Last week, a nurse at the V.A. had to double-verify that I was the correct patient for my vitals check because she didn’t believe that I could be the one born in 1968.
This type of thing is a common enough occurrence that I thought I’d address it here, as well as because I’m frequently asked how I take care of my skin.

I’m 56, and the usual assertions still apply: I haven’t had anything done, I don’t wear granny panties, and I don’t listen to A.M. radio stations.

I once got a facial that was included in a spa package that someone gifted me for my birthday. I hated it and never got one again.
Another time, I tried to wear one of those LED red-light face mask things, and I had a panic attack and had to rip it off. I packaged it back up and gave it to a friend.
I used to do facial masks. Eventually, I got lazy and dropped them from my routine.

According to skin care gurus, I do everything wrong.

You’re supposed to get 7-8 hours of sleep in order to have good skin. I get 4-5 hours, if I’m lucky.
You’re supposed to avoid showering in water that’s “too hot.” I shower in water that’s as hot as I can stand it.
Social media influencer skin care trends include buying water filter attachment things that you install on your shower and sink faucets so you don’t assault your skin with tap water. No.
They also say that you should dry your face between layers of skin-care products. No.
Cleanse your skin morning and night. No.
Use toner. No.
Get facial peels, Botox, and fillers. Burn the skin off my face? Inject my face with botulism toxin? Pump foreign materials into my face to change its shape? No, No, and NO.

About that last point: I’m not judging anyone who does these things. Neither am I saying that I’ll never have a change of heart and go for one or all of them, as terrifying as they sound, because that scenario does fall into the realm of possibility. If this ever happens, I’ll come back and let you know my thoughts!

What do I do, then? I’ll start with skin care.
Morning: I don’t cleanse my face in the morning. I drench a washcloth in very warm, almost hot water and press it onto my face just like that, dripping wet, over the sink. I hold it there for a minute or two. This compress soothes my Sjögren’s Syndrome eyes. Then I pat my skin dry and apply serum, eye cream, a mist of water from a small travel-section spray bottle, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Note: I mist water onto my face before applying moisturizer because moisturizers work by locking in moisture that’s on your skin. This is the opposite of what influencers do, with their fanning their faces or blowing their skin dry with little hand-held fans.
Night: Cleanse in the shower with gel cleanser, alternating nights with exfoliating cleanser. I avoid foaming cleansers. Then it’s the serum, eye cream, mist of water, and night cream. Sometimes I use an oil instead of a cream. I’m going to finish my open jar of night cream and then just use oil, I think. I give myself a little facial massage when I put on oil, and it feels like luxury.

The most important product in my routine is sunscreen. I use an SPF 50 mineral facial sunscreen with 24.1% zinc oxide, and I slather it on generously every morning.

Products:
I have a ride-or-die brand of skin care products, and I know where to go to get good deals on it! It’s a brand that’s sold in supermarkets and drug stores, so I never have to set foot in Ulta or Sephora. The brand has at least five lines of products, and I have favorites among them, but I ultimately get whatever’s on sale. I only use cruelty-free, vegan skin care products.

What else?

I have a few other habits that I think are helpful, starting with drinking a full glass of room-temperature water first thing in the morning (because of Sjögren’s, but I think it’s good for the skin, too). I have a daily glass of this delicious sparkling pink lemonade collagen drink. I used to take an anti-oxidant supplement daily, but now I just drink tea – black, green, or matcha.

As for what I eat, I’m 100% plant-based, and I like to eat mostly nutritionally-dense foods. I read labels and look for whole food ingredients. Organic is always good. With few exceptions, I avoid refined carbohydrates, meaning refined sugars and white rice, white potatoes, white pasta, and white breads (except for sourdough, which doesn’t behave like a refined carb). Avoiding sugar means avoiding alcohol; I don’t drink.

Let’s see… I don’t smoke. I work out regularly. I avoid the sun, even though I wear gobs of sunscreen. I guess this covers it, but I have a feeling that I’m forgetting something!

As far as I can think for now, that’s it, friends. I basically just try to live a healthy life. I have a severe, systemic autoimmune disease, so it’s important to me to try to optimize my habits and routines to this end. With the exception of sleep duration, I think I do pretty okay.

May this find you enjoying a marvelous day or night!