Skin care secrets — revealed!

Welcome back to One Day Better, where I share small steps that can help make today just a little better than yesterday. This newsletter is free and reader supported so please share it with a friend! This week, I’m writing about:

• Skin care secrets — revealed!

• Good news for bad knees

• Old stuff, new tricks

• Joyscrolling!

A skin care routine for the ages

Skin is your largest organ. It keeps moisture in, harmful substances out and allows you to feel the world around you. It’s important, yet many of us go through life with only a vague idea of how to take care of it.

So I was deeply interested when the Wall Street Journal sent me an alert last week: “A 70-Year-Old Man’s Search for Younger-Looking Skin.”

The author is John Koten, a long-time journalist and media executive — and not your typical skin care consumer. But after his 20th skin cancer surgery, John embarked on a six-month deep dive into the world of skincare. He spent a whopping $4,500 testing 136 different products, from drugstore basics to luxury brands, and meticulously tracked every serum, essence and moisturizer he applied to his face. He also took before and after pictures.

“It’s been a major change,” he told me. “I started out with pretty dried-out, flaky skin. I’ve been a racing sailor most of my life — a lot of time on the ocean and lakes. It wasn’t a pretty picture. The way I look at this is a major renovation project.”

His skin now? Smoother. More hydrated. More elastic. Even his wife Marisa has noticed. “To the touch, it’s much softer,” she said. “And, well ... more appealing, really.”

The morning skincare routine you’ve been waiting for

John’s morning skincare regimen is a lot. His wife laughed when I asked how much time it takes. In the morning, when he’s tired and moving slowly, it’s about 30 minutes. “The goal in the morning is protection,” he says. “You’re preparing your skin to face the day.”

1. Cleanser: Vanicream, a gentle cleanser with no fragrances, dyes or preservatives, that doesn’t leave a residue. ($10, 8 fl oz / 240 mL)

2. Essence: Augustinus Bader The Essence ($99, 3.4 fl oz / 100 mL) Essences are lightweight, hydrating liquids packed with skin-repairing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, fermented extracts or niacinamide. “It's a totally optional step. A lot of people are big advocates of toners, but I don’t like them. They make my face stickier.”

3. Serum: Plated™ Intense Serum, the flagship product of Plated Skin Science, based on a technology developed by physician-scientists at the Mayo Clinic. The serum uses exosomes derived from ethically sourced human platelets. ($258, 0.5 fl oz / 15 mL)

4. Vitamin C: SkinMedica's time-released Vitamin C+E Complex ($106, 1 oz / 28.4 g)

5. Moisturizer: Top pick: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream ($305, 1.7 fl oz / 50 mL) (John says he can find it at Costco for $220.) It was developed by a German scientist who specializes in wound healing. “I think it’s a very effective product. The main reason I choose it over anything else is the way it feels. Once people try it, they’ll understand — it sinks in beautifully and feels like there’s nothing on your face.” For half the price, John also likes Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 from SkinCeuticals. ($155, 1.62 fl oz / 48 mL) Lower-priced options: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream ($39, 1.7 fl oz / 50 mL) or La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer ($10.99, 1.35 fl oz / 40 mL)

6. Sunscreen: His favorite: EltaMD UV Skin Recovery Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Face Sunscreen ($50, 1.7 oz / 48 g) Budget option: Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40 ($8.99, 1.7 oz / 48 g) (John says the Trader Joe’s version is similar to Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50 which retails for ($38, 1.7 oz / 48 g.)

The Evening Routine

1. Cleanser: In the evenings, John is often covered in sawdust from his woodshop so he needs a deeper clean than in the morning. He likes Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balms in Green Fig or Black Cherry. ($69, 3.5 oz / 100 g) It comes in a jar, requiring you to scoop out the thick, Vaseline-like substance. In your hands it melts into oil and then transforms into a foaming wash when you add water. “I get a kick out of it. It’s kind of fun,” he says. “To the extent any of this can be fun.”

2. Essence: Filorga Global-Repair Essence ($98, 5.07. fl oz/ 150 mL)
   

3. Serum: SkinMedica’s TNS Advanced+ Serum ($295, 1 oz / 28.4 g) John notes that SkinMedica has been the pioneer in the deployment of growth factors in skin care products. Growth factors are naturally occurring proteins that stimulate cell growth and repair.
   

4. Retinol: John cautions he only applies this every other night. “I don’t think you should use it more than two or three times a week, especially when you're just starting out. Retinol can be very irritating if you overdo it, so it’s important to go slow.” He notes that most retinols seem to be equally effective, so your pick may just come down to how well your skin tolerates it. He likes a Paula’s Choice product that contains 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol, a plant-based retinol alternative that has anti-inflammatory properties. ($52, 1 fl oz / 30 mL) (He also uses a prescription retinoid called Tretinoin at 0.25 strength.)
   

5. Hyaluronic acid: His favorite is SkinMedica’s HA⁵ Rejuvenating Hydrator ($184, 2 oz / 56.7 g)
   

6. Night moisturizer: To conserve his favorite pricey Augustinus Bader moisturizer, John switches to Filorga’s NCEF-Revitalize Cream ($118, 1.69 fl oz / 50 mL) “It’s pink. The texture of it is really sensuous,” he shares. “It’s a really fun thing to put on your face because it slides over your skin really nice. It’s very hydrating.” Sometimes he uses COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence ($25, 3.38 fl oz/ 100 mL) or Triple Lipid Restore mentioned above. “It's fun to switch up moisturizers,” he says.

