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Sandra Lee is a board-certified dermatologist and acne expert with over 3.5 million Instagram followers clamoring to see her latest pimple popping video—hence the nickname Dr. Pimple Popper. She's truly seen it all when it comes to skin issues, so it only makes sense that she would create her own skincare line called SLMD and star in a TLC show. In this episode of Go To Bed With Me, Dr. Lee shows off her nighttime skincare routine and drops major wisdom on keeping your skin clear and healthy.
Shop Dr. Lee's Routine
Lancôme Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover
SLMD Skincare Salicylic Acid Cleanser
Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Secret Antiperspirant
"We are trained to be the experts at all conditions of the skin, the hair, and the nails, and so, we know a lot about these products that are out there... and know about the ingredients and what they do, but we definitely, certainly, have levels of how much we care about it," says Lee. "I am definitely always aware of what I'm putting on my skin, but I am not crazy about it."
Lee describes her skin as dry and sensitive, so she likes to keep her routine basic and simple. The first step is makeup removal. "I've used this for years since I've been a teenager. It's Bi-Facil by Lancôme," she says as she pours some on a padded cotton round. "I'm very sensitive so I like to just dab and let it soak up, and remove my eye makeup." She then reaches for her brand's SLMD Cleansing Wipes. "These are my favorite wipes and also I dab at my face. I try to get off the excess makeup and I don't rub because I'm more prone to getting rashes or irritation, and when you do that, you get more wrinkles," she adds. Then there's one more round of cleansing, "I use a hydrating facial cleanser and I alternate it with a salicylic acid cleanser because my two issues is that I'm really dry and it's because I'm darker complected, I'm prone to brown spots. So I like to use my SLMD Salicylic Acid Cleanser and switch it out every other day with just a hydrating facial cleanser," Lee notes. "The trick with salicylic acid cleansers is you can actually leave it on your face for a couple minutes if you wanted to, and really that can help to increase the penetration."
After her skin is clean but still damp, she moisturizes: "I like my SLMD Hyaluronic Acid Serum. Hyaluronic acid, you've probably seen it in a lot of products these days. Well, hyaluronic acid is hydrophilic, meaning that it draws in water. When you put it on your skin, it's really gonna seal in that moisture and minimize what we call trans-epidermal water loss, and I'm more prone to that than others because I have dry skin," she says. "I actually have eczema, which means that my barrier on my skin is not as good as other people's, so I tend to lose moisture more easily, so I really need extra moisturizer."
Lee herself gets a hormonal breakout every once in a while—but luckily she can inject her own face with a little cortisol to calm the inflammation. For the rest of us struggling with breakouts, her advice is this:
While acne is really common and it is completely driven by hormones, remember that it's a good thing in a sense because it shows that you have hormones. That's a youthful thing, and to have oil in your face and to get acne is a youthful thing. So, try to remind yourself of that. The problem is that people will try to pop a pimple too early 'cause it's there and you can't keep your hands off of it, I get it. If you just squeeze a pimple when it's too early, it will just get bigger, and redder, and angrier, and end up worse. The ideal time to really extract a pimple is when they are as close to the surface as they can be.
Watch the rest of Lee's nighttime skincare routine, including her best acne-fighting advice.
