LET'S START AT THE VERY BEGINNING!

There are so many products out there and each one promises to be the "be all and end all" of skincare. If we use this, our skin will look years younger, our wrinkles will be gone, we will look like we slept for 8 hours, etc. etc. To be perfectly honest, it is a game of trial and error. Each one of us has different skin and skin issues and that's why some products work for some and not for others. But there are things we all need to be using every single day, come rain or shine!

Remember this mantra: sunscreen everyday and retinol every night! Sunscreen needs to have both UVA and UVB protection. UVA guards against Aging and UVB guards against Burning. The sun will get through the clouds even on a cloudy day, even when we are sitting in our house by a window, and especially when we are in a car, whether we are the driver or passenger. I cannot seem to get this fact through my spousal equivalent's head! He only uses sunscreen when he golfs! Hello????? Anyone home??

In addition to using sunscreen on our faces, we also need to apply it to our hands! Our hands show age just as quickly as our faces, if not quicker, so if we think we are fooling people by having a smooth countenance, all they need do is look at our hands and see if the two compliment each other (then, others will compliment us!) My own rule (that I once learned from a nail tech years ago) is to wear gloves if the temperature gets below 60 degrees outside. First off, if our hands are warm, our bodies will be warm, but more importantly, we will stave off skin agers, such as the wind and sun.

Retinol (at night) is a derivative of Vitamin A and is extremely effective in stimulating cell turnover. We mainly use it at night, because if exposed to the sun, it can irritate the skin. (Should you need to wear it during the day, make sure you wear a good sunscreen!) Retinol stimulates new collagen production, which means smoother and softer skin.

Just as with any product, though, you should use reputable product lines, because they use the most effective percentages for the best results. And it's vitally important that the retinol be stabilized; otherwise, it can irritate the skin. The skincare lines that I most highly recommend, because I have personally used them are Philosophy, Neutrogena, Neutrogena Dermatologics on QVC, Clientele and Dr. Denese, a dermatologist and anti aging researcher in NYC. Go onto any of these websites and read up on the different products.

I hope I didn't get too technical for you out there. If you don't care about anything else I said, please just remember this: sunscreen during the day and retinol at night. Now go out and enjoy the sunshine, then get a beautiful night's rest!!