By Jenny Burke

Anyone else finding a sudden moisture change in their skin with the cold weather kicking in? Tis the season to be hydrated ladies and gentleman! As an acne skin myself I usually run a mile from moisture, but the truth is it is exactly what my skin needs. For all you oily skins out there that think a serum or mask is too heavy for your skin, here’s a little skin fact or as they say here comes the science.

Our skin is never a true skin as your skin condition changes with the weather and the environment.  You may find your once perfect moisturiser is now not cutting the mustard- a drop of temperature in the air is a drop of moisture in the skin and therefore you may find your skin requiring a heavier moisturiser to get the hydration and protection it needs from the winter winds.

Don’t deprive your skin of hydration, even if you are an acne prone skin.  When you deprive your skin of hydration it may in fact produce even more oil to compensate for the dehydration.  This is why oily skins sometimes even experience the added stress of breakouts plus flaking and tightness.

A hydrated skin is a healthy skin; therefore, not only will you prevent the flakiness, tightness, and dry condition symptoms but make up application is easier and appears smoother giving you that natural dewy glow that we all aim to achieve, therefore our skin is looking and feeling its best.

Choosing the right regime for your skin can be hard, so call in for a free consultation.  Talk to the experts.  We can help you find the right skincare regime whether it be the cosmeceutical benefits of Environ, the rich luxury of Elemis or the skin targeted results of Dermalogica.

Products that will help with hydration:

Environ Focus Hydrating Serum, Environ Hydrating Capsules, Elemis Exotic Moisture Mask, Dermalogica Hydrating Booster, Dermalogica Multivitamin Mask

By Kathleen Granados

Since my teenage years, I have been concerned with acne, scarring, and pigmentation. I was always eager to learn what I could be doing to control my acne and take better care of my skin. I have learnt that the best approach is to really know your skin, understand your acne, and do your best to prevent it. Start with a good home care routine, get facials regularly, and see a doctor if you need medication. I love performing facials and helping my clients get on the right track for their skin needs. Below are seven tips I wanted to share and hope you find useful:

1. Have a good, cleansing routine with products suitable for your skin type and condition. Always double cleanse at night. The 1st cleanse removes the dirt and makeup and the 2nd cleanse helps clear pores. It is important your cleanser is not high in alkaline, or it will strip the skin. Book a skincare consultation if you are unsure.

2. Exfoliate. Our cell renewal rate slows down as we get older. If you don’t exfoliate you have dead skin layering, which makes skin prone to breakouts as the excess sebum surfaces. I love the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, it is great for all skin types including sensitive skins, especially those with acne rosacea. Regular exfoliation will slough away all the dead skin cells to keep skin clear.

3. Increased hormones can cause breakouts – increased hormones occur during teenage years, menstruation, pregnancy, stressful periods, our bodies produce more testosterone which leads to an increase in sebum production. When this happens it is critical to exfoliate more regularly and use cleansers or serums with salicylic acid to help prevent breakouts. Salicylic acid helps promote exfoliation, is antibacterial, and will help to decongest the follicles.

4. Know the type of spots that you have, so you use the right ingredients. For clients with pustules or underlying acne / congestion, I recommend products with salicylic acid. If they have papules (the bumps that don’t have a white and seem very impacted) caused by a lack oxygen in the follicle which causes bacteria to multiply, I recommend products with ingredient benzyl peroxide, this puts oxygen in the follicle, exfoliates heavily, and opens a pathway for the spot to change and start to heal. Benzyl is very stripping so should really be placed only on the spots. Try the Dermalogica Special Clearing Booster as it won’t strip as much to the surrounding areas and helps clear the spot faster.

5. Regular facials – A good, thorough cleansing facial with extractions if needed is the best gift you can give to your skin. Extractions should not be done at home. During a facial your therapist will give you a professional grade exfoliation, use serums and masques to help hydrate, rejuvenate, and calm skin. Acne clients should have facials every 4-6 weeks. A good home care regime will ensure the benefits continue after the facial. Know your skin, monitor the breakout times, and schedule your facials accordingly.

6. Fight ageing and pigmentation – Sun protection is the most important product in the bathroom! It slows down ageing and prevents pigmentation and scarring. 10% of our ageing is due to genetic factors and 90% of skin ageing is cumulative exposure to the sun and environment. Pregnancy, the pill, increased hormones, medication are all trigger factors for pigmentation, which makes sun protection even more important. Use sun protection always even when you don’t think there is much sun… prevention is better than cure.

7. Using antioxidants can limit the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are in pollution, smoking, UV exposure that lead to wrinkles, pigmentation. Many products now contain antioxidants to limit the damage free radicals cause. Vitamin A is normalising, reverses photo ageing, inhibits the collagen breakdown, and helps the skin to manage cell turnover rate. The Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask is a great antioxidant and has vitamin A, C, E in it which helps with scars and pigmentation.