While utilizing quality skin care products and establishing a consistent self care routine is the cornerstone of any effective skincare practice, seeking out professional guidance is a must as well. Just as many of us schedule routine teeth cleanings and check-ups twice a year to take inventory of our oral health, we need to do the same for our skin.

The skin is the largest organ of the body and is the body’s first line of defense against the elements. Like any organ, it is constantly in flux and affected by age, pollution, our nutritional intake, levels of anxiety, hormones, the season and many other factors. So in addition to cleansing, using a quality serum, moisturizer, face oil when necessary, eye cream and a weekly mask, I recommend having a routine facial. At a minimum shoot for 4 times a year. To that end, we sat down with Yasmine Djerradine, renowned skin care expert and founder of Yasmine Djerradine Institut de Beauté, to discuss her approach to skin care and why it is more important than ever to take good care of ourselves.

TB: What do you love most about what you do?

Yasmine: So many things…I love to take care of people. There is something intimate about caring for another’s skin. I like to customize each treatment.

People often call me and describe their skin over the phone and ask me to recommend a regimen for them. I always tell them that I need to see and touch their skin in order to understand their unique health and beauty needs.

TB: What is the single most important piece of skin care advice that you give your clients?

Yasmine: Please don’t overdo it! Your skin is an organ, and your body’s first line of defense against the elements. Many harsh procedures actually strip your skin of what it desperately needs to protect itself! Focus on cleansing and hydrating, and your skin will always be there to protect you.

Customization in skin care is also crucial. Everything has to be “sur mesure”, or made to order. Everyone ages differently and responds to the elements and pollution uniquely.

TB: If you had to recommend a few essential skin care products that you would encourage people to splurge on, what would they be?

Yasmine: Today people are living longer and so we need our youthful complexion to last indefinitely. It is more important than ever to take care of ourselves as we age. If you think about the adverse effects of collagen collapse, sun or wind damage, cancer, etc., all of these issues can be traced back to the various ways we have neglected our skin. We must utilize a serious moisturizer during the winter to protect ourselves from the cold and wind and the best sun protection when we are in the sun – basically all year round.

TB: What defining moment in your career had the strongest influence on you?

Yasmine: I have defining moments all the time! I am constantly discovering new products, working with new clients and experimenting with new treatment technologies. This is why, even after 30 years, I am still so passionate about skin care. It is my hope and vision for the future that each new experience will be insightful and exciting. I strive for every moment to be the next “aha” moment!

Read more about Yasmine on her Travel Beauty Expert Page.

By: Alyssa Barrie Weiss, Twitter: @AlyssaBarrie

As an avid reader of all things beauty (it’s not just my job…it’s my passion), I hear every week of a magical new skincare ingredient that’s going to transform my skin. These days, it’s often an oil with an exotic name that is derived from a rare flower that only grows in South American rain forests. Or something like that. It’s dubbed a “game-changer” and we beauty writes lose our collective minds until the next game-changer comes along.

All this hullabaloo has really made me appreciate the skin care stalwarts—those ingredients that have been around for a while, aren’t going anywhere and, most importantly, do what they’re supposed to do. Hyaluronic acid is one such ingredient.

Hyaluronic Acid

If you’ve used hyaluronic acid products, and/or had HA fillers, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that this molecule is so popular (The New York Times just wrote a feature about it). Though HA is a naturally occurring “cushion” throughout the human body (from your eyeballs to your toe joints), its skin benefits that make it an anti-aging all-star.

The Magic of HA Lies in Its Ability to Retain Moisture

It has a greater capacity to hold moisture than any other natural or synthetic polymer. In fact, one gram of hyaluronic acid is able to hold up to six liters of water! This is significant in regard to aging because one of the hallmarks of youthful skin is its moisture content…think plump, taut and dewy. As we age, our skin loses moisture, resulting in a loss of firmness, luminosity and pliability. Because of its unique ability to hold in so much moisture, hyaluronic acid plays a critical role in overall skin health.

As hyaluronic acid boosts the skin’s ability to retain moisture, it also strengthens its barrier—or outer layers. A sturdy skin barrier looks and feels plumper, softer and smoother—all characteristic of young skin.

Now that you know why HA is such a popular skin care ingredient, are you ready to get your hyaluronan on? Here are some of our favorite products that contain this all-star ingredient.

For Face

Emma Hardie Midas Touch Face Serum & Amazing Face Age Support Treatment Cream – Emma Hardie is an ingredient queen. From algae extract to avocado peptides, if Emma included it, it works.

Institut Esthederm E.V.E. Serum Source – The hyaluronic acid in this best-selling serum will help reverse signs of sun damage and aging.

