“You’re doing too much." This is probably my most used phrase at The Studio. And listen, I get it. When you’re struggling with acne or texture or any other problematic skin issue, you just want to fix it and you’ll try anything to do that. But what ends up happening is people try too many things at once, and it can be hard to tell which products are working and which ones aren’t. Enter: The Skin Diet.

When I start working with a new acne client at The Studio, we often start with a Skin Diet. Well, before that, we actually start with a mini interview. Our first appointment is really just an in-depth “get to know you” session where I ask: Who are you, where do you work, what do you do for a living, and what are your stress levels? Then we get into makeup, haircare, and skincare. It’s really about looking at who you are and how that shows up in your skin. Once I have that information, I start my detective work to try to find the root of these concerns. And the best way to do it a lot of the time is to take your routine down to nothing.

And I mean nothing. In the beginning, I take clients off all of their actives and topicals and I put them on a really boring routine consisting of a really gentle cleanser, a really boring SPF, and a moisturizer in the evening, and I’ll have them stick to that for two solid weeks. (Also key: don’t pick at anything, don’t take photos, don’t touch your skin. I just want to see your baseline.) When they come back after those two weeks, I have a more clear idea of what’s really going on. Maybe their barrier is compromised or they’ve got inflammatory hormonal acne. Is it inflammatory acne, or non-inflamed acne, subtype 2 rosacea? The list goes on…

Once I know what we’re working with, then I put them on the Skin Diet. It’s super simple: a cleanser, a treatment product targeted for their specific issue, a moisturizer for their skin type, and an SPF. We keep it super simple and boring, and we do this for one month. After that month, we can finally play with their routine a bit and go from clearing their skin to optimizing their results.

It may seem like a long time, but the truth is that this is not something that you can do overnight. A lot of people expect instant results these days, but if you want to have long term results, you have to take it slow. Realistically, it’s going to take around 12 weeks to see lasting results and it is a process.

I see how important it is to keep things simple at The Studio because a simple routine is so much easier for clients to be consistent with. I’m biased, but I love The System to mimic the Skin Diet at home if you can’t make it to The Studio. I designed it to be simple, effective, and great for all skin types so you can simplify your routine at home and find out what’s working (or not) for you. The point of the Skin Diet is to get your skin to base level, figure out how to clear it, and then maintain it going forward.

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TL;DR? HERE'S HOW TO DO THE SKIN DIET AT HOME
Days 1-14: Stop all actives and simplify with a gentle cleanser and moisturizer. Always wear SPF in the day.

Days 15-45: Cleanse. Treat. Hydrate. If you’re not sure what to use, err on the side of caution. I like a gentle cleanser, mandelic acid as the treatment step, and a non-comedogenic moisturizer to be safe. Continue using SPF for daytime as your final step.

Days 46, on: Begin adding in booster products as you like, or try changing up one step at a time according to your skin’s needs. Ex: If you need more hydration, add in a hydrating serum or try a new moisturizer.

Maintenance: Be consistent, stick with what works, and try one new thing at a time. Discontinue what you hate, continue what you love!