- This is a big question.
Does everyone need to use a moisturizer?
No.
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Hey guys, it's Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank,
cosmetic dermatologist here in New York City.
And today, we're gonna take a deep dive
into the comment section of the "Go to Bed with Me" series.
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One of the most important steps in your nighttime
skincare routine is to remove any residue,
toxins or makeup on the skin.
You spend a lot time asleep hopefully,
and you wanna make sure the skin could breathe
with no residual residue.
I think the choice of cleansers really is very personal,
like any other aspect of skincare.
I think you have to find out
and determine whether you have oily skin,
dry skin, mixed skin,
and then you can really choice appropriately.
Obviously, creamier, milkier type of cleansers
are better for dry skin.
And you may want foaming cleansers or gel cleansers
for oily skin.
Hmm, Gunther the Penguin.
"Oh my god, yes.
"She washed her hands before going into skincare.
"Literally no celebrity has done this in their videos,
"but this step is crucial because imagine
"using those dirty hands."
Well I'd like to think that people are gonna clean
their hands before they wash their face.
It's usually kind of part of the whole process.
But yes, clean hands come before clean face.
Post Malone?
Post Malone's on this?
All right.
"That towel rag is making me cringe.
"Don't wipe it."
That's okay, as long as it's a soft towel and it's clean.
I mean, I wouldn't scrub your face with it,
but it's okay.
It's a basic part of a bathroom accoutrement,
so use it wisely.
And this next comment, "I don't need her skincare routine,
"I need her genes."
Well that may be true,
but a dermatologist can't give you that.
But you do need a skincare routine that is right for you.
All people are not created equal.
And not everyone is born with great skin.
Skincare routine and the quality of one's skin at birth
is like any issue of nature versus nurture.
It's really half and half.
You deal with the things that you were born with,
and the rest is up to how you treat your skin.
When discussing diet to patients,
particularly with things like acne
or other chronic skin conditions,
I always say that diet and nutrition,
they certainly affect the skin,
but they're not really the cause of the malady.
They contribute to it.
So if you have a problem,
you may wanna consider nutritional changes.
But like, stopping to eat strawberries
or eating excessive amounts of meat,
they're not really gonna cause your skin concern.
So ultimately, if you're having problems
finding something that works for you,
that's when you see a dermatologist.
TheCratsky
"I thought with cleansing oil,
"you gently massage it onto dry skin.
"Then wet hands and create an emulsion on the oily skin.
"Are you supposed to wipe off the oil before emulsifying?"
This a very complicated answer.
It doesn't have to be that scientific
when you're putting on a cleansing oil.
Honestly, I don't think it's gonna make
that much a difference in the end result of cleansing,
whether you put cleansing oil on dry or wet skin.
Ah, 20 02.
"Micellar water is not a toner!"
Actually, it could be a little bit of a toner.
Micellar water is kind of a fad that's come from Europe,
particularly from the French.
And it's a emulsification of oil beads
that are found in a soft type of water.
Often, this is not washed off the face
and is applied with something like a cotton swab.
If someone's gonna use micellar water,
I certainly recommend it for the morning cleanse.
I really don't think it's potent enough
to remove makeup at the end of the day.
I think people are still trying to figure out
exactly what toners do.
But most commonly, they're used after the cleansing step
to remove additional grime or makeup on the face.
They are not necessary for everyone.
But for that person that feels like they need
that extra step of cleansing to get rid of residue,
I think toners can be good
before serums or other moisturizers.
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I don't think everyone needs to have a serum
in their skincare routine.
It really depends if there's something specific
that they wanna target,
whether it be dark spots or wrinkles or skin tightening.
An essence is kind of a combination
between a serum and a toner.
It tends to be even more lightweight,
and can have some active ingredients
and hydration as almost like a finishing product
of your skincare regimen.
All right, Michelle D.
"She kept saying moisturizer at the end there,
"but the last product she used was a serum."
The little funny face there.
