Welcome to Rewind Report – Episode 1, Season 1
Welcome to Rewind. The Rewind Report. This is our spot. Episode 1, Season 1.
Why Skincare Matters
Today we’re going to talk skincare because I think, across the board, skincare takes a back seat, especially amongst injectors.
As nurse injectors, especially, we all come from a critical care or hospital background. She does anesthesia. We met in the cardiac ICU. We often get into the nitty-gritty of anatomy and biostimulators. In college and with our patients during consultations, we talk their heads off about anatomy basics.
Our treatments that we get all jazzed up about are usually the fun stuff — the injectables. That’s our bread and butter. But we want to focus on skincare because injectables offer instant gratification, while healthy skin is what truly supports the results.
If you’re only fixing what’s underneath the skin and not improving the actual skin quality, the results really aren’t going to be there.
Something we like to say is: when you’re getting injectables here, we want you to protect your investment by taking care of your skin at home.
It’s the icing on the cake, but it shouldn’t be the last thing. It should come first.
The Couch Analogy
In all of my full-face consultations, I like to relate the face to a couch.
You have the upholstery of the couch, the fluff or stuffing inside, and the foundation or structure of the couch — the springs and framework.
You can’t fix the structure and fluff without taking care of the upholstery. Or you can, but nobody’s going to notice because the outside still looks worn down.
The upholstery represents your skin. The fluff inside represents what we lose as we age — volume, collagen, fat pads. The structure is your bone structure.
Some people naturally have beautiful facial structure and don’t need much tweaking. Others may come in wanting more chin definition, cheeks, or jawline support. Fillers can help build structure, but if you ignore the skin quality, it’s never going to be a complete treatment plan.
The Bedding Analogy
My analogy is a little simpler.
If you decide to redo your bedroom and only replace the comforter insert inside the duvet, it’s not going to look dramatically different. But if you replace or refresh the duvet cover — the visible layer — you notice the change immediately.
Your skin is the first thing people notice. Skin reflects youth, health, sleep, stress, and overall wellness.
A lot of what makes someone appear younger is healthy skin quality.
And because of our medical backgrounds, we also like to point out that your skin is the largest organ on your body, so we should absolutely take care of it.
Simple Skincare Basics
When people come in for a skin consultation, I usually ask two questions:
- Tell me about your skin.
- What are you currently using?
More often than not, people either have an overwhelming number of products or no routine at all because they’re overwhelmed by all the options.
Many people are layering multiple active ingredients without fully understanding what they do. They may have several products that all contain niacinamide, AHA, BHA, or similar ingredients, and they end up overloading their skin.
Skincare doesn’t need to be complicated.
At a bare minimum, you should:
- Cleanse your face
- Moisturize your face
- Wear sunscreen daily
That’s the foundation.
Medical Grade Skincare Explained
People often assume “medical grade skincare” means prescription skincare from a doctor, and years ago that was mostly true.
Now skincare has evolved significantly. You can buy many formerly exclusive brands online or even on Amazon.
Today, “medical grade skincare” is largely a marketing term.
There are really three skincare categories:
- Pharmaceutical skincare
- Cosmeceutical or “med spa” skincare
- Over-the-counter skincare
Pharmaceutical skincare includes prescription-only products like tretinoin, azelaic acid, and clindamycin.
Cosmeceutical skincare includes brands commonly sold in med spas, such as:
- Skinbetter
- SkinMedica
- IS Clinical
- Alastin
Even over-the-counter products can technically qualify as “medical grade” if they contain FDA-regulated active ingredients.
The real value comes from having a medical professional assess your skin and guide you toward products that match your specific needs.
Why Professional Guidance Matters
Two people may both have redness, but one may have rosacea while the other has acne. Those conditions require completely different treatments.
That’s why seeing a trained provider matters.
Social media, TikTok, podcasts, and influencers have dramatically increased public skincare knowledge, which is great in many ways. But people often buy products based on someone else’s results and then get frustrated when those same products don’t work for them.
It’s not necessarily a bad product — it just may not be the right product for your skin.
Even the three of us sitting here use very different skincare routines because our skin types and concerns are different.
What Makes a Product Worthwhile?
In our opinion, two things make a skincare product truly worthwhile:
- A recommendation from a qualified medical provider who has assessed your skin.
- Legitimate clinical studies.
The gold standard is a double-blind clinical study, where neither the researchers nor the participants know who is receiving the actual product versus a placebo.
Some brands conduct biased studies by giving products to people they know and asking subjective questions like whether their skin “looks brighter” or “feels healthier.”
Other studies go much deeper, using biopsies, imaging devices, and quantitative measurements to evaluate collagen, elastin, hydration, and skin texture improvements.
Preventative Skincare
Don’t wait until your sixties or seventies to start taking care of your skin.
Preventative skincare is far more effective than trying to reverse years of damage later.
The number one recommendation we can all agree on:
Wear sunscreen.
And wash your face before bed.
Cleansers and Moisturizers
Cleanser is often overlooked, but it’s incredibly important.
If you wear makeup or sunscreen, double cleansing is often necessary because many sunscreens are occlusive and difficult to fully remove in one wash.
Gentle cleansers are best. Avoid harsh scrubs and overly aggressive exfoliators that damage the skin barrier and create micro-tears.
Many people over-strip their skin, causing irritation and even more oil production as the skin tries to compensate.
For moisturizers, the right product depends entirely on your skin type.
Some people need lightweight hydration while others benefit from richer creams. Hyaluronic acid can help hydrate deeper layers of the skin, while moisturizers primarily help seal hydration into the surface.
You Don’t Need One Entire Product Line
A big misconception is that once you find one product you like from a brand, you need to buy the entire product line.
You absolutely do not.
You can mix products from different brands depending on what works best for your skin.
And expensive does not always mean better.
Some over-the-counter products perform incredibly well, while some luxury products are overpriced and underwhelming.
Favorite Skincare Products
One favorite product mentioned was the Alastin Restorative Skin Complex because it visibly improved hydration and mid-face volume while supporting healthy collagen and elastin production.
Another routine included:
- CeraVe Cleanser
- IS Clinical Active Cleanser
- IS Clinical Active Serum
- Epicutis Lipid Serum or Cream
Epicutis was praised for being calming, barrier-supportive, and excellent after procedures like microneedling.
One surprising favorite was MediCube’s PDRN line — an affordable over-the-counter product praised for hydration and skin support.
Another standout product was Ourself Dark Spot Treatment for melasma and pigmentation control.
Final Thoughts
Remember: skincare doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Start simple:
- Cleanse
- Moisturize
- Wear sunscreen
And if you’re unsure where to start, meet with a professional who can help guide you toward products that actually fit your skin.
Thanks for listening to our skincare discussion.
We’ll see you next week.
Wash your face.
