Do you ever feel that you run out of your beauty products way too fast? Does your skin ever feel overburdened? I know why it’s so! Microdosing is the answer and it’s been invented by the cosmetic world only recently. This is the so-called 13-dot technique which helps you find the happy medium when it comes to the amount of skin-care products you should actually use.

What does the technique involve? Why is it going to turn your skin care around? You are about to find out by reading the post. 🙂

How much product do you apply?

This question does make sense and results from the statistics which show that the state of skin is much worse due to the excess of skin-care products. Until recently, I hadn’t been following the manufacturer’s directions – if the label told me to use one dose of a serum, I would put 2 or 3 thinking that the product would work better this way.

This way of thinking is a big mistake because the skin is really likely to get worse if you use too much product. Clogged skin pores, skin feeling weighed-down and greasy… this is not what we want from our daily skin care, right?

Microdosing – recipe for the lack of moderation

Moderation is essential during your daily skin-care routine. The secret of successful treatments lies in using the right amount of products. This is way easier with microdosing, that is the 13-dot technique that I talk over below.

You might think that I write about some laboratory processes but no worries – microdosing is a skin-care technique based on minimalism and moderation as far as application of products goes. When it comes to minimalism, I’m always in. I’ve already learnt that my skin hates it when I put too many products at a time.

Why using smaller amount of products makes sense? Skin-care experts insist that the amount of a cream you put is not as important as the regularity. There are even more benefits, though.

What are the benefits of using the 13-dot technique then?

Believe it or not, microdosing has plenty of advantages. Why it’s good to take this approach?

1. Above all, the 13-dot technique lowers the risk of blemishes – the excess of creams, moisturizers and oils may clog the pores sparking the occurrence of blackheads and pimples. The wrong application (in excess) is one of the most common causes of acne.
2. Secondly, microdosing reduces irritations and hypersensitivity of the skin that could be caused by the overuse of active ingredients applied to the skin. A smaller portion of a product applied equals calm skin and the lower risk of irritation.

Microdosing in practice: 13-dot technique

How to introduce the 13-dot technique into daily skin care? At first, you must stop thinking that “more means better”. This doesn’t work for skin at all.

Thankfully, the 13-dot technique does work. It’s been devised by a British dermatologist. Simply put, this technique involves applying a product topically instead of rubbing it across the face right away – this way you reduce the amount of the product and distribute is easily across every part of the face.

Where to put the dots?

We know we need to apply the product in dots but why there must be 13 of them and where to actually put them? By using the 13-dot technique you apply a cream or serum with your fingertips to the following areas:

• three dots across the forehead (on the left and right side, in the middle).
• three dots down each cheekbone.
• two dots on the chin (on the left and right side).
• two dots on each side of the nose.

Next, you just need to gently rub the cream or face serum, massaging the skin at the same time. Obviously you can use the technique for applying make-up too (I’ve always applied my foundation in dots) and – instead of the fingertips – you can use a flat top or beauty blender to distribute the product evenly.