It's 10 pm. Time to remove your makeup and start your nightly skin care regimen. A serum here, a cream there. Fifteen minutes in the morning, 15 at night. With all the effort you put into your skin, it's hard not to dread the entire ordeal; and frankly, finding the time isn't easy either. (Trust us -- we feel your pain.) So in case you're wondering, is this all really necessary? We turned to the pros: New York City dermatologist, Dr. Sapna Westley and Dr. Mary Lupo, board certified dermatologist in New Orleans, La. to find out why you should keep up that routine -- day and night.

You might have super genes that give you flawless skin, but guess what? You can always make it look better. Especially as you age. And while you might not notice daily benefits of sticking with a skin care regimen, you will later on. "It's never too early to start taking care of your skin because the benefits are cumulative," says Lupo. "So you'll look better in your 40s if you started in your 20s. If you start in your 40s, you'll look better in your 60s." Get started on a proper skin care regimen with an all-in-one kit like Olay Regenerist Skin Care Starter Trio, $34.85 that contains a cleanser, a hydrating cream and eye lifting serum.

Botox, fillers like Juvederm, and surgery (of course), can take years off your appearance, but start a routine that includes SPF and products with ingredients like antioxidants in your 20s, and you likely won't need them. "Start early and you keep the collagen stimulated in your skin," says Westley. Adding that use of products that contain ingredients like retinol and peptides will "prevent lines from getting deeper, so then you might not have to do Botox or more aggressive treatments down the road."

As you age, your skin loses its ability to rid itself of dead skin cells. That's why proper cleansing and exfoliation are important. If you don't do them, skin will appear dull. Worse -- you'll end up with dry, flaky skin that looks uneven under makeup. Avoid that mishap by using products like the ones in the Olay Definity Skin Care Starter Trio, $46.99. It comes with a scrub to slough skin cells and reveal fresh skin and a moisturizer that contains SPF to protect skin from damaging UV rays. Top it with the included eye treatment that contains a glucosamine complex to exfoliate and smooth the delicate skin in that area.

Just about any spa or in-office treatment will put a dent in your wallet -- whether it's a simple facial or a laser treatment. Luckily, you can maintain the results of those treatments by using a quality skin care routine religiously. "A lot of people get better and then they stop," says Westley. "Then they're back a month later because [their skin problem] comes back." Instead, she recommends keeping up with the regimen that your derm prescribes even when your skin seems fine. "Maybe you don't have the acne anymore," she adds. "But over time your pores clog up again and the acne comes back." "Skin care, like weight control, requires constant maintenance and supervision," says Lupo.