Stop wasting money on skincare: Affordable tips to create a routine that works

With the changing times, changing surroundings, changing lifestyle and changing metabolic disorders that your body is going through, you need to understand the need of the hour and accordingly design your skincare routine. Yes, you will require the help of an expert, a dermatologist, to basically have a right program for your skincare routine.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Soma Sarkar, MBBS, MD, Dermatology and Co-Founder of SkinBB, said, “It is very important to know how your skin is behaving or if you are going through any issues in your skin, for example, if it’s an acne-prone skin. If you have a lot of acne, you have a lot of acne marks, so for this reason, you need to pick and choose your skincare very carefully after a discussion with an expert because you want to complement the skincare routine to your existing medical prescription.”
She advised, “The skincare routine should be such that it has a symbiotic relationship with your prescription drug. It should be helping you to improve the skin, not deteriorating it actually. Secondly, it is very important that this skincare agrees to your irritated skin. It should also help you to prevent further aggravation. So please understand, the skincare routine here is not to replace your prescription drugs. If you require a prescription, medical prescription, that’s the first thing you will have to do it but skincare is simultaneously required to maintain the healthy hemostat, the healthy environment or the pH of your skin, to maintain the good microbium of your skin.”
Enumerating the steps of a skincare routine, Dr Soma Sarkar said, “It’s very simple – a sunscreen, a moisturiser, a good facewash for the day time and for the night you can start using a nice HA based moisturiser or you can use nice actives. Actives basically work on the skin at a right concentration and target specific indications in your skin, for example, if you have an ageing skin then we all know that retinol is the best active used in the creams. If you have a dry skin or a mature skin, you require a lot of copper peptides, hyaluronic acid and a lot of vitamin E cream-based moisturiser. If you want a younger face, you can use vitamin C as an active. You can use retinol as well but with milder concentrations.”

Highlighting that there are different formulations, different solutions and different actives used (once you know the skin type, how your skin is behaving and what are you wanting out of from it), Dr Soma Sarkar asserted that it has to be discussed across the table with a doctor or expert to pick the right products. She said, “Knowing that nowadays skincare has become very easy to pick up with so many portals and so many products, it is also confusing at the same time that which is the right one for my skin.”
Dr Soma Sarkar reiterated that one has to look at or discuss it with the expert to come to a place where one knows that this is going to be an integral part of their skin health. She added, “Understand that the skincare also changes according to the seasons. So, if you are in a very, very cold place or a cold season, you know that the environment is going to be very dry, very dehydrated and it is going to dry your skin much more. Change your formulations a bit – a sunscreen would remain but probably it might be in more cream form. In a warmer region/season, it might be more in the water-based, gel-based solutions.”

Skincare routine doesn’t only end up in the skin but it also includes your nails. Dr Soma Sarkar pointed out, “It also includes your hair and so, you require a good shampoo, a good conditioner, a nice hand cream and a good nail cream. Skincare routine is not only limited to your face but yes, the integral part is also your neck and your hands. Awareness about skincare has to be from the right age. A good, healthy skin is a clear skin. It should have a refreshed look. It should be looking healthy. It should be looking supple and have a nice aura, a nice energy to it. Hence, the skincare routine has to be started right at the beginning of your growing years.”
She concluded, “A good sunscreen can be included in the routine as young as to a six month old child as well and obviously, the actives can keep getting introduced in your routine as the age passes by. As you are growing older, the routine, the skincare actives and everything changes accordingly. Visit your skin expert/dermatologist timely, to keep on looking at better stuff for yourself, seeing how you can always keep your skin healthy. A skincare routine doesn’t mean that you have to spend a lot of money. The right products in right quantity with the right percentage will ensure that it doesn’t give you a big hole in your pockets.”
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.