When it comes to anti-aging skincare, what you use truly matters. In fact, it helps you get the most out of the treatments you get in the spa because it helps you maintain your results in between allowing each visit to bring new progress in your skin! Many skincare products also provide progress and improvement on their own with visible results in as few as several weeks. To help you navigate your options, we’ve gathered a handful of our favorite topical skincare recommendations that we frequently share with clients as the best options to use in their at-home regimen.
Our favorite brightening Vitamin C skincare
Although Vitamin C is often praised for its skin-brightening abilities in topical skincare, it contributes to the improvement of several other signs of aging. It can minimize fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin tone, and it is a powerful antioxidant. Simply put, using Vitamin C for anti-aging in your skincare routine is one of our top recommendations to our clients at Coco Med Spa. In fact, three of our favorite products to recommend are:
SkinBetter Sciences Alto Defense Serum
Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum
Skinceuticals Phloretin CF
Retinol and retinoids for smooth skin
Retinol is a buzzword in anti-aging skincare for a reason, it works! However, this product should be used carefully to make sure you get the most from your results. It’s recommended to start with a lower strength 1-2x per week and build up as your skin becomes more tolerant in order to avoid irritation. Retinol promotes cell turnover which results in reduced fine lines, discoloration, pores, and blemishes. We have several retinol and retinoid products that we love to recommend. SkinBetter Sciences AlphaRet line is known for its powerful combination of retinoids with Alpha-hydroxy Acids (AHAs) which work together to improve lines, wrinkles, texture, and pore size. Another benefit? This particular line does not require “easing in” as it produces little to no irritation and can be used most nights! Some of our favorite products include:
AlphaRet Clearing Serum
Intensive AlphaRet Overnight Cream
EyeMax AlphaRet Overnight Cream (for the eye area)
If you’re looking for pure retinol, we love to recommend Skinceuticals as they have retinol for beginners, experienced retinol pros, and everyone in between:
Retinol 0.3 Refining Night Cream
Retinol 0.5 Refining Night Cream
Retinol 1.0 Refining Night Cream
Stop sun damage in its tracks with SPF
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, sunscreen is the cheapest and easiest way to prevent sun damage. After every service, and no matter what at-home products you’re using, sunscreen should always be at the top of your list. Some of our favorite sunscreens are from Alastin and you’re not only able to pick them up in the spa, but you can also conveniently order them to your front door by shopping our virtual storefront!
How to use them together
During the day you should apply your Vitamin C product first, along with any other daily skincare. Your final step should be SPF every single day. In the evening, you can apply your retinol to clean skin and follow it up with a good moisturizer to help prevent dryness or irritation. Although it is not needed in the evening, please remember to use sunscreen daily when using retinol as it can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, making it susceptible to new sun damage if you’re not protecting your skin. Another tip to note for improved anti-aging results is to incorporate the use of a chemical exfoliant into your regimen a couple of times per week. On those evenings, skip the retinol as the two products together will be too harsh.
If you need help designing a regimen or are ever unsure about which products to use together, we recommend consulting with Halley, our incredible aesthetician! She and the rest of our team are happy to help you find the right products for your specific needs. We can’t wait to help out!