A million videos on YouTube will try to sell you a 17-step skincare routine, or a 1-ingredient magical fix that’s messy and inconvenient enough you’ll do it once and then discard it. This one takes a simple, scientific approach instead.

The Basics That Count

Ali Abdaal, known for his productivity hacks channel, enlisted the help of his friend, dermatologist Dr. Usama Syed, who recommends the following 3–4 things:

1. Moisturize twice per day. Skin acts as a barrier, locking in moisture and protecting against irritants. Moisturizers replenish fats and proteins, maintaining this barrier and preventing dry, inflamed, and itchy skin. He uses CeraVe, but if you have one you know works well with your skin, stick with that, because skin comes in many varieties and yours might not be like his.
2. Use sunscreen every day. Your phone’s weather app should comment on your local UV index. If it’s “moderate” or above, then sunscreen is a must—even if you aren’t someone who burns easily at all, the critical thing here is avoiding UV radiation causing DNA mutations in skin cells, leading to wrinkles, dark spots, and potentially skin cancer. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen, ideally SPF 50.
3. Use a retinoid. Retinoids are vitamin A-based and offer anti-aging benefits by promoting collagen growth, reducing pigmentation, and accelerating skin cell regeneration. Retinols are weaker, over-the-counter options, while stronger retinoids may require a prescription. Start gently with low dosage, whatever you choose, as initially they can cause dryness or sensitivity, before making everything better. He recommends adapalene as a starter retinoid (such as Differen gel, to give an example brand name).
4. Optional: use a cleanser. Cleansers remove oils and dirt that water alone can’t. He recommends using a hydrating cleanser, to avoid stripping natural healthy oils as well as unwanted ones. That said, a cleanser is probably only beneficial if your skin tends towards the oily end of the dry-to-oily spectrum.

For more on all of these, plus an example routine, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Take care!

If you look under your shoes, do you notice how the tread is worn more in some places than others? Specific patterns of shoe wear correspond to how our body applies force, weight, and rotational movement. This reveals how we move, and uneven wear can indicate problematic movement dynamics.

The clues in your shoes

Common shoe wear patterns include:

• Diagonal wear on the outside of the heel: caused by foot angle, leg position, and instability, leading to joint stress.
• Rotational wear at specific points: due to internal or external rotation, often originating from the hip, pelvis, or torso.
• Wear above the big toe: caused by excessive toe lifting, often associated with a “lighter” or kicking leg.

Fixing movement issues to prevent wear involves correcting posture, improving balance, and adjusting how the legs land during walking/running.

Key fixes include:

• Aligning the center of gravity properly to prevent leg overcompensation.
• Ensuring feet land under the hips and not far in front.
• Stabilizing the torso to avoid unnecessary rotation.
• Engaging the glutes effectively to reduce hip flexor dominance and improve leg mechanics.
• Maintaining even weight distribution on both legs to prevent excessive lifting or twisting.

Posture and walking mechanics are vital to reducing uneven wear, but meaningful, lasting change takes time and focused effort, to build new habits.

For more on all this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Steps For Keeping Your Feet A Healthy Foundation

Take care!