
My Winter Routine
Let’s talk skin care products.
Who remembers Noxzema cleanser and Sea Breeze astringent? Did you use them too? Those two products were my mainstays as a teenager—I even think Noxzema is still around. I absolutely loved the fresh clean smell of those two products! And let’s not forget Clearasil for the acne. Ah, the bleached-out pillowcases! (my poor mother - she never complained) I remember always being in some stage of scabbing and peeling from that stuff. Gross, I know, but that’s teenage life, you know? It’s the extremes that a teenager is willing to go through to have clear skin. Bless all of our hearts—it was a tough stage!
My skin is oily and for a very long time, I thought getting rid of the oil was the answer. I have definitely had a love-hate relationship with my complexion. When I was in my 20s, one of my asian girlfriends taught me to love my oily skin. She said I wouldn’t wrinkle as young, and she was right! That girlfriend is now in her 70’s and she still looks amazing!
As I’ve aged and my skin has changed a little, I moved on to other products like Cetaphil. I still think Cetaphil products are great for sensitive skin, and I always have it on hand when I run out of my other cleansers. My skin still tends to be oily, but I’ve realized that I need to add lots and lots of moisture to keep my skin from being overly oily or overly dry. I have to be careful because I have rosacea and my skin is super sensitive. I have to test one product at a time instead of just adding in a whole new regimen at once. I’ve also realized that as I cleaned up my diet, my skin also became clearer.
As far as slowing the aging process goes, I am a true believer in using medical grade skin care products. In another post, I will discuss my experiences with getting a round of microneedling treatments. Well, since the pandemic started, I haven’t been doing any special treatments at the doctor’s office. The only tool I’ve had in my toolbox during this time is using medical grade skin care. I mostly use the skin care that is recommended to me by an esthetician. We have several plastic surgeons in town with med spas. The estheticians are highly skilled and very knowledgeable and have pointed me in the right direction with my skin concerns. I’ve been slowly adding to my products and feel like I have a really good skin care routine down.
Medical grade skin care is expensive so you may want to choose one heavy hitter to try and then add in new products as you can afford to. This is where an experienced esthetician is priceless. She will know your concerns and will point you to the one product that will help the most. I keep an eye out for specials and take advantage of them when they are available. I have a few other products I use regularly that are super affordable and effective. I’ve noticed an improvement in my skin since adding those products, so I’ll share those with you as well! I’m always learning about new products so I’ll review them as I try them and would love some feedback on what works for you.
My summer routine is very different from my winter routine, and my morning routine is a little different than the night routine. I bring out the big guns at night. Since it is winter as I write this, I’ll explain my winter routine first. And we will talk about my summer routine when summer is a little closer.
Winter Morning
ZO Gentle Cleanser
Thayers Cucumber Facial Toner
Alastin Restorative Eye Treatment
Skin Medica TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream
Elta MD Clear SPF 46
Salameh Tinted Moisturizer with SPF
Bentonite Clay Powder
1. To cleanse my face, I use ZO Gentle Cleanser. It smells fresh and clean and lathers up nicely. It leaves my skin feeling clean, refreshed and hydrated.
2. My next step is using Thayers Cucumber Facial Toner. Again, it smells nice and is gentle on my skin. I love cucumbers so it’s no surprise that I would love using a product containing cucumber on my skin. In fact, I used to get so excited about finding some good-looking cucumbers in the grocery store that one time my exuberance made my son (who was 3 at the time) burst into tears and say “you love cucumbers more than you love me!” Not true my precious boy, I’d give up cucumbers forever if I had to choose. Note to self: cool it on the cucumbers! 😊 Our family still gets a good laugh out of that story. I find cucumbers so refreshing and hydrating to my skin. It just soaks it up like a sponge.
3. The next step is Alastin Restorative Eye Treatment, but I was introduced to it to use around my lips for the fine lines that were starting to bother me. I’ve been using it for around two months now and I have noticed some improvement in those lines and I absolutely love using it around my eyes and lips. I really like the feel of it. It’s creamy and cooling and seems to add a lot of moisture to the delicate eye and lip areas. This would be a fantastic product to keep in a make-up fridge. It would help even more with puffiness in the mornings. I’ve never had the luxury of having a make-up fridge but I’m intrigued by the idea.
4. The next step is TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream by Skin Medica. It’s creamy and very moisturizing. It contains growth factors and this ceramide complex enhances collagen production.
5. I then use Clear SPF 46 by Elta MD on my entire face, neck and chest. This sunscreen was recommended by my dermatologist. It’s super light and will not clog pores.
6. The only foundation I use all over my face now is a tinted moisturizer with SPF, and currently I am using the Salameh Tinted Moisturizer with 44 SPF. Another really great tinted moisturizer with SPF is Elta MD UV Daily Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 46.
7. I set my tinted moisturizer with a little dusting of Bentonite Clay Powder. I started using clay powder when I was just finishing up my radiation treatments. I had not been diagnosed with rosacea at that time, but I knew something was wrong. Now I know I was having a terrible rosacea flare. I’m sure my body was protesting the weeks of daily radiation and the stress of driving in Nashville traffic. My daughter came to stay with me for a few days and she was concerned. She wasn’t used to seeing my face and lips dry, red and peeling. We started troubleshooting what could be wrong. First we started with a sugar scrub (sugar + coconut oil). Then, we eliminated all of the products I was using and simplified my routine to just a few key products. I cleansed my face with those little make-up eraser facial cloths and water (facial shamwows). They magically remove even waterproof mascara. I then moisturized my face with coconut oil. I used a little tinted SPF by Elta MD and replaced my translucent powder with the bentonite clay powder. I’ve never gone back. It tones down my shininess and controls bacteria. There are many other uses for bentonite clay powder but I’ll save that discussion for another day.
TIP: With sensitive skin that tends to be on the oily side, it’s taken me a while to find the right formula to keep my skin balanced (clean and acne free without stripping it and drying it out). And when I have it all figured out, if there is a weather change, medication change or I get lax about drinking water, I have to change up my routine again. So, don’t be afraid to try new things and change it up!
Winter Night
ZO Gentle Cleanser
Thayers Cucumber Facial Toner
Salameh Retinol Pads
Alastin Restorative Eye Treatment
SkinMedica TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream
