It’s good to treat your face kindly every day, but when you apply products isn’t as important as simply using them daily.
“Every year, more products come on the market with claims to reverse the effects of aging and sun damage,” Dr. Jeffrey Popp said, “including wrinkles and dark spots.”
He said Retin-A is the super star of any skin care regime and should be used every single day.
“Retin-A is the only FDA-approved anti-wrinkle cream,” he said. “All other products are considered cosmetics and aren’t controlled by the FDA. So there’s less scrutiny as to their proposed efficacy.”
Different classes
After Retin-A, Dr. Popp said there are many other sub-groups of products:
- Antioxidants: These include creams and lotions with ingredients like Vitamin E, Vitamin C and Coffee Berry.
- Retinols: This is a subclass under Retin-A. These are less effective and less reactive.
- Growth Factors: These are chemicals produced by plants and animals that improve wound healing.
- DNA Repair Group: The one he likes to use is called Celfix.
- Anti-Melanin Group: This includes Hydroquinone or HQ. Dr. Popp said there are now a whole bunch of these, the latest of which is the peptide group. Ingredients in these creams include grape seed, Vitamin D3 and soy, among others.
“Cleansers and moisturizers are the least important part of daily skin care. There aren’t any particular cleansers or moisturizers we recommend,” he said.
“People should use whatever they like the best.”
Timing is NOT important
To apply certain items by day and others at night isn’t crucial. Once in the morning or evening is okay for these skin care products.
“One reason to split things up is so you don’t spend a huge amount of time applying everything at once,” Dr. Popp said.
“Even so, if you want to use it all at once, go ahead. There’s no scientific data to say you shouldn’t.”
Have a question for Dr. Popp? Click the “contact” button on the top of this page or call Dr. Popp’s office at 402.391.4558.
