AP - Skin is the biggest organ in our body, and we need to take care of it!  We do this with eating healthy food, drinking lots of water and by what we put on it.  Today's podcast is going to be about the basics of skin care. We will get to that, right after this quick reminder.  MK - Welcome to Skincare 101...we are going to talk about the basics we are not going to get into all fancy kinds of stuff...but if you can manage this you are in a good place!  Obviously everyone has different skin types and needs and so there may be a bit of trial and error depending on your skin type and if you have any complicating factors such as eczema or acne.  We will give you a few suggestions of products in each area and put links in the show notes if you are interested.  MK - Lets start by talking about a basic skin care regime - want to give big shout out to AishaMD.com where a lot of this information came from. She is an emergency physician in calgary that has a special interest in skin, and a great website!  AP - Your morning regimine should start off with a mild cleanser - such as cera ve, cetaphil or neutrogena.  This is not the time to do your exfoliation, that will come in our evening routine.  Next on goes the moisturizer, probably best to do a light one during the day, then sunscreen and if you choose after this would be your makeup.  Certainly if you are hoping to add some more protection from the sun and environment a mineral powder make up will provide you with more protection.   MK - At the end of the day, you want to use a make up remover if you wear makeup.  You then want to cleanse all the dirt of the day off of your face.  This is the time that you can add in some mechanical exfoliation - use a washcloth (cheap is fine folks) to gently scrub some of those extra skin cells off.  Be extra careful in the under eye are as this is a sensitive spot.  You can also use a skin cleansing brush for this mechanical exfoliation.  Then you want to apply your moisturizer, and this can be a bit thicker and more moisturizing for overnight and gently dab this in the under eye area so as to not damage the skin.   Some people choose to do a chemical exfoliation with fruit acids (the new fad is lactic acid) or similar products.  This is also fine, but can be a bit harsher on the skin, so probably 1-2 times a week is plenty.   AP - If you are using retinoid product, then you could apply this 1-2 times a week.  Not in combination with your chemical exfoliation with fruit acids though.   That is your basic skin care regimine...for your face....simple right!!  For the rest of your body, you want to use an emollient based cleanser such as Cera Ve, Cetaphil,  or neutrogena to wash your hands during the day and body in the shower.  After washing your hands or body, you want to make sure to moisturize quickly and frequently to maintain the hydration of your skin.  MK - This advice regarding care of your body skin also applies to babies and kids, use a gentle emollient based cleanser and good thick moisturizers to help maintain the integrity and function of their skin!  I will add in that for kids with very dry skin prone to eczema, I often recommend not using any soap at all.  People are often taken aback by this but remember that all soaps will strip the natural moisture barrier.  You still need to add in a good THICK moisturizer. Now that we spoke generally....lets get into the nitty gritty!   AP - Sunscreen is so important at helping to prevent the damage that is caused by ultra violet light in our skin.  There are two main types of ultraviolet light that we are concerned about, UVA which are longer wavelengths and go deeper in the skin can cause premature ageing.  UVB are shorter wavelengths and tend to cause more of the sunburns (although both can) and this is what we make vitamin D from. It takes about 5 min of sun exposure with shorts and t-shirt in fair skinned people to get the vitamin D we need!.  Both UVA and UVB wavelengths can cause skin cancer.  For these reasons, we should use sunscreen every day....every day....for day to day use SPF 30 is probably fine, but if you know you will be spending more time in the sun, and SPF of 60 is better.  Also wearing wide brimmed hats, long sleeves and pants to protect agains those UV rays.  Choosing a sunscreen - you want one that covers both UVA and UVB rays.   If you have dry skin, choose one that is more of a cream or ointment base, if you have oily skin or acne prone skin, you will want to choose one that has an alcohol based lotion, gel or spray.   MK - You may have heard some news about certain sunscreen products that cause significant irritation to baby skin and sensitive skin.  This is a great reminder that you need to test out any sunscreen on a patch of skin before you go and lather it iall over. AP - Applying sunscreen:  none of us do this properly, we use way less than we should be using, so apply liberally, you should feel a film on your skin where the sunscreen was applied.  Give it time to work, so apply about 30 minutes prior to going out in the sun, and reapply every 2 hours if you are going to be staying out in the sun. Also reapply after swimming, excessive sweating or if the sunscreen gets wiped off another way.  Retinoids are a topical substance, generally applied a couple of times a week to the face or affected area that are used to treat acne and help reduce some of the damage by the sun that shows up as ageing.  It takes about 6 weeks to notice a difference with acne, and is used long term when being used for managing the signs of ageing.  It is generally applied sparingly all over your face, and if you have sensitive skin wiped off after an hour or so.  You can start with 1-2 times per week and as your skin gets used to it, increase the frequency and how long you leave it on.  It can irritate the skin, so best to wait about 30 min after you have washed/exfoliated your skin prior to applying it if you can. As they work by peeling off the top layer of skin, they can cause some redness and irritation to your skin in the first few days to weeks of using them.  If you have a severe reaction to them, they may be too much for your sensitive skin.  Please be sure to use sunscreen on any skin being treated with retinoids.  We do not recommend topical retinoids in pregnancy or breastfeeding.        Sunscreen for Oily Skin:  Cetaphil Oil Control SPF 30 CereVe Moisturizing lotion am SPF 30 (daily) La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 60 Skinceuticals Physical Matte Defense SPF 50 Rodan & Fields Reverse SPF 55   Sunscreen for Dry Skin:  Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 45 Aveeno Positively Radiant SPF 30 (for daily) La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 60 Skinceuticals Physical Defense SPF 50         Sensitive skin:    La Roche Posay Toleriane ultra cleanser and serum Avene Clinderm Rodan & Fields Sooth   Skin care products to avoid in pregnancy: retinoids (topical and oral)  salicylic acid (glycolic acid is good option for pregnancy)   Skin care lines for acne in pregnancy: La Roche Posay's Effaclar cleanser and Efflaclar Duo Spectro purplish blemish control line Reversa Solution for Acne Prone skin