Journal
Skin
Essay

The three-step skincare edit

The minimum-effective routine our doctors quietly recommend to everyone.

RO
Dr. Reem Al-Otaibi
Consultant Dermatologist
Apr 05, 20264 min read
The three-step skincare edit

If you asked our doctors what actually moves the needle for healthy skin, none of them would say a ten-step routine. Three steps, done consistently, outperform ten steps done sporadically.

Section 01

One — a gentle cleanser

Twice a day, non-foaming, fragrance-free. That is the entire brief.

Harsh cleansers strip the skin barrier and quietly cause more redness and sensitivity than any single ingredient we can prescribe against.

Section 02

Two — an active, chosen deliberately

Vitamin C in the morning for tone and protection. Retinol at night for texture and long-term collagen.

Pick one active per part of the day. Layering four is how irritation begins.

Section 03

Three — SPF 50, every single morning

The most powerful anti-ageing product in your bathroom is sunscreen. Nothing else even comes close.

Reapply midday if you are outdoors. In Kuwait, this is not negotiable.

Consistency is the ingredient no one advertises — and the one that quietly does the work.
Dr. Reem Al-Otaibi
The takeaway

Three things to remember

  • Cleanse gently, twice a day.
  • One active in the morning, one at night.
  • SPF 50 every morning, without exception.
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