Skin Care
The Beauty Products Your Dermatologist Swears ByTake a peek into the skin care routines of these gorgeous skin docs who seem to defy the laws of aging |
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New York-based dermatologist specializing in acne and skin rejuvenation
A.M. Routine: She uses her fingertips to gently cleanse her face with Cetaphil, pats her skin dry and puts on an antioxidant serum and sunscreen. Rain or shine, she won't leave the house without doing this, because she's into preventing (as opposed to reversing) the signs of damage. Antioxidants are a big part of that -- they neutralize free radicals and, when layered under sunscreen, neutralize UV rays that get past the sunscreen.
She likes La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Sunscreen (it has SPF 60 and antioxidants) or Elizabeth Arden Prevage Triple Defense Shield Sunscreen (which also has built-in antioxidants) for a one-step approach. Or, she'll layer Olay Complete Moisturizing Sunscreen or Cetaphil Daily Moisturizer over SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic antioxidant serum. And twice a week, she scrubs with a Clarisonic.
P.M. Routine: First, her eye makeup has to come off (typically, she uses coconut oil). Then she uses a stronger cleanser, like Dove Beauty Bar or Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash. After gently patting her skin dry, she puts on SkinMedica Lytera Skin Brightening Complex, which has natural brightening ingredients. On nights when her skin feels dry, she'll put on a heavier moisturizer, like SkinMedica Dermal Repair Cream. If her skin isn't parched, she likes to use an eye cream with retinol because it's effective at zapping fine lines, but can be drying. When her skin is feeling dry and sensitive, she likes to apply an eye cream with more soothing ingredients -- think peptides, growth factors or niacinimide.
And she doesn't do masks, but if her skin is acting up she'll do a peel -- NeoStrata Perfecting Peel is a solid at-home choice.
Secret Weapon: It's not always a matter of searching for the magic cream that will keep you looking younger, says Dr. Bowe. Sometimes, you have to take it to the next level. Which is why she says, "I'm very much on top of Botox." She does it every three and a half to four months. And every year, in the winter, she'll do a Fraxel laser treatment. This is a resurfacing laser that creates tiny wounds in the skin and triggers collagen formation that helps to get rid of dark spots and discoloration, and she says it also helps prevent and treat pre-cancer.
She'll shell out for: While Dr. Bowe says you can get a lot of great skin care products from the drugstore, she'll splurge on her antioxidant serum, because the active ingredients in those are unstable by nature. They need to be stabilized and in high enough concentration to see any benefits (and survive the shelf life) -- something you won't get in a less expensive product.
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