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How to Put Together the Perfect Skincare Routine
Skincare Routines That Provide Results
We promised the best skin of your life in this book’s title, and here’s the secret: The only way to have beautiful skin—and keep it that way—is to start (and never stray from) applying a state-of-the-art skincare routine based on what unbiased, scientific research shows works for your skin! There’s really no other possible way to finally have the skin you’ve always wanted. Focusing on the claims for the product, on suspicious before-and-after photos, or on fictional marketing about a new miracle ingredient or miracle product will hurt your skin and waste your money time after time. If you’ve been at this skin thing for a while, aren’t you tired of that crazy merry-go-round? We’ve all gotten to that point—it’s what inspires us to find out what works and what doesn’t—and why!
With a wiser outlook in mind, the next step is to understand what kinds of products work together, how they benefit your skin, and the order in which to use them. The information we present in the table that follows is an easy-to-follow guideline to help you put together your own skincare routine or to custom-select products based on what works best for you and your specific skin concerns, step by step.
We explain the purpose of each type of product, why you need it, and what results you can expect, whether you prefer a basic or more advanced routine. Keep in mind that if you have multiple skincare concerns, you may need to add more than one treatment or targeted treatment product. We wish we could tell you there’s one skincare product that can do it all, but it just isn’t possible. Addressing a variety of skincare concerns requires more than one bottle or tube, no matter the product’s claims or cost.
A note on targeted treatments: You may be able to merely add one targeted treatment product to your daily routine, or you might need to alternate its use with other treatment products. If your routine is complex and involves several products (including topical prescription products), you might need to experiment to discover which method and what frequency of application works best for you. Now let’s go over the products and steps to get you started!
The Products You Need (and Why)
Cleanser (Step 1)
What is this for? A gentle, water-soluble, soap-free cleanser removes debris, oil, and makeup.
Why do I need this? Rinsing with water is not enough to clean your face. When your face is clean, it allows the other products you use to work even better, morning and evening.
What results will I see? With a well-formulated cleanser, your skin will look and act healthier, feel smoother, and be ready to receive maximum benefits from your other products.
Toner (Step 2)
What is this for? A well-formulated toner smoothes, softens, and calms skin, while removing the last traces of makeup. It also adds vital skin-repairing ingredients after cleansing.
Why do I need this? Toners with skin-repairing ingredients hydrate and replenish the skin’s surface immediately after cleansing. They also help reduce redness and dry patches.
What results will I see? With a well-formulated toner, your skin will feel softer and look smoother, and redness will be reduced. Those with oily skin will see smaller pores. Daily use will give your skin what it needs to function in a younger, healthier way.
AHA or BHA Exfoliant (Step 3)
What is this for? A leave-on AHA or BHA exfoliant gently removes built-up dead skin cells, revealing new skin. AHAs exfoliate the surface of skin and bind moisture; BHA exfoliates the surface of skin and inside the pores as it reduces redness.
Why do I need this? Sun damage causes the surface of the skin to become abnormally thick. Acne and oily skin complicate this further. Exfoliating eliminates this buildup, which otherwise would cause clogged pores, uneven skin tone, dullness, and deeper wrinkles.
What results will I see? Overnight your skin will look radiant, smoother, and younger (really)! Daily exfoliation with a well-formulated AHA or BHA exfoliant will unclog pores, reduce redness, blackheads,* and breakouts, diminish wrinkles, build collagen, and improve uneven skin tone.*BHA is best for blackheads.
Acne Treatment (Step 4, if needed)
What is this for? After exfoliating with an AHA or BHA exfoliant, an acne treatment with benzoyl peroxide kills acne-causing bacteria and helps reduce redness.
Why do I need this? When acne is your concern, research shows that topical treatment with benzoyl peroxide is an essential step for achieving clear skin.
What results will I see? With consistent use of a well-formulated, non-drying acne treatment, you’ll see fewer breakouts and a reduction in large, red, swollen blemishes. Your acne will be reduced, possibly eliminated.
Skin-Lightening Treatment (Step 4, if needed; Step 5, if you’re using an acne treatment)
What is this for? Used at least once daily, skin lighteners gradually reduce, and in some cases eliminate, brown spots and discolorations from sun damage or hormonal influences.
Why do I need this? Using a skin-lightening product reduces the over-production of melanin, the skin pigment that causes brown spots and discolorations.
