AARP Eye Center
Solving the Mystery of Skin-Care Products
By Barbara Hannah Grufferman, November 13, 2014 04:02 PM
![030la](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/d7/f7/6ae61c3f24efd34e26493a9fe5dd/istock-000023306904small-300x218.jpg)
Every woman I know (including me) is confused by the sheer number (and price range) of skin-care products out there.
Many of us haven’t a clue which products work best with others, which should be applied first or last, day or night...you get the (muddled) picture!
I call that a beauty bummer.
Do we need peptides? Retinol? Hyaluronic acid? All of the above? As we grow older, our skin-care needs become more challenging, thanks to all those years we turned our pretty faces to the sun, slept face-down on pillows and unintentionally dehydrated our bodies — and therefore our skin — by drinking too little water or too much alcohol or coffee. Come to think of it, just about everything we do has a direct impact on the health of our skin.
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Which brings us to the big question: What works?
According to dermatologist Doris Day, the best way to answer that question is to adopt a less-is-more philosophy — and practice — when it comes to skin care.
So here’s a quick cheat sheet on how to layer skin creams in order to achieve glowing skin at any age:
Step 1: Serum. Always start with the thinnest skin-care treatment. A good antioxidant serum can help to smooth and brighten the skin; look for those that include ingredients such as peptides, retinol, coffee, vitamin C, niacin and its derivatives, or green tea.
![Olay Regenerist Serum](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/30/b0/f775cd3a2911969c315c830bcddd/olay-regenerist-serum-185x185.png)
The serum candidates here include Olay Regenerist Regenerating Face Serum, Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum, Kinerase C8 Peptide Deep Wrinkle Treatment, Lumene Bright Now Vitamin C Beauty Drops and Mario Badescu Peptide Renewal Serum. Always use a pea-size amount to cover the entire face. Then, go do a few push-ups while you're waiting for it to settle in and work its magic.
Step 3: Moisturizer. After treating the skin with serum (and possibly a filler), apply a moisturizer to hydrate it and seal in the first layers. Look for brands that contain hyaluronic acid and ceramides. Among your options: CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 (my favorite), Neutrogena Deep Moisture Day Cream SPF 20, RoC Deep Wrinkle Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 and Perricone MD Photo Plasma SPF 30.
Step 4: Sun Protection. You still need to add one more layer — sunscreen — before applying any makeup. Don’t neglect the back of your hands or your neck and chest.
Step 5: Once everything settles in, you’re ready to beautify with a little tinted moisturizer or a light application of foundation. Some women add a tiny bit of serum to their foundation, making it less heavy (and injecting some “treatment” into their beauty).
After following this program for a few weeks, you may find, as I have, that you need less makeup.
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For more tips about healthy skin at any age, check out this short chat with dermatologist Doris Day:
Until next time, remember: We can’t control getting older, but we can control how we do it!
Photos: drbimages/istockphoto; Walgreen’s; Olay; Heliocare
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