- Melenee Suarez Burns, a Senior Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter for Insider, volunteered to have her
skincare routine reviewed for Insider's skincare clinic. - Her biggest skincare concerns are aging and large pores.
Melenee Suarez Burns is a Senior Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter for Insider who volunteered to have her daily skincare routine reviewed by an expert for Insider's Skin Clinic series.
Melenee, 49, said her primary concerns are aging and large pores.
Dr. Gary Goldenberg, a dermatologist and founder of Goldenberg Dermatology in NYC, told Insider what products she needs to swap out to address her skincare concerns.
The order of Melenee's routine is spot on
To start her day, Melenee uses a baby wipe to cleanse her face and moisturizes with Immortelle Precious Cream.
Melenee's nighttime routine also keeps it simple by cleansing with a homemade mix of witch hazel with hydrogen peroxide or L'Occitane Cleansing Oil-to-Milk. She tops it off with the L'Occinate Immortelle Overnight Reset Oil-in-Serum to hydrate.
Goldenberg told Insider although he would swap some of Melenee's products, the order of her skincare routine is great. A basic skincare routine should always cleanse first, followed by any toners, serums, and finally moisturizer.
Melenee should ditch the baby wipes and hydrogen peroxide for a salicylic acid cleanser
Goldenberg said cleansing with baby wipes is ineffective and harsh on the
"These are not intended to be used for facial skin and may not be enough to remove dirt and debris from the skin in the morning - or any time," Goldenberg said.
Melenee's nighttime cleanser, a mix of witch hazel and hydrogen peroxide, can actually be damaging to the skin and should be swapped out immediately.
"Do not use hydrogen peroxide to clean your skin, Goldenberg. "It can damage the surface of the skin and is too drying without addressing the primary concerns of enlarged pores and aging skin."
Instead, Goldenberg said Melenee should use a cleanser with salicylic acid to help address her large pores. Salicylic acid is a common ingredient used to treat inflammation and enlarged pores by controlling your skin's oil production.
Sun protection helps protect against fine lines and wrinkles, so Melenee should add in an SPF and retinol to her routine
Melenee does not currently include any SPF products in her routine. Goldenberg recommends adding in a daily sunscreen after she moisturizes.
In addition to adding sun protection, Goldenberg told Insider Melenee should be proactive about her skin and add in an anti-aging product like retinol before she moisturizes.
Retinols are proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines by increasing your skin's production of collagen.
Melenee's moisturizer may be making her large pores worse
While Melenee's current moisturizer is fine, it contains shea butter which could make Melenee's clogged pores worse. Goldenberg recommends trying a gel moisturizer like Neutrogena's hydro boost water gel.
Overall, Melenee's routine nails the basic order a skincare routine should always follow. The only areas she could improve on are swapping out her cleanser and moisturizer and adding in a retinol and sunscreen.