Skin Health Archives - Page 2 of 2

Treating Acne with Nutrition – Video

Acne is a common skin condotion I see in clinic with around 50% of my clientelle suffering from some degree of acne, be it a long term issue, hormonal breakouts around the ‘time of the month,’ or the more recent ‘Maskne’. Its a condition that can really affect confidence, and leave people feeling really down or stressed about their skin.

A lot of my ladies will say “I’m an adult and I cant beleive I have acne, it’s something that happens to teenagers.” But in fact statitics show that around 80% of adults will suffer with acne at some point in their adult life.

So, yseterday I was lucky enough to be joined live on Instagram by Emilia Papadopoullos. Emilia is a nutritionist specialising in treating acne through nutrition.

Myself and Emilia recently worked together with a client to help her achieve clear skin.

By taking a holistic approach, treating the condition from the inside (Emilia) and from the outside (me) it can really accelerate results.

Press play below to watch the live replay of us discussing the subject.

Do You Have Realistic Skin Goals???

This month I’m talking all about skin goals. It’s one thing I try so hard to help my clients with, but I also have to give them realistic expectations on what can actually be achieved with their skin. Every skin is different so goals and expectations will be different with every client too.

We see so many filtered, unrealistic images these days, and as a skin specialist, I see so many people with misconstrued opinions of their own skin, normally exaggerated further by the use of the dreaded magnifying mirror…if you are reading this and you own one, please throw it in the bin!

The important thing to remember is our skin is an organ that is as individual as we are. Here are just some of its functions:

Protection
Sensation
Regulating temperature
Waterproof
Excretion
Reduces harmful effects of UV
Produces Vitamin D

So, taking all those functions that the skin constantly performs into account, do you really think getting it to look flawless like a filtered photo is really possible????

Now, don’t get me wrong results I see in the clinic can really blow me as well as my clients away, but it’s never an overnight success.

If you have suffered with a skin concern for many months or even years this is not something that can suddenly be reversed, making real changes in the skin take time and most importantly consistency.

It starts with a professional that knows the skin, takes time to understand your skin, and can support you on your journey to improve your skin’s health and work towards your goals, but also someone who will tell you if you are being realistic with what you want to achieve.

In my next blog, I will talk all about the skin journey and what you can expect.

If you’re ready to start your skin journey and work towards your skin goals, its starts with a consultation. Click here to book yours, I am accepting new clients from September. For any questions you may have please don’t hesitate to get in touch here.

Pollution and our Skin

Research has shown that air pollution is now a major cause of premature ageing and poor skin health, as it has a major impact on the skins barrier, integrity of the skin, pigmentation and wrinkles.

Each day up to 7 million toxins accumulate on our skin. These are then absorbed through our pores and hair follicles resulting in inflammation and then the formation of free radicals in the deeper layers of our skin. A high level of free radical activity within our skin cells can then result in further inflammation, hyper-pigmentation, premature ageing and a worsening of any pre-existing conditions such as acne or eczema for example.

After sun damage pollution is the main factor to cause skin disorders and premature ageing.

Skin affected by high levels of pollution needs little more care, and its certainly something to take into consideration when having rejuvenation treatments as the skin’s healing capacity will be slower than a skin that does not experience high levels of pollution.

If you do live in a area with high pollution levels, there are skincare products and some treatments that can cleverly help to protect against these toxins.

I have listed a few of my favourites below

AlumierMD Alumience A.G.E Serum

Providing the ultimate in daily protection from pollution, this serum hold on to 80% of pollution that enters our skin and when you cleanse in an evening it gets washed away. This products s a state if you are living or working in a high polluted area.

Byonik Concur Anti-Pollution range

This range from Byonik has an advanced anti-pollution detoxifying properties. It contains powerful antioxidants such as detoxiquin that helps to reduce DNA damage caused from pollution and detoxify the cells.

It also contains Ectoin another multifunctional protective active that gives a strong anti-inflammatory effect and will wrap around and protect the skin cells from environmental aggressors.

If you are working or spending time in a high polluted area you can keep the Concur Face Mist in your handbag and spritz though the day for optimal protection.

With pollution affecting our skin within the lower layers we need to try and protect those skin cells within those deeper layers as well. The most effective way to do this would be through supplements. The Advanced Nutrition Programme Antioxidant Supplements are the perfect partner to your antioxidant skincare.

Formulated with plant nutrients and antioxidant botanicals, bilberry, turmeric, green tea, and grapeseed. The Antioxidant supplements safeguard your skin form the inside out, protecting from the free radical activity caused by pollutants.

