Doctor Mike may like his nighttime routine simple and sweet, but rest assured, it's backed with ample medical wisdom.
The Internet-famous physician, real name Mike Varshavski, is well versed in the significant ways skin care is tied to other underlying health conditions, allowing him to take the right precautions and seek the best treatments for his skin. “Being a family medicine doctor, we actually have training in dermatology, because a lot of what we do is screening and catching problems early, so you understand skin cancer and skin protection,” he shares on the latest episode of Go to Bed with Me. “That’s why we’re so vigilant about putting SPF on.”
He adds that his medical training has also allowed him to be extra particular about choosing formulas and ingredients that make the most scientific sense, helping him not only to curate the most reliable and effective products for himself, but also to spot any marketing gimmicks. “I will say there’s a lot of lies on the market nowadays, so I try to use really simple products in order to make it less complicated,” he discloses.
Luckily, skin care can feasibly remain uncomplicated with the right understanding and skin-type awareness, according to Doctor Mike—he shares some of his tips with us here. Shop his products below and read on for highlights on the walkthrough of his routine and his specific medical insights.
Shop Doctor Mike's Routine
Wahl Stainless Steel Lithium Ion Hair Trimmer
Good Molecules Rosewater Daily Cleansing Gel
Murad Hydration Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture
Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Deep Clean Dental Floss, Cool Mint
Lubricity Dry Mouth Spray
Old Spice Deodorant
For face care, Doctor Mike begins with a thorough beard trim using Wahl's Stainless Steel Lithium Ion Hair Trimmer, then tops off the shave with Braun’s Electric Shaver to clean out the deeper, more stubborn hairs underneath his chin. He adds that though he enjoys a clean-shaven face, he prefers to shave at night so that some stubble can still grow in by morning. Next, he goes in with the Rosewater Cleansing Gel by Good Molecules for a thorough deep clean. “Exfoliators can actually do damage if you use them too often,” he adds, recommending against daily exfoliation.
As for oral care, Doctor Mike opts for the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Toothbrush due to its 20-second timer setting, which allows him to brush thoroughly in each area for equal amounts of time. He additionally uses a special Parodontax toothpaste for his bleeding gums, which he attributes largely to stress. “A lot of people don’t make the connection that your overall health, your overall well-being can actually show itself on your gums,” he says. He reminds us that health is intertwined and that symptoms in one area could easily be a reflection of deficiencies in another.
“So you can’t talk about a good nighttime routine without talking about how to fall asleep better,” Mike says, citing sleep as perhaps the most significant part of his nighttime routine. “I want to keep my sleep as sort of my sanctuary,” he adds. “I think that’s one of the most under-focused areas of people’s health that we haven’t talked about enough. Like, we talk about diet, we talk about exercise, we talk about mental health, but not enough about sleep. And sleep is where you recover, your memory improves, your hormonal balances shift, and if we put a little bit more focus into that, you’re gonna see some tremendous outcomes.”
To ensure these seven to nine nightly hours are kept sacred, Doctor Mike preplans his process with a key formula: keeping the bedroom both cold and extremely dark. “I am actually so strict with this that I have two sets of blackout shades,” he shares. He adds that, according to research, “Even if there’s, like, a candle flickering on the side, it can potentially disrupt your sleep. And for me, being a somewhat anxious individual, if I even get woken up for a short time in the middle of the night, it’s hard to fall back asleep. So I do everything in my power to try and sleep as long as I can.”
You can watch his full routine in the video above.
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