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