"The healing ointment she used,
"she only used on her eyes and mouth.
"Is a serum enough?"
And this really depends.
Serums were originally created
as a form of an active ingredient
when you're actually trying to treat something.
Using a serum doesn't necessitate using a moisturizer
after it if that serum has humectants in it
that add additional moisturizer.
In our MDNA skincare line that we do with Madonna,
we have hyaluronic acid as a great hydrating aspect
in all of our serums.
Katuriaan.
"Just a PSA, charcoal in face masks, cleansers
"doesn't actually do anything.
"It's a marketing gimmick like collagen serums."
Well collagen serums is one thing,
but there's no question in my mind
that charcoal in face masks and cleansers
can be beneficial.
They are not detoxifying in the way
that people are trying to market charcoal
in ingestible products,
but there's no question that charcoal
can have absorptive abilities on removing grit
and debris on the skin.
I think face masks, particularly sheet masks
are kind of all the rage right now.
There's unnecessary controversy.
The fact of the matter is if it serves you
and you like it, then use it.
It doesn't have to be for everybody.
Give it a shot and see what you get.
Alfredo lopez.
"Anti-agjing," with a J, not an I,
"means sunblock, vitamin C serum and no foam to cleanse."
I think alfredo has got it right
because really, anti-aging
is about protection, using antioxidants.
Cleaning the face, I'm not sure with a foam or not.
You know, anti-aging can be very simple.
And it's about taking care of your skin,
protecting it and treating what's available
to make it better.
You know all dermatologists are gonna say
the best anti-aging secret is sunscreen.
If you actually protect yourself,
the damage will never come about in the first place.
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So what are some of the common active ingredients?
Well the oldest and classic is retinol
which is a derivative of retin-A.
We have the alpha and beta hydroxy acids.
And over time, we're developing newer products
that have peptides in it with the building blocks
of collagen, epidermal growth factors,
and a lot of other newer type of products
that basically improve the regenerative capacity
of the skin.
Maddy.
"Everyone getting into skincare,
"do not use multiple active ingredients at a time.
"I damaged my skin doing so.
"My whole face was covered in big, dry patches
"and it would never stay hydrated
"and I don't even have a dry skin type.
"You can always use one active,
"like a vitamin C in the morning,
"and then a serum or something
"with an active ingredient at night"
This person is practically a dermatologist
and actually has a very good point.
Because you really have to be cautious
about the number of actives you're using on the skin.
First of all, they can counteract each other.
And they can also, cumulatively,
cause a lot of irritation and damage.
For example, retinol and vitamin C don't mix.
Vitamin C and beta hydroxy acids
could actually counteract each other.
So stick with one active serum for your skincare regimen.
Taylor Ryan.
"It's unnecessary to use vitamin C twice a day
"because your skin can only absorb
"so much vitamin C every 24 hours.
"You're essentially wasting product,
"especially if you are using Drunk Elephant vitamin C.
"Their formulation is potent enough
"that it stays in your skin for up to 72 hours
"after each application.
"It also works more efficiently
"to protect your skin if you use it in your morning routine
"instead of at night, but that you just don't have to do it,
"just a tip."
Most importantly, I don't think it's necessary
to use vitamin C more than once a day
because it can be potentially irritating.
Very products like vitamin C
which can be a potential irritant,
I usually tell people to use these products at night.
So if you do have any irritation, it could be gone
by morning and you'll use a moisturizer
to help counteract that.
Rocio Robledo.
"I tried using toothpaste as a spot treatment in the past,
"but that burned the (bleeps) out of my skin."
That's an interesting comment.
Toothpaste probably is not the best treatment for acne.
I think it does have kind of like an acidic, drying effect
which can be useful, but I think we have more modern
products out on the market now than toothpaste.
In general, when we give an acne regimen to patients,
we don't want them to necessarily
put it on the acne spots themselves
because once a pimple comes out,
it has to go through its process.
