Let’s be real with each other. At night, we’re tired. Sometimes, we’ve had a day.
It’s tempting to just use the same product lineup morning and evening. But separate Regimens, specific to the time of day, are recommended for a reason. Your skin needs a different type of care during the day, when it is exposed to sun and other pollutants than at night, when it is ready to regenerate. To learn more about your skin as it relates to your circadian rhythm, which products and ingredients are optimized for nighttime use and more, read on.
What Happens With Your Skin At Night?
Your skin has its own circadian rhythm, which is a 24-hour cycle that’s part of the body’s internal clock. Think of it as an operating system: It runs in the background to carry out essential functions and processes. At night, your skin absorbs products better, as it’s thinner at that time and undergoes the cell renewal and skin regeneration process. “Along with formulations, when you target the skin, we value your circadian rhythm and this approach greatly impacts results,” Dr. Kathy Fields says. “Your skin is cooler so more ingredients can absorb and penetrate better, leaving you with a dewy finish, which you wouldn’t want in the daytime,” Dr. Kathy Fields adds.
Skin Cell Renewal As We Age
The epidermis, or the outer layer of our skin, undergoes constant renewal every 28 days. During this time, all skin cells turn over as the most superficial cells are replaced by new ones. This turnover period is faster for infants than it is for children and so on. The process slows down over the course of a lifetime. That’s why we need additional support from skincare as we reach our 30s, 40s and beyond.
The Importance Of Hydration
Hydrated skin, rather than dry skin, is better able to absorb the ingredients we apply to it. That’s why you may have read about applying your serum when your skin is damp or applying them after using an essence. This helps the active ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid to be delivered to your skin.
The Best ingredients To Support Skin Regeneration
To support skin regeneration, the ingredients you want to look for are Retinoids (Retinol or Retinal) and Peptides. Here, a little more information on what these two ingredients can do for your skin.
Retinoids
Retinoids are a class of Vitamin A chemical compounds or are chemically related to it, that is, derived from it. Vitamin A includes Retinol, Retinal, and Provitamin A Carotenoids. Retinol cream is the most common form of this type of Vitamin A, although it can also be found in a serum or oil format. There’s also Retinal, which is more effective at stimulating collagen production than Retinol, yet it’s gentler on your skin.
Retinol is typically not for use during the day as it causes sensitivity to the skin when exposed to the light. If it’s in a lower concentration, it can be used during the day with a daily sunscreen. The Redefine Regimen has retinoids, but they are not as concentrated—so it’s okay to use this retinoid during the day. Redefine Intensive Renewing Serum, on the other hand, is a capsule containing Retinal-MD Technology, which is recommended to be used at night. Overall, when using Retinoids, it’s best to avoid prolonged sun exposure. Always take sun safety measures, specifically, using an SPF daily. The sun is the #1 cause of aging when it comes to skin.
Peptides
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, which act as building blocks of proteins—like collagen, keratin and elastin. These make up your skin’s foundation and they have an impact on texture, resilience and strength. Peptides have an effect on skin’s firmness, texture and bounce. Peptides are messengers that trigger your skin cells to perform functions like building collagen and elastin, which can help your skin look and act younger. Peptides are proteins, like Collagen, which are your anti-aging defense. Collagen can’t exist without Peptides.
Your 5-Step Nighttime Skincare Routine Product Lineup For Healthy Skin
New REDEFINE Regimen offers a comprehensive lineup with alternative textures for your morning and evening routines. The products work together to help you achieve your skincare goals, thanks to Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields’ Multi-Med Therapy approach. This means controlling a skin concern, like acne, by creating a system with a focus on prevention, as opposed to treating individual pimples.
The Multi-Med Therapy approach is at the core of all of Rodan + Fields skincare Regimens. It takes the guesswork out of skincare, providing easy-to-use, 3-step systems to address skin concerns. No single ingredient can effectively address a complex skin concern. From Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields’ years of research, they saw that it takes the right ingredients, in the right product formulations, used in the right order, to improve skin and reveal visible results.
With this approach, Rodan + Fields combines tried-and-true ingredients with active cosmetics and formulates them into elegant, aesthetically pleasing textures to deliver powerful results. Each Multi-Med Therapy solution is tailored to the appropriate age group to effectively address acne based on the individual’s concerns.
Step 1: Facial Cleanser
A facial cleanser is important for you to use every evening to remove makeup, dirt and oil. Your cleanser of choice can also gently exfoliate to help slough off dead skin cells.
Step 2: Toner
Toner helps with softening your skin and enabling penetration for the ingredients that follow in the next step. Toners also serve to cleanse your pores.
Step 3: Eye Cream
Hydrating and moisturizing this area is key. You want to use an eye cream like Multi-Function Eye Cream, which is specifically designed for the under-eye area so as not to cause any irritation.
Step 4: Face Serum
This step is optional if your skincare goals include either deeper hydration or a boost of retinoids. For hydration, try Active Hydration Serum. For a Retinal serum, try Redefine Intensive Renewing Serum.
Step 5: Night Cream or Lotion
Your moisturizer, whether you choose a cream or lotion, helps to target your main skin concern, in addition to skin-restoring moisturization.
Lifestyle Tips
Having a consistent nighttime skincare routine is important when it comes to having healthy, youthful looking skin. Lifestyle changes can also help with better skin regeneration. Checking in with yourself and assessing whether you’re getting enough sleep can make that difference. Another sleep-inhibiting factor is blue light exposure. Switch off your computers and TV an hour or so before bed and avoid having these electronics in your bedroom if you can. Last but not least, alcohol consumption can lead to a less-than-glowing complexion the next morning. Drinking in moderation will have an impact on how your skin looks and feels.
