Skincare in My 30s: Changing Needs + Current Skincare Routine

I first connected with Dr. Jonathan Kulbersh at Carolina Facial Plastics back in 2013 when he was new to Charlotte and establishing his practice. He was an early adopter of the whole social media marketing thing (especially in his field) and invited me to come tour the office, receive a skin analysis and experience a treatment. Little did I know at our first meeting that it would be the start to one of the longest ongoing partnerships that I’ve had on my blog!

CAROLINA FACIAL PLASTICS 

(Photo Deeana Kourtney Photography)

Here we are nearly SEVEN years later and there is no one in Charlotte that I trust more with my face and skin than Dr. Kulbersh and his team. I was 29 years old when we started working together and my skincare needs have changed quite a bit over the years. CFP has guided me through everything from establishing an effective and proactive skincare routine as I entered my 30s to dealing with hormonal acne to battling redness and eczema to adjusting my skin regimen to be safe for pregnancy.

I am 36 now and feeling a little clueless about my skin again after spending the last two and a half years either pregnant or breastfeeding. I was limited in what I could use on my skin and what I could do to my skin during pregnancy and while nursing. After having Finn, my hormones were crazy and things that worked for my skin during pregnancy didn’t work at all anymore. I ended up completely falling off the skincare wagon and just using a hodgepodge collection of things I found at Whole Foods.

I think most of us can agree that you don’t always feel that you’re looking your best when you are taking care of infants and small children due to lack of sleep, hormones and all the fun things. While I have adored the infant and early toddler stages of life, and found breastfeeding to be an overwhelmingly positive experience, I am grateful to be in a space where my body feels like my own again and where I can focus more on feeling like myself and like a woman…and not solely someone’s mom. I hope that reads as well-intentioned as I mean it to be as I think it’s so important for us as women to feel whole and feminine beyond the role of mom. We shouldn’t feel shame for wanting to feel good and look good in our bodies and in our own skin. <3

NAVIGATING SKINCARE IN MY 30S WITH TERRI EDSON AT CAROLINA FACIAL PLASTICS

I was beyond thrilled to reconnect with Dr. Kulbersh a few months ago, and for his offer to help me find my way in this new phase of life. I recently had an appointment with Terri Edson to get my skincare back on track. I have been seeing Terri for years now and she is just the warmest, most open and loving person. I truly enjoy every minute I spend in the room with her. I feel that she truly cares about me, listens to my concerns and offers valuable insights. She can help with acne, aging skin, hyper-pigmentation, fine lines and more. Some of the treatments she offers include chemical peels, dermaplane, micro needling and laser treatments.

During our time together, Terri put together a new skincare regimen for me and recommended a series of microneedling and laser treatments in 2020.

Here’s a look at my new skincare routine!

MY AM SKINCARE ROUTINE

1. CFP Simply Cleanse with Green Tea Polyphenols, Emblica, Bisabolo – this is a gentle cleanser that I can use anytime that won’t overly strip moisture away from my face. I have to wash my face a little more frequently than the average woman because of how much I teach/sweat.
2. CFP Quench – this is a hyaluronic acid serum that is amazing for hydration.
3. Sente Illumine Eye Cream – Clinically proven to diminish the appearance of dark circles, lines, wrinkles and puffiness around the eye area.
4. SkinBetter Alto Defense Serum – Daily antioxidant protection and improvement of the appearance of uneven tone and redness.
5. SkinBetter Interfuse Treatment Cream – Improving the appearance of skin sagging, lines and wrinkles.

6. sunbetter™ TONE SMART SPF 68 Sunscreen Compact – A new category of 100% mineral-active sun protection in a tone-adapting compact that provides a hint of color. I am obsessed with this mineral sun protection and it gives me surprisingly awesome and natural coverage! I don’t even have to use another foundation or BB cream.

MY PM SKINCARE ROUTINE

1. SkinBetter Refresh Cleansning Oxygen Infusion Wash – A multi-tasking cleanser with slow-releasing alpha hydroxy acids and an infusion of oxygen to purify and refresh.
2. CFP Quench – Hyaluronic Acid
3. Sente Illumine Eye Cream
4. SkinBetter Alto Defense Serum
5. SkinBetter AlphaRet Overnight Cream – A unique combination of an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) and a retinoid that provides visible skin rejuvenation with little-to-no irritation. This is THE best retinol cream that I have ever used. I have been able to use it every single day since starting it with ZERO irritation, redness or flakiness/peeling.
6. SkinBetter Interfuse Treatment Cream

These routines might sound long but I assure you that they are quick and easy and I look forward to doing them because my skin feels so good after!

Here’s a before and after from just four weeks of using the new regimen. One of my biggest concerns was perioral redness (around my mouth) and I cannot believe how much it’s improved in just one month! I am wearing no makeup and have no filters in either photo. I tried to shoot them both in the same place, with the same lighting, at the same time of day. You can see that they were taken weeks apart thanks to my gray roots. Haha. I think my skin looks brighter, smoother and less red in the second photo. I’m excited to continue this routine!

*Note: I did have some Dysport and filler in the second photo and I’ll be writing a post about that soon! 

HOW TO WORK WITH TERRI AND CAROLINA FACIAL PLASTICS

Terri says that if you can only use two products on your skin, make it sun protection and a retinol. If you’d like to chat with her about your skincare needs, she’s available for in-person or phone/FaceTime consultations. I’ve referred her to readers around the country in years past so no worries if you’re not here in Charlotte! Terri can totally work with your unique concerns and your personal budget to offer a skincare routine that gives you the most bang for your investment. You can call the office at (704) 579-6721 to book with Terri or email her at [email protected].

I can’t wait to share more with you about the injectables that I had recently at CFP to help with my jaw clenching and under eye circles. That post is coming soon but in the meantime let me know if you have questions you’d like for me to answer about skincare or injectables.

QUESTIONS

What is your current skincare routine? 

What’s your biggest skin/skincare concern? 

Did your skin change after kids? 

I receive complimentary treatments and products as part of my ongoing, long-term partnership with Carolina Facial Plastics. The words, opinions and glowing recommendations are my own.