Beauty Trends
Lee Jung-hyun’s skincare routine for busy mothers
Classroom visits, parent-teacher consultations and gatherings, sports days... April is a season when parents often find themselves going to school hand in hand with their children. It is also a time when mothers spend longer in front of the mirror. Sitting beside other mothers under the school's bright fluorescent lights can suddenly make you notice skin concerns you usually overlook. Our clinic consequently fills with patients from their late 30s to their early or mid-50s who have been busy raising children, only to look in the mirror one day and feel surprised.
Perhaps that is why a recent video of entertainer Lee Jung-hyun's morning routine on KBS's Fun-staurant attracted particular attention among women in their 40s. She is 46 this year and a mother of two, yet her skin makes her age difficult to guess. Even in a close-up of her bare face immediately after washing, her skin looked so smooth that it was hard to spot a pore. Viewers understandably asked, "Is that really her bare face?"
The routine she shared was surprisingly simple: rinse with lukewarm water, use a gentle cleansing foam, and apply essence before toner. Lee explained, "You should let the good ingredients absorb first." After finishing with baby cream for moisture, she carefully applied sunscreen all the way down her neck, even on days she had no plans to go out, saying, "Sunscreen is essential if you don't want your neck to age."
How does Lee Jung-hyun's routine look from a skin doctor's perspective?
The routine itself is close to the right approach. Skin loses moisture overnight, so minimizing irritation in the morning makes sense, as does applying essence first. Concentrated active ingredients can be absorbed more effectively when they directly contact clean skin. Applying sunscreen to the neck is also fundamental. Once the face and neck begin to show different degrees of aging, reversing that gap is not easy.
Still, it is difficult to say that skin in its 40s can be maintained by topical products alone. With age, skin problems begin beneath the surface. Collagen decreases, the dermis becomes thinner, and the skin's ability to retain moisture weakens. Even excellent products may produce only a temporary surface glow if the underlying skin has lost its substance.
Skin aging can accelerate when lack of sleep and hormonal changes overlap during childbirth and child-rearing. In the 40s, collagen loss begins to outpace production, making it difficult to close the gap with basic home care alone.
From a beauty routine to caring for yourself
But how much time do mothers really have to consider the order of essence and toner when they are taking children to school, rushing to work, working all day, catching up on housework afterward, and caring for their children until bedtime? For many, even carefully applying sunscreen in the morning can feel like a luxury.
If maintaining your skin requires completing an elaborate routine every day, it becomes another assignment for many working mothers. The situation changes, however, if you can set aside time solely for yourself once a month, or even once every three months. That is closer to self-care: time for the person you have put on hold while caring for your family and work.
In the clinic, I am often asked, "Which procedure should I start with?" I do not begin by recommending an elaborate program. What matters is first addressing the one thing your skin needs most. For dry, rough skin that needs a glow, Super Miracle Hydration Injection can be considered. It directly delivers ingredients the skin needs, including hyaluronic acid, amino acids, minerals and vitamins, to improve hydration and elasticity together. Its immediate luminous effect can help dry, tired skin recover its condition quickly.
If under-eye hollows are beginning to make you look tired, Baby Collagen Injection may offer an alternative. Regenerative ingredients are injected to naturally complement hollow areas while improving fine lines and reduced elasticity. It is relatively manageable even in thin, sensitive areas around the eyes, making it easier to fit into everyday life.
For skin sagging, Thermage FLX can be considered. It delivers radiofrequency energy deep into the dermis, contracting existing collagen and stimulating new collagen production. Although a change in firmness may be felt immediately afterward, fine lines and pores also gradually improve over time.
The appropriate approach nevertheless varies with skin thickness, the degree of sagging and the amount of facial fat. There is no single answer. Direct assessment and a consultation-based plan are important. Keep following the basics, while seeking professional help for concerns topical products alone cannot resolve. Understanding that balance helps preserve natural, healthy skin. Applying an essence properly is care, and so is making time for yourself once a quarter.
I hope the walk to your child's classroom feels a little lighter this spring. Becoming a mother who feels confident in front of her child, and a person who feels satisfied in front of the mirror, can begin with smaller choices than you might think.