Building a Skin Care Routine Around Your Skin Type

A routine can grow one product at a time, which makes it hard to see as a whole. This page walks through the stages of building one around your skin type, starting with the earliest signal that it needs a second look. For a general companion read, Harvard Health publishes About face.

Start by writing down what you already use

The earliest sign is a shelf you cannot summarise. List every product you use in the order you use it, and note the concern each one was bought to address. A written list makes gaps and overlaps easier to see.

Match each product to a concern and a skin type

Once the list exists, check each product against two things: the concern and your skin type. AAD puts the rule plainly: "Like other skin care products, you want to use a product formulated for your concern and skin type." A product that fits neither is the first candidate to remove.

Give sun care its own line

Sun care may not appear on a list built around concerns. Readers who want to add that step can read the Skin Cancer Foundation's page on sunscreen, then apply the same matching rule from the previous stage.

Decide when a routine needs outside eyes

A routine may reach a point where you want a professional's view. AAD notes that "A dermatologist can recommend specific skin care products and create a skin care routine tailored to your needs." Deciding in advance what would make you book that visit keeps you from adding products indefinitely.

Adjust alone or ask a dermatologist

Before the next stage arrives, choose whether you will keep adjusting alone or ask a dermatologist. Make that choice before adding another product, not after. For wider reading once the routine is settled, the Skin Cancer Foundation also keeps a page on sun protection.