Skin Care Resolutions for the New Year

Skin care "resolutions" that I've seen featured in the media for the New Year have focused on some curious topics (in my opinion as a dermatologist). Is this really where you should put your effort and energy? Great examples:

1. Exfoliate regularly,
2. Stay hydrated,
3. Use a face serum regularly, and
4. Make skin care a priority by using a face oil.

I agree with the sentiment of the last one - make skin care a priority - though I have a different take on it as a clinical dermatologist. The rest are minutia and myth. I want to share what I think is important for your skin health this year.

Skin Care Resolutions for the New Year from a Dermatologist

The top skin care resolution I would recommend is to think of your skin care as self-care and take it seriously.

I mean self-care in the context of prevention and wellness. Craft your skin care routine to:

1. treat your current skin problems,
2. keep your skin healthy and well now, and 
3. prevent future problems such as sun damage, skin thinning, an accumulation of age spots (sun spots and barnacles) and skin cancer. 

This goes beyond "serums", "face oil" or even sunscreen. I encourage you to think carefully about your skin care routine, craft it mindful of your values, budget and goals and make it Complete - including daily sun protection. 

For some, this may mean:

1. a simple routine with smart skin cleansing that avoids allergens and harsh cleansers,
2. an antioxidant product,
3. a good moisturizer, and
4. a comprehensive sun protection routine that includes zinc oxide sunscreen on exposed skin daily.

My Complete Facial Skin Care Kit is an excellent example of what this might look like. The kit is a firm and complete foundational skin care routine. Specific treatment products can easily be added such as for controlling acne or rosacea, or products to stimulate collagen renewal to fight fine lines, skin thinning and wrinkles. 

Think of your diet as part of your path to healthy skin

Yes, your diet really impacts your skin! Diet absolutely impacts skin health just like it impacts your overall health. Skin is your body’s largest organ and reflects your metabolic wellness. Focusing on an anti-inflammatory diet that is filled with fresh produce, nutrient packed whole foods and that minimizes junk and empty carbs is important for all of your organs, the skin included.

For more information on my specific recommendations for how to leverage your diet for healthy skin, I invite you to download my free eBook on Diet for Healthy Skin. It includes recipes and is how I have tried to stack my own diet for overall wellness during my lifetime. 

Resist unfounded skin care myths and focus on what's real regarding skin health.

What is the biggest skin care myth that I would love to see squelched? It is that drinking water will hydrate your skin. If that were true then taking a bath would quench your thirst. Fortunately, the skin is an excellent barrier protecting us from outside assaults - it keeps the inside in and the outside out pretty darn well.

No insult intended to the water drinking advocates, but the integrity of your skin's barrier is dependent on your skin care routine. Hydrating your skin from the outside in is how you protect the integrity of your skin barrier. This requires an understanding of how your skin care choices either support or harm the actual structure of this barrier. You want to:

• Use soaps and cleansers that are not harsh and that do not remove precious barrier lipids or damage keratin protein.
• Apply a really good moisturizer within 3 minutes after washing your skin to trap water for optimal skin hydration and barrier integrity.

Learn the key skin care steps for healing and preventing dry skin that are what I have taught my dermatology patients for over 3 decades. I use a combination of information based on scientific and clinical studies and my many years of helping my patients make sound skin care choices that are practical and easy to implement. I explain it here in this article on Dry Skin Care. It's not about drinking gallons of water!

Start an anti-aging skin care routine and understand what that really means.

Because the best anti-aging product – and the only one that can actually claim to be ‘anti-aging’ according to the FDA – is sunscreen, anti-aging skin care needs to include sun protection that starts now!

Daily sun protection of exposed skin needs to start early to prevent premature skin aging. - Dermatologist and Skin Wellness Expert Dr. Cynthia Bailey

Products that fight the signs of skin aging in other ways, such as retinoids (such as Retinol-Anti Wrinkle Night Cream), glycolic acid (such as Glycolic Acid Face Cream) and antioxidants (such as Green Tea Antioxidant Skin Therapy), are best added as soon as possible from the teen years forward.  

One of the best quotes to show the value of starting an age-fighting skin care routine early came from a patient of mine who came in right after her 38th birthday. This also shows the benefit of the perspective that I have from taking care of my patients for over 3 decades - I get to see the results of my care and advice. She said,

You got me on these great products in my early 20's and I've been on them ever since. It was my 38th birthday yesterday and the woman giving me a pedicure thought I was in my 20s. She couldn't believe it. I credit it to your products, they're fabulous. I've turned so many people on to them too." Tracy A

She was using a good zinc oxide based sunscreen, my clinical grade glycolic acid and green tea antioxidant products, my daily moisturizing cream and prescription tretinoin. It really is that simple to alter skin aging. The sooner you start, the better your results. Don't despair if you think you waited too long - you didn't. Trust me, skin continues to age and starting now is always beneficial!

Happy New Year - may it be a new and bright beginning for us all in many ways.