What results will I see? After 8–12 weeks of daily use, you’ll see discolorations fade or even disappear completely. Your skin tone will be more even and radiant. Ongoing use is needed to maintain results.
Serum (Step 4, if you’re not using an acne treatment or skin lightener; otherwise, those go on first)
What is this for? Applied morning and evening, serums filled with antioxidants and other anti-aging ingredients protect your skin from environmental damage, including sun damage* and pollution.*When used with a sunscreen.
Why do I need this? Well-formulated serums with antioxidants improve your skin in numerous ways, from reducing redness to stimulating healthy collagen production for firmer skin and fewer wrinkles.
What results will I see? Immediately, your skin will feel smoother and look radiant. With twice-daily use, signs of damage will fade and your skin will look and behave healthier and younger.
Anti-Aging/ Antiwrinkle Moisturizer with Sunscreen (the last step in your morning routine)
What is this for? This essential morning step keeps your skin shielded from sun damage. It must have an SPF 30 or higher rating, and offer broad-spectrum protection.
Why do I need this? Moisturizers with SPF and antioxidants are essential to protect your skin from sun exposure, which is the #1 cause of wrinkles, brown spots, and other signs of aging.
What results will I see? Protecting your skin from further sun damage allows it to generate younger, healthier skin cells. This is the critical step to having radiant skin. You’ll see fewer signs of aging!
Anti-Aging/ Antiwrinkle Moisturizer (the last step in your evening routine)
What is this for? All skin types will benefit from a well-formulated moisturizer that contains the types of ingredients research has shown help your skin look healthier and younger.
Why do I need this? Used daily, moisturizers (cream, lotion, gel, or liquid texture; choose based on your skin type) improve your skin’s healthy functioning and keep it feeling smooth and soft. You can also use them around the eye area.
What results will I see? When you use the right moisturizer for your skin type, you’ll see smoother, radiant skin that’s hydrated and healthier. Dry, dull, or flaky skin will be replaced by skin that looks and acts younger!
Targeted Treatments (when and how often to apply depends on the product)
What is this for? These are optional extras you can add, depending on your personal skincare concerns. Examples include facial masks, eye creams, and boosters.
Why do I need this? These products may be needed as an extra step to hydrate skin, absorb excess oil, reduce redness, or treat a special need or occasional skin concern.
What results will I see? Results depend on the targeted product you choose and may include oil absorption, plumping of wrinkles, extra moisture, etc.
Examples of A.M. and P.M. Skincare Routines
Depending on your needs, your skincare routine can include only the basics (what we call the Essential routine) or can be more complex (what we refer to as an Advanced routine). The following step-by-step Essential routines (for morning and evening) cover the types of products everyone should use and the order in which to use them every day. These steps apply regardless of your skin type, whether oily, dry, normal, or combination.
The textures of each type of product will vary based on your skin type and preferences (lotion instead of cream, gel instead of foam), but the fundamentals and the order of application remain the same.
The ingredients that everyone’s skin needs can be found in products with a wide variety of textures within each category (step) of product in your skincare routine. In Chapter 12, How to Treat Special Skin Problems, we detail additional products and steps you can use to treat special skin concerns stemming from disorders like rosacea or brown spots from sun damage.
Essential Routine: MORNING
Cleanser
AHA or BHA Exfoliant
Moisturizer with sunscreen rated SPF 30 or greater
Essential Routine: EVENING
Cleanser
AHA or BHA Exfoliant
Moisturizer without sunscreen (sun protection isn’t needed at night)
If you have multiple concerns, an Advanced routine is the best way to go. It includes targeted treatments you can add to your Essential routine to treat your personal skincare concerns, such as acne, red marks, wrinkles, sun damage, brown spots, or rosacea.
Which to choose? Here’s an example: If your sole concern is dry skin, you’ll do fine using the Essential routine; however, if you have dry skin and wrinkles or oily skin and wrinkles and breakouts, you’ll want to use an Advanced routine for best results. An Advanced routine includes more products and takes a bit more time, but each product plays an important, critical role in achieving the skin you want to see! Once you get the hang of it, an Advanced routine, although more involved, becomes second nature and takes only a few extra minutes.
An Advanced routine includes a toner as your second step, morning and evening. If you’ve never used a well-formulated toner before, prepare to be amazed by the results! You can add targeted treatments if/when needed.
