At the top of a new year, everyone's talking about fresh starts, resolutions and refocusing.

Many of our patients tell us that when they start a new skin care routine — whether that's using new products or incorporating treatments like injectables, lasers or peels — it helps them evaluate other areas of their lifestyle. This could include diet and exercise, but it's also about limiting sun exposure, drinking lots of water and treating yourself kindly as you integrate lifestyle changes.

At Skin Pharm, we hope you take this opportunity to ask yourself if your skin care products are working for you. If they're not, it's time to ditch them.

Not sure what to replace them with? We're here to help!

CLEANSERS

You may not think that your cleanser can affect your skin much, but if you're using the wrong one for your skin type, you could be causing irritation. Consider how your skin feels when you use your usual cleanser — does it feel tight after you wash, or does it feel like residue is left on your skin? If so, you may be using the wrong formula. Additionally, if your cleanser isn't effectively removing your makeup, you could be causing more breakouts or preventing your products from absorbing. We recommend Skin Pharm Papaya Enzyme Cleanser for all skin types, which removes makeup and unblocks pores while leaving skin feeling soft, smooth and nourished. For normal to dry/sensitive skin, try our Gentle Soothing Cleanser, a nourishing, non-greasy formula that gently removes all traces of makeup.

How you cleanse your skin is as important as what you're using — be sure to dispense two to three pumps of cleanser into your hands and massage onto dry face and eye area. Add warm water to form a lather, and then rinse clean. Gently pat skin dry.

TONER

Don't fret if you're not currently using a toner — it's an easy step to forget or skip, but it's just as easy to add! Skin Pharm patients are crazy for our Crystal Clear clarifying pads, a quick step you can add to your routine after you cleanse to reduce dullness and tighten pores. Oiler skin types use these once (or even twice) a day, but dry and sensitive skin types may only need them once a week. If you're new to our Crystal Clear clarifying pads, you may notice a tingling feeling when you first start using them — that means the unique acid complex is working! — so it's best to build up use gradually to see what frequency is best for you. If you notice more irritation, reduce usage until your skin acclimates to the formula.

The pads are easy to use — simply swipe them across your face, avoiding the eye area, and allow to fully absorb before moving to the next step.

SERUMS

Do you want this year to be your most radiant yet? Of course you do, which is why you need to add Glow Factor vitamin C to your daily routine. First, apply 1/2 a dropper of Youth Serum into your hands and, using upward strokes, massage on your face, neck and décolletage. Youth Serum's hyaluronic acid and anti-aging peptides hydrate your skin, minimize fine lines and giv an instant skin-plumping and firming effect. Once the Youth Serum has fully absorbed, apply Glow Factor to brighten and replenish skin. Formulated with freshness in mind, you’ll play chemist at home by mixing the active powder (vitamins) with the fluid (tonic in the bottle) to create your very own, effective serum. Glow Factor combines the perfect dose of antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E and ferulic acid) to brighten and replenish skin. Used daily, this serum works as a multivitamin to give you glowing skin.

MOISTURIZER

Incorporating anti-aging products into your skin care routine is important no matter your age. We can't go back in time, but we can nourish our skin better as we move forward! For AM moisturizing, try our High Beam brightening lotion, which absorbs quickly and provides a good base for cosmetics. Suitable for all skin types, High Beam hydrates and smooths skin and uses botanical extracts to reveal radiant, luminous skin. You can also use High Beam as your PM moisturizer, but if your skin tends to be on the dry or sensitive side, we recommend Face Whip. Powered by ceramides and hyaluronic acid, this whipped moisturizer is luxurious but lightweight, effectively hydrating and plumping your skin while smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. (Extra dry/sensitive types can use this AM and PM instead of High Beam.)

EYE CREAM

Take care of the delicate skin around your eyes with Eye Sculpt, our fast-absorbing cream that you can use in the mornings and evenings. Similar to Youth Serum, Eye Sculpt is packed with peptides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to decrease puffiness and treat fine lines, wrinkles and decreased elasticity. Lightly pat around eye area using your ring finger until fully absorbed. It's ideal for AM usage as you can apply eye makeup after!

SPF

We say it over and over again, and for good reason — SPF is the no. 1 way to prevent the signs of aging on your skin. You need to wear SPF every day, so don't skip this step in your skin care routine! We recommend at least SPF 30, and our favorites are 100% Mineral Tinted SPF or Sheer Defense SPF. 100% Mineral Tinted SPF is best for dry, normal and sensitive skin types, while Sheer Defense is best for those who are oily. If you’re going to be in direct sunlight during the day (any time of the year — not just summertime), you'll need to reapply your SPF every two hours, or each time it’s rinsed off with water. And remember, the SPF in your makeup doesn't count as a reapplication, as you’re likely not applying enough makeup to get the full benefit from the SPF coverage.

EXFOLIANTS

Polishing isn't an everyday step, but something to add into your routine as needed. Using products that encourage the removal of dead skin and healthy cell turnover is essential to revealing smoother, glowing skin. Incorporating a retinoid product into your routine does require building tolerance, but the results are worth it. We're partial to our Night Watch gentle retinol drops, which combat hyperpigmentation, loss of firmness, free radical damage, dark spots, melasma, fine lines and wrinkles. Plus, our specialized formula is suitable for use up to every other day. When you first start with the drops (apply them in the evenings before after your moisturizer), you may only need them once or twice a week until you build up tolerance.

Clay Time is a great addition to your skin care routine if you love a good scrub – it combines the power of a polish with the clarity of your favorite charcoal mask. 1% salicylic acid penetrates deep into pores, kaolin clay exfoliates, charcoal absorbs excess oil and gentle quartz smoothes and softens skin. We recommend starting with once a week, especially for drier skin types, while oilier skin types can use 2-3x a week.

READY? LET'S GET THIS YEAR OFF TO A GLOWING START!

When introducing any new skin care product, we advise building up use gradually to lessen irritation. Don't be concerned if you notice that you're shedding more skin than usual. Integrating stronger ingredients like acids and retinol promote the removal of dead skin and encourage skin cell renewal, so shedding is part of the process to revealing beautiful, glowing skin.