So I finally went to a dermatologist. Yes, I know. I’m almost 30 so it’s about time! Luckily I’ve never really had any skin issues so seeing a dermatologist was never on my radar. But, as I’m approaching 30 I figured I should probably start taking care of my skin more seriously. After all, it’s not going to look this way forever! 😉

I should start by saying prior to seeing my dermatologist, I did some research on skincare products that were recommended for anti-aging. I am someone who will try a ton of daily moisturizers and cleansers, but for anti-aging I wanted to hone in on some specific products. After doing some research, the brand that kept coming up was Skinceuticals. Several bloggers who I follow swear by their products so I was somewhat familiar with their brand, but after doing some more research it seemed like they were the “real deal” so to speak. It was funny because shortly after I started using their products, one of my friends who is a PA for a plastic surgeon highly recommended that I use Skinceuticals when it came to anti-aging. She was like there are so many products out there but Skinceuticals actually works–that is definitely the one I would recommend. Upon hearing her vouch for the brand that solidified my decision even more to keep using them.

When figuring out what products to use from them, I asked one of their reps what they would recommend based on my skin goals and what I was looking for. I said that: “I have normal to dry skin and while I’ve never had any skin issues, now that I’m older I definitely need/want to make my skin more of a priority. With that said, anti-aging would overall be my focus. I wouldn’t say I have discoloration per say but I wouldn’t mind my complexion being more even so to speak.” Based off that information, they recommended a few products to me. In the morning I was told to use C E Ferulic which is a vitamin C serum. Essentially it helps with skin brightness, firmness, and helps improve the signs of aging. After using this I was told to apply my SPF like normal (I use an SPF 30 and my makeup has SPF 50). At night it was recommended that I start using Retinol (0.5%) to help even out my skin and accelerate my skin cell turnover. After the Retinol I was then told to apply their Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 which is an anti-aging night cream. It’s composed of fatty acids and essentially helps restore the lipids while hydrating your skin. (Those are just the gist of the products but you can obviously go to the site and read their full descriptions).

I went to my dermatologist about a month after starting this regimen (FYI for anyone in the RDU area, I went to Aesthetic Solutions per recommendation of a friend and I really liked them!) and I told them that this is the routine I was doing for anti-aging and they said it was perfect–that Skinceuticals and those products were exactly what they would recommend. The only thing they suggested was switching to Retinol 1.0% once my skin had gotten acclimated to the 0.5% (or whenever I finished the tube of the 0.5%). So in a 2-3 months I’ll probably go ahead and transition to the more potent retinol. And as a sidetone, I was able to purchase the Retinol 1.0% directly from my dermatologist office because since they buy it in bulk it was much cheaper than me getting a separate prescription. Other than my current skincare routine, my dermatologist recommended a few other things I could incorporate for anti-aging. One of them was botox which they said would last around 3-4 months and cost around $300 per session. Another suggestion was a laster treatment they do called Clear + Brilliant. This laster treatment focuses on improving your overall skin texture, tone and pigment. It only takes about 20 minutes to do, and the results are pretty instant. I was told that there wasn’t any downtime either–meaning you don’t look like Samantha from SATC when she gets that chemical peel and has to wear the bee keeper cover up LOL. They recommended that I get around 4 sessions over the course of a few months and then just follow up yearly for maintenance. I think it was around $400 for a session from what I remember. This is something I’ll probably get done soon when I have that extra money to spend 😉

At this point, I’ve been using everything for about 3 months and I’m really happy with how my skin is looking. I feel like anti-aging skincare can be difficult because its much more a long term process, but I will say that given how my skin looks right now and per the recommendation of my dermatologist, I am going to keep up with this routine! Below are a bunch of photos so you can see what my skin looks like after using this regimen for 3 months–these are unedited and without makeup (obviously!)

I think that about sums up my skincare anti-aging routine for now! I’ll definitely keep you guys posted if I try botox or the Clear + Brilliant last treatment. Are there are products you guys use or treatments that you’ve had done that you swear by? Share with us!! xx C (PS. The PE Nation I’m wearing in the first photo can be found here! Use CLAIRE20 for a discount :))