As a recently retired dermatologist, I am often asked what do I really use on my face and neck for an anti-aging skincare routine? This is it. Here’s some dermatologist advice for anti-aging products.

Doesn’t it drive you crazy when you have to search in multiple bins, drawers and purses to find your products? We all WANT to get on top of our game but things tend to hide from us frequently in “plain view”. So what’s a girl to do? Look no further. Here’s the skinny and even better, here’s how to avoid the “lost crap syndrome”. I headed over to Homegoods and bought several black divided baskets; one for the AM routine and one for the bedtime ritual.

Dermatologist Advice for Anti-Aging Products

First is the morning basket. It contains six products. I know I hear you saying, “six products, is she nuts?”. The answer is EACH product I use personally every morning before my makeup and they take several seconds (total) to apply.

And THEY WORK! (This week I was filling out a dermatology resume form for an upcoming meeting so I thought for those of you that have never seen my skin close up I would include this very recent photo of me at 64. I believe I have good-looking skin and skin care products have played a big role in my success. You be the judge.)

These are the six products I use each morning. Many used to be only available in doctors’ offices but now all these items (in this entire blog) are all available at Amazon (Yay!). (Latisse needs a prescription.)

For purposes of photographing the items I actually just used the boxes of the Neocutis products. This was because the silver or turquoise bottles due to their curved shape don’t show as well as their boxes. I arranged them in the order that I apply them.

1. The first product is Neofirm and it is applied to the entire neck and décolletage. (All the Neocutis products are in airless pumps so they don’t oxidize and change colors.). The skin on the neck and décolletage is very thin, delicate and prone to sagging, wrinkles, and creasing. This product is creamy but not greasy and easily rubs in and does not stain your clothing. It contains antioxidants, moisturizers, exfoliants and MPC. MPC is Neocutis’ blend of peptides to make more elastin (helps the laxity of the skin), boost collagens III and IV (helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles), and forms thin loose skin. It contains Vitamin C, Argan oil, and Jojoba oils which infuse moisture in the skin. (Please note that in the above photo, Microfirm has been renamed recently as Neofirm).
2. Over this I apply No. 7 Restore and Renew Serum to my neck. This feels like a primer, very smooth and it has skin firming and lightening properties.
3. Product number 3 is Obagi Clear and it has been around for thirty years!! It has arbutin in it that blocks melanin production.  Too much melanin causes brown spots. It lightens dark spots without lightening the surrounding normal skin. I just apply it to any brown spots on my face, neck, hands and chest.
4. Product number 4 is Olay Regenerist Whip with SPF 25. I like this as a moisturizer and Sunscreen. It has some collagen peptides for anti-aging and easily applies over the aforementioned items. I use it all over my neck, and décolletage.
5. Products number 5 and 6 are both from Neocutis. The first, Microday, goes all over my face. It is tinted and acts like a makeup primer (helps makeup go on smoothly and stay in place), as well as a sunscreen. THIS IS BY FAR MY MOST FAVORITE ANTIAGING FACE PRODUCT!!! ***It contains the MPC mentioned above in the neck product Neofirm, so it defends against free radical damage, has Vitamin C and E, green tea extract, and skin-plumping hyaluronic acid. So although it’s pricey, I really think it’s worth the price because it has so many useful ingredients, in one product, to slow the aging process! You don’t need to add Vitamin C serum or SPF as they’re all in one product!
6. The last product Microeyes targets the delicate skin around the eyes. It hydrates the skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles. I apply it from my brow bone, over my lids and right down to my under-eye (“bag”) area. All these items go on so quickly that by the time I put the lids back on and pop them back in their AM basket, I’m good to go with my actual makeup ( stay tuned for a future post on those goodies).

    

Now here’s the nighttime routine. I know it looks like a lot. I’ll be as brief as I can but I SWEAR each item serves a useful purpose and thus is USED by me nightly.

1. The first product I use at night is Almay eye makeup remover pads for long lasting and waterproof makeup. These pads are great but I only use them on my LIPS to remove my long-wearing lipstick (future blog). Once I remove the lipstick with a few swipes of the above pad, I then grab the second item which is a

2. Cotton pad. This gently removes the excess oil and lipstick residue.

3. Systane Lid wipes. These are AWESOME at removing my waterproof mascara because they don’t cause my eyelids to flake. I learned of these from my new ophthalmologist who thought I had a skin condition called seborrheic blepharitis. Imagine being a dermatologist for 30 plus years and intermittently having flaky eyelids!!! All this was solved in one visit with these pads!! So if you suffer from dry, flaky, itchy eyelids, this is your “go to pad”.

4. Dermalogica Special gel cleanser. Once my lips and lids are clean I typically hop in the tub or shower for an quick cleanse. This Dermalogica Special gel cleanser is great as it readily removes my makeup and sunscreen but at the same time I love how it leaves my face clean but not tight

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5. I then slather on Glytone body lotion on my body, arms, legs, and feet. This is a great therapeutic body moisturizer as well as a very effective product for stimulation of collagen production. So it helps with dryness as the aging of the skin.

6. Then for my face, I apply Latisse to my eyelids and eyebrows. This enhances my eyelash and eyebrow hair length and thickness. (When you initially start this you use it nightly. After the first four months you only need to use it twice weekly to maintain the cosmetic result). You will need a prescription from your dermatologist for this.
7. To my entire face, eyelids, neck and décolletage I apply a small amount of Roc’s Retinal Correction Sensitive Night Cream. This is the BOMB! Retinal is a mild form of RetinA and has decades of research as the best anti-aging product ever developed. It stimulates collagen, lightens dark spots and makes the skin recreate its earlier beauty. But in most cases RetinA is VERY irritating, making the skin red and chapped. THIS product by Roc is well-tolerated by me and I highly recommend it.
8. I apply Neocutis Microserum over the Roc Retinal on my face, neck, and décolletage. This product is a “night cream” that isn’t greasy but has the highest concentration of MPC of this line. Lots of collagen and elastin production while I sleep!
9. Lastly, I apply Baby Lips lip balm to moisturize my lips. Finally, I’m ready for bed! Yay, me!

XO

Dr. Julie

PS. As a retired dermatologist, I recommend that NONE of these products be used by any woman who is either pregnant, attempting pregnancy, or nursing without the EXPRESS approval of your obstetrician or pediatrician. And if you’re using the Roc Retinal be sure to ALWAYS sunscreen when outdoors so as to avoid sunburning. And stop the Roc Retinal three days before sunny vacations (including skiing) as well as before waxing any facial hair. This is because RetinA and all its cousins make the skin more likely to burn in the sun and to tear with waxing.

PPS. As I mentioned ALL these items are available at Amazon. But if I were you I would GO SLOWLY with this routine. Just to save you unnecessary trouble. You should really try ONE product every THREE or FOUR days, continually adding until you’re finished acclimating to this plan. This way if you get red or irritated you’ll be able to pinpoint and eliminate just the offending culprit. Let me know how it goes and if you think I am right on all this. We’re all learning. I’ve tried hundreds of products (as a dermatologist they were all free so I wasn’t influenced by price) and this routine though daunting is really effective and in my mind FUN! Good luck!

PPPS. Here are some other posts for you to enjoy:

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