Advanced Routine: MORNING
Cleanser
Toner
AHA or BHA Exfoliant
Treatment (such as a serum or eye cream or both; for daytime the eye-area product should provide sun protection)
Moisturizer with sunscreen
Optional: Targeted treatment (applied as needed before sunscreen)
Advanced Routine: EVENING
Cleanser
Toner
AHA or BHA Exfoliant
Treatment (such as a serum or eye cream)
Moisturizer without sunscreen
Optional: Targeted treatment, as needed, applied before or after your Step 3 treatment product.
Mixing AND Matching Products
You may have been told that adding products from different brands will make the other products you’re using ineffective, or they won’t work as well as they could, or that you MUST use products from one brand or else your skin won’t improve, or the products will no longer be guaranteed “or your money back.” None of this is true in the least.
Not only is it perfectly OK to mix and match products from different brands (especially prescription products, depending on your skincare needs), but sometimes doing so is essential if you want to get the best results possible! Think of all the other areas in life where we successfully mix things up—food, for one! Who buys all of their food from only one brand, or eats at only one restaurant?
What really counts are the formulas, and whether or not those are appropriate for your skin type and your skin concerns. As long as you’re consistently using products that are well-formulated and suitable for your skin type and concern, you should see positive results. However, keep your expectations realistic: No topical product will work like Botox, and no spot treatment will completely erase a stubborn pimple or deep wrinkle overnight. If your goal is clear, smooth, radiant, healthy, and younger-looking skin, then you can absolutely achieve that with daily use of brilliantly-formulated products, no matter the line or brand.
Do Different Skin Colors or Ethnicities Need Different Skincare Products?
It might surprise you to learn that whether your heritage is European, Asian, or anywhere else in the world, you do not require special skincare products based on your skin’s color or your ethnic background. Why not? Because skin color is not a skin type! None of the research on the differences between ethnicities indicates that skin color has anything to do with the skincare products you need.
Darker skin tones have some physiological differences from lighter skin tones, but those differences don’t impact what products you should be using. Think of it like your diet: Regardless of our ethnic background and skin color, we all need the same nutritious foods (ones that supply antioxidants, fatty acids, protein, vitamins, and so on) to be healthy. The exact same concept applies to skin. Skin is the body’s largest organ, and everyone’s skin needs the same ingredients to address dry skin, acne, wrinkles, sun damage, uneven skin tone, oily skin, rosacea, sensitive skin, and so on. All of these problems affect every color of skin.
Everyone’s skin also needs the same basic care—gentle cleansing, sun protection, and state-of-the-art products for the specific skin type. It is also important to avoid problematic ingredients, such as alcohol, menthol, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemon, lime, and natural or synthetic fragrances, because exposure to irritants always will worsen any condition on any color of skin. [2,5,7]
Research shows that the only significant difference between African-American skin and Caucasian skin is the amount, size, and distribution of melanin (the cells that produce our skin’s pigment). [38] Excess melanin, for example, accounts for the darkened or ashen appearance of darker skin when it’s irritated or sun damaged, whereas the same irritation and damage would cause lighter skin to appear pink, red, or, if more melanin is present or stimulated, mottled tan.
Although the extra melanin is good news for those with darker skin tones, it doesn’t mean damage from unprotected sun exposure isn’t happening. Uneven skin tone, wrinkles, and slower healing time (particularly for scars) is primarily a result of sun damage. Even though it takes longer and more intense sun exposure for visible damage to occur on darker skin, sun damage is always greater on skin that’s chronically exposed to sun than on skin that’s properly protected. [8,9]
By now you can tell that many beauty myths drive us over the edge—this is one more to add to our list. Simply put, as far as biology and physiology are concerned, regardless of your ethnic, racial, or cultural background, you do NOT need special skincare products. Let go of this idea—in most cases, it won’t help (and could actually hurt) your skin.
You’ve probably heard or read that Asian skin is more sensitive and, therefore, needs products that don’t contain irritating ingredients. Even if that were true, no one in the world, whether Asian or not, needs products with irritating ingredients. Everyone needs beneficial ingredients that are gentle on skin, and everyone should be treating their skin gently. Using irritating, overly fragranced products is detrimental, no matter who you are.
Whether you have normal, oily, combination, or dry skin or your skincare concerns involve sun damage, wrinkles, breakouts, large pores, uneven skin tone, rosacea, sagging skin, and on and on, there’s no research showing that different skincare formulas are needed based on your race or heritage. The ingredients that benefit skin and the ingredients that are a problem for skin are global. Aligning your skincare routine to a specific brand that wants you to believe this myth would do your skin a disservice.