Clinical Treatments

When we are finally back having our clinical treatments the Byonik Pulse Triggered Laser treatment is great for fighting and repairing the skin from the effects of pollution. The low level laser will repair environmental damage, reduce inflammation and has a strong detoxifying action on the skin cells to eliminate toxins from the skin. The Byonik Cellular Rejuvenation Treatment uses powerful antioxidant gels that are infused into the skin cells to then protect the cells from further pollution going forward.

If you feel you need help or advice with your skin then please get in touch, you can email me here or book your online consultation here, we can discuss your current regime and skin concerns and help you improve your skin health and put a plan in place to keep your skin protected from the damaging pollution levels.

Thank you for reading

Rebecca x

What Does a Compromised Barrier Look Like?

When we have a compromised barrier function our skin becomes more vulnerable to external attacks from things such as pollution, pathogens, microorganisms, the weather etc. It also loses the ability to hold onto the natural hydration in the skin. This hydration is vital to keeping our skin healthy, inflammation down, and its ability to fight attacks from those external forces. Our overall cellular functioning throughout the skin also requires moisture, and I always find a more hydrated skin is more tolerant to most things especially active skincare.

So what are the symptoms of a compromised barrier function? I have listed these below, this list is by no means exhaustive but these are the most common signs.

Skin tightness (constant/after cleansing)
Flaking, dehydrated skin
Oiliness combined with flaking/tightness
Redness or sensitivity
Dullness
Breakouts
Under the skin bumps/spots
Premature ageing
Dermatitis

Desquamation

I thought it was important to mention this as this process in the skin can be dramatically reduced due to our barrier being disrupted. The process of desquamation is the natural shedding of those old skin cells on the surface of the skin to allow for the cycle of the epidermal cells to keep going. Our epidermal cells start off at the base layer of the epidermis and move up, as they do this they become hardened and more resilient to allow for the protective ability needed at that top layer. Once they have reached the top, a chemical process dissolves the bonds between these cells to allow them to shed off and become house dust. This chemical reaction requires moisture to happen, and if our barrier is impaired we lose that all-important moisture and the desquamation process is affected. This results in our skin looking dull, flaky, and our whole epidermal skin cycle slowing down.

What can impair your barrier function?

You might have read the list above and thought that your skin is experiencing some of the signs of an impaired barrier, but what might be causing it?

Below I have listed a few factors that can cause the skin to become compromised, again this is not an exhaustive list but if you feel you are currently suffering from the symptoms it is always a good idea to get professional advice.

Over-exfoliation
Incorrect cleansing products
Sun damage
Pollution
Cold weather/wind
Hormones
Stress
Smoking
Diet
Dry atmosphere
Medication
Diet

As you can see there are many elements that can affect the resilience of our skin, and we probably encounter more than one of these on a daily basis. Our skin is designed to cope with a lot and sometimes all that is needed is to maybe just stop using a certain product and leave your skin to repair and rebuild on its own, other times it may need help. I have included a few products below that are my go-to remedies for compromised skin. But remember this is a general recommendation and without a skin assessment you won’t get individual advice.

Dermaviduals DMS Cleansing Milk

I see so many compromised skins due to incorrect cleansing products used, so your cleanser is the foundation of your skincare regime and a big player in the integrity of your barrier. The Dermaviduals cleanser is gentle, effectively removes makeup and impurities without negatively affecting the skin. There is nothing in this cleanser that the skin doesn’t recognize or that can upset the protective element of the skin.

Skin Omegas

Our skins natural lipids are made up of these essential fatty acids, so adding these supplements into your diet will help keep those lipid levels high and your lipid bilayer making up the skins barrier function nice and strong.

Byonik Supreme Seal

This product is a must for repairing barrier disruption. Containing a high content of ceramides, fatty acids and cholesterol that make up our barrier lipids. It reduces that water loss and restructures the skin’s barrier. It’s also a great product for healing conditions such as eczema and dermatitis.

Byonik Concur Cream

Another product full of those essential lipids, the Byonik anti-pollution Concur cream Contains repairing, healing, and hydrating actives as well as the powerful anti-ageing peptide Matrixyl Synthe 6 promoting the production of collagen, elastin and the all important Hyaluronic acid for hydration.

These are just a few of my recommendations for compromised skin, but my advice is to always see a professional that can give you individual recommendations for your skin and investigate why your skin is behaving the way it is.

To make an appointment to see myself please click here, I offer virtual consultations during lockdown or for anyone that cannot get into clinic to see me. If you are interested in purchasing any of the recommendations above please email me here.

Thank you for reading

Rebecca x