Category: At The Clinic

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Understanding your skin type is key to putting together the best skincare routine for your unique needs. But figuring out your skin type can be tricky, especially if you don’t know what all the skin types are or if you’ve never done a test to figure out your skin type. Here’s everything you need to know to determine what type of skin you have:

What Type of Skin Do I Have?

That being said, most people align most closely with one skin type. Your skin type is important because it determines what products will be most beneficial for your complexion. Slathering dry skin products on oily skin will lead to clogged pores and breakouts, while using oily skin products on dry skin will dehydrate your face even further. The American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD) recognizes five different skin types. They are:

• Dry: You skin tends to feel tight and maybe itchy, especially after showering or swimming. It often looks dull or rough and may flake, peel or crack. If that sounds like you, shop Lancer skincare for dry skin.
• Oily: Your skin tends to feel greasy and look shiny, especially later on in the day and/or on the forehead and nose. You have large pores that become blocked frequently and probably struggle with blackheads and whiteheads as a result. If that sounds like you, shop Lancer skincare for oily skin.
• Combination: Parts of your face are oily, while other parts are normal or dry. Typically the T-zone (nose and forehead) will be oily, while the cheeks and chin will be dry. If that sounds like you, shop Lancer skincare for combination skin.
• Sensitive: Your skin is very reactive, becoming red and itchy easily. It may burn or sting when you apply products and may even result in hives, bumps, peeling and other reactions. You might be diagnosed with a particular skin condition such as acne or rosacea, or your reactivity might be more general. If that sounds like you, shop Lancer skincare for sensitive skin.
• Normal: None of the other skin types fit you. Your skin is neither dry nor oily, and it’s not especially sensitive either. Your pores are small, you have even skin tone, and you don’t struggle with acne, rosacea or other skin conditions. 

Most people fall into one skin type or another, but some people straddle the line between two of them. For instance, it’s possible to have skin that is both sensitive and dry, or maybe your complexion is combination but tends to lean oily. It’s also normal for most people to get more dry in the cold winter months and more oily in the warm summer months and to switch up their skincare routine accordingly.

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How to Determine Your Skin Type

Fortunately, there is a simple test that you can do at home to determine your skin type. Remove any cosmetics products that you might be wearing, and then wash your face with a gentle cleanser. The cleanser should not be stripping, but it also shouldn’t leave any residue behind on your skin.

Pat your skin dry with a clean towel and observe it in the mirror. In some cases, you will be able to feel your skin type right away, especially if you have dry skin. However, you might not be able to figure it out immediately either, which is totally fine. Check your skin at 30-minute intervals to see what changes you are noticing. If you have normal skin, your skin will probably look about the same. If you have oily or combination skin, you will notice your face getting shiny over time, especially in your T-zone. If you have dry skin, it will become tighter and itchier the longer you go without moisturizer.

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Depending on the facial cleanser that you used, you might notice your face burning, itching, stinging or flushing red right away. However, if you used a very gentle cleanser, then your skin might not react to it. Think back to using skincare products in the past: Have you often struggled with reactivity, especially with many different products? If so, there’s a good chance that you have sensitive skin. Sensitive skin can also combine with other skin types, so even if you already know that your skin is sensitive, it’s still worth doing the test so that you know what you are working with.

Ready to get started with the best skincare products for your skin type? Shop the Lancer Method skin type sets and get free shipping on your domestic U.S. order, no order minimum needed!

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Even people with elaborate skincare routines can forget about their lips — but proper lip care is essential to maintain the health and beauty of your lips. The skin on your lips is quite delicate, and it’s exposed to a lot of stressors through eating, drinking and the weather. This is why so many people struggle with chapped, dry and peeling lips, not just during the winter but throughout the year.

Having a lip care routine is essential for creating the best skincare routine overall. Taking good care of your lips will help to keep them soft, plump and hydrated. It will also help to protect your lips from getting dry and chapped, which can compromise your skin and lead to cracks and scabs. By following a preventative lip care routine, you won’t suddenly find yourself scrambling to heal your cracked lips before a big event. Instead, you’ll enjoy having happy and healthy lips year-round. Here are the steps that you should follow to create a lip care routine!

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How to Create a Lip Care Routine

For starters, you should be cleaning your lips every time you wash your face. If you wear cosmetics products like lipstick or lip gloss, then apply your makeup remover to your lips as well as the rest of your face. Follow it up with a gentle facial cleanser to remove any last traces of dirt and debris. You should apply a lightweight lip balm throughout the day, especially after eating and drinking. This will make a big difference to cracked lips and help prevent your lips from becoming so chapped. 

