Affordable Skin Care Options
I often get emails from our DesiDerm readers about affordable skin care regimens. I always like to point out that skin care does not have to be terribly expensive to be good. A few suggestions:
-- Always a moisturizer with sunscreen in the am. As a woman of color myself, I see many patients with brown skin who do not think sunscreen applies to them. Sunscreen is the single most important way to minimize aging, discoloration, and wrinkles. A few inexpensive brands I like are Neutrogena with Helioplex, Anthelios, and Cerave am.
--I also recommend that my patients use a topical anti-oxidant in the am. These are vitamins that minimize free radical damage to our skin. These include Green Tea, Coffeeberry, Vitamin C, E and Phloretin. Topical anti-oxidants tend to be more expensive- so when cost is an issue, I recommend to use them very sparingly under your sunscreen so you can at least get 4-6 months out of a bottle. A few good brands are Skinceuticals, Revale, and Replenix.
--In the evening, at topical retinol/ retinoid cream is KEY! These retinol compounds have more than 30 years of scientific research behind them showing that they increase collagen production - leading to healthier, younger looking skin. The stronger (and hence more effective) products need to be prescribed by an MD. However, a few good over the counter ones are ROC retinol and Neutrogena retinol. If you have an MD prescribe you topical Retin-A (the lowest generic strength is 0.25%) you can go to Walmart, Sam's Club, or Costco (you do not have to be a member) and the small tube that lasts 3-4 months is about $25-$40.
** Make sure you are not pregnant or nursing when using these topical retinols because they are contraindicated.
I always suggest taking a pic of your face before starting the regimen and then compare in 3-4 months. You will definitely see a nice difference 
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