The abridged Korean skin care regimen: not the original 10 steps, but my take home message after years of experimenting in an effort to maintain a no filler no plastic surgery 50+ year old face.

51 years old, no fillers, no plastic surgery, not even laser or chemical peel facials. No filter. Makeup, you bet!!

I am not claiming to be a goddess, or some beauty queen, not a model or anyone even remotely connected to the beauty industry. In this article, I share my simplified version of what I was able to glean, adapt and adopt from the infamous 10 step Korean skin care regimen, that I now include into my skin care routine which I think has served me well over the years.

If you are not familiar with the classic Korean 10 steps, here is a quick summary:

1. An oil or balm cleanser
2. A foaming or gel cleanser
3. An exfoliator (chemical or physical)
4. A toner
5. An Essence
6. A serum or ampule
7. An eye cream
8. A moisturizer
9. A face oil
10. A sunscreen

What follows is what I have learned from this comprehensive and extensive regimen after years of trial and error. In the bold is what I have actually added to my old 5 step basic skin care routine of cleanse, tone, eye cream, serum and a moisturizer.

This is what I currently use on my skin. I am not affiliated to any of these products nor am i recommending them. I just happen to love these at this juncture in my life.

1. A two step face cleanse in the p.m to get my face fully clean especially if I have a full face of makeup on. An oil based cleanser AND a foaming one. The combo gets every scrap of makeup off your face, including stubborn mascara, oil based sunscreens and makeup from the night before. Ever since adopting this 2 step face cleanse, I get little to no breakouts and my pores seem less noticeable. More importantly, this cleanse has passed my white towel test. No trace of makeup on my white towels since adding this little extra step. FYI, in the am, I only splash cold water on my face to cleanse, since my face has already been scrubbed clean the night before.
2. An exfoliator a couple times a week, be it chemical (acids and enzymes) or physical (face cloth and scrubs). I will occasionally use a face scrub a couple of times a week in the shower, and not daily. The scrub that is, not the shower.
3. A toner AND an essence, one I spritz on and the other a slap on. The latter is a trick I learned from watching all those k-dramas, this supposedly increases blood flow to the skin. The difference between a toner and an essence is: toner is basically still part of the cleansing steps, and an essence, even though watery in consistency, is now the first step in the hydrating process. I added essence as I got older and I have had less dry patches on my skin especially in the winter months with all that forced heat in the house. My skin feels more hydrated.
4. An eye cream. Nothing new here. I pick one I like and this changes depending on what Instagram add pops up, everything from anti-wrinkle to brighting, or puffy eyes to dark circles. Dealers choice.
5. A serum. The choice of which type of serum is usually dependent on what skin problem you want to address: sun spots, wrinkles, even acne etc. This step is not particular to Korean skin care , but seems to be a prerequisite to good skin across even western practice. Many people use some sort of retinol, many women swear by it. I personally cannot seem to tolerate it no matter how small a dose I use.
6. A moisturizer of course is a given. Again what I use changes often, and I have tried every fad out there. I tend to use a light one in the summer and a heavier thicker one in the winter based on my skin’s needs.
7. A face oil. In conclusion and as the last step, I use a face oil to seal it all in before bedtime. Moisturizer is a given, but a face oil is definitely a new addition at least for me and it has been a game changer. The reason I am calling that last step a game changer is, not only does it provide that extra moisturizing and sealing of all my previous products but most importantly, it allows my fingers to glide easier over my face while performing some basic face massage/lymphatic drainage. (There are a ton of short free face massage videos on YouTube!)

Some people go so far as to do face yoga to help maintain and tone the muscles of the face. There are actual face yoga apps out there for purchase. I stick with my face massage because face yoga is a time commitment. Not to say that the latter is not effective, but I don’t have the time or the patience for that, since actual yoga itself is still a struggle for me. Again, due to practicality and time constraints, my face “massage”, means that as I apply the products, I am more mindful of their placement and I have adapted a few basic moves that I have gleaned from watching many YouTube videos on the subject and subsequently adopted a few easy ones that target my jawline, cheeks and forehead. This actually brings me a sense of satisfaction and a healthy glow if not necessarily eternal youth. In fact it’s what I look forward to every night before bed. Part of my relaxing nighttime ritual.

It does sound like a lot, but having timed it recently, I found it only takes me about 5–7 minutes every evening. In the morning, there is no double cleanse, just a of cold splash water, then straight to toner, essence, eye cream, serum and moisturizer (my new and improved 5 steps in am). My makeup has sunscreen in it. It’s in both my tinted moisturizer and my face powder, so that is usually taken care of. It goes without saying that sunscreen is a must during the day. It is usually the last step before applying makeup.

As mentioned earlier, my area of expertise is as someone with aging combination skin who has spent years buying and trying some of the most expensive lotions and creams out there looking for ways to maintain the health of her skin, i.e. a regular ol’ middle aged female who works hard for her money who does not believe there is a miracle cream or a fountain of youth but one that highly values regular cleansing, hydrating and protecting her skin to make what the good lord gave her last as long as possible. There are “miraculous” solutions out there, like fillers and plastic surgery, but I am not interested in going under the knife, at least NOT YET.

The goal of this article is not to tell you what brands or products to use or buy, but more to share with you some helpful steps to perhaps incorporate into your preexisting skin care regimen to maintain healthy glowing skin and maybe delay the need for anything too drastic.

A two step cleanse, for a squeaky clean face with smaller pores, an essence to boost hydration , a face oil, to seal in all other products and to allow for a short but sweet nightly face massage to tighten and bring extra blood flow to your skin — your face will thank you.