The DM:
Dear derm,
How many steps should my skincare routine have?
Hannah J
The Derm:
Dr Aamna Adel, Consultant Dermatologist at 152 Harley Street.
The Diagnosis:
Dear Hannah
That’s a really interesting question because there’s been so much change. At one point, everyone wanted a 10-step skincare routine, and then it was a three-step skincare routine. What I would say is that for everybody on a basic level, three steps is probably a great place to start, but you can personalise it from there.
Here’s what you need to know on “how many steps should my skincare routine have?”
Getting started
The best place to start when building a skincare routine is with a cleanser, moisturiser, and sunscreen. You could even combine the moisturiser and sunscreen step together because a lot of sunscreens are also moisturisers as well, so if you really wanted to strip it back, you could just go for a two-step skincare routine.
It really depends on what your skincare goals are. If you’ve got other things that you’re trying to tackle and target at the same time, for instance acne, dryness, pigmentation, dullness etc, you might benefit from adding other serums into your skincare routine, specifically those that have got actives in them designed to target those factors. If you’re someone that’s just looking for more hydration, you might add a toner or an essence – so it can vary quite a lot. For most people though, I don’t think you need to go above five steps in your skincare routine. At a very basic level, three steps is more than enough.
Working out your skin type
To tailor your skincare to your complexion, you need to know what you’re working with and it’s important to personalise the products to your skin type. A really easy way to do work out what your skin type is, is to start off by cleansing your skin with lukewarm water (you don’t want to use extra hot water). Leave your skin for at least 30 minutes and then see what it feels like. If you’re oily in your T-zone and dry everywhere else, you’ve got combination skin. If you’re oily all over, you’ve got oily skin. If it feels quite dry and tight, then you’ve probably got dry, sensitive skin. And, if your skin feels quite comfortable even after all of that time, then you’ve probably just got normal skin.
Adding extras
I would say deciding what you want to use as an add-on should be really focused on what your skin type is (whether you are oily, acne-prone or dry), and also what your skincare concerns are.
Salicylic acid
For somebody with acne-prone skin, something like salicylic acid can be super helpful in their routine. It’s going to reduce oil production and unplug your pores.
Hyaluronic acid
If you’re somebody that has a dry skin type, most people can do with having hyaluronic acid in their routine because it’s so hydrating. Even if you have acne-prone skin, if you’re using a lot of drying ingredients, hyaluronic acid can just be a good add-on to balance how much your skin is getting dried out.
Vitamin C
If you are thinking about anti-ageing, vitamin C is a good ingredient to incorporate into your routine.
Introduce new products one at a time
When you are adding new products into your routine, always go with one at a time and give yourself a couple of days or at least a week or so to see how you adjust and react to it. Often what I’ll find in clinic, is that people will start lots of things at the same time. Something will break them out and then they’ve got no idea what the culprit was and what’s not working for their skin. So that’s a really easy way to 1) work out what might be irritating your skin but also 2) see what’s benefitting your skin the most. If you’ve been using something for a couple of weeks and you’ve noticed a difference, then you’ll know it’s working really well for you. So, go slow and do it one step at a time, then adjust according to that.
When you’re starting off with salicylic acid, I would use it two or three times a week and see how your skin gets on. It is quite a drying ingredient. There’s a lot of formulations available now that have been made to be less drying and irritating, but you won’t know until you actually try it out on your skin. So start slowly, then just gradually build that up to once a day.
With any exfoliants or with retinoids, people often tend to experience dryness and irritation alongside purging. You might notice that you’re getting more spots when you first start using it – that’s just the ingredient working. Because it’s increasing cell turnover, it’s bringing all that gunk to the surface, so you don’t want to go too strong with it straight away. You’ll find that you tolerate it a lot better if you let your skin adjust to it a little bit before you increase the frequency.
Got a skin question for our derms? Drop us a DM at @glamouruk.