A well-known skincare doc explains why nighttime skincare isn’t optional (unless looking old’s okay with you)
It can be argued that nighttime products are more important than those you put on in the morning. Skincare pioneer Zein Obagi, MD, tells you why:• During the day, your face is bombarded with makeup, pollution, perspiration, even wind—all of which exhaust and distract your skin cells. At night, however, these cells are left alone and they have the opportunity to renew themselves, uninterrupted. So from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (or whenever you slumber) your products will be most effective, primarily because your skin cells have time to "process" them.
• Many active ingredients (such as retinol) in skincare products have a relatively short life—or they're deactivated by sunlight. So save your anti-aging treatments for the p.m., and stick to sunscreen and an anti-oxidant serum in the morning.
• During the daytime, skincare products are rubbed off, sweated off, washed off, wiped off. Your moisturizer lasts four hours at the most. By comparison, at night you're far less active, so you'll get considerably more longevity out of any lotion you layer on.
• At night, your skin can be a little greasy (who's looking?) so seize the opportunity and load up on products that are rich and hydrating (dry skin is the number one complaint of mid-lifers). In the morning, you'll awake to skin that's smooth and supple.
Editor's Note: To check out Dr Obagi's nighttime skin collection, go to zoskinhealth.com Our favorite p.m. treatment: Ommerse Overnight Recovery Creme, $95. It's a multi-tasker (just like you) with skin-renewing retinol, rich hydrators, and anti-inflammatory botanical ingredients to tone down any redness.