Skin-care products include creams, ointments, gels, masks, and soaps that allow you to cleanse, moisturize, and protect your skin using active ingredients. The right product types, ingredients, and routine depend on your skin type, specific skin concerns, and other skin-related factors like age and local climate. The most important aspects of choosing skin-care products are keeping them flexible, using products consistently to determine whether they work for you, and picking products tailored to your skin type. No skin-care product works in isolation: Diet, adequate hydration, stress management, and sun protection significantly affect skin health along with whatever products you choose.
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FAQ
What are the basic types of skin-care products?
The most fundamental skin-care products are cleansers, moisturizers, vitamin C serum, sunscreens, and retinoids. Eye cream and gentle chemical peels or facial masks can also make a difference when caring for your skin at home.
How do I determine my skin type?
Use a bare-face skin type test to learn your skin type. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser before drying it and not using products for 30 minutes. The skin’s appearance after the cleanse should show your skin type.
What ingredients should I look for in skin-care products?
The most effective skin-care product ingredients include B vitamins, coenzyme Q10, copper, green tea, peptides, retinoids, retinol, vitamins C and E, SPF, and hydroxy acids. How these work may vary depending on your skin type.
How often should I apply skin-care products?
This depends entirely on the product, your skin type, the desired effect, and other factors like your budget. Cleanser and sunscreen are recommended daily, but you can use other products less frequently or even seasonally.
Are expensive skin-care products better?
Price doesn’t always indicate quality, and, depending on your specific skin type and needs, you may not even benefit from a particular expensive skin-care product. Focus on ingredients and reviews rather than brands and pricing.
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Susan Bard, MD, is a clinical instructor in the department of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an adjunct clinical instructor in the department of dermatology at Mount Sin...
Ross Radusky, MD, is a practicing board-certified dermatologist at the Dermatology Treatment and Research Center in Dallas. Originally from New York City, he graduated summa cum la...
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