Spending and Skincare, with Dermatology Nurse Practitioner Elizabeth Russeau

Taking care of your skin is important, but it can also be expensive. From high-end creams to specialized treatments, the costs can add up quickly. If you’re nearing thirty or in your thirties, you’re also probably being bombarded with promises of how new products will transform your skin and prevent aging. However, you don't need to break the bank to achieve healthy, glowing skin. There are plenty of affordable options available that can still provide effective results. We sat down with Elizabeth Rousseau, board-certified nurse practitioner working in dermatology, to get the inside scoop on where to save and splurge on skincare.

Learn more from Elizabeth at https://elizabethrusseaunp.com/ and shop her Amazon store here

How do you prioritize the different steps in your skincare routine when you're trying to save money? 

Regardless of if you're trying to save money or not, I think everyone should start with the basics. Everybody needs a moisturizer, a cleanser, and a sunscreen. That's the priority. And then, depending on what your goals are you don't have to do a thousand different things.

If you’re focusing on anti-aging, I would start with what's most evidence-based, which is a retinol or a retinoid and slowly start building. Ultimately I think less is more -  just having your three core products that I just mentioned is a great start. And then if you want to add active ingredients, I would do between one and three. 

What are active skincare ingredients? Can you still find affordable brands that include those?

Active ingredients are the ingredients in skincare products that are intended to treat or target a specific problem. An example of an active ingredient would be retinol. Retinols are great active ingredients to add into your routine because they have so many skin benefits such as prevent signs of aging, even skin tone, brighten the skin, and reduce breakouts. If you’re looking for retinol, the brand depends on your skin type. If you're acne prone or oily, the best thing that you can buy is Differin Gel. The name of the ingredient is adapalene. It used to be prescription, but became available over the counter maybe four or five years ago. That’s the strongest retinoid that you can get over the counter with no prescription at the drugstore, very inexpensive.

If you have very dry, sensitive skin, I really like the Cerave Retinol Resurfacing Serum. That’s a good one. So is the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Relief Cream.

So cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen and potentially active ingredients. Where do you fall on the Supergoop versus dupe (like Trader Joe’s) sunscreen debate? 

I have not tried any Trader Joe's skincare. However I just picked up the Elf Suntouchable! Whoa Glow. It looks exactly like the Supergoop Glow Screen and was around $7.  I think the most important thing about sunscreen is that it’s one you enjoy.

If you enjoy a cheaper sunscreen, I have absolutely no problem with it. The main thing that you want to look for is ideally SPF 30 and above. If it's less than that, don't buy it. You also want it to cover both UVA and UVB rays, so it will say broad spectrum. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

Are there particular brands of moisturizer or cleanser that you’d recommend?

I'm all about saving your money. I use primarily drugstore brands for these myself because they work just as well. So brands that I like from the drugstore are Cerave and Laroche Posay and Vanicream.

So we’ve got the three basics that can be fairly budget friendly. If you wanted to add a specialty product to your routine like a serum or Vitamin C, is that something you should splurge on?

 If you can splurge, the one ingredient to do it on would be your Vitamin C.Vitamin C has a lot of benefits but definitely brightens the skin. It can help with pigmentation and sunspots that you may have, but it also helps to protect you from UV rays and free radical damage.

Is there a brand of Vitamin C that you believe is worth the money?

SkinCeuticals. Yes, it's super expensive and no, you don't need to spend $160 on a serum, but it does work really well. I also really like skinbetter. These companies have a lot of studies to back up what they’re saying and show their efficacy. You can tell both brands have products that contain really high quality ingredients.

Where does Vitamin C fit into the skincare routine? 

In the morning after you wash your face and before you moisturize.

Let’s say you wanted to go to the spa and get a service. Which services are worth it?

So I think it really comes down to what your goals are. Let’s say you have brown spots or little red spots and you want to even out your skin tone. I would say don't waste your money on a facial because that's not going to change your pigment. I would say invest your money in doing a round of laser treatments because you're actually going to see improvement with that. If your main concern is the lines, I'll tell you, don't waste your time doing a facial, do Botox.

Are there any skincare habits or lifestyle changes that you would recommend to improve skin health without spending a lot of money on particular products or services?

I know this sounds dumb, but diet. If you eat a very inflammatory diet that can show up on your skin. Eating a lot of nutrient-dense foods is key. Fruits, vegetables, drinking lots of water, and limiting alcohol all helps to improve your skin.

In addition to sunscreen, wearing a hat is one of the best things you can do to protect your face, scalp, and ears. I mean, you have to buy the hat, but it’s something you’ll get long term use out of it. And, ultimately, sun protection is the most important thing any of us can do for our skin. Some other free, easy things that come to mind include changing out your pillowcases, using a clean hand towel to dry your face, avoid putting your face directly under the water stream in the shower, cleaning your electronics daily, and limit touching your face as much as possible. 

When there are so many new products and at-home devices coming on the market, how do you choose which to purchase?

I’m very skeptical and don’t jump on anything brand new when it comes to ingredients or devices. That’s why I like to recommend retinol because it’s been around for years and is evidence based. We have years of data to show its efficacy versus many of these newer trending ingredients we see on the market today. So with newer ingredients, I tend to take a wait and see approach. 

As far as skin care devices go, those are really a luxury. If you’re on a strict budget and trying to save, you really don’t need these things. Some things you really don’t need are cleansing devices, ice rollers, etc. There is some evidence behind LED masks, specifically the Dr. Dennis Gross because it has blue light (for acne) and red light (for wrinkles). If you’re someone who can be very consistent and you manage your expectations, that might be worth investing in.

It sounds like you don’t need a ton to have glowing skin.

No, I really think we need to be doing less. I think there’s so much on the market and people often get overwhelmed and confused and an influencer told them to buy something, so they do. When you don’t know how things work together, it can cause more harm than good.

To recap, I would say save on cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Invest in a good hat because that’s going to be the best protection for your face. If you can splurge on one item I would say Vitamin C, if you can splurge on two, retinol, and if you can splurge on three, exfoliant. You can find a good exfoliant at the drugstore - if you want something somewhat comparable to the Dr. Dennis Gross pads, Target has this brand called UrbanRX. They have clarifying pads that have AHAs and BHAs in a pad form, which are significantly less expensive than the Dr. Dennis Gross ones.

That’s an amazing dupe! Do you have any others?

Okay, last question. What’s the one product you cannot live without if you only have budget for one?

My personal favorite product is EltaMD UV Elements Sunscreen. It’s a tinted sunscreen that provides very light coverage, it’s moisturizing, and just works really well for my skin type. I wear it every day and continue to reach for it, despite all the other sunscreens I have to try. So I would say, it’s the one product I cannot live without. Again, I think the most important tip is to find a sunscreen that you love and wear it daily. It may take some trial and error with different products to see what works best for you, but just remember that daily sun protection is the most important thing you can be doing for your skin.