A confession from the consulting room
If I had to reduce the questions I hear every day to a single one, it would be: "Just tell me what to buy." I understand where it comes from. Open social media and skincare looks like a sport with ten pieces of mandatory equipment, all named like chemical formulas.
The truth I repeat several times a day is more boring: skin does not need ten products. It needs three things done consistently — and a little patience. Everything else is an add-on that only makes sense for a specific problem and a specific skin.
Cleansing: stop chasing 'squeaky clean'
I start with cleansing because that is where I see the most self-inflicted damage. That tight, 'squeaky' feeling after washing is not cleanliness — it is a stripped, damaged skin barrier that will fight back tomorrow with dryness, flaking, or the opposite: even more oil.
A mild, soap-free cleanser, twice a day, lukewarm water. The evening cleanse is the non-negotiable one — make-up and sunscreen should never stay on overnight. That is the entire science. If your skin feels tight after washing, the product is wrong — not your skin.
Moisturising: yes, oily skin too
"My skin is oily, a cream will only make it worse" — I hear this constantly, and I almost always see the opposite effect of skipped moisturiser: skin that compensates with even more oil, and a routine fighting against itself.
The question is not whether to moisturise but with what texture: a light gel or fluid for oily skin, a richer cream for dry skin. A healthy skin barrier is the foundation of calm skin — and it is maintained precisely by this 'boring' daily layer. Apply to slightly damp skin, within minutes of cleansing.
Sunscreen: the step I do not negotiate on
I spent six months in a Paris university clinic where skin cancers were part of the daily schedule. After that experience I stopped thinking of sunscreen as a 'cosmetic' step — it is a medical one. A broad-spectrum product with SPF 30–50, every morning, all year round.
I have written a separate article just about this — because the subject deserves it.
Active ingredients: one at a time, with patience
Retinoids, vitamin C, acids, niacinamide — they all have their place, but after the foundation, not instead of it. I see the same mistake in different costumes: five new actives at once, irritated skin within a week, and the conclusion 'nothing works on me'.
The rule I give my patients: one new ingredient, four to six weeks, and only then a verdict. Skin renews itself slowly — more slowly than our patience. And if you are not sure which active is right for you, that is exactly the question worth one consultation: it saves months of trial and error, and quite a bit of money.
Skin is also fed from within
More and more often I discuss not just creams with my patients, but food. I take an active interest in this area because the connection is real: what we put on our plate participates in the skin's inflammatory processes — in acne, in eczema, in premature ageing.
No diet replaces treatment, and internet 'detox' regimens do more harm than good. But balanced food, enough sleep and managed stress are the quiet allies of every good routine. Skin is an organ — it lives with the whole body.
If you remember only one thing
Three steps, every day, no exceptions: gentle cleansing, moisturiser suited to your skin type, sunscreen in the morning. That is the foundation everything else builds on — and without which nothing else works.
And when your skin speaks to you with irritation, breakouts or changes you do not understand — don't ask the drugstore shelf. Ask a dermatologist. That is what we are here for.