The KW Cosmetic Ultimate Skincare Guide

Great skin is a combination of your daily routine, lifestyle, products, and so much more! At KW Cosmetic Clinic we take each and every patient’s skincare seriously. And we are so excited to share this skincare guide with you. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Skincare isn’t a one size fits all. There are so many products on the market, and the average patient is even more confused today than they ever have been. The explosion of social media has allowed for celebrities, influencers, cosmetic companies, pharmaceutical industry, clinics, and medical professionals an even greater level of access to patients. The downside is information overload!

Ultimately, your skin is a very personal thing. And caring for it needs to be fun, but also effective. Whenever we meet a new patient we always ask the following: “What are your main concerns, and what are your goals both for your skin health, and your beauty goals.” And almost always the goal is better skin quality and a more youthful appearance. No matter what someone is coming to us for, the underlying reason is always to look younger, fresher, restore glow, and rejuvenate the skin and body.

What is the goal with your skincare? To protect the skin, reduce signs of aging, and treat problematic areas. The first thing you need to do is take a step back and re-assess your own skin (either with the help of a medical expert, or without to start). What is your real goal? Is it the acne you suffer from? Is it scarring? Is it signs of aging? Or are you looking more for “treatment”. Do you wish to treat flat facial features, or areas of pigmentation. Really dig down and try to distill it to 3 things

Skincare routines should try to treat all the underlying issues with the skin, but also try to improve the complexion, and allow the skin to function at its best. The goal should also be to treat the problem areas/conditions that you personally suffer from. As your skin changes with time and condition, so should your routines. Nothing should be set in stone!

We offer a wide variety of treatments for many different medical conditions. Do you suffer from:

• Acne
• Fine Lines and Wrinkles
• Lost Facial Volume
• Poor Skin Tone and Texture
• Hyperpigmentation
• Hair Loss
• Double Chin
• Aging Face and Skin
• General Poor Skin Quality

CLEANSING:

Washing the face is the most basic, critical, and essential part of any skincare routine. Our skin is exposed to so many pollutants, contaminants, dirt, and other irritants that it must be cleansed a minimum of twice daily. Washing twice a day in the morning and evening will help treat most overall skin conditions, from acne and rosacea, to eczema and general poor skin quality.

Facial Cleanser:

Washing is important, but the type of cleanser that works for you may differ from your friends.

Some patient’s can tolerate harsher, deep cleansers, while some need very gentle cleansers to avoid over irritation of the skin.

Oily/Acne Prone – Use a Foaming Cleanser

Dry/Eczema Prone – Use a Cream/Lotion based cleanser/Non-Foaming Cleansers

EXFOLIATING:

As we age, exfoliation becomes the key to unlocking radiant, glowing skin. Your skin will naturally exfoliate itself, but this process is too slow. When we are young, the skin cells on the bottom layers of the skin will migrate upwards on their own, then shed and fall off. But as we age this process begins to slow. Exfoliation will help this natural process along, keeping the skin fresh, and dead skin cells away. Often we will recommend patients consider treatments with Chemical Peels and Medical Grade Facials to give the skin a super exfoliation every 4-8 weeks. This can be great for Acne, Fine Lines, Poor Tone, Texture, Hyperpigmentation, Hypopigmentation, and generally poor skin quality. We also commonly recommend patients add exfoliating products into their at home skincare regimen. We most commonly will recommend products like Retinol, and AHA/BHA.

MOISTURIZING:

Moisturizing is one of the most important steps in any skincare routine. Moisturizers help to protect the skin barrier from erosion and dehydration. They help retain the natural skin barrier which protects the layers beneath it. Moisturizer is like adding the “water” back to the skin, which keeps the top layers working the best. The type of moisturizer, the amount, and thickness that you apply is going to depend on how sensitive your skin is to moisturization. If you are acne/oily prone then all you may need is a light application of lotion, and some Hyaluronic Acid (HA5 by Skinmedica is our recommendation). But if you suffer from dryness and eczema then you may need thick application of cream, spot treatment with natural oils/vaseline, and of course large amount of Hyaluronic Acid.

And we can’t forget about the eyes! The skin around the eyes is thinner and more sensitive then the rest of the body. When moisturizing you should be applying a specific eye moisturizer around the eyes and into the brow area. This will help moisturize, and rejuvenate the area. Our favorite eye cream is TNS Eye Repair from Skinmedica.

These are the 3 main steps to skincare, but there are so many more products and steps that may or may not be suitable for you.

Other great products!

Sunscreen:

Sunscreen is essential for almost everyone. There are a subset of individuals that find sunscreens can really aggravate their skin, but this is few and far between. And often the issue is the patient simply has not found the right sunscreen for them. Visit our clinic to try one of our Medical Grade Sunscreens, we find patient’s really find them to be moisturizing, and non aggravating to the skin.

Retinol:

We mentioned retinol above, but it is so great we thought we would mention it again. Retinol, is topical Vitamin A. And it is so powerful as an anti-ager that we recommend everyone that can use it, should be. It can help reduce fine lines, wrinkles, stimulate collagen production, and treat acne. Retinol can enhance skin tone, texture, and resiliency.

Vitamin C:

Antioxidants like Vitamin C are so powerful and protective. They can lead to younger, brighter looking skin. They help to repair free radical damage, protect from UV radiation damage, and stimulate collagen production. The results are often brighter, firmer skin with reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and more tone. If your skin can tolerate it, vitamin C is a great product to add.

Growth Factors:

Serums containing growth factors and peptides like the TNS line from Skinmedica are powerful at reducing skin aging, fighting fine lines and wrinkles and boosting overall skin tone and texture. Growth factors are powerful messenger proteins that form a critical role in maintaining the skin health. Most patient’s should consider growth factors in their skin regimen.

Hyaluronic Acid:

Another product we mentioned before, but is so important it needs another mention. As we age our body naturally loses hyaluronic acid, a powerful moisture retaining molecule. Topical hyaluronic acid acts as a skin protectant and moisturizing agent. Often best when used in combination with moisturizing creams, hyaluronic acid will diminish fine lines and wrinkles, and retain a strong skin barrier. Hyaluronic acid serums that contain multiple types of the acid are best, like HA5 from Skinmedica.

Brightening Serums:

These types of products like Lytera from Skinmedica help to treat patients that have issues with skin discoloration and hyperpigmentation. When used in combination with peels, facials, and microneedling, patients may find improvement in their pigmentation issues.

Ultimately, remember that everyone starts at a different spot in terms of their skin quality, age, and the medical conditions they face. So a personalized approach is always key. As we said before, skincare is not a one size fit’s all. You can’t just copy your favorite celebrities routine, or what the latest Instagram “influencer” routine is. In fact, you shouldn’t take any of their advice! There is way too much bad advice being given by non-experts that it is more likely to harm than help your skin. Always seek out the advice of a professional. Like we said, your skin is an organ. Would you take heart or liver advice from just anyone? Or would you go to a professional.

We offer a wide variety of Medical Grade Treatments for Skin and Facial Rejuvenation:

• Botox
• Fillers
• Hair Loss Restoration
• Microneedling
• Aquagold Microchanneling
• Chemical Peels
• Facials
• Belkyra
• Volite Skinboosters
• And Much More!