Spring is nature’s way of saying “LET’S PARTY!”
~ Robin Williams
Blue skies! Sunny days! Days getting longer! Flowers blossoming! People wearing more colour! People smiling more on public transports and soon, we will be lying in the park with our bikini’s and shorts on.
Perfect for a spring clean in your toiletry bag and beauty cabinet. Perfect to get rid of the old and in with the new, getting ready to blossom for the summer holidays.
In this week’s blog, I will share with you some of the new products I have been trying.
But first things first, let’s do a little product detox! All products have a shelf life and old products can harbor bacteria and lose their effectiveness.
So take all your products out (including your makeup) and put in a pile:- 
- Anything that has expired
- Anything that appears dry or crusty, looks and smells funny
- Anything with an SPF older than one year (SPF loses its effectiveness over time and not the risk of burning yourself)
- Mascara older than 3 months (perfect breeding site for bacteria, leading to eye infections, skin reactions and stye)
- Old, dirty makeup brushes and sponges…. this includes any attachments to skin gadgets.
Take all these goodies and throw them away. They put your skin at risk of breakouts, skin reactions, dryness and you would be wasting your time and money on products which has lost it’s effectiveness. Your skin deserves much better!
Once you’ve done that, we can look at what products is best for the spring time.
Q: I feel I need something lighter for the new season, what would you recommend?
Spring is a great time to simplify your skincare…. nothing heavy as normally recommended during the winter months.
I LOVE SERUMS! The good ones absorb really well, avoiding the stickiness or heaviness of creams. They feel lighter and act faster. The biggest difference between a serum and a cream or lotion is what the formulation doesn’t include. Serums leave out occlusive or airtight moisturising ingredients such as petrolatum or mineral oil that keep water from evaporating. They also contain fewer lubricating and thickening agents e.g. nut or seed oils. Most serums are water-based, eliminating oils altogether. Since most of the fluid is eliminated, serums contain a high concentration of active ingredients…. which does the job better and faster.
I’ve been trying out a few new products and here are my favourites this season.
1. Endocare Tensage Serum
The USP of this product is it’s SCA Biorepair Technology (big name I know) but it is essentially natural growth factors derived from large land snails – the mollusc Cryptomphallus aspersa. This complex has enabled the mollusc to repair its own damaged tissue and survive periods of extreme trauma such as cold, heat, dryness, chemical change and UV irradiation. Challenges that in a less severe way are faced by our skin every day.
I love this product because of it’s creamy, silky and rapidly absorbed intensive texture. It also contains Vitamin C, E and CoQ10 – all anti-oxidant boosting, preventing and treating premature wrinkles, Niacinamide, a Vitamin B ingredient with skin brightening and anti-inflammatory properties and Hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin naturally.
This product is perfect if you’re looking for a serum for anti-aging, have sensitive skin and prefer a more “natural” product.
I LOVE THEIR EYE SERUM too – Tensage Radiance Eye Countour. I have not found an eye serum that I like for a long time! It comes in 15ml and should last you about 6-8 weeks. Definitely recommend both products.
Endocare Tensage Serum 30ml – £38
Endocare Tensage Radiance Eye Contour Serum 15ml – £38
2. Retriderm from Aestheticare
I love Retinol, a form of Vitamin A. It’s one of the key ingredients proven to speed cell turnover and stop premature aging of the skin. It comes in different strengths and different formulations, and for some people, it can be too reactive, causing redness, sun sensitivity, peeling and soreness.
I feel there is an art to using Retinol as you can slowly build the skin’s tolerability and strength to benefit from it. When my patients go through a Skin Conditioning Program with me to either remove pigmentation, sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles, dull skin or acne, we go through a step-up program to slowly build the skin’s resilience and repair mechanism, boosting it’s youth-enhancing capacity.
I definitely recommend using retinol if you’re considering upping your anti-aging routine. Best time to start is from 25 years old when your elastin production starts to fall. There are many serums with Vitamin A on the market. My favourite has been the Radical Night Repair by ZO Skin Health. It is a potent product which gives great results but for some of my patients, it is too strong so I’ve found Retriderm as an alternative.
It is contained in a protein-rich serum formulation which also contains hyaluronic acid and Vitamin E to allow better penetration and slower release of retinol.
It comes in 0.5% and 1.0%. The 0.5% is for more sensitive skin or skin with less age or sun damage. If you are new to retinol, then this is what I would recommend you to start with. The 1.0% is for more mature skin and sun damaged skin. Even if you have used retinol before, it is always advisable to use the lower concentration for at least 2 weeks first to prepare your skin for the higher version.
Retriderm 0.5% 30ml – £43
Retriderm 1.0% 30ml – £50
3. GloTherapeutic Renew Serum
I recommend this for my patients with oilier skin or who suffers from acne. I tend to use this in the 2nd half of my cycle when my skin is oilier.
What I like about this is it has
1% salicylic acid to reduce the oil
7% glycolic acid to smooth and improve the skin texture
1% retinol to stimulate cellular renewal.
I would not recommend this for sensitive skin as it may be too drying.
Renew serum 30ml/ £24
These products are now available in the clinic so if you would like to purchase any of them, please me know.
Until the 1st April, the clinic is offering a 10% discount on new product lines. You can either pick up them up from the clinic or we can post it to you (£10 P+P).
In the near future, I plan to create an online shop so it will make it easier for you to purchase your products from.
Q: I’m going on holiday… somewhere sunny! What’s the minimum I should bring?
Serums are great to bring on holiday since it’s light. Sunshine can be wonderful for the soul, the mind and acne problems too. However, not so good for