What does a skin care routine include?

In fact, judging from the core logic of skin care and the general clinical recommendations of dermatology, the most basic skin care process, the absence of which will affect skin health, is only three steps: cleansing, moisturizing, and sun protection. The steps that everyone often hears about, such as toner, essence, eye cream, facial mask, and body serum, are all additional items that can be flexibly adjusted according to personal skin type, skin care needs, and current skin condition. There is never a standard process that "must be done".

A while ago, I had a friend with combination oily and sensitive skin. I heard from a beauty blogger that "there are seven steps to a complete skin care routine." She should mix water, essence, lotion, face cream, eye cream in the morning and evening, and apply a moisturizing mask every other day. During that time, her face would become red and hot at every turn, and there would be tiny rashes to the touch. She went to the hospital and called a dermatologist, and the doctor asked her directly I stopped all the fancy extra steps. Use a gentle amino acid cleanser in the morning and evening to avoid the red areas and gently rub it clean. Then apply a repairing moisturizer. When I go out, I either wear a hat, a mask and an umbrella, or apply simple physical sunscreen. It’s just three simple steps. After about half a month, most of the redness is gone and the rash is gone.

There are actually very different opinions on the skin care process online. Some people say that it must be applied strictly in the order of "pre-water essence - toner - functional essence - eye cream - lotion - face cream" to be effective. Others say that as long as you follow "small molecules first, large molecules last, easily absorbed first, strong sealing properties". There are even many lazy people who say that they only have two steps of cleansing and sunscreen all year round without problems. In fact, there is no absolute right or wrong in these statements. There is only one core judgment standard: your skin feels comfortable after use, and there are no adverse reactions such as redness, dryness, itching, and acne.

If you have healthy, oily skin, and the oil in the T-zone in summer can reflect light, and you feel moisturized even if you apply a refreshing toner after washing your face, then you don’t need to apply lotion or cream hard at all, as it will make you feel stuffy and closed, which is not worth the gain.； If you have dry skin and your face is dry and painful after going out in the cold wind for ten minutes in autumn and winter, then after washing your face, apply a moisturizing essence and seal it with a thick layer of cream, or even apply a repairing mask before going to bed, and your makeup will not get stuck the next day. If you have specific needs for whitening or anti-aging recently, you can add the corresponding functional essence after cleansing and before moisturizing. If your skin is in a sensitive or acne period, it is best to stop all functional products and return to the most basic three steps, so as not to put additional burden on the skin.

I also fell into the trap of "the more steps, the more effective" in the past two years. I followed the trend and bought a bunch of expensive anti-aging and whitening essences, and put three or four layers on my face morning and night. During that time, the cleft on my chin grew like crazy and disappeared again and again for almost two months. Later, I stopped all the extra steps and only kept the three most basic steps. In less than a month, the cleft was completely gone. In fact, the skin care process is like eating for the skin. Cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen are the basic staple food of rice and steamed buns. You can’t go wrong if you eat it every time, and it can also ensure the most basic health. Those additional functional steps are like milk tea, hot pot, and seafood dinners. Eating it once in a while can meet the extra needs, but eating it all the time will put a burden on the gastrointestinal tract and damage the body. Just like many people are now debating whether facial masks should be applied every day. In fact, there is no standard answer. It is perfectly fine for healthy and oily skin to apply a refreshing hydrating mask two or three times a week. However, if you have dry and sensitive skin and apply it every day, it will easily cause over-hydration of the skin, damage the skin barrier, and even make the face look bad. The one that suits you is the most suitable.