SKIN CARE TIPS

After enduring makeup, oil, weather and population all day, your skin needs some tender loving care at night. Even when you're tired, it's worth it to take few minutes to follow these nighttime tips from Lisa Ginn, MD, a cosmetics dermatologist in Chevy Chase.

WASH YOUR FACE AT NIGHT
Don't go to bed until you've cleaned your makeup off your face. If you leave it on, your makeup grinds into your skin all night, causing breakouts and even stretching out the pores, which makes your skin look older.
Ginn recommends an oil based makeup removal, which can handle even waterproof mascara without tugging delicate skin. Use a cotton pad to sweep the makeup remover over your skin. Follow up with a gentle face cleanser.


BOOST COLLAGEN WITH VITAMIN A
As you get older, your skin makes less collagen, which hells keep your skin firm. "If you never stopped making collagen, you would never get a wrinkle, your pores would stay nice and tight." Ginn says "Collagen is the key.". To stimulate collagen production, Ginn recommends appying vitamin A in the form of either a prescription or over-the-counter retinoid every night. As a bonus, retinoid can help lighten brown spots.

APPLY EYE CREAM
The skin around your eyes is thinner than elsewhere on your body, and it becomes even thinner as you age. That can lead to under-eye circles and hollowing. Ginns says to look for an eye cream or serum with vitamin A,C,E or K, which van help repair the skin and lighten dark circles. If you use a serum, you'll need a light eye cream on top of that to keep the skin hydrated.