My Skincare Routine as a student Doctor | Science-based, Affordable

I didn't always have a skin that I felt confident in. That's why I never skip my skincare, even if that means doing my skincare in the middle of nowhere on a field or doing it falling asleep after a night shift. And this is my three step skincare routine. It's focused on keeping the skin acne free, healthy and to minimise getting wrinkles with age. As some of you might know, I'm a fourth year medical student and I'm presenting this video I had acne for five years of my life, but this skincare routine that I do is not how I got rid of my chronic acne. For that, I was on Accutane slash Isodretinoin last year. First, they are Accutane, Isodretinoin capsules. And if you'd find it helpful, I can do a separate video about that. So skincare supplements and externally helps the skin. With current skincare markets, there are millions of options you can go for. And I've been a victim of that and spent hundreds of pounds on those, but came to conclusion that minimalist, simple skincare works best for me, as too many products can irritate the skin. That's why my skincare routine is in three simple stages, cleansing, moisturizing, sunscreen in the morning and retinoid in the evening. Firstly, cleanses. They help remove dirt, pollutants, makeup that can't be removed with only water. So it's for the ones that are stuck in your pores. Studies found that hydrating cleanses are helpful in restoring the skin barrier, which is important in inflammatory skin conditions like acne and eczema. That's why I use the CeraVe hydrating cleanser, which is very gentle. So even if you have oily or acne prone skin, drying out the skin with harsh cleanses will only make it worse by impairing that skin barrier. To dissolve and wash away both oil and water-based dirt, I double cleanse with both oil and water-based cleanses. First, I use this Oat Cleansing Balm by The Inkey List. This gets rid of any oil-based debris on my skin, like sunscreen or makeup. Then, to remove any sweat or bacteria or dead skin cells, I use this CeraVe hydrating cleanser, which is a water-based product. Of course, first I wash my hands, then here is me struggling to squeeze out the last bits of the Oat Cleansing Balm. This is how it looks like. Then I gently rub it in, in circular motions for a minute. After I rinse the oil-based cleanser off my face, then I go in with the hydrating cleanser, especially focusing on where I'm prone to getting acne on my face. So for me, it's my jawline and cheeks. Again, I try not to rush it and do it thoroughly for about a minute. One downside of the CeraVe hydrating cleanser is that, as you can see, it's not that foamy. Double cleansing is optional. Using only water-based cleanser is usually good enough to clean the skin, but I love how soft and smooth my skin feels after using an oil-based cleanser as well. Second step is moisturizing. For that, I use this La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo. I've been using this for five years of my life, after my dermatologist recommended it to me for my acne. It helps prevent those bumpy blemishes, and it would even calm down my cystic acne when I used to get those. I really do see a difference in my skin when I use this, and the moment I stop using it, I notice some little pimples coming back. One downside of this is that it's not that great at hydrating the skin, so if it's winter time or if I feel dry after using this, then I use this peptide moisturizer by The Inkey List on top. I apply the moisturizer on my eyebrows as well, because I get dry and flaky eyebrow skin there. Then for better absorption into my skin, I slap myself on the face. This gives my skin a nice plumpness and leaves me hydrated. One very common mistake that is done, which I was doing as well until one of the doctors I was working with corrected me, is that putting moisturizer onto dry skin. After washing my face, I don't towel dry my face completely, so I put moisturizer when my face is still damp. You don't need to have literally water dripping down from your face, but it should still be wet so the moisturizer locks that water in your skin. If it's daytime, then the third step is sunscreen. You must be hearing everyone preaching about sunscreen everywhere, but it is for a good reason. A month ago, I had my dermatology placement at medical school and there were a lot of skin cancers due to sun damage. Obviously, just because you don't use sunscreen doesn't mean you're going to get skin cancer, but over 80% of skin cancers are caused by overexposure to UV radiation, so it increases your risk a lot. This picture went viral on the internet. This lady put sunscreen on her face, but not on her neck. And you can see an obvious difference there. It shows how sunscreen minimizes the signs of skin aging, like wrinkles, spotting, loss of elasticity in the skin. Sunscreen also helps with fading of acne scars, which I have some because of my acne history. Like you can see here, and especially on this side, it's more. That's why I see sunscreen as an investment to my future self. Yes, it can feel sticky, oily, it is effort to put it on, but for a healthy and pretty aging skin, it's worth it. Plus, I found a sunscreen that feels good on my skin. It doesn't leave a white cast, it gives you a nice glow, it's not sticky. It is this Bondi Sands SPF 50. I put sunscreen on my face, neck, and on tops of my ears, which is the most easily forgotten area, and I put the rest on my hands. Sunscreen ideally should be reapplied every two to three hours, but honestly, sometimes I forget. But I'm trying to get better at it. I bought another one of these just to keep it in my bag, so I can reapply during the day when I'm outside as well. If it's night time, then the third step is retinoid. It is one of the most researched ingredients in the skincare world, and it has great evidence for its benefits. First benefit, and the main reason I'm using it for, it's anti-aging effects. I'm in my early twenties, and the American Academy of Dermatology recommends starting in your twenties. So you don't need to wait until you see signs of aging, like wrinkles, because retinoid is preventative. It's kind of like sunscreen with long-term use. It's an investment that you see the benefits of as you age. Second benefit is it helps with acne scars and uneven pigmentation of the skin. And third benefit is it minimizes acne breakouts. Considering my acne history, retinoid has great benefits for me, and it's essential in my skincare. While all of these benefits come with some side effects, especially in the first few months of starting using retinoid, it can cause dry skin, peeling, but that helps produce new skin cells, which is part of the reason why it helps with acne scars and you get a smoother skin. It can make your skin sensitive, red, and if you're not careful, you can even burn your skin, like I did before. I burned my face, my side isn't too bad. So it's crucial to build that tolerance to minimize those side effects. I first started using a weaker form of retinoid called retinol. It is this butypi super retinol with hyaluronic acid, which makes it very gentle. After a few months, I moved up to a stronger form of retinoid called tretinoin. There are different strengths you can go for. Currently, I'm at 0.05% strength of acnolides with tretinoin. Where I went wrong before, which caused me to have those little burns on my skin, was that I wasn't patient enough to increase the strength. First start using only a pea-sized amount for the whole face, and only once or twice a week. Then slowly do it every other night, then every night. So to safely integrate retinoid into your skincare, this whole process should be over a few months. So very slowly. Male vs female skincare. I've been asked to do a skincare routine that is suitable for both males and females. Even though in medical school, we're taught about hormonal differences between male and female, when it comes to skincare, those gender-specific products are mostly part of the marketing game, so it's there for your money. So the products that are in my skincare routine are suitable for all genders. So it's actually a pretty simple 3-step skincare routine. I hope you found it helpful. Consider subscribing, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!