DO THE NECK AND CHEST NEED SPECIAL PRODUCTS?
Wrinkles, crepey skin, and brown or ashen discolorations show up sooner on areas that haven’t been shielded from the sun. This is especially true for the neck and chest because we tend to neglect those areas far more than our face, leaving them exposed to the sun and the damage it causes. That’s why, for women, skincare really needs to start at your boobs! What we mean by that is that the products you use on your face can and, in fact, should also be used on your neck and chest!
Cosmetics counters are packed with endless creams and treatments targeting the neck and chest (often labeled as for the “décolletage”). The truth is that buying a separate neck, chest, or décolleté cream or treatment is a complete waste of money. These “specialized” products are rarely well-formulated, rarely contain sunscreen, and almost always are overpriced given what they contain. Most important, they’re completely unnecessary because the products you use for your face (provided they’re well-formulated) will work beautifully on your neck and chest, too.
There’s no research showing that the neck and chest need ingredients or formulations different from those you use on the face. In fact, copious research makes it absolutely clear that what it takes to keep skin anywhere on your body acting and looking young requires the same brilliant ingredients. Gentle cleansing, products loaded with antioxidants, skin-repairing ingredients, and cell-communicating ingredients, along with dedicated use of a well-formulated broad-spectrum sunscreen work for your face, neck, chest, and décolletage.
It’s important to point out that the neck is a bit of a different issue, not in terms of what products you use, but in what happens to the neck as we age. For certain, the neck will show the same signs of aging as the face, but usually not as quickly because the neck typically is shielded from the sun by our heads. Regardless of how slowly the sun damage may show up, if you neglect your neck it will suffer the same woes as any other part of your body that you don’t protect from the sun.
What’s frustrating about the neck is that it tends to sag faster than other parts of the face. This is to some extent about skincare (or lack thereof), but it’s also because of gravity and physiology.
Skin on the face and chest are well supported by bone, while the front of the neck has no supporting bone structure (only the back of the neck does, but not all that much given the size and shape of the neck’s vertebrae). The elaborate network of neck muscles don’t provide much support. This means that the neck and its fat pads can be affected by the pull of gravity sooner than other parts of your body and face. [39, 40]
Regrettably, despite the claims and gibberish you’ve probably heard, there are no special skincare ingredients that will help tighten a sagging neck—the same products that help firm skin for the face work for the neck; it’s that simple. But (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?), there is a point of no return where age-related sagging can be fixed only with surgery, not skincare.
Why Skin Reacts Badly to Products
Sometimes, using a new product or a new mix of products can cause skin to have a negative reaction—even if the products are well-formulated. Such reactions are usually perplexing because it’s hard to determine exactly what’s happening and why. Even more frustrating, it isn’t always clear what to do about it, especially when you hoped the product would work as promised. You may wonder if you did something wrong, or if the product itself is faulty.
There are five primary reasons why skin reacts negatively to a new product, a new skincare routine, or even to products you’ve used for months or years.
The product was poorly formulated with ingredients that can irritate your skin, such as alcohol, fragrance, or fragrant plant extracts. The reaction can happen immediately or it can develop over time; sometimes, when several fragranced products are used, the skin reaches a critical tipping point and suddenly reacts, often strongly. [2,5,7]
Often an allergy to a specific ingredient or combination of ingredients in the formula is to blame. This has nothing to do with the quality of the product; rather, it’s a personal reaction to an ingredient or a mix of ingredients. It’s like being allergic to cats, an unpleasant fact for some, but not the fault of the cat, nor does it mean cats are bad.
Using the wrong products for your skin type; for example, using oil-absorbing products when dry, flaky skin is the problem or using overly emollient products when oily skin, large pores, and breakouts are the problem.
Using too many “active” products at one time. With anti-aging or anti-acne products, some people think that if a little is good, then more (or more often) must be better. So, they use three types of exfoliants at the same time twice daily, followed by a high-strength vitamin C serum, a prescription retinoid, and then a prescription skin-lightening product. For some, this combination may work at first, but it can quickly backfire, causing skin to become overly sensitive or reactive when it was normal before. This reaction can be even worse if you’re also getting professional peels or aggressive facials involving lots of massage, steaming, and extractions.
