The skincare routine that works has four products, not twelve
Cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen and one active. Everything else is optional, and it is often why the skin got irritated in the first place.
Every week someone arrives with red, reactive skin and a list of eight products used at night. Almost always the problem is not what is missing: it is what is there in excess.
The four that actually matter
A gentle cleanser. If your skin feels tight afterwards, it is the wrong one. That squeaky-clean feeling is a damaged skin barrier, not a good result.
A moisturiser suited to your skin type. Oily skin gets dehydrated too, and dehydrated skin makes more sebum to compensate. It is the most common vicious circle we see.
Sunscreen, every day. Not only in summer and not only at the beach. It is the single thing that makes the biggest difference ten years on, and it costs less than any serum.
One active, one at a time. A retinoid, vitamin C or an exfoliating acid: pick one, use it for at least eight weeks, then judge. Using three together does not triple the result, it multiplies the irritation.
Why less works better
Skin needs consistency, not variety. An active shows what it can do after two months of steady use; if everything changes every three weeks, you will never know what was working.
If you are using more than four products and your skin is not where you want it, the next step is not buying a fifth.
When to ask for help
If flaking, stinging or new breakouts appear after introducing a product, stop it and let the skin return to baseline before trying again. If nothing improves in two weeks, a consultation is worth it: in the cabin we read the skin in five minutes, instead of carrying on in the dark.