B. Kamins Laboratories BB Cream – Provides sheer, luminous coverage with a light tint, moisturizing agents and light-reflecting particles. It also fights damage caused by UV, stress and aging, corrects inconsistencies in skin texture and targets sagging, dullness and wrinkles.

For Eyes

Lavido Alert Eye Cream – Our best-selling eye cream is clinically proven to show significant improvement in skin hydration, elasticity, texture, and firmness. It brightens, moisturizes and relieves puffiness around the eye area, while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

For Body

Mio Skincare Get Waisted Sculpted Body Shaper – This dream cream tightens, tones and boosts elasticity. Medical-grade caffeine enhances circulation to invigorate tired and puffy skin for a more firm and contoured appearance while hyaluronic acid hydrates to impart a healthy glow.

For Hair – Yes Hair!

Caretrico After Treat Enrich Milk - If you color treat, or even frequently blow dry, your hair, you know how easy it is to dry out strands. This genius styling product brings the moisture-adding benefits of hyaluronic acid to your stressed tresses. It also has the most subtle of rose scents that is downright divine.

By: Claire McCormack, Twitter & Instagram

Biafine, otherwise known as Trolamine, is one of the most basic staples that can be found in any French, German or Israeli pharmacy. Yasmine Djerradine, skin care authority and Travel Beauty expert recommended it to me to help prevent scarring when I had surgery 15 years ago. It is a multi-tasking wonder ointment that soothes redness, irritation, inflammation and sunburns.

In Europe Biafine is mostly used to prevent and soothe diaper rash in infants, but this topical wonder offers so much more. Over the years I have incorporated Biafine into my daily regimen.

Cure for Chapped Lips

I have excruciatingly dry lips. My husband often scolds me for biting them. The truth is I don’t, my lips are just so chapped that it appears as though I do. The winter is the worst, as the cold dry air seems to be pulling a double shift. I layer Biafine under my lip gloss or lipstick for an extra boost of moisture. It coats, smoothes and soothes lips sealing in a barrier between the lips and the outside world. In my experience products like Eucerin, Vaseline and Blistex seem to suck the moisture right out of my lips.

Apply Biafine before bed too. Skin repairs itself overnight when we are sleeping; the same is true for the skin on our lips. Biafine gives your lips the extra lift they need.

Body Care

Body oil is my body care product of choice, especially in colder months. Right now I’m using Mio Skincare The Activist Firming Active Body Oil. It’s rich and smells divine (and I am not a fan of scents.) Even if you apply body oil to damp skin mixing body oil with a creamy agent helps it to penetrate the skin more deeply and dilute the oily texture of many rich body oils. In other words, many of us are in a rush and don’t have time to wait for body oil to dry (now we are not talking oil slick here, but even body oils that go on almost dry can leave an initial damp residue on the skin) before pulling on a pair of trousers or jeans. Biafine cuts just enough of the oily texture without being too creamy and because it’s scent free, it won’t interfere with the scent of your favorite body oil.

Soothing Rosacea

I am not a dermatologist, doctor or skin care expert by way of formal education and there is currently no cure for rosacea. That said, in many cases, Biafine has been able to help lessen the symptoms of this skin condition. Though food intake and stress are some of the factors that contribute to rosacea, the bottom line is that it causes red, reactive and in some cases inflamed skin. While using gentle skin care for sensitive, reactive skin, like Cosmetics 27 Baume 27 or B. Kamins Laboratories Nutrient Replacement Cream Kx, that soothe and cool is essential, layering a thin layer of Biafine under these types of moisturizers adds an extra cool and calming layer of care that, much like in the case of chapped lips, provides a buffer between irritated skin and your moisturizer. On more severe days when skin is particularly reactive, Biafine can be used alone. Please note that everyone is different so before applying Biafine on your entire face, conduct a small patch test.

After Dermatological Peels and Treatments

Though I am not a proponent of chemical peels (many are purported to cause harmful chemicals to seep into the bloodstream and dehydrate skin, stripping it of many essential nutrients) many people swear them. Biafine aids in soothing the dry, seemingly sunburned shape that you will find your skin in immediately following these treatments.

Biafine to Treat Radio Dermatitis

Biafine is often prescribed to cancer patients or others receiving radiation treatment. The anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties of Biafine help bring down the inflammation and treat burned and painful irritation that can be caused by these treatments.

Biafine to Treat Cuts and Sunburn

Biafine can also be used as a wound dressing to heal minor cuts. It provides moisture to aid the skin in the healing process while protecting it from bacterial contamination. Biafine can also be applied directly to sunburns to soothe and lessen inflammation. As opposed to aloe-based sunburn ointments and gels, Biafine seeps into the skin quickly and doesn’t leave a wet gelatinous texture sitting on the surface of the skin.

By: Alyssa Barrie Weiss, Twitter: @AlyssaBarrie