Dermatologist's Ultimate Beauty Hacks for Glowing Skin | Dr. Sam Ellis

文章要点：

• The importance of contouring with fake tanner for a natural glow.
• Benefits of dermaplaning for radiant skin and flawless makeup.
• Using Polypodium Leuckatomos supplements for UV protection.
• Incorporating collagen powder into your diet for skin health.
• Improving skin health with exfoliating toners after showering.
• Always be prepared with a skincare emergency kit.

Want some dermatologist shortcuts for gorgeous glowing skin? Here are 10 of my favorite beauty hacks. I'm Dr. Sam Ellis and I'm a board-certified dermatologist in Northern California and I'm here to help you understand your skin and find products that work for you. So if you like this type of content, give this video a thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe.

I'm gonna jump right into some of my favorite tips for luminous radiant skin, and don't sleep on hack number three because it has made a huge difference in my beauty routine. One thing I really like to do, and not just in the summertime, is to contour my face a little bit with fake tanner.

I don't apply self-tanner to my full body throughout the year. It's definitely something I do more in the summer months. But I do like to do this sort of contouring with my fake tanner throughout the year because I feel like it just adds a little more life and warmth to my face without having to have the UV radiation factor in.

Especially if you're someone who doesn't wear a lot of makeup or doesn't like to wear makeup every day. Having a little bit of natural contour—well, natural contour with your fake tan—can look really nice and it adds dimension to your face without having to use something like bronzer.

Even if I'm going in and applying a fake tan to my entire body, I still do this contouring technique when I'm doing my face. I bring it sort of around the periphery of my face, a little bit on my cheekbones, a little bit over my nose, and sometimes on my chin as well. Kind of like the high points of my face where the sun would naturally hit rather than going in and applying fake tanner to my entire face which sometimes just looks fake.

I've done this with a variety of different self-tanning products over the years, but there are kind of two that I find myself reaching for the most now. One is a brand called Salty Face. They call it their tanning water. This is something that they say you can use over your moisturizer as part of your skincare routine. So it's just adding a little bit of tint on a day-to-day basis.

If you want it to be part of your consistent beauty routine and do it every day, you could. But I actually find myself reaching more for my Bondi Sands One Hour Tanning Foam. The way that I use this is in the evening if I'm going to be doing my contour, and I probably only do this, like, once a week.

About an hour before I'm gonna go in and do my nighttime skincare routine, I'll wash my face, apply the tanning contour, let it sit—not even for a full hour, maybe like 45 minutes—and then go wash it off and do the remainder of my nighttime skincare routine.

I personally love this tanning foam. One, because it works really fast. But two, it's not too orange. It doesn't look like you have makeup on your face. It doesn't look unnatural on your skin tone, and I feel like it just brings some life to my skin.

If you're going to try this technique, having sort of a light hand or not letting your tanning foam sit too long on your face is where I would start out. You can always deepen it up later on. But because that tan is going to settle on your skin for several days, you want to make sure that you've mastered the distribution and how dark it is and go slow.

And I also want to say that tanning foams are totally safe to use on your face. People will often ask, "Can you recommend a good self-tanner for the face?" Any self-tanner that you use on your body, you can also use on your face. That's completely fine.

Another beauty hack I love that really levels up what your skin looks like is dermaplaning. At its core, dermaplaning is shaving your face, but it adds this really nice exfoliation factor to that. If you've never dermaplaned, I have a couple of great YouTube videos that give you step-by-step instructions on how to do this successfully.

I do it because, like most women, I grow some light peach fuzz on my face, and I'm blonde. It's not like it's very pigmented hair, but in the right light, my face can look a little bit fuzzy. Honestly, when I'm wearing a fuller face of makeup, that makeup can tend to cling to those little baby hairs on my face.

By dermaplaning once a month—I probably do it once a month. In a perfect world, I’d do it every couple of weeks. But it really helps make the skin look more radiant. It helps the light reflect better off the skin, and it really makes your makeup look absolutely seamless.

I feel like after I started dermaplaning, I really just couldn't go back because it made my skin look so much better. So if it's something you've sort of been intrigued by, I certainly encourage you to check it out. Dermaplaning can be done professionally in a clinical setting. For example, in my office, we offer dermaplaning, but you can also do it at home under good guidance.

One thing I've added to my dermaplaning routine that's not included in the YouTube tutorials that I already have out there is I've started incorporating hypochlorous acid in the beginning to cleanse my face as well as in the end to soothe it. I've been using the one from my brand, Prequel, but there are other hypochlorous acid sprays out there as well.

Beauty hack number three, and I'm so curious if any of you do this as well, is taking a Polypodium Leuckatomos supplement. This comes from a fern, so it's a plant-based ingredient that offers antioxidant properties that help with UV protection. When you take this as a supplement, it's an oral form; you can take it as a pill, it also comes in gummy form, and it offers additional UV protection that extends beyond what your sunscreen or UPF clothing could offer.

The two brands I've tried and used in the past are Heliocare, and currently, I've been taking Inner Glow vitamins. These are little gummies and they're just delicious. Now, this isn't something I take on a daily basis, though I could. I usually reserve taking these for days when I'm going to be out with extended sun exposure.

If I'm going on a hike or I'm going to the beach or I'm gonna be on a sunny vacation, those supplements are coming with me. These supplements have a rather immediate effect. So I usually take it the morning of when I'm going to be doing those activities.

I've been taking a Polypodium Leuckatomos supplement for years, but I did not take it when I was pregnant and when I was breastfeeding. It's just not studied in those populations and it wasn't something I personally felt comfortable with. That being said, I have plenty of fellow dermatologist friends who did take it during those times in their life.

So you have to kind of do what works for you. My next beauty hack is that I use collagen powder as my protein powder of choice. I feel like getting enough protein is just something I've always struggled with. I've tried lots of different protein powders over the years—whey-based, pea protein—and collagen protein powder is something that has just really agreed with my body and I've really liked the results.

I have a YouTube video that goes into the science of oral collagen supplementation and how it's been shown to benefit the skin in terms of wrinkle reduction and hydration. For a long time, we thought, like, "Is taking oral collagen sort of voodoo? Does it actually work?" But there have been some really nice systematic reviews that have consistently shown that collagen does benefit your skin health.

So for me, it's kind of like two birds, one stone. I'm getting the protein that I would want to get in my diet but struggle to get through regular food sources, plus this added collagen boost. The two collagen powder brands that I've probably used the most over the years are the one by Vital Proteins as well as the one by Sports Research.

I tend to reach for the one by Vital Proteins just because you can get it in quite a large container, it's affordable, and easily accessible online as well as at large retailers like Target and Costco. There are lots of different ways you can consume collagen powders. Some people like to mix it into their coffee or yogurt.

I tend to blend it into a smoothie. My sort of typical collagen powder smoothie also has spinach, berries, lime, banana, and chia seeds. So things like spinach are gonna offer vitamin K, you're gonna get vitamin C from the limes, and a bunch of antioxidants and fiber from the berries.

This is sort of like my overall health and skin-boosting smoothie. I'll put my recipe for this in the description box. Now, my next beauty hack isn't something that actually makes your skin healthier, but it makes your skin look healthier. I actually have it right here; I used it to do my makeup today before the video, but it's the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette.

This powder is so beautiful on the skin. I use it as my kind of finishing powder, almost like a setting powder and it just adds a nice luminosity to the skin, but it's not glittery. I feel like whenever I use this, I get compliments on my skin. I know in my heart of hearts that I haven't done anything new to my skincare except put on that very nice makeup setting powder.

I don't think they really advertise it as a setting powder, and you wouldn't wanna use a heavy hand with this, but just like a little light dusting over the top of your makeup, everywhere on your face looks really nice. There are three different colors, and I just sort of blend them all together and apply broadly.

I remember when I was first going to purchase this palette, it came at the recommendation of one of my makeup artist friends, and I thought, "Oh my gosh, this is kind of expensive." But I've also had that palette for multiple years, and it's still going strong; I use it a lot, so it's been a very nice investment.

Now, I do have some beauty hacks that actually involve improving the health of your skin. One of those is that I really like to apply an exfoliating toner after I get out of the shower. So much in beauty, we think about exfoliating our face to help give it more glow and help with hyperpigmentation, but bringing that toner down onto the body does so much.

For this, I tend to reach for a toner that comes in quite generous or large packaging. One of my favorites is the Medicare Press and Glow Toner. It's so gentle. It comes in a nice big package, kind of just sprinkle several shakes into my hand, and then I apply it to my arms and chest; I'll do a few more shakes for my torso and my legs.

This Medicaid toner has polyhydroxy acids, specifically gluconolactone. The nice thing about polyhydroxy acids, when you compare them to alpha hydroxy acids or beta hydroxy acids, is they are very, very gentle and super hydrating. I feel like some people are not great about putting on lotion or moisturizer after they get out of the shower, but they do struggle with dry skin.

The nice thing about a toner like this is you can apply it and hydrate your skin but not have to go in with a full lotion routine. So if you're kind of looking for something where you can do the bare minimum but still help your skin look glowy and feel moisturized, this is really nice.

Now, if you want a little more of a kick out of your exfoliant and something that's a little more potent, I also really like the Reen exfoliator. It comes in this big bottle. It has alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids, so glycolic acid and salicylic acid.

Again, I just sort of shake it into my palms. I actually like to leave this in my shower. So I finish my shower, blot myself off with my towel, and then I go in with this. This one does have a little bit of a tingle when you apply it to the skin, but it's still gentle enough that I feel comfortable applying it sort of neck down.

After applying these exfoliants, you could go in and add a moisturizer. In an ideal world, you are doing that. But something I've just come to know about myself is that once I'm done with my shower and I'm out, I feel done with taking care of myself for a minute, and I don't always go in and moisturize. Having this step in the shower has made a really big difference.

As the dermatologist here, I do want to remind you that if you are exfoliating your skin anywhere on your face or body, it does make it more sensitive to the sun. So if you are going through the trouble of applying an exfoliant on your body, you also need to be sun protecting so that your skin doesn't get damaged.

The other nice thing about using some type of exfoliant on the entire body, aside from giving you glowy skin, is these often will help lighten hyperpigmentation. If you have darker folds, for example, in the groin or armpits, or on your knees or elbows, which is really common, or if you have little dark marks from bug bites or acne blemishes that are fading, this can help fade those more.

I love what regular exfoliation does for your skin. Actually, my next beauty hack also relates to exfoliation, which is using any type of exfoliating wipe. For example, I really like the Dr. Dennis Gross peel pads, but what I've found over the years of trying these is that they often have a lot more in them than what can just be used on the face.

So taking that wipe down onto the chest, neck, hands, and sometimes even the arms or the booty—like, use that pad all the way up. Don't let that juice go to waste. I travel a lot for work, and I'm never going to be packing up my liquid exfoliants. I love peel pads, especially for being on the go.

Part of my nighttime beauty routine when I get to my hotel is I wash my face, use my exfoliation pad kind of everywhere, and then I proceed with my routine. That's something that keeps my skin looking good on the go because especially with travel, I tend to get clogged pores and my skin just acts up a little bit. This sort of helps regulate it.

I just have a few more hacks for you, but if you're liking this video, definitely give it a thumbs up. My next beauty hack is sort of like a multitasking beauty routine. If you've been on my channel for a while, you know that I love my red light Omni Luxe mask that helps with rejuvenation, fine lines, and wrinkles.

It also helps calm my skin, so that is part of a 10-minute routine that I do every day. Something I have added to doing that is legs up the wall. This involves me laying down with my legs up against a wall, and then I have my red light mask on, and that mask takes 10 minutes to use.

By putting your legs above your heart, you're essentially draining a lot of the fluid and the blood that has pooled in the feet and ankles over the course of the day. As a dermatologist in clinic, I am on my feet a lot, and allowing that time for my feet to drain just feels so relaxing.

Now, I'm at the age where I start to get a little bit of swelling in my feet when I've been on my feet all day, and this helps relieve some of the swelling and reduce my risk of worsening the varicose veins that I'm already starting to get. That little 10-minute routine is incredibly restorative. Yes, it's a beauty hack because it's helping with my skin and it's helping with the skin on my legs and my circulation.

But it also feels sort of like a mental hack too because it's 10 minutes where I can't be doing anything else, and it's so relaxing. My final two beauty hacks have to do with always being prepared to take care of your skin. One is I started making my own makeup wipes for when I travel.

What I do is take a Ziploc bag, put in two cotton pads for every day that I'm going to be gone, because I usually need two cotton pads to remove my makeup. Then I pour my Bioderma micellar water into that Ziploc bag so that those cotton pads are saturated. I love using micellar water to take my makeup off on a day-to-day basis, but it doesn't travel well.

So having these pre-soaked pads is perfect. I only make the number of pads that I'm going to use in that single trip because ideally, you're not putting your makeup products or skincare products into alternative packaging. It messes with the preservation system, and you start running the risk of growing bacteria or mold.

My final beauty skincare hack is that I always have a skincare emergency kit in my purse. This goes in its own separate bag, so it's very easy to move from purse to purse depending on what I'm wearing that day. It's not very big or particularly extensive, but it has a lot of the things that I reach for when it comes to taking care of my skin on a day-to-day basis.

It only has five things in it: SPF, lip balm, band-aids, pimple patches, and some form of anti-itch cream. As a dermatologist, I always have backup sunscreen to reapply. I've had people tell me that they keep their sunscreen in the car, but the problem with that is that the UV radiation and heat break down that sunscreen and make it less effective.

So it's much better to have your sunscreen with you and take it on the go. Lip balm, band-aids, and pimple patches are kind of self-explanatory. I don't break out a lot, but when I do, I find it immensely frustrating. Even as a dermatologist who knows better, it's very hard to keep my fingers off that pimple. So I really like to have a pimple patch that I can just throw on there.

It's out of sight, out of mind. As for the anti-itch cream, this could be as simple as 1% over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream. As a dermatologist, I have a prescription steroid that I like to use, but the whole benefit of that is that if I'm on the go and I get a little bug bite or a little eczema flare-up or something like that, I can apply that anti-itch cream as needed so that I don't scratch and harm my skin.

I'm one of those people that if I have something that is itchy, I cannot leave it alone. It absolutely drives me wild. So having some type of backup anti-itch cream is amazing, particularly if I'm traveling or I'm not going to be home with my normal skincare stuff. Those are some of my favorite beauty hacks for my skin.

I'm curious if you have tried any of these or you have any beauty hacks of your own? Please share them in the comments. Thank you so much for being here. Don't forget to give this video a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel, and I'll see you next time.