How to start a skincare routine if you have no clue, according to dermatologist

Beauty trends come and go, but taking care of your skin is always in. Before you welcome 2025, do your skin a favour and reset your skincare routine.

Following a skincare routine geared toward your specific skin type is important as the best regime for you will depend heavily on your skin type. Regardless of your skin type, the aim of a skincare routine is to keep the skin clean (especially if you wear makeup), hydrated, and protected from the sun.

Read on for daily skincare tips for different skin types that can help keep them healthy and glowing. (Pexels)

With more skincare products than ever before, it's easy to get confused about where to start. To learn more, we spoke to Dr Soma Sarkar, MBBS, MD, dermatology, and co-founder of SkinBB, about the steps likely to solve common skincare concerns and how to create a skincare routine in easy steps.

Simple steps to starting a skincare routine

If you're looking for a simplified skincare routine, follow her rough guide. She says, “If I have to enumerate the steps, it's very simple: a sunscreen, a moisturiser, a good face wash for the daytime, and for the night. You can start by using a nice HA-based (Hyaluronic Acid-based) moisturiser with a nice active.”

Whether you're a skincare beginner or a veteran who's hoping to reset your routine for different skin needs, Dr Soma Sarkar explains how an active works.

“Now, actives basically work on the skin at the right concentration and target specific indications in your skin. For example, if you have ageing skin, then we all know that retinol is the best active used in those creams. If you have dry skin or mature skin, you require a lot of copper peptides, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E cream-based moisturisers,” she says.

If there's one thing you take away about skin care, let it be to always wear sunscreen. (Pexels)

Using the right products

If it's a younger skin, you can use something like vitamin C as an active and you can use retinol as well but with milder concentrations, Dr Soma Sarkar says, adding, “So there are different formulations, different solutions, different actives used, once you know the skin type, once you know how your skin is behaving; also it is important to understand what you want. So this is something that has to be discussed with the doctor, with the expert, to pick the right products.”

With no time or no clue, simple skincare is the way to go. Overloading the skin with multiple products could be doing more harm than good if you don't know what you're doing. Dr Soma Sarkar says, “Nowadays skincare has become very easy to pick up – you have so many portals, you have so many products. But it is confusing at the same time: 'Which is the one I should pick up, what is right for my skin?' Having a skincare routine also doesn't mean that you have to spend a lot of money. Using the right products, and the right quantity with the right percentage will ensure that it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket.”

Seek professional help before you start

She adds, “So, my advice to all the consumers is that you have to discuss your skincare routine with an expert to come to a place where you know that this is going to be an integral part of your skin health. Also, understand that skincare also changes according to seasons. So, if you are in a very cold place or cold season, you know that the environment is going to be very dry and very dehydrating, and it is going to dry your skin much more. So here you need to change your formulations a bit. A sunscreen would remain the same, but it can be in a more cream form. It might be more in water-based, gel-based solutions.”

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice.