Skin doctor shares the go-to products she uses on her face everyday

A skin and cosmetic doctor has revealed the products she uses on her skin and why she prefers a ‘less is more’ approach over an extensive morning and night routine.

Dr Imaan Joshi, 49, only cleanses once each day, uses a handful of serums in the morning and puts on hyaluronic acid and retinol before bed.

The doctor, who only started actively using skincare when she was 42, told FEMAIL she prefers the ‘wash and wear’ approach to achieving healthy skin.

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Dr Imaan Joshi, pictured, has revealed exactly how she treats her skin morning and night

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‘You don’t need 10 steps or whatever to get the job done if you use targeted personalised stuff for you and stop following fads and trends,’ she said.

‘Most of my patients are busy with hectic lifestyles. Keeping it simple means they’re more likely to stick to their routines rather than skip it completely because it’s too hard.’

She also says looking after your skin isn’t about ‘looking younger’ it is about looking healthier.

‘I think my skin looks better but the goal is never to look younger. I’m not trying to pass as younger, that’s an unintended consequence if it happens, not the goal,’ she said.

Aside from her five-minute twice daily routines the doctor also likes to do monthly laser and chemical peels, and some kind of ‘anti-wrinkle’ treatment every three or four months. She also likes to do micro needling or have a deep hydration done twice each year.

And while the treatments, creams and clinic visits ‘all add up’ Dr Joshi says it is important to be transparent about it.

To address skin concerns could cost up to $10,000 in the first year, followed by $2,000 or $3,000 every year after that.

Dr Joshi said her routine is ‘very simple’, she also only ever cleanses once each day

‘There’s nothing worse than starting knowing someone hasn’t the budget to keep going and that’s money they could’ve spent on something else. I feel that’s dishonest,’ she said.

‘When there’s large sums of money involved I think the ethical thing to do is give people the truth, set realistic expectations and space to decide if they want to start at all.

‘Failure to do this leads to the disasters we see and hear of regularly with cosmetic cowboys expose etc and that’s terrible.’

Morning routine

In the morning Dr Joshi likes to start off her routine by rinsing her face with water.

She then uses a vitamin B3 and vitamin C serum and some hyaluronic acid serum before topping it all off with SPF 50+ sun cream.

For the serums Dr Joshi uses her own brand, Skin Essentials, while she likes the Aspect Sun CC cream as an SPF.

She adds that each step of the process is optional except for wearing sun cream which is ‘non-negotiable’.

‘Sunscreen and sun avoidance is the best and cheapest anti ageing tool there is. It enabled me to defer everything till my 40s. 

She also uses sun cream every day and says it is the most important part of her routine

Evening routine 

The  first thing Dr Joshi does is cleanse, she uses CeraVe Oil Foaming Cleanser two nights per week and her own brand of lactic acid cleanser the other two nights.

She says she doesn’t double cleanse as she doesn’t wear makeup and has sensitive skin.

After cleansing Dr Joshi uses her hyaluronic serum before adding a compounded retinol to her face, neck, décolleté and hands. 

She then tops it off with a moisturiser – using her own brand – but says something like CeraVe or Cetaphil is fine. 

Dr Joshi said the best time to ‘start with skincare’ is as children – by avoiding the sun and using good SPF 50+ products.