Some people have skin that’s just more reactive and sensitive to cosmetics, no matter the ingredients. For them, the more products they use, the greater the risk of a reaction, especially if the products contain fragrance or fragrant plants. If that describes you, the worst thing you can do for your skin is to hop frequently from product line to product line, hoping something will stop this skin misery merry-go-round.
What to Do
First, be certain the products you used don’t contain problematic ingredients that are known to cause irritation. Using only well-formulated products (preferably without fragrance, because fragrance is a common allergen for everyone) is essential. [5,6,10,11,12]
Next, be certain the products are a good match for your skin type. Oil-absorbing or matte-finish ingredients will be a disaster on dry skin, while emollient, thick moisturizers will be a problem for someone with oily skin or when applied over the oily areas of combination skin.
In situations where highly reactive skin is a primary concern, be cautious about products with active ingredients; don’t use too many of them or use all of them at the same time. It’s OK to alternate application of such products; anti-aging and anti-acne isn’t an all-or-nothing deal.
After investigating the ingredients and the types of products being used, consider the combination and frequency of the products you’re applying. Although sunscreen, skin lighteners with hydroquinone, AHA or BHA exfoliants, anti-acne treatments, and anti-aging products with ingredients like retinol can have remarkable benefits, they can also cause reactions for some, especially when used together in your everyday skincare routine.
In such a scenario, a starting point would be to change the sunscreen to one that contains only the mineral active ingredients titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide, which have minimal risk of causing a reaction. These mineral actives also are super-gentle, making them good for use around the eyes and on reddened skin.
Another test would be to reduce the frequency of use. Rather than using every product in your routine twice per day, alternate them, apply one in the morning and the other in the evening.
It can also be helpful to alternate days. For example, instead of using a retinol-based product or a prescription anti-acne treatment every day, try applying these every other day and see how your skin reacts. If reducing the frequency doesn’t improve matters, then stop using the most suspect product (or products) and see how your skin reacts.
Keep a notebook handy so you can record how your skin progresses. Briefly jot down the pros and cons, and what you did differently. Yes, it does take a bit of time, but you can refer back to it later to help you better handle a future reaction.
Although active ingredients or problematic ingredients are typical causes of skin reactions, even basic skincare products like cleansers, toners, or moisturizers can trigger negative skin reactions. In such cases, it usually starts when you introduce a new product into an existing skincare routine or when you begin using a new group of products.
If the reaction is mild, it might be helpful to stop using one of the products and see what happens. If that doesn’t help, stop using another one of the new products and see what happens after a day or two. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, then go back to the previous routine that didn’t cause your skin to react. Sadly, when you reach this point, the hunt for products that won’t cause a reaction starts anew—unless you want to keep using your former products, assuming they’re well-formulated.
Using Prescription Products with Your Skincare Routine
There are many reasons why you may want, or need, to add topical prescription products to your regular skincare routine. For example, if you have stubborn acne, prescription-only medications such as topical antibiotics like BenzaClin or topical retinoids like Differin or Retin-A can make a world of difference.
For wrinkles, Renova, the prescription-strength form of retinol, can be extremely beneficial. Topical medications for rosacea, including MetroCream, Atralin, and Finacea; cortisone creams for eczema; medications such as Calcipotriene for treating psoriasis; or topical acne medications like Tazorac are often the only way to keep these irksome skin disorders under control.
There’s a great deal of research about how topical prescription products work to help different skin disorders and about their potential side effects. Surprisingly, there’s minimal to no information on how you’re supposed to incorporate topical prescription products into your daily skincare routine. After all, you still must clean your face, use a skin-healing toner, protect with an effective sunscreen, apply moisturizers or serums appropriate for your skin type, and, for most people, exfoliate … but how are you supposed to do that and apply prescription products? How does it all work together? Can it work together?
Sadly, there isn’t any agreement among dermatologists as to what non-prescription skincare products you’re supposed to use with your topical prescription-only medications or about the order in which to apply them. Frustrating, huh? Even more shocking is the lack of consensus or suggestions about how to avoid some of the most typical reactions from prescription medications, such as redness, irritation, dryness, and inflammation.
We have pored through massive amounts of research to uncover tips on how you can assemble the most ideal skincare routine for your skin type and concerns—and how to incorporate topical prescription medications into that routine. The goal is to use these topical products consistently because none of them are cures. If your skincare routine causes irritation and inflammation, dryness, or additional problems, you’ll not be able to get the best results or (in many cases) continue to use these helpful medications.
