A Board-Certified Dermatologist’s October Skincare Essentials
If there’s anyone you should be taking skincare advice from, without a doubt, it’s dermatologists. After all, they are board-certified experts of the skin and they have your skin concerns in their best interest. From dryness, acne, rosacea, melasma down to your nails, scalp and hair – you can trust your dermatologists to give you the preventative care you need.
Ever wonder what skin experts use for their skin and actively recommend to their patients? We did, too. That’s why, at the beginning of every month, we reach out to Board-Certified Dermatologist and Derm to Door CEO Dr. Lily Talakoub to reveal what her monthly skincare picks are — and what you need for the transition to colder weather, combatting dry skin in October.
You know you’ve spent too much fun under the sun when you begin noticing brown spots and areas of light pigmentation start to appear as soon as September rolls in. Alongside the sun damaged build-up of pigment on your skin, you will also notice the build-up of grime or dirt that leaves your skin feeling coarse, clogged and congested.
To combat this, Dr. Lily says that regular exfoliation using chemical exfoliants like glycolic acid or lactic acid to slough off dead skin cells is needed to achieve a smooth layer of skin that is easily penetrable by brightening ingredients like Vitamin C. She recommends the Murad Vita-C Glycolic Brightening Serum good for normal to oily skin and even acne-prone skin. She says, “the glycolic acid removes all the dead skin layers and grimey complexion of the skin, while the vitamin c will penetrate several layers of skin and lighten up brown spots.”
Fall leaves, dry air, dehydrated skin — name a better trio. Sweater weather is here and you know that means dull and dehydrated skin, chapped lips, & dry and rough knuckles, and calluses. As awful as that sounds, the solution lies in your moisturizer. According to Dr. Lily, the key to battling dry and dehydrated skin in colder weather is switching to a richer and more nourishing moisturizer.
This month, Dr. Lily specifically picked out the Augustinus Bader Face Oil as one of her holy grail products for colder months. She says “this is a great product to use on top of or mixed in any moisturizer especially if you have really dry skin,” adding that “it also works great for sensitive skin and rosacea prone skin.” Formulated with ultra-nourishing ingredients like argan oil and babassu oil, this restorative formula nourishes, hydrates and refines the skin, fitting for winter months.
Contrary to popular belief, men need skincare too. One of the most common skin concerns men with facial hair experience during the colder months is the occurrence of after shave rashes, irritation and redness related to dry skin. This is why Dr. Lily believes that an important part of a man’s routine is to moisturize and moisturize with skin care formulated with their needs and lifestyle in mind.
The Moisturizing Balm by Lumin is a rich but easily applicable moisturizer that goes onto the skin like butter without leaving any grease or stain. Aside from the elegant and simple packaging, it is formulated to be fast absorbing and target dullness and dryness experienced in any season.
If your skin feels chapped and tight every time you wash it, you probably need to change your cleanser. This luxurious and deep-cleaning cleansing oil by One Love Organics is highly recommended by Dr. Lily for all skin types especially for dry, sensitive and rosacea-prone skin.
The clean and nourishing formulation of this cleansing oil is one of the reasons why Dr. Lily personally can’t get her hands off of this product. According to Dr. Lily, “I love this, I don’t double cleanse, but I use this as my primary cleanser.” She adds that it also works great as a nourishing makeup remover, saying that “it is very soothing and you feel like you’re in a spa. It takes off all of your makeup in just a few pumps, leaving your skin clean but not dry.”
If you use a lot of hair products on your hair and scalp, then you should start thinking about detoxifying your scalp from all that grime and build-up that can cause irritation, dryness and eventually dandruff. Dr. Lily recommends using the Jupiter Purifying Mask. She says, “this is the most interesting product I’ve ever used to relieve my scalp in times when it feels extremely dry and sometimes on fire.”
Made with mineral-rich volcanic ash, this once a week mask for your scalp uses high-end ingredients that nourish the scalp, leaving it cool, calm and smelling sublime. When using this product, she adds that, “it comes out like a shaving cream that you can slather onto your scalp in the shower. Leave it on for a couple of minutes and you’ll immediately feel the cooling sensation even after you rinse it off.”
Last but most certainly not the least — sunscreen. We cannot emphasize this enough, but you do need to keep wearing sunscreen even when it gets dark and gloomy outside. UVB rays are still extremely potent during the winter months and can actually damage your skin all year-round.
To protect yourself, Dr. Lily recommends this one of a kind sunscreen by Colorescience called the Face Shield Flex with broad-spectrum SPF 50. She says, “it will protect you against interior light, exterior light and it’s a replacement for your tinted moisturizer or your foundation with SPF.” This formula is made with innovative iron-oxide pigments to adapt to the tone of your skin as you blend it in, eventually leaving you with a demi-matte finish.
If you have burning skincare questions, we have the answers! Bi-weekly, you can talk to our skin experts live on the Derm to Door website. At every expert-led live session, you can expect to get expert advice on your skin concerns, learn about the right products for your skin type and discover skincare trusted by skin experts and internet personalities. Don’t miss the chance to get your answers questions live, visit Shop Live at Derm to Door
