Sit back, relax, and enjoy everything that Foothills Med Spa has to offer. If you are concerned about your skin health or have specific problem areas, rest assured that the experts at Foothills Med Spa can help! Before your treatment, we will consult with you and create a treatment plan, making sure that your scheduled procedures align with your skin care goals.

If you are struggling with not-so-desirable skin health, we are here to help! A successful skin routine will bring your skin back to life, feeling smoother and more radiant than ever before. So where do you start?

Is it necessary?

Skincare is an important part of your health and should be part of your daily routine. Almost everyone has a skincare routine, whether it be a simple one that just involves washing the face with water or a more advanced skincare routine that includes several different types of cleansers, serums, moisturizers, facials, and more.

A proper skin care routine helps your skin stay consistently hydrated. Nothing feels worse than having dry skin throughout the day, so it’s important to make sure your skin is hydrated! Moisturizers and gentle cleansers are your best friends for having healthy and hydrated skin.

It can also help with slowing down aging of the skin. A regular skin care routine stimulates collagen production, which slows down the development of signs of aging.

3 Main Skin Types

    • Oily: Oily is used to describe a skin type with heightened sebum production. An over production is known as seborrhea.
    • Dry: Dry is used to describe a skin type that produces less sebum than normal skin. As a result of the lack of sebum, dry skin lacks the lipids that it needs to retain moisture and build a protective shield against external influences. This leads to an impaired barrier function. Dry skin comes in different levels of intensity and in different forms that are not always easily identifiable.
    • Combination: In combination skin the skin types vary in the T-zone and the cheeks. The so-called T-zone can differ substantially – from a very slim zone to an extended area. Combination skin is characterized by:
      • an oily T-zone (forehead, chin and nose)
      • enlarged pores in this area perhaps with some impurities
      • normal to dry cheeks

Basic Skin-Care Should Include:

  1. Cleanser: You’ll need a cleanser to wash off the dirt, makeup, excess oil, dead skin cells, and environmental impurities that end up on your face naturally throughout the day.
    Moisturizer will help keep the skin’s protective barrier functioning properly and your skin feeling smooth and soft.
  2. Moisturizer: In the morning, wash with cleanser and then follow it with moisturizer and sunscreen (or combine the two with a moisturizer that has broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher).
  3. Sunscreen: Sunscreen is meant to protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays, and it’s hard to exaggerate how important this one product is for your skin. It’s said that cigarette smoking and tanning beds are the two worst things you can do for your skin. Skipping sunscreen is also right up there in terms of long-term damage.
The Right Order To Apply Products
Once you have the skincare products that are best for you, the next step is to know what order you should apply the products. The order of application will vary depending on your morning routine and night routine. Refer to the graph above as a reference for the proper order to apply your skincare products. The products themselves don’t determine the order, but the type of product does.

Cleanser

For the morning routine, the most efficient order to apply the products is to first use a cleanser. The cleanser will wash away any dirt that is on the surface of the skin. This prepares the skin for application of the rest of the products.

Toner

Next is the toner. Today’s toners are filled with either gentle, hydrating ingredients to treat dry and sensitive skin or with chemical exfoliants to treat acne, oil, and bumps. Toner is not required but can be useful. You decide if it is best for your skin. But remember – throw away any toner with a strong alcohol scent. This type of toner can be harsh on your skin.

Serums

Serums are essentially just shots of extremely concentrated nutrients, hydrators, and antioxidants that really amp up your skin health as soon as you apply them. ​​Use vitamin C serum every morning. This will protect your skin from the inflammation and damage caused by environmental damage during the day while also brightening dark spots and uneven tones over time.

Eye Cream

Eye creams tend to be lighter than face moisturizers, so apply them first before putting on your creams and oils. Look for an eye cream with a roller applicator. Keeping your eye cream at a colder temperature helps with fluid retention when you apply it. There are also certain creams with caffeine in them. Caffeine helps temporarily constrict and tighten puffy under-eyes.

Spot Treatments

Whether they’re for acne, scars, or dark spots, spot treatments are best applied at night because that’s when your body is working the most to repair itself. Regardless of when you apply your spot treatment, make sure to tap it on before your moisturizer so it can work itself into the skin without having to fight past another layer of skin care product.

Moisturizer

You should always be using a moisturizer. In fact, we recommend using one at least twice a day. It doesn’t matter if your skin is oily or easily breaks out with acne because it’s the only thing that’ll keep your skin barrier—aka the very temperamental thing responsible for making your face look good—healthy and happy. You can use the same moisturizer morning and night, but if you plan to skip sunscreen, your morning formula should be at least SPF 30. And remember to let it sink in for 5 to 10 minutes before applying makeup.

Face Oil

On their own, oils actually don’t moisturize your skin that well, but when you layer them over products, they help increase your routine’s effectiveness while also leaving skin soft and smooth. Just make sure to always apply your oils last. And don’t think that oils are just for dry skin—certain oils, like rose-hip and jojoba, can decrease excess oil in acne-prone skin, while marula and aloe oils can soothe sensitive, easily irritated skin.

Sunscreen

Even though oil is typically the last step in this process – sunscreen is the absolute last step if you choose to apply it. Why? Sunscreen is just there to protect your face and act as armor against the sun. It isn’t trying to penetrate anything and was never meant to add anything to your skin. It is intended to protect your skin.

Retinol

Retinoids is the general term for all vitamin A derivatives, including retinol. Retinol sinks into your skin to produce fresher, smoother, less wrinkled skin over time. Good things take time, so remember that retinoids can take up to half a year of regular use to see results. But just because it can take up to six months to see your wrinkles smooth out doesn’t mean you won’t see more immediate results in other ways. Retinoids will fade dark spots, smooth scars, clear pores, prevent breakouts, and brighten skin.