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What Does Skinimalism Actually Mean?

For a long time, brands have been telling us that when it comes to skincare, more is more. The more steps in your routine, the more active ingredients in your serums, the better. However, the tides are turning, as many of us have found that the ‘more-is-more’ approach can actually do more harm than good. Enter, skinimalism.

Skinimalism is all about making your skincare routine work smarter, instead of piling on the products. Twenty-step skincare routines are a thing of the past, now that clever, multi-tasking products can actually work effectively on your skin, thanks to the prescription-grade ingredients.

Dr Jason Thomson, Head of Medical at Skin + Me, explains. “Now is the perfect time to re-think and hone your skincare routine. To clear out all those products in your bathroom cabinet that haven’t lived up to their promise or given you the results that you were looking for. Many people spent lockdown over-complicating their skincare routines, mostly out of sheer boredom and after spending hours a day staring at their faces on Zoom. This has translated into an epidemic of skin sensitivity as people have overdone it by layering up too many active ingredients in their routine.”

If you’re now overwhelmed by products that don’t seem to really work for you, or even worse, irritate your skin, it’s definitely time to slow things down. By having a complicated routine you may have been overdoing it, and perhaps have compromised your skin barrier. You’ll know if you have inadvertently damaged your skin if you’re seeing increased redness, irritation, breakouts and perhaps even rashes. This is because using too many products, trying new formulas each day or combining too many active ingredients overwhelms and overstimulates our skin.

It’s time to strip your skincare back to basics 

Dr Jason says, “Dermatologists are calling for a more measured and minimalist approach to skincare. What that routine should look like will depend on factors such as your skin type and also the skin goals you’re trying to achieve.” 

A single well-made multitasking product can contain more than one active ingredient, at the correct ratios for your skin. However, when we try and achieve the same result at home with multiple products we almost always use far too much. Some ingredients actively work against one another, and it takes an expert eye to be able to combine ingredients effectively without harming your skin. 

Dr Jason recommends using prescription skincare where possible, “Prescription actives have robust, scientific evidence backing up their effectiveness which means that you don’t need to bother over-complicating your routine with numerous cosmetic products that are far less likely to get you achieving your best skin.”

If you have more than ten steps in your routine, it might be time to take a step back and reassess. Try using dermatologist approved-skincare that is designed for your specific skin type and skin concerns, and taking everything else back to basics. All we really need is a good cleanser, an effective, multi-tasking treatment, a hydrating moisturiser and a protective SPF. That’s four steps for glowing, healthy skin, instead of 40.

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