Skin care

[Reet14]

Hi am 34 years old. I am realising that i am losing my skin’s elasticity and i even see some fine lines. I have never done any skin care. Can you recommend me any skincare.

[WinglessOne]

Hi @Reet14 ! Sounds like you want to treat fine lines and plump up your skin. Do you know your skin type/behavior (dry, oily, a combo of those, or balanced—neither too dry nor oily anywhere)? 

If you’ve never done a skincare routine before, start with the basics: 

1. Cleanser (PM, optional AM) - you want something that won’t leave your skin feeling tight, dry, or “squeaky clean.” Your skin type/behavior might help you pick a cleanser that works well for you. CeraVe, Cetaphil, and La Roche-Posay make good effective gentle cleansers. Vanicream also makes a good basic cleanser. Do you wear makeup? You might wanna use a makeup remover before your cleanser: it can be micellar water, oil cleanser, cleansing balm, etc. Some folks don’t need cleanser in the morning; I usually just gently wipe my face down with a wet plush microfiber cloth, or I’ll just use micellar water or a very gentle cream cleanser in the AM. 
   
   
2. Moisturizer (PM, maybe optional AM) - another place where your skin type/behavior is a deciding factor. A good basic option is Vanicream Moisturizing Lotion. I usually use CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion. If your skin’s reactive/inflammation-prone like mine, you might occasionally like an Aveeno body lotion as face moisturizer (oats are great at soothing my irritated skin). Folks with oily skin might prefer a gel moisturizer. Oh, and I wrote “optional AM” because sunscreen can double as moisturizer. My mostly-dry combo skin needs a separate moisturizer under sunscreen in cold weather, but not in summer. 
   
   
3. Broad spectrum sunscreen (AM) - at least SPF 30, applied generously to all skin exposed to sunlight, all year long, regardless of weather or season. Sunscreen’s the best anti-aging skincare product on the market, since UV rays can cause wrinkles (among other things). Doesn’t matter if the sunscreen’s chemical, mineral/physical (zinc oxide), or a hybrid formula: they all work largely the same way, and one’s not “safer” than the others unless your particular skin’s sensitive to a certain UV filter (ingredient in sunscreen that protects against UV rays). There are so many options on the market… the right one for you depends on your personal preferences. My usual go-to is Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen Invisible Broad Spectrum SPF 40 PA +++ but I also use several others. 

Follow those steps for a few weeks to get used to a consistent routine. If you want to add another product to treat a specific issue, insert it between steps 1 and 2—eh, unless it’s retinol or another form of vitamin A (the retinoid family), in which case you might prefer applying it after step 2 (let moisturizer buffer vitamin A’s side effects if they’re very irritating for your skin). 

I haven’t recommended many specific skincare products here… I need a better sense of your skin type/behavior and preferences before I can suggest many specific products. Do you have a budge/price cap? 

[CynthieLu]

Creating your new routine, that's an exciting time @Reet14 

When your building your routine, what are you looking for it to do for you? 

What are you using right now, is anything not working? 

What's your am/pm routine like? 

Do you wear SPF daily? If not, would you?