Skincare Products You DON'T Need | According to a Dermatologist

One part of my job as a dermatologist is to help my patients create effective skincare routines based on their specific needs. If you want a more minimal, simplified skincare regimen or are on a budget, there are certain beauty products that you really don't need in order to have an effective skincare routine. Watch this video to find out what they are!

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:30 Skincare Philosophy
02:00 Skincare Essentials
03:28 Skincare You Don't Need
15:40 Final Thoughts

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DISCLAIMER: The information in this video is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician. Thanks for watching!

[pamelaclay]

I am 72 years old and I would love to see you do a video on skincare for 70+ individuals. So many do them for 30-40-50's and that leaves out all of the baby boomers who are still wanting to look their best. Please consider doing more for those that are older seniors (60-70-80's). I like you videos and thank you for your consideration.

[missmalimodel]

Résumé of what we don’t need:
1. Essences
2. Toner
3. Facial scrubs
4. Sheet-masks, any rince-off mask
5. Pore strips
6. Eye cream
7. Tools for skincare

[gkjehhx]

thank you for saying that not everyone needs a moistrizer, that is so rare to hear.
My skin was always perfectly fine without using a moistrizer, but since everyone (including a lot of derms) in the skincare community keeps stressing on how essential moistrizer is, I started trying out so many moistrizers, and every one of them either break me out or made my skin worse in some way. Whenever I stopped using moistrizers, my skin gets better.

I used to be so confused, now that I hear it from a specialist, I feel much better, thanks.

[tigerheart]

The best skincare routine is healthy diet, enough sleep, water, and vitamin e cream. That's all I've ever done and I look 20 yrs younger than I am.

[limespider]

This is the gentle reminder I need. I'm currently in a skin-product buying frenzy, trying to solve multiple problems at once! But really, I'm at a point where I need simple, gentle, targeted, and PROVEN skincare. There are just so many more products and so much more social media now -- it's easy to get swept up in excess. Also, some of us might need in-office treatments vs topicals, so that's worth considering. Thanks for the video Dr Ellis.

[TwoOnlyChildrenxoxox]

I've lost my Sephora Rouge status since I've been buying drug store brands that I love. Finally, at almost 50 y.o., I have good skin. Hope you're feeling well!

[Kasiabobasia]

I’ve been guilty of hopping from active to active and product to product because there are so many great things out there to try. However, after starting Tretinoin I was forced to simplify my routine. It’s more effective and it’s saving me money! (Part of me still has some FOMO though)

[reneklein]

Hi Dr. Sam, I'm 62, and for me, Retin-A has been a lifesaver since my 20s. I only stopped when I was pregnant or nursing. Definitely sunscreen on a daily basis. Vitamin C with ferulic acid, a gentle cleanser, and a moisturizer for dry skin. No scrubs, toners, masks, or essences. I've only started in the last 4 yrs getting Dysport for my crows feet (I have no wrinkles on my forehead), and once a year, lip injections. The last time was with Kysse. I had been using Juvederm Ultra XC. Only a small amount. I don't want to look like a duck.
I hope you are feeling well. A tip for morning sickness - keep a bag of pretzels by your bedside. Grab one before you even get out of bed. It definitely works.
Thank you so much for your advice. ❤❤

[shinebabyshine.]

This video is SO necessary. Since finding your channel and following your advice, cutting down on the products I use and building a solid, simple routine, my skin has improved so much. Thank you lady 💚

[loliithaay]

a 16-minute video from her is much more insightful than 30-minute video from other skincare channels lol. thanks dr. sam!

[samr]

Your YouTube channel is so helpful. I spent 3 hours watching the bulk of your videos! I'd love to see a video on hair-loss and how to prevent it - minoxidil, ketaconazole LLLT etc. Thank you!

[seunbakare]

I have a simple routine: cleanse, tone and moisturise. Adding a toner to my routine made a world of difference. I use Paula's chioce pore reducing toner...love it. I don't believe pores can be reduced though, however it has helped control break out for me.

[IyaLovesLife]

Trying to finish up all of my skincare products first. After that I will narrow it down to what I really love.

[kinchang]

I'm Korean and have been always interested in skincare, however, no one I know do the 10 step routine.. at least not everyday, not all at the same time.. I try sheet masks, different serums/essences, and etc. from time to time, not because I need them, but because I'm bored with the basic skincare products! I don't use anything too harsh on my skin, but I like trying new/different products once in a while for the sake of "experiencing".

[trishmclellan]

I love the feeling of the Purito Fermented 94 Complex Boosting Essence. I love that extra step, it makes even a simple day feel luxury.

[sofiaolteanu]

I have 2 things in my routine that never change, a 2% BHA toner in the morning and a 0, 05% tretinoin cream at night. I always use an SPF 30 (that strength gives me less eye-burning) like Hawaiian Tropic. Other than that I use cleanser and face cream and they vary a bit. Haven't found favorites for those yet and I make my own skin creams so I like to try different things. I have a very minimalistic routine and it works for me. I don't have the time or energy for long routines. Thank you for a good, informative video. I agree with every point you make.

[rhondamartin]

Great video! At 52 people often think I’m under 40 & aside from using Botox on my 11’s, I haven’t done injectables or surgical procedures. I attribute most of this to genetics, however my neck started aging rapidly in my late 30’s (guessing my job had a lot to do with it). I’ve tried so many things & topicals & none worked UNTIL I found a LED red light device from Omnilux. I promise you it has worked.. slowly but it WORKS! My derm even asked me what I had been doing and I told her the red light every day & also started using a sleep wedge which has reduced my nasolabial lines & significantly decreased eye puffiness & eyelid drooping. (Seriously my SIL is a regular user of fillers and could not believe I had not had filler around my mouth). I was 100% sceptic on both things (LED red light & sleeping elevated on my back) & both have done wonders in *helping*, not curing, inevitable sagging. The LED neck wrap also does the décolleté at the same time and that has reduced pigmentation of some sun damage. Omnilux has been studied and is at the top end of that type of device so buyer beware of buying this type product from Amazon. The device is an investment & so easy to use. I try to do 3 cycles ( 30 mins) per day while getting ready. Well worth the time & money for me. (LED red light is supposed to stimulate collagen production which leads to plumping and more elasticity 🤷🏻‍♀️).

[kellye.]

I also find that a minimal skincare routine works best for me. I have sensitive skin and I didn't know this until I started really getting into skincare and added too many products to my routine. It damaged my barrier badly. I've gone back to a simple routine and my skin is thriving now. I stuck to just using a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen and my skin loved it. Recently, I added the cosrx snail mucin before moisturizing and that has done wonders for my skin too. It has made my skin looks more even in tone, smoothed the texture and it has actually reduced how oily my t-zone gets which I don't think is a typical benefit of snail mucin. I've also noticed that high ph cleansers work better for my skin than low ph. I found most low ph cleansers to not clean my skin well enough. I haven't experienced irritation from high ph cleansers either, so I think it's best to just be intuitive with your skin and use what works for you.

[barnes]

Thank you! I was happy to see that I generally don’t incorporate the products you mentioned. The only exceptions for me are 1)a Korean essence with urea that my skin loves and is great under my tinted sunscreens when I need a little more hydration. 2) Again Urea in an inexpensive Korean eye cream- My undereyes were still so crepey, flakey and dry even putting my moisturizer under my eye and this eye cream has eliminated the problem. I have rosacea and I could use a moisturizer with urea that could eliminate these products but I find that ceramides really help improve my skin barrier.

[susanmcf]

Tretinoin simplified my routine because it was so immediately effective (after years of wasted money on ineffective products). I did recently incorporate a weekly 10-minute AHA/BHA peel that has helped, but as winter came on quickly here, I've found I need to cut that back to every other week in order to not damage my skin barrier. Dermarolling with those needles just gives me the creeps.