This is a question I often get from patients, and with good reason. It seems like every skin care and cosmetic company is promoting serums left and right. This is a beauty trend that is actually founded in science and one that I am fully on-board with!

Serums are a wonderful addition to your skin care routine whether you use them in place of creams or lotions or in combination with them – serums are light, fast-absorbing and highly effective. While creams and lotions are great at delivering moisture and forming a barrier on your skin, they cannot penetrate deep into your skin to deliver the anti-aging benefits most patients are looking for in their skin care regimen. This is due to the thickening agents, like nut or seed oils, or moisturizing ingredients, such as petrolatum or mineral oil which make the molecules of moisturizers very large.

A serum, on the other hand, eliminates all those ingredients and is water-based making them ideal for individuals with oily skin. Without all the moisturizing and thickening ingredients, serums have a very high concentration of active anti-aging ingredients, delivering the most potent dose of antioxidants, peptides, and skin brighteners. Their small molecular composition allows these ingredients to be delivered to the deepest levels of your skin, where they can do their best and most effective work!

This high concentration of active ingredients and lack of thickeners makes serums one of the costliest products in most skin lines. But honestly you get the biggest bang for your buck with serums, and when used properly, a 1-ounce container can last several months – they are concentrated so you don’t use a lot each time.

To ensure you choose the right product for your skin, it is important to have a professional skin care consultation and build a plan to address your concerns and achieve the results you are looking for.