Do you have a basic skin care routine? It is never too late to see changes in our skin and this is the best place to start. Taking care of our skin is like diet and exercise—it takes consistency, patience and, of course, a good and appropriate treatment line. Here are some basic steps for daily care, ideally done twice per day (except exfoliating).

Always go to bed with clean skin and effective products on. When our body is at rest, our skin is in repair mode and will take advantage of what is on our skin and what it is absorbing. Ideally, use toner to rebalance the pH and prepare skin for the next products in the evening. In the morning, just use it to refresh and skip the cleanse. Make sure it is alcohol-free.

and A are common, but there are actually many different vitamins that can be used topically. Many work synergistically, so combinations are always good to use together. They should always be used in serum form. The air in creams will oxidize the vitamins very quickly; in other words, they are not there anymore.

Use an AM or PM moisturizer for the face, neck and chest area. Always use something made specifically for the eye area.

Exfoliate once a day with something gentle made especially for daily use. After the age of 20, do not use any brushes or scrubs. More is not better when it comes to exfoliating. Try a daily alpha hydroxy and, ideally, lactic because it’s also hydrating.

Additionally, to see really great changes, add a peptide serum or two. These are essential building blocks to strengthening collagen and for repairing all aspects of our skin, helping hold hydration and more.