Build a skin care routine | dermatologist guides easy steps to make your routine, by Dr. Aanchal MD on YouTube. 1 min 1 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 1 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Wash your face with a mild cleanser and warm water, then leave it bare for 30 minutes. Shine all over means oily skin, tight and flaky means dry, and shine only on the nose and forehead means combination.
Write down the two skin concerns you most want to fix, such as dark spots, open pores, acne or fine lines. Stopping at two keeps the routine short enough to actually follow.
Buy a cleanser that suits your skin type. Oily and acne-prone skin does well with a foaming gel or salicylic acid cleanser, while dry or sensitive skin needs a creamy, fragrance-free one.
Pick one serum for your main concern. For oily or combination skin try salicylic or glycolic acid, for acne try benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid or retinol, and for dry skin look for ceramides or squalane.
Match your second concern too. Dark spots respond to alpha arbutin, kojic acid or azelaic acid, open pores to niacinamide, retinol or salicylic acid, and fine lines to retinol, peptides or AHAs.
Go fragrance-free if your skin is sensitive and look for panthenol or centella asiatica instead. Skip products with added fragrance or parabens, which are more likely to sting.
Use the routine twice a day. Cleanse, pat dry, press two or three drops of serum into your skin, then follow with a moisturiser that matches your skin type.
Finish every morning with sunscreen, even indoors near a window. Use about two finger lengths of SPF 30 or higher and make it the last step before makeup.
Start any acid or retinol slowly, two or three nights a week, and add only one new product every two weeks so you can tell what works and what irritates.
Tips and common mistakes
Patch test a new serum on your inner forearm for 24 hours before using it on your face.
Do not layer retinol, glycolic acid and benzoyl peroxide in the same routine; pick one active per evening.
Retinol makes skin more sun sensitive, so use it at night and wear sunscreen every morning.
Give a new routine six to eight weeks before judging results, and see a dermatologist if acne is painful or leaves scars.
Questions
How do I know my skin type?
Wash your face and wait 30 minutes without applying anything. Shine all over points to oily skin, tightness or flaking to dry skin, and shine only on the T-zone to combination skin.
How many products do I really need?
Four: a cleanser, one serum for your main concern, a moisturiser and a sunscreen. Add a second serum only once the basics feel settled.
Can I use a serum in the morning?
Most serums are fine twice a day, but retinol and strong acids belong in the evening because they make skin more sensitive to sunlight.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