Step 1: Use only gentle water-soluble cleansers. Regardless of the medications you apply, everyone first needs to use a gentle water-soluble cleanser appropriate for their skin type. If the cleanser isn’t gentle, it will cause irritation and dryness, which will only be exacerbated by the medication(s) you apply afterward.
Do not use abrasive scrubs with any topical prescription medications. Most scrub particles create tiny micro-tears on the skin’s surface, which will aggravate the skin condition you have and increase the irritation from the medications you’re applying. If you want a bit of extra cleansing, use a washcloth with a gentle water-soluble cleanser.
Caution: Think twice before using a prescription topical product and a cleansing brush like the Clarisonic. This combination can prove too irritating, especially if you’re also using products like exfoliants, skin lighteners, and serums with retinol.
Step 2: Use a great toner. Most toners are loaded with irritating plant extracts such as witch hazel along with alcohol and fragrance—in one word: Ouch! On the other hand, toners loaded with beneficial skin-repairing ingredients can create the optimal environment on your skin for the medication(s) you’ll be applying.
Step 3: Use an AHA or BHA exfoliant. Most people’s skin reaps incredible benefits from exfoliation. This is true even if used in combination with most topical prescription medications.
Tip: There’s a risk of irritation from exfoliants, so you need to start slowly, initially applying a lower concentration exfoliant once (morning or evening) every three days to see how your skin does, and then increasing the frequency and/or concentration based on how your skin responds. If you experience irritation, and it continues, cut back on the frequency, reduce the concentration, or stop altogether.
Step 4: Apply a serum filled with antioxidants, barrier-repair substances, and other beneficial ingredients. These kinds of ingredients are compatible with almost any topical prescription product.
Note: Many people ask us about using an over-the-counter retinol product, such as a serum, plus a prescription retinoid like Renova. It’s fine to use both; generally, you should apply the over-the-counter retinol product first, followed by your prescription retinoid. Do you need both? No, but some people see greater benefit from the combination, or they simply like to alternate a stronger and weaker retinol product. As with any active ingredient, pay attention to how your skin responds and adjust your routine accordingly. Doubling up on retinol products is too much for some people’s skin—more isn’t necessarily better, and you never want to tip the scale in favor of irritation.
Step 5: Apply your prescription product. This is the best place in your routine to apply your prescription product, especially if it has a cream or lotion texture. If it’s a liquid, apply it after Step 3.
Step 6—DAYTIME: Never forget to apply a moisturizing, broad-spectrum sunscreen rated SPF 30 or greater every day. Protecting your skin from the sun not only prevents signs of aging, but also helps repair skin and helps heal many skin disorders by reducing the underlying inflammation. So, unless your physician says otherwise (which may be the case for those with severe psoriasis), always apply sunscreen.
Step 6—NIGHTTIME: Apply a skin-repairing moisturizer and/or serum every night. Moisturizers and serums work effectively with almost any topical prescription; choose one or both based on your skin type and personal preferences, and apply it around the eyes, too. You can add a separate eye cream if needed.
If you’re also using targeted treatment products, apply these either before your daytime or nighttime moisturizer or, if spot-treating, dab the product on top of your moisturizer, after having already applied your prescription product.
A lot of experts suggest you mix your topical prescription medication with your moisturizer to minimize the risk of dryness or irritation. That’s an option, but it’s unlikely to make a big difference; applying your prescription product first and then applying your moisturizer or serum afterward essentially does the same thing. (However, with regard to mixing products, you shouldn’t mix any skincare product with a sunscreen, because diluting a sunscreen with a serum, moisturizer, or prescription product decreases the sunscreen’s effectiveness.) Sunscreen should always be the last step in your skincare routine, regardless of the prescription product.
If you’re experiencing bothersome side effects, talk to your physician about cutting back on how frequently you apply the topical medication, but keep in mind that if you cut back too much you won’t get any benefit. If you’re using your prescription product less than three times per week, and it still causes irritation, you should talk with your physician about using a different medication or trying a lower dose, which your skin may tolerate better.
In our research and personal experience, we’ve noted that there are doctors who recommend prescription and over-the-counter products and usage steps that don’t seem to make sense, at least to us, and likely not to you, either—we hear from a lot of people who are dissatisfied with their doctor’s advice. Despite these issues, you must follow your doctor’s recommendations—or get a second opinion from another medical doctor or pharmacist.
