A Top New York Dermatologist Shares Her Daily Skincare Regimen

New York Dermatologist Dr. Gervaise Gerstner, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical School, shared her daily skincare routine with us. Find out what she recommends:

Morning 

Step 1. Forgo face washing
“When you wake up in the morning I don’t think you necessarily need to wash your skin. You just slept on the pillow, so your face is clean.”
– Dr. Gerstner

Step 2. Moisturize and apply sun protection
“In the morning the number one thing you need to do is find a daily moisturizer that you like, that you’ll wear, that happens to have your sunscreen in it. It doesn’t have to be a separate sunscreen. I like the concept of a B.B. cream. B.B. cream stands for beauty balm. It can be anything that’s a hybrid; a moisturizer, a sunscreen, with a little bit of tint in it. I like the L’Oreal Youth Code BB Cream. Find one that you like and looks good on your skin. That’s the number one thing you need to do in the morning.”
– Dr. Gerstner

Nighttime 

Step 1. Wash your face
“You need to wash your face at night. You can wash with something plain like Cetaphil. Or, if you have a little bit of acne, you can wash with something that has a little salicylic acid in it.”
– Dr. Gerstner

Step 2. Glycolic treatment
“Every single woman, even if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, should use a glycolic treatment at night, 3 nights a week. I like the 20% glycolic pads. Wipe down with it 3 times a week, leave it on for 4 or 5 minutes, and then you can just splash it off.”
– Dr. Gerstner

Step 3: Retinol
“If you use glycolic treatment 3 times a week, for example, let’s say you do that Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the other days I’ll probably have them on a form of Vitamin A, like retinol. I like the SkinMedica Retinol. If they have brown spots as well I’ll also add some brightening pads for brown spots.”
– Dr. Gerstner

Step 4: Growth factors
“I like everyone to use growth factors. I like the TNS Essential growth factor, which combines growth factor with an antioxidant. I have that to be the last step at night. Use that on the face, neck, chest, and also under the eyes.”
– Dr. Gerstner

Unlikely to follow every step? If nothing else, make sure you incorporate these two things into your routine:

Sunscreen in the morning and glycolic treatment at night.”
– Dr. Gerstner