But there are specific ingredients like resorcinol
and salicylic acid that you can use for spot treatment.
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Every function of the skin
depends on a water to oil balance,
and that's basically what moisturizers are providing.
Limau Gajah.
"Whoever said that there is no rule for eye cream,
"the person is wrong.
"I used to slather on a lot of eye cream in my younger days,
"but I can no longer do so because I have become
"very prone to getting chalazion."
I think there's an H in that.
"I've done two surgeries on my lids
"because of my eyecare routine.
"Your glands can get blocked if you use
"too much product on your eyes.
"Use eye creams by all means,
"but be careful not to put on too much."
This is an interesting comment
from a patient who gets chalazions
which is a clogging of glandular duct
in the eyelid.
I'm not so sure that the frequency of chalazions
is due to your particular eyecare routine.
Certainly, you don't wanna put on anything too occlusive
or thick, but I don't think a lot of the active ingredients
in eye creams out there would do such a thing.
There are certain sensitivities in thinness of skin.
The skin is a little different around the eyes
than it does elsewhere.
But the active ingredients and a lot of type of behaviors
that we're gonna do to improve the eyes
are gonna be similar to any other product in the skin.
"Oily skin is dehydrated skin,
"so sis needs a moisturizer."
I don't necessarily agree that oily skin is dehydrated skin.
Oily skin is a result of excessive sebum content
and change in biological activity of the skin
as compared to someone who has dehydrated skin,
which is pretty much an acquired condition.
This is a big question.
Does everyone need to use a moisturizer?
No.
This also could be a big marketing ploy.
If you have oily skin,
you don't necessarily need to moisturize it.
And if you are well-hydrated from the inside-out,
this is another reason why you may not need a moisturizer.
This is from Marcy Marie.
"If you guys use aloe vera, please make sure
"you get rid of the latex.
"It could have bad side effects for some people."
Latex can have bad side effects for some people,
but not everybody.
If you are not latex allergic or sensitive,
then there's really no problem with latex in the product.
It's a very ubiquitous agent used in medicine.
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So contrary to popular belief,
oils may not be as moisturizing as other types of moisture
because oils sit very superficial on the top layers
of the skin.
They give kind of a shimmer and a glow,
but they're not actually penetrating deep enough
to give the type of moisture you may need.
"And oils should be the last to be applied
"on top of your moisturizer."
I think this is true, applying oils after a moisturizer,
if you want a little shimmer or shine in the skin,
but that may not give the most amount of moisture
that you need.
Marie L.
"FYI," that's for your information,
"oils are not really helpful to the skin.
"We all have natural oils on our skin
"and on our face anyway.
"Putting all that natural argon oil
"or other types apparently
"doesn't improve your skin at all."
This is yes and no.
Oils can be beneficial for people.
All moisturizers are basically a balance
between oil and water.
I think the terminology of natural products
in skincare is an important one
because we're striving for better, safer products.
But unfortunately, the term natural is very much a misnomer.
Most things we're trying to do is defy nature.
Nature like having acne or having dry skin.
So a natural product doesn't necessarily
mean a better product.
Isabel.
"Coconut oil is comedogenic.
"Also, do not use lemons or limes on your face.
"the acidity is too much."
Coconut oil can comedogenic.
If you don't have an acne problem and you like it,
I think it's a great product.
If you're someone that is very acne-prone,
you probably shouldn't be putting oil on your skin
in the first place, let alone coconut oil.
In terms of using lemons or limes on your face,
I would not say that's a great idea either.
They are very acidic.
People can develop allergies to them.
Probably not a good idea.
That's it for the comments today.
So if there's anything I can leave you with,
my one rule is the rule of KISS,
keep it simple stupid.
If you can't understand your own skincare routine,
it is not for you.
Keep it simple.
This has been "Derm Reacts".
Thanks for listening.
I'm Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, cosmetic dermatologist.
And you can find out more about me on social media
@drpauljarrodfrank and online at pfrankmd.com, thanks.
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