The Results

Here are before and after photos of John’s face after his cancer surgery more than six months ago vs. one taken in April.

John reminds us that you can adapt your routine to what suits you best. “You don't have to be perfect about applying your routine every morning and night,” he says. You can try skin cycling (two days of treatments followed by a day off) to save time and money, although he still advises daily moisturizer and sunscreen.

John didn’t see results immediately. “When I started, I didn’t expect much. I thought I’d give this a while and see what happens. For the first couple months, I didn’t think it was doing anything. That will be a problem a lot of people will have. They’ll do it for a while, and they won’t see big changes. It takes months. It’s been 8 months since I started. My face looks completely different than it used to. I’m amazed. Honestly amazed.”

Here’s a free link to John’s story in the WSJ. A 70-Year-Old Man’s Search for Younger-Looking Skin. And for an even deeper dive into skin care, read The Ingredients to Look For When Buying Skin Creams

Good news for bad knees

The next frontier in knee replacement may be delaying knee replacement! Some innovative new procedures don’t fix the damaged joint — instead, they focus on interrupting or blocking the pain signals so you feel fine, even though you’re walking on bad knees. At first, that sounds like a terrible idea. Walking around on a deteriorating knee seems like the orthopedic version of driving on a flat tire. But apparently that worry is misplaced.

“Patients ask me all the time: ‘If I don’t feel it, am I going to hurt myself more?’” said Michelle Poliak-Tunis, associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, in an interview with the Washington Post. “If you’re going to go jump out of airplanes, maybe. But if you’re going to live day-to-day life, the answer is ‘no.’”

The three treatments are:

Surgical Knee Denervation: A permanent procedure that severs key sensory nerves and reattaches them to nearby muscles, stopping pain transmission. It's currently available only in Arizona and being studied for broader use.

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): A minimally invasive procedure that uses radio waves to destroy the nerves responsible for knee pain. Relief typically lasts 6 to 12 months and the procedure can be repeated.

Genicular Artery Embolization (GAE): Blocks abnormal blood vessels in the knee that contribute to inflammation and pain. Results can last 1 to 4 years.

You can read the full report here. More alternatives to knee replacement surgery are emerging

Old things, new tricks

Did you know that people who eat M&Ms of different colors report they taste better than when they eat M&Ms of the same color? Or that people enjoy eating popcorn with chopsticks?

Those are two of the fun facts in a new WSJ article about the joy of painting, refurbishing and repurposing the stuff we already have vs. buying new things. When you “inject novelty into the consumption experience to make it feel fresh…you give new life to the same old products and possessions that were beginning to bore you,” writes Jeff Galak, an associate professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.

Here are three strategies from Galak to help you stop buying new stuff:

1. Modify accessories: Change superficial features like cases, covers or small components instead of replacing the item. Buy a new phone case rather than a new phone. Update your car with new floor mats instead of purchasing a new one. If you’re ambitious, paint or wallpaper your walls, replace bedding and curtains or paint your dresser!

2. Rearrange spaces: Rearranging furniture or common items can create a sense of novelty without needing new purchases. Move furniture into a new layout. Reorganize your closet. Hang your art in a new way.
   

3. Consume in a new way: Like the chopsticks and popcorn example, use the same products but engage with them differently to make them feel fresh. Listen to a familiar album on shuffle to change the experience. Listen to the audio version of a book. Watch a favorite movie in a different language with subtitles, or with the director’s commentary on. Cook a familiar recipe but plate it like fine dining, take your morning walk in reverse or choose a totally different route.

“Ultimately, finding happiness with material goods isn’t solely about acquiring more; it’s about deriving joy from what we already own,” Galak writes. “Recognizing that satisfaction is influenced as much by perception as by reality allows us to step off the hedonic treadmill. Instead of feeling compelled to replace, we can learn to refresh.”

Read the full article: Getting Bored with Your Old Products? You Don’t Have to Replace Them.

Joy scroll with me!

Here’s my weekly roundup of good news and interesting links to counteract the gloom.

Deferral and rejection cakes! I love this trend. College students celebrate deferrals and rejections from colleges as “detours” and “redirections,” marking the moment with cake and a social media post. The videos are adorable and these kids will be fine. (In fact, in a later video you see where many of them landed, but that is truly not the point.)

If you like protein bars, Anahad O’Connor at The Post has analyzed hundreds of them to find the healthiest options.

Are you a double dipper? Find redemption here. Double-dipping may seem gross, but it’s not as risky as you think.

The headline says it all: Bear cub rescued from woods is being raised by humans dressed as bears.

Racquet sports for the win: I have no hand-eye coordination — but if you're good at racquet sports like tennis, badminton or pickleball, this study is for you. People who play these social, movement-rich games may live up to a decade longer, thanks to a powerful combo of physical, mental and social benefits. Read more.

Take an art tour: Great photos in this NYT exploration of The Most Wondrous Art in the World in 1,726 Objects.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week. Let’s keep the conversation going! Send me your comments and ideas. Drop a note in our subscriber chat or message me directly on Substack!

Every week, the One Day Better newsletter celebrates the power of small steps. If you enjoyed reading, please share it with a friend. This newsletter is free and reader-supported. If you’d like to support my work, you can make a contribution here.

Tara Parker-Pope is an Emmy Award–winning journalist who shared in the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now the Chief Content Officer at Thrive Global. This newsletter represents her personal views. Learn more at taraparkerpope.com