Best Face Masks

Experts agree: You can dramatically improve your skin in minutes with a potent mask. 

- Brooke Le Poer Trench

THE DERMATOLOGISTS we know are hard to impress. So imagine our surprise to hear that they are united in their adoration of ... face masks. “I’ve been hoping for a while that they’d become a phenomenon—and finally they are,” says Doris Day, M.D., a New York dermatologist. “The right mask will enhance the penetration and efficacy of all the other products in your routine.” And if you’re not using them, “you’re missing a hugely beneficial step in your skin-care regimen,” Day says.

Another reason doctors (normally a patient bunch) love masks is for their speedy results. “They are one of the few beauty products you can put on your skin and quickly notice a difference,” says Ranella Hirsch, M.D., a dermatologist in Boston. And this is why: The ingredients are usually more concentrated than moisturizers and serums; they’re on your skin longer, so they penetrate better; and masks are often occlusive, meaning that they trap ingredients in your skin.

Choose your mask based on the issue you’re trying to address,Hirsch says. Clue: “Aging” is not the right answer. “Masks are less successful when you’re trying to find one that hits everything,” she notes. “If you target a specific problem, that’s when you’ll get those turbo-charged results.”

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