Do we really need a 10-step nighttime skincare routine — or is that just a beauty urban legend that can scare us into spending an extra 35 minutes in front of our bathroom mirror when we could be comfortably in bed scrolling through puppy videos?
It turns out it’s in our best interest to tend to our skin before we turn in for the night because our entire body, including our skin, restores and repairs itself while we sleep. But we certainly don’t need all the products. If we want to pare it down to the bare minimum to keep our skin healthy and glowy, all we really need to do is cleanse, apply a serum, and moisturise.
That’s what Dr. Sherwin Parikh, dermatologist, professor and founder of Tribeca Skin Center, told us — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, co-hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast — when we recently chatted with him about nighttime skincare.
Three steps — that sounds easy enough, right? Dr. Parikh gave us a lot more to consider, though, if we’re interested in improving both the appearance and health of the skin on our face and neck. One tip involves something almost all of us have in our homes, and it doesn’t cost a single cent.
“The last thing you should do before you go to bed is drink a ton of water. You should have to pee the first thing you get up in the morning,” he told us. “First thing in the morning, tall glass of water. Last thing before bed, tall glass of water. The idea is to hydrate.”
Dr. Parikh noted that if you start to feel thirsty, “you’re already a little behind the eight ball,” which can be problematic. Ignoring your thirst can also lead to bigger issues. “There are people who say, ‘I don’t ever feel thirsty.’ I’m like, ‘You shut off your thirst mechanism. That’s not going to be good for your kidneys at some point, let alone your skin, both of which are excretory homeostatic organs.’”
Even if we are getting enough water throughout the day — and most of us aren’t — that one glass before bed can help keep your skin hydrated and help cleanse skin cells while you sleep. “Drink more water — and then have fun. Because fun makes your skin glow,” he added.
We also discussed whether or not we really need a cream specifically tailored to our necks, why we should be changing our pillowcases way more often than we probably do, and lots more:
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