Since your lips also need to be protected from the sun, just like the rest of your face, you should choose a daily lip balm that has SPF protection and apply it liberally whenever you are exposed to the sun, just like you would any anti-aging sunscreen. You should also wear a lip mask at night to prevent moisture loss and encourage your lips to heal from the stresses of the day. Lip masks are heavier and more nourishing than a typical lip balm, which is why most people wear them only at night.

For added results, you can incorporate a lip serum into your routine such as the Lancer Volume Enhancing Lip Serum. These lip serums are typically designed to have a plumping and smoothing effect, making your lips look more full, minimizing the appearance of fine lines and defining your lip contours. You can use a serum in place of your lip balm or wear it under a lip mask at night if you want to wake up with plump lips. If you get flaky or peeling lips, then they might benefit from some occasional light exfoliation a few times a week. The key here is choosing very gentle exfoliation instead of a harsh scrub or super-strong chemical exfoliator. You can buy one at the beauty store or make your own at home using sugar and honey if you’re in a DIY mood.

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Other Lifestyle Tips for Healthy Lips

Beyond just wearing SPF lip balm, you should also protect your face by wearing a broad-brimmed hat that covers the lower half of your face in shadow. Seek shade whenever you are outside and try to avoid the sun when the rays are at their strongest, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day. If you are going outside in the winter, use a scarf to cover your mouth to protect your lips from the wind and snow. Using a humidifier when you sleep at night will put water back into the air and soothe all kinds of chapped skin, including your lips.

To hydrate your lips from the inside out, be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. After eating food or drinking flavored beverages, you should also wipe your lips clean so that no lingering particles can potentially cause irritation. Try to avoid licking or touching your lips, especially if they are already cracked or scabbed, as this behavior will only aggravate them.

Ready to give your lips some extra love? Browse lip care products from Lancer and get free shipping on all domestic U.S. orders! All of our products come with a 30-day money-back guarantee so that you can ship with confidence. That’s how much we believe in our lip care products! Try them today to see and feel the difference in your skin.

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Nobody’s skin tone is perfectly even, so it’s normal to have some spots on your face that are a shade lighter or a shade darker than the rest of it — or a slightly different texture. However, some people develop patches that are noticeably different from the rest of their face, and sometimes even makeup won’t cover it. Here’s what you need to know about the causes of uneven skin tone on the face and how to treat it.

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Causes of Uneven Skin Tone on Face

First of all, you need to figure out what is causing your uneven skin tone. There are many potential causes of uneven skin tone, including sunburn, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, melasma, dry skin, pollution and more. Without identifying the underlying cause(s) of your uneven skin tone, your treatment attempts might not be effective — or worse; they might even exacerbate the problem.

Hyperpigmentation can manifest in multiple ways, including sunspots and dark spots left behind after acne lesions or cuts have healed. Melasma is another form of hyperpigmentation that often occurs during pregnancy and manifests as large patches of brown or gray skin. Dry skin patches will have a different texture and sometimes color from the rest of your face, while rosacea patches will look red and flushed instead.

If you’re not sure what is causing the problem, a professional dermatologist can help you figure it out. In fact, getting an annual exam to check for skin cancer and also diseases is an excellent way to prevent uneven skin tone down the line and contribute to overall skin health. When in doubt, it’s always better to go to a dermatologist to get an expert opinion. 

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How to Treat Uneven Skin Tone on Face

When it comes to treating uneven skin tone at home, it’s vital that you don’t pick at your skin. This can lead to scarring, hyperpigmentation and other conditions that can make your uneven skin tone worse. Some of these results, such as scarring, can be difficult to impossible to treat, so it’s wise to take steps to prevent them in the first place. If you tend to pick at acne and cuts, try wearing a hydrocolloid bandage over them to stop yourself.

Next, you should wear quality sunscreen absolutely every day, even if you are sitting inside or the weather is cloudy. UV exposure can make conditions such as rosacea and hyperpigmentation worse, so protecting your face from the sun will help to keep these issues from progressing. When shopping for sunscreen, choose an SPF of at least 30, though higher is better. Ideally, you should get a water-resistant formula that won’t come off at the first sign of sweat. Reapply your sunscreen every two hours when outside in the sun.

We also recommend incorporating a vitamin C serum like our Brightening Booster into your morning routine before you apply your sunscreen. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to protect your skin from free radical damage and may inhibit the production of melanin in the skin as well (melanin is what causes dark spots).

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It’s also important that you exfoliate regularly using a face peel or another chemical exfoliator. Dead skin cell patches will worsen the appearance of dark spots and result in the uneven application of makeup or other facial products, making your face appear patchy. Most people need to exfoliate between one to three times a week depending on their skin type, regardless of whether or not they have uneven skin tone. In fact, exfoliating is so essential that we made it the middle step of our 3-step skincare routines. Exfoliating your face should be done at night since it can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

If your dark spots and unevenness persist, then you might want to take things a step further with a face cream for dark spots. These creams contain concentrated ingredients such as hydroquinone that work to fade dark spots faster via topical application.

If none of these strategies work, then you might need to look into getting professional treatments done at a dermatologist’s or licensed esthetician’s office. Possible options include laser treatments such as IPL, clinical-strength peels, microdermabrasion and more. These treatments are usually more effective than at-home treatments because they involve higher concentrations of ingredients and powerful devices such as medical lasers. However, they also have more potential side effects and recovery times can last for weeks.

Ready to explore dermatologist-developed skincare that you can trust? Order from Lancer Skincare today to get a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee and free shipping within the U.S.

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By now, you probably know that a chemical peel exfoliates your face. But you may be wondering how exactly it accomplishes that exfoliation, especially when you aren’t physically scrubbing at the skin? In this guide, we’ll dive into the science of chemical face peels and explain what your options are when it comes to chemical exfoliation.

What Does a Chemical Peel Do to Your Face?

The answer to “what does a chemical peel do to your face?” lies in the science of skin cells. The top layer of your skin is called the epidermis, and it constantly sheds dead skin cells. In fact, you lose about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells off the surface of your skin every minute of every day. This means that your top layer of skin completely replaces itself every two to four weeks. That’s a lot of dead skin cells!

Most of these dead skin cells wash away in the shower, but some of them stay behind, stuck to the rest of your skin with molecular level bonds that act like glue. This can lead to clogged pores, dry patches, flakes, rough texture, and other unpleasant side effects. Getting a chemical peel will help to remove these dead skin cells faster, revealing smooth, glowing skin underneath.

Chemical peels work to get rid of these dead skin cells by temporarily changing the pH of your skin in a way that allows these bonds to dissolve. Your skin normally has a pH of around 5.5, while a chemical peel temporarily lowers it to a pH of around 3.8. This temporary rise in acidity loosens the cells that hold dead skin cells onto the healthy ones, allowing them to be washed away and promoting the growth of new skin cells.

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What Chemical Peel Options Do You Have?

There are many different kinds of acids used in chemical peels, as well as various combinations thereof. These fall into two different categories: alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). Popular AHAs include glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, and more. Popular BHAs include salicylic acid and sometimes citric acid as well. AHAs are used to address a wide range of conditions, including enlarged pores, fine lines, uneven skin tone, mild hyperpigmentation, and more. BHAs are mostly used to address acne as well as sun damage. Sometimes you can find chemical peels that combine AHAs and BHAs together, so you can get the benefits of both types of acids.

Professional acid face peels are available in dermatologist and aesthetician offices and come in three different levels of strengths: light, medium, and deep. Light chemical peels require little to no downtime and only remove cells from the top layer of skin. Medium chemical peels remove skin cells from both the epidermis and the top of the dermis; recovery can take up to a week and may require downtime. Deep chemical peels remove even more layers of skin cells and typically require a pre-treatment routine as well as significant downtime.

You can also get at-home chemical peel products like those offered by Lancer Skincare. These at-home glycolic acid peels are available in milder leave-on formulations as well as stronger wash-off treatments. They can be used between one to three times a week depending on the formulation and your skin’s tolerance for exfoliation.

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What Are the Benefits of Chemical Peels?

Chemical peels can be used to address many different skin conditions. At-home or light chemical peels are best for removing dry or flaking patches, smoothing out skin texture, addressing mild acne, and mitigating fine wrinkles. Medium chemical peels can help to treat skin discoloration, age spots, acne scarring, and fine to moderate wrinkles. Deep chemical peels are used for more severe acne scarring, blotchy or sun damaged skin, and moderate wrinkles.

Your dermatologist will be able to tell you whether or not a chemical peel can address your skincare concerns, and, if so, what type of acid and level of peel would be most appropriate for you. But you don’t have to go to an aesthetician office to reap the benefits of a chemical peel — you can start doing them at home with skincare products like those offered by Lancer Skincare.

Developed by celebrity dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer and based on tried-and-true ingredients, our chemical peels are a great way to incorporate exfoliating into your weekly routine. Like all our products, our chemical peels come with a 100% satisfaction and ship free within the U.S. Try our chemical peels today to see and feel the difference in your skin!