Burning Questions with Our Favorite Dermatologist Dr. Hadley King

When it comes to skincare, there are always new trends popping up and new discoveries happening daily. This makes it difficult to keep up and know the best things to do for your skin. To help with this, we consulted with New York based, board certified dermatologist Dr. Hadley King to answer your burning questions so we can use the best practices with our skincare!

Question: Should I Wash My Face Once or Twice A Day?

• A common question regarding skincare is how many times a day we should be washing our face. We know it’s important to remove makeup before bed, but do we *really* need to be cleansing both morning and night? See what Dr. King says below:
• “It's most important to cleanse the face at the end of the day to remove makeup, pollution, dirt, debris. Whether or not you need to cleanse the face in the morning may depend on your skin and your night routine. If you sweat during the night, have residue from your night skincare routine, or if your skin is particularly oily and/or acne-prone, then cleansing in the morning may be helpful.”
• We suggest using Purity Clean Exfoliating Cleanser at night time to gently lift away dirt, oil, and impurities as it balances and clarifies the skin. Depending on your skin type, we suggest using Benefit Clean Gentle Cleanser in the morning to lift away dirt, oil and impurities while also soothing and hydrating the complexion.

Question:

What are the Benefits of Double Cleansing?

• Double cleansing is the process of cleansing your face two times, usually one with an oil based cleanser and one with a water based cleanser. This process helps to remove any leftover makeup so your skin is thoroughly cleansed. Let’s see what Dr. King says about double cleansing below:
• “Oil based cleansers work on the principle of like dissolves like. They can also be the first step in a double cleansing regimen, with a water-based cleanser as the second step to avoid leaving an oily residue-- this may be a good option for those with oily or acne-prone skin. Heavy makeup users also may prefer additional cleansing steps.”
• For double cleansing, we suggest starting with Purity Solution Nourishing Deep Cleansing Oil to gently melt away dirt, oil, makeup and impurities before going in with Crystal Cleanse Hydrating Liquid Crystal Cleansing Cream to deeply hydrate the skin without stripping skin of much-needed moisture.

Question: Why Should I Use a Toner?

• A toner is a step in your skincare routine that is usually done after your wash your face but before you apply any serums. Some skincare lovers skip the use of toner, while others swear by their results. Let’s see what Dr. King has to say about toner below:
• “Different toner ingredients can offer a host of benefits. If you have oily or acne-prone skin look for a toner with Salicylic Acid or other exfoliating acids. Salicylic Acid can penetrate into pores to remove oil. If you have dry skin look for toners with hydrating ingredients like Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Lecithin, Aloe Vera, and Rose Water.”
• If you have oily or acne-prone skin, we suggest using Purity Balance Exfoliating Prep Toner as it has Salicylic Acid to help remove excess oil. If you have dry skin, we suggest using Benefit Balance Antioxidant Infused Toning Mist with Aloe Vera to help soothe the skin.

Question: What Is Skin PH Balance and How Does It Affect My Routine?

• While the PH balance of skin sounds super scientific, it is essentially just the determining factor on if your skin is balanced or not. If your PH balance is off balance from too many harsh cleansers or treatments, it impacts your skins acid mantle. But what does this mean? See what Dr. King says about the PH balance affecting your skin below:
• “Studies have shown that increased facial skin pH is seen more often in people with acne than in people without acne. Therefore including measures that maintain the pH of the acid mantle could be helpful in the prevention and treatment of acne.”
• Harmonize Microbiome Boosting Moisturizer is a great choice to help balance skin as it deeply hydrates with a moisture-rich prebiotic that helps strengthen skin for a softer, smoother, more supple-looking complexion.

Question: What is the Proper Order to Apply Skincare?

• Applying your skincare in the right order is essential to help your products work the way they are supposed to. Let’s see what Dr. King has to say about what the correct order is to apply skincare so we can have the best results:
• “In general, the idea is to go from the lightest products that are most absorbed, progressively to heavier products--so that means cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, makeup. Serums/active ingredients go on clean skin to maximize absorption. Occlusives, oils, and waxes block water loss should be applied last because they help to lock in the previous steps.”
• A skincare routine for dry skin, for example, with the correct order to apply would be:

Step 1: Cleanse with Benefit Clean Gentle Cleanser to cleanse, soothe, and hydrate the skin.

Step 2: Tone with Benefit Balance Antioxidant Infused Toning Mist to provide a second clean sweep to the skin.

Step 3: Treat with Reboot Overnight Hydration Complex to balance and hydrate skin.  

Step 4: Moisturize with Emulsion Intense Hydrator for total moisture restoration and a healthy-looking glow.

To shop more bestselling skincare and treatments to implement into your skincare routine, head to cosmedix.com to see what else we have to offer.