If Youre Going to Follow Any Pandemic-Era Skin Care Advice, Derms Say to Make It This – Well+Good

Having lived through a global pandemic for going on a year now, weve learned a lot, like that face masks are important, toilet paper is a hot commodity, and the world of exotic animals is far wilder than we could have possibly imagined. And while all (*gestures wildly*) of that was going on, we still managed to learn a lot about skin care while social distancing at home as well.

As many of us used the time at home to recalibrate our beauty routines, we relied on some of our favorite dermatologists to help us do it properly. Over the course of the pandemic, Well+Good has published hundreds of stories about skin care, ranging from how to deal with maskne (a word none of us had ever even heard before 2020) to how to treat psoriasis with a $10, over-the-counter lotion. To find out which tips have made the biggest difference in our skin during this unusual year, keep on scrolling.

Cleansing oil is known to be one of the gentlest, most effective types of face wash that works for all skin types, but in order to reap its full benefits, youve got to use it properly. According to derms, you should start by applying it to dry skin, which will better help it pick up the makeup, dirt, and oil from your pores, massage it in circular motions, then rinse it off entirely with warm water (never cold, because it will solidify the oil) to ensure it gets off all the gunk.

Adult acne is very much a thing, which means that when youre trying to treat it, you also may be trying to treat fine lines and wrinkles. The fix, according to board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, is to use a simple two-ingredient combo. You need to make sure that the acne products are in line with other aesthetic needs of the patients, he says. Thats where topical retinoids are really helpful, and ingredients like salicylic acid, because they both give exfoliating benefits, and skin brightening and evening benefits, and retinoids can also help to stimulate collagen production.

There are plenty of effective hydrating ingredients out there (in the video above, board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, names five of them), but the one that unquestionably deserves a spot in any no-frills routine is glycerin. Humectants attract water to the skin, explains Dr. Gohara, adding that glycerin and other fan-fave hydrator hyaluronic acid both fall into this category. And glycerin is not only so great at drawing water into the skin, but its also super gentle, which is why youll see it in a ton of products. I personally think that glycerin is the one ingredient thats good for everyone. Its no bells and whistles, we know it works, and everybody should have it.

There are certain serumslike the Skinceuticals legendary vitamin C serumthat are worth spending big bucks on. But others? Not so much. According to Dr. Gohara, its A-okay to skimp on other spots in your routine. When it comes to splurging, think about antioxidants, retinol, and any specific skin concern that you may have, she says. But I definitely think a gentle cleanser, a sunscreen, or even a moisturizer are places where you can save. This way, you can save up for one whizzbang treatment that really works.

Toner is one of the skin-care worlds most confusing routine steps, and derms have differing opinions on whether you really need it or not. The trick to getting the most out of it? Only apply it to certain spots. If you feel like you need it, just use it on areas where you may need a little extra love on your skin, says Dr. Gohara. If you have dry patches, look for a hydrating toner with hyaluronic acid, like Vichy Puret Thermale ($18) and if youre oily in certain spots, use an exfoliating AHA-packed option, like Glossier Solution ($24)

Last year gave us a swift introduction to the trials and tribulations of maskne, but (thankfully) also taught us how to treat it. Wearing masks is essential, but so is taking care of your skin, because thats the barrier between us and whats happening in the outside world, says Dr. Gohara. So to whatever extent you can, keep it gentle and basic. She suggests using a hydrating cleanser, likeLa Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser ($15) to keep your skin extra clean, then applying an emollient moisturizer like Vaseline($2) orCerave Healing Ointment ($10) to the bridge of your nose, around your ears, jawline, cheekbones, and anywhere else where the mask might be rubbing.

Dont pick your skin is the skin-care advice dermatologists dish out on the reg and that most of us constantly ignore. If you are going to go all-in on your blackheads (which, same), Dr. Gohara says theres only one right way to go about it. One of the most important ways to get rid of blackheads is to extract them out, says Dr. Gohara. Im not giving you the carte blanche to go at them with your nails, but I definitely think there are ways we need to extract blackheads. Shes a fan of using at-home comedone extractors, like this one, which are a whole lot safer for your skin than your own fingers.

Considering this year forced us to spend time away from our dermatologists offices, we had to find at-home solutions for the treatments we often rely on them on. And in the case of Botox, we turned to collagen-stimulating peptides to help keep our skin plump. Peptides are small amino acids, which are the building blocks of collagen, explains Dr. Gohara. Kind of like a grape is to wine, peptides are to collagen. They wake up the collagen, shake it up a little bit, so it knows it has to produce itself more. The result? Smoother, juicier skinno needles required.

2020 was the year that I learned that those little pimple-looking spots on my butt werent actually pimples at all. One of the most common things that my patients come in forwhich can be very distressingare pimple-like lesions on the butt. Or, buttne, says Dr Gohara. But in reality, it aint buttne at all. While the blemishes on your behind maylook like red, angry, inflamed zits, theyre actually something different entirely. These arent true pimplestheyre inflamed hair follicles, explains Dr. Gohara. To deal with them, she suggests using a 1.5 or two percent benzoyl peroxide wash in the shower, like Panoxyl Acne Foaming Wash ($9). If that doesnt work, it may be time to take a trip to the dermatologist for a more intense prescription treatment.

Treating psoriasis can be frustrating, but it doesnt have to be expensive. According to Dr. Gohara, the best OTC treatment will only run your $10. Her go-to?Eucerin Advanced Repair Lotion($10). It has a smidge of exfoliators in it, so its a nice compromise between total exfoliation and just moisturizing, she says. Its made with lactic acid, which will help to gently slough away flakes, andceramides, which work to strengthen your skin barrier. I think that would be a very nice choice for somebody who has psoriasis on their skin, says Dr. Gohara.

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