Your Nighttime Skincare Routine

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You'll want to switch up your skincare routine at night — and not just because you don't need SPF while you sleep! According to Dr. Magovern, your nighttime routine is the perfect time to make sure your skin is getting as many nutrients and active ingredients as possible, since your skin regenerates and repairs itself while you snooze. You'll still follow the basic steps — cleanse, treat, and moisturize — but at night, the routine will look a little bit different.

1. Cleanse

Dr. Magovern still recommends going for a gentle cleanser, but at night, you can use a cleanser that helps take off your makeup, like an oil-based face wash. If you want to go the extra mile, you can even try "double cleansing" by using a water-based face wash after an oil cleanser to clean any lingering dirt and oil out of your pores.

2. Tone

If you'd like to use a toner, apply it the same way you would in the morning. This will go before you start applying serums and treatments.

3. Serums and Treatments

Dr. Magovern is a big fan of using alpha hydroxy acid to help brighten skin by sloughing off dead skin cells. It helps build your collagen and improves radiance. If you're looking to include retinol in your skincare routine, Dr. Magovern says its best to apply during your nighttime ritual. Retinol is a form of vitamin A that helps decrease visible wrinkles, bright spots and pore size.

"Everyone can use a retinol," says Magovern. You can start using retinol as early as your 20s, but it becomes especially important as you age. "In your 40s and 50s is definitely where retinol should come in if it if it hasn't already."

4. Eye Cream

Dr. Magovern likes to tell her patients to try training the skin around their eyes to handle more active ingredients (like retinol) to reap their benefits. "You don't have to use a lot, but if you start training your skin to tolerate more active products around the eye, you'll see more change," she says. You can pat a bit of your serum or treatment around your eye area, then follow up by using your favorite eye cream.

5. Acne Spot Treatment

If you have a pimple that you'd like to see go away sooner rather than later, this is a great time to apply acne spot treatments. But instead of focusing on pimples when they pop up, Magovern advises you to keep up with your skincare routine as a preventative measure. "If you just treat the spot, then you're going to get an acne breakout right next door to it if your skin is clogged. You're getting breakouts because oil is building up in your skin. So you have to keep the pores clean on your whole face. "

6. Moisturize

Moisturizing is really important at night, as it creates a barrier that seals in active ingredients and hydration. This way, when you wake up, your skin is glowy and plump —and ready to start the day.

7. Face Oil

Face oils are a great way to lock in moisture while you sleep. "A lot of people think that if they have like acne or oily skin, their skin will break out with the oils but it's actually not true," says Magovern. "A lot of them can actually really help hydrate and soften the skin." Particularly if you're using active ingredients like retinol and alpha hydroxy acids, face oils are a great way to add an extra boost of moisture.

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