"I love Bioré's One Minute Self-Heating Mask -- it works wonders on pores! Once you apply it, it warms up to open up pores, and in less than a minute, it works to dissolve dirt, oil and toxins and then rinses them away without stripping the skin's natural oils. It leaves your skin looking luminous and fresh. The heat-up aspect is not only relaxing, but also works really well to open up the pores and give them a deep clean."
--Dr. Whitney Bowe, MD
"I am a fan of CeraVe Skin Renewing Cream Serum, $16.99. It has encapsulated retinol, which allows a slower delivery into the skin. This helps reduce irritation from retinol. It also contains a ceramide complex and helps hydrate the skin. I recommend using it at night. It's great for blemish-prone skin, as well as dry skin or skin starting to show signs of wrinkling or sun damage." --Dr. Tabasum Mir, MD
"For mass-marketing safety reasons, drugstore dark spot correctors do not have lightening ingredients in high concentrations, like physician-dispensed brands. However, they can still be quite effective on brown spots or stains that are less than one to two months old. Look for ingredients such as kojic acid, arbutin, Vitamin C, and hydroquinone. All of these ingredients have been extensively studied over decades and do have skin-lightening properties. If you have a new sun freckle or brown mark left over from a pimple, drugstore brands containing these ingredients should do the trick.
Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Dark Spot Corrector, $23.99, is a good drugstore dark spot corrector under $25. It contains stabilized vitamin C and a retinoid complex. Retinoids help with cell turnover, which combined with vitamin C helps get rid of dark spots efficiently. Patients have to be realistic with their expectations. No cream can get rid of old dark spots, especially ones that are over a year old, as the pigments are buried deep in the dermis." --Dr. S. Manjula Jegasothy, MD
Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Dark Spot Corrector, $23.99, is a good drugstore dark spot corrector under $25. It contains stabilized vitamin C and a retinoid complex. Retinoids help with cell turnover, which combined with vitamin C helps get rid of dark spots efficiently. Patients have to be realistic with their expectations. No cream can get rid of old dark spots, especially ones that are over a year old, as the pigments are buried deep in the dermis." --Dr. S. Manjula Jegasothy, MD
"La Roche-Posay Effaclar Astringent Lotion, $23.99, is a great final step after cleansing for acne-prone skin. It contains salicylic acid to exfoliate and clear pores of debris. It also leaves the skin feeling refreshed and not dry and tight." --Dr. Eric Schweiger, MD
"RoC's Retinol Correxion Eye Cream, $22.99, contains the vitamin A derivative retinol, which is incredible for helping target fine lines and wrinkles. Additionally, it upregulates collagen formation, so that crepiness and under eye circles are minimized. It has been voted a great eye cream, even when compared to much pricier alternatives, such as La Mer. This eye cream is a workhorse for those looking to fight signs of aging around the eye." --Dr. Dendy Engelman, MD, FACMS, FASDS, FAAD