Dr. Luigi Polla's Top Skin Care Tips for Healthy, Younger-Looking Skin

After treating thousands of patients over nearly four decades, our Founder Swiss dermatologist Dr. Luigi L. Polla has learned that healthy skin isn't built on complicated routines or fleeting trends. It's the result of consistent daily habits practiced over time. Here are the skin care principles he recommends to nearly every patient—and continues to follow himself.

Protect Your Skin

1. No smoking. Ever. It increases the presence of free radicals in your skin, accelerates aging, gives your skin a leathery look, and creates terrible upper lip wrinkles.
2. SPF daily. From January 1^st to December 31^st. When it rains, When it snows. Every. Single. Day. No excuses, no exceptions. 
3. Don’t go to a tanning salon. Tanning beds are not safe and will cause UV damage. Read more about other SPF myths here. 

Prevent Wrinkles Before They Form

1. No straws. They are bad for the environment and bad for your upper lip wrinkles.
2. Sleep on your back. And yes, you can teach yourself to do it. Even if you sleep half the night on your back, your face and décolleté wrinkles will thank you. (Dr. Polla can always tell how a woman sleeps by looking at her facial wrinkles… deeper on the side you sleep on). 
3. If you’re old enough to drink, you’re old enough for a good anti-aging eye cream. Prevention is key, and the skin around the eyes is so thin it needs more help and earlier help than the rest of our face.
4. Your face ends at your décolleté, not at your jawline. Treat your neck and bust as you do your face, with effective anti-aging products and SPF every day. Nothing is worse than your face saying “I am 37” and your décolleté saying “I am 44.” Read more about how to prevent "tech neck" here. 

Treat Your Skin Kindly

1. Wear less “skin” makeup (ie foundation, powder, concealer, etc.) as you age. Take care of your skin and let your natural beauty show through.
2. Leave your pimples alone. Don’t ever pick at them, don’t do your own extractions. All that will accomplish is scarring.

Partner with Skin Care Professionals 

1. Go see your dermatologist at least once a year. Get your moles checked, and whatever anti-aging treatment makes you look the age you feel. 
2. Invest in regular facials. Trust your skin care professional over Tik Tok. 

Healthy Habits for Healthy Skin

1. Drink water. Your skin is as much a reflection of what you put on it as what you put in your body.
2. Exercise. It’s great for your body, but also great for your skin.
3. Choose to be happy. It shows on your skin.