Most skin problems that arrive in adulthood are not caused by doing too little. They are caused by doing too much, too quickly, to a barrier that was working fine.
The two steps that matter
- Clean gently, once at night — twice if you wore sunscreen or makeup
- Protect in the morning — moisturiser, then SPF, every single day
Everything beyond those two steps is optimisation. Useful, occasionally transformative, but optional. Add one new active at a time and give it six weeks before deciding.
"Your skin is not a project. It is an organ doing its job while you live your life."
What to stop buying
Anything that promises to do four things at once. Anything you cannot name a single active ingredient in. Anything that stings and is described as "working". Sensation is not efficacy.