Skin Care 101: Protect and Rejuvenate

Everyone would love to look into the mirror and find a clear complexion with great skin. It’s a sign of healthy living, youth, and overall vitality. Many people believe that cosmetic surgery treatments may be the first and only answer to glowing skin, but as veteran plastic surgeon Dr. Brooke R. Seckel explains, a good skincare routine greatly improves skin appearance. Below he details a modern approach to protecting the skin at home with skin care, a now critical component to aging gracefully.

Morning Routine: Protect

Consumers spend millions of dollars each year on treatments to improve the look of their skin. While cosmetic procedures are effective, Dr. Brooke Seckel says it’s important not to overlook the importance of good skincare. “Patients spend a lot of money on lasers, Botox, fillers and surgery, but they don’t maintain the benefit that they get,” shares Seckel. “I think proper, medical skin care is one of the most important things a patient can do to avoid needing surgery in the future.” He says a good skin care routine can significantly lengthen the results of plastic surgery. “Good skincare is important to preserve the results that they’ve had done.”

Seckel explains that a good splash in the morning to cleanse is a great way to start the day and get rid of dead skin cells. “We have a saying ‘protect in the morning and rejuvenate at night’,” says Seckel. He advises his patients to cleanse using medical grade product and then apply hyaluronic acid. “You’ll want to apply hyaluronic acid because it not only moisturizes the skin well, but it protects you from the damaging effects of free radicals (the environmental radiation from the sun, and stress). There are many factors that are damaging your skin and you really need protection.”

Every day it’s important to apply sunscreen, which is the other component of always protecting the skin. “Everyone should be using sunblock 365 days a year, no matter where you are, even on a cloudy day,” Seckel shares.

Dr. Seckel’s 3 skin care objectives every morning:

1. Cleanse
2. Moisturize with Hyaluronic Acid
3. Apply sunscreen

Night Routine: Rejuvenate

There can be confusion about what’s the best course of treatment for skincare at night. Dr. Seckel advises patients to use a facial cleanser in the evening to make a clean, clear path for rejuvenation. “The key is to rejuvenate in the evening,” he explains. “We use cleanser because it makes no sense to put products on your skin if you have debris, dead skin cells or dirt. You prepare the skin, so what you put on can be effective.”

There’s no better time than the night to think about adding retinol or another wrinkle fighting product to your routine. “Sometimes we use a retinol, or with very sensitive skin we use Vitamin C,” Seckel continues. “You want to exfoliate the skin at night because exfoliation removes dead skin cells and debris and then freshens the skin,” according to Seckel. In short: “Protect in the morning and rejuvenate at night.”

Skin care is a long game, so consistency is most critical. Even with the best and latest medical grade skin care products, only through diligence will patients see the best of results. “It’s just important to remember to exfoliate to radiate!” concludes Seckel.