By Pooja Suganthan, Staff Writer
Maintaining a healthy skin care routine requires time, research, and effort. Many Townsend Harris students prioritize their skin care routines and have put in the time to ensure that their skin is functioning and looking its best.
“I use a skincare routine because if I skip it, I tend to have small breakouts. My skin also either feels tight or oily and it is overall an uncomfortable experience. I feel grimy as the day goes on if I skip my skincare routine,” explained senior Deborah Kong. “It also gives me a sense of satisfaction because I know I’m doing something that will benefit my skin’s health and help me in the long run. A skincare routine now will help prevent wrinkles in the future.”
Others tend to blame stress from college applications for their use of skin care products. “I got cystic acne in senior year because [of] stress from college [applications]” said senior Cindy Guan.
Yet, some like senior Julia Dolega share that they have seen changes after using their skin care routines. Julia stated, “I definitely break out less often. I only get a few pimples on the areas near my chin and occasionally one or two on my forehead, but it’s decreased a lot since I’ve started paying attention and using products.”
Senior Shivani Persaud shared that her mother’s “extensive skin care routine heavily influenced [her] to create [her own].” Shivani shared her routine: “I usually use Olay Daily Facial Wipes to take off makeup; plus it’s a 4-in-one cleanser that cleans your face at the same time. I use a Caudalie eye cream and Fresh Lotus Preserve Youth moisturizer in the morning and before bed. Before putting on makeup, I hydrate with a simple rosewater/aloe spray and keep hydrating with a Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist throughout the day. It’s pretty extensive and everyone has their own routine, but getting into the groove of it is easy.”
Others, like sophomore Kelly Cheng, use a lot of Korean skincare products. “One of the most popular and definitely one of my favorites is the Cosrx Gentle Morning Cleanser,”she said.
Some, like freshman Sai Choudari, try “not to use a lot of store bought products but rather homemade facial products. “I find that store bought products dry out your skin and have harsh chemicals,” Sai said.
Sophomore Syed Ali believes that “a skin care routine is important because it allows you to wash away and heal all the funk away from your face. Some people even use it as a method of relaxation.” His own skincare routine consists of cleansing, “which helps increase blood flow and keeps away pores,” exfoliating, “which [he does] every 2-3 days to full rid of the pollution left on [his] skin,” and moisturizing “which keeps [his] skin hydrated and barricaded from further breakouts.”
Freshman Asha Suganthan said, “My skin care routine is pretty simple. I like to use St. Ivess Natural Exfoliating Scrub, along with natural face masks.”
Much like other students, junior Taseen Amin feels that often times skin care routines are not worth the effort. He stated, “I don’t [have] a skincare routine because I feel that my skin is smooth enough and I don’t really need to keep spending money to care for my skin.”
While some can keep up with strict, time consuming skincare routines, senior Christopher Thomas “used to have one, but he gave up because [he] was too lazy.”
Yet, according to senior Savion Teerath, “consistency is key because the one day you skip can affect everything and throw off the balance of your facial health.” Savion’s routine consists of “washing [his] face in the morning with a benzoyl peroxide wash and then clindamycin gel at night.” He also washes his “face with bar soap and, after an hour, puts retinoid cream, and exfoliates with a washcloth in the shower once a week.”
Many seniors had great advice for those who want to start their own skin care routines. Senior Deborah Kong shared that “YouTubers Asianbeauty and SkincareAddiction are great resources for anyone who doesn’t know where to start.” She also recommends that “For people who can afford it, a dermatologist is the way to go because he/she can professionally treat your skin. A cheaper alternative is Curology, which is essentially a dermatologist who custom makes skincare through an app, although [she has] never tried this [herself].”
Senior Juliet Vasquez has used Curology and explains how her “skin is sensitive, so it’s difficult for [her] to find something that won’t irritate [her] skin and actually works.”
“For the first couple of weeks, my skin got a little bit worse, and I felt discouraged, but this is normal, because your skin isn’t used to those ingredients,” Juliet reported. “Around the third and fourth week mark is when I started to notice a change.” Due to Juliet’s success, she “definitely recommends using Curology because it’s prescribed for you. You fill out a quiz describing your skin and Curology does the rest. It’s worth the money because people don’t realize how much money they spend on skincare.”
Deborah concluded, “A final note for those insecure because of their acne: chances are no one pays as much attention to it as you think, and you are beautiful with or without it.”
