What is a good nighttime skin care routine?

If you miss out on those much needed z’s the best way to fight back and keep your skin healthy is to establish a good evening skincare routine.

First:

At night, it is important to wash your face. It sounds simple, but this rinses off makeup, sunscreen, dirt, excess oil, sweat and pollutants from the day. My favorite night time cleanser is one with a bit of glycolic or salicylic acid to help exfoliate. I rotate between Epionce Lytic Cleanser and Alba Acnedote Cleanser.

But if you have rosacea or sensitive skin, stick to more gentle cleansers like Epionce Gentle Foaming Cleanser, Neutragena Ultra Gentle Cleanser or Avene Gentle Milk Cleanser.

Second:

Now apply any heaving hitting skin products that you want to go to work for you all night long. These might include products such as:

Retinoids,
AHA products
Peptide and antioxidant serums

Retinoids

A retinoid is a rock star that the derm world cannot do without! Retinoids are important at night because they will help collagen production and exfoliate the surface of the skin. A retinoid can either be a prescription Retin-A (the generic name is tretinoin) or an over-the-counter retinol like SkinCeuticals Retinol 1.0% or 0.5%, Differin gel 0.1% or RoC Retinol Correxion Hydration Cream.
The prescription strength Retin-A is stronger and probably your best choice, but it's not well tolerated if you have sensitive skin. If you are on the sensitive side try an over-the-counter retinol first to see if you can tolerate it. If the retinol is still too much for your skin you may have to steer clear of retinoids all together. Also know that any retinoid will make your skin sensitive to the sun. So don't forget your sunscreen in the morning!

AHA Products

If a retinol is too much for your skin, an AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) product may be an alternative way to go. Or you can try alternating nights with an AHA product and a retinoid. The AHA products contain an acid that can exfoliate dead skin cells to create softer more glowing skin. A side benefit is that they will help other serums or peptides penetrate into the skin more easily. A good one is SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator with 20% glycolic acid.

Antioxidant Serums

Antioxidant serums tend to be good for all skin types (even sensitive skin!) and can be used with or without a retinoid or AHA product. Adding antioxidant protection to your skincare regimen can prevent free-radical damage and pack a punch at fighting the aging process. SkinCeuticals Resveratrol BE is a good choice. Vitamin C serums are also great antioxidants, but should be applied in the morning to be most effective.

SkinCeuticals Resveratrol BE Antioxidant

Lastly:

Nighttime is a great time to apply a serious moisturizer to lock in hydration since your skin loses about 25% more water overnight than during the day. Products with hyaluronic acid (HA) are a good choice to help hydrate and retain moisture. Can you believe that a HA facial moisturizer can hold 1,000 times its weight in water (this means mega hydration for your skin)?! Studies have even shown that HA products can stimulate your own HA production, so your skin is moisturized from within and on the surface.
To get more hydration you can apply these products that contain HA: Epionce Renewal Cream/Lotion, Neutrogena Hydra Boost, or SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier.