There is no one day I am not being asked at the office, on an airplane, or on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages how I maintain such glowing, healthy skin. People want to know what the plastic surgeon does at home for his skin. This convinced Angelica, our medical aesthetician in Toronto, to suggest to me to share with you my own special recipe for skin care.
I always say: “Great skin doesn’t just happen — it is about genetics and lifestyle choices, including avoiding of smoking, protecting yourself from the sun, and using a cocktail of the highest-quality products and skin treatments.”
Skin care systems are just that: Systems specifically designed and formulated to work synergistically with each other. Certain enzymes, acids, retinols, and hydroquinone-based products can be detrimental if used incorrectly, which is why we are proud to have a combined 25 years of professional clinical experience between Angelica and myself. Combination therapy through incorporating different treatments and utilizing different product lines is incredibly effective when managed by an experienced plastic surgeon and medical aesthetician.
So here is my secret, my daily skin care routine …
In the Morning
- Step 1: I cleanse with my SkinMedica® Facial Cleanser. Cleansing is an often-overlooked step and an extremely important one. As the repair of our skin doubles in speed at night, our cell renewal peaks between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., and those newly sloughed-off dead skin cells sit on the surface of our skin. If you’re wondering how long to wash, sing the “Happy Birthday to You” song twice through to thoroughly clean the skin. Yes, cleansing your skin should be a happy time!
- Step 2: I actively treat with my Forlle’d Hyalogy P-Effect serum. Just as we take multivitamins to nourish our body, we need to actively nourish our skin. And remember: Our skin absorbs twice as fast as our stomach digests! Forlle’d is a Japanese line conceived by a Nobel-prize winning chemist. Its special formulation allows its large molecules of hyaluronic acid to be easily absorbed, crossing the various layers of the epidermis smoothly. The Forlle’d Hyalogy P-Effect serum will reduce fine lines and refresh the skin for a tightened complexion. With the ability to hold 6,000 times its own weight in moisture, this is the breakthrough product that will noticeably change the condition of your skin.
- Step 3: I then hydrate and refine with my Forlle’d Hyalogy Emulsion for Men. Specifically formulated for a man’s skin, this lotion combines the most potent of traditional Japanese extracts with Forlle’d hyaluronic acid. This emulsion promotes healing and has anti-inflammatory properties with marjoram, eggshell protein, and zinc. This emulsion truly tops this perfect morning cocktail, and it is the best skin treatment after a shave!
- Step 4: I use my beloved occlusive SkinMedica® Moisture Barrier. In the winter months, skin often dries out due to lack of moisture in the outside air and the heating and dry ventilation in our homes. I give my face an extra occlusive barrier loaded with ceramide to maintain the moisture mantle of my skin. Parched skin needs extra love, and this heavy-hitter will deliver a much-needed punch of moisture and anti-aging in one shot! I never travel without my ceramide cream!
- Step 5: Finally, I protect with my ZO® Skin Health SPF 30 UVA/UVB Sunscreen with Primer. The single best way I protect my skin daily is with ZO Skin Health UVA/UVB protection. Even though we may not have patio weather right now, every trip to the grocery store, every step out for lunch, or any errand bringing you outside means long-wave UVA rays are beaming down on us, even on the darkest and gloomiest of days! Think of UVB as bronzing and burning and UVA as aging! UVA rays reach 40 times deeper in our skin — and cause skin damage and even skin cancer. Yes, skin cancer. And please, never go to a tanning bed; tanning beds are 10 to 13 times more intense than the sun! Instead I protect and maintain my healthy skin, and the primer adds a bit of color, which smooths and imparts a very subtle, even tone. Voilà!
In the Evening
- Step 1: I cleanse again with my SkinMedica Facial Cleanser. Time to wash off the day. Even though it is tempting to skip a nighttime routine or just apply product on top of unwashed skin, think of this: Would you serve food on dirty plates from breakfast? Leave the pollution, grime, and ick in the sink and purify your hard-working skin!
- Step 2: I again actively treat with my Forlle’d Hyalogy P-Effect serum. When you sleep, your skin temperature is higher, thus skin care products are absorbed more deeply and can be even more effective. This is the perfect time to apply P-Effect Essence for the second time, and P-Effect will not cause any irritation, redness, or sensitivity.
- Step 3: I then rejuvenate with my SkinMedica® Retinol Complex 0.25. Everyone over the age of 30 should be using a retinol 2 to 3 times a week for a range of benefits, from refining tone and texture to treating hyperpigmentation (sun spots), fine lines, and wrinkles, along with stimulating growth of collagen. Not all retinols are created equal. In fact, most “retinols” are a retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate, or a retinaldehyde, which are much weaker and less effective than a true retinol. Even those suffering from acne will notice an improvement in breakouts. SkinMedica Retinol Complex 0.25 is safe enough to use every night after skin has acclimatized to using it 2 to 3 nights a week.
- Step 4: Finally, I apply my occlusive Moisture Barrier. If it is a “dry skin day” for me, then adding a moisture-packed layer will help to nourish the surface of my skin and will provide even more anti-aging benefits with peptides formulated to target the appearance of lines and wrinkles — a perfect nighttime snack for the skin!
It takes me less than 5 minutes in the morning and less than 4 minutes at night. And if you are like me, too tired in the evening to bother treating your skin, do it right after dinner, after brushing your teeth. You can then sleep in peace.
Finally, my smooth facial skin would not be perfect without my monthly nanopeels, my seasonal ForeverYoung IPL treatments, my twice-a-year BOTOX COSMETIC® treatments, and a little bit of fillers here and there.
Want tips for your own personalized skin care regimen? Contact us today for a skin consultation with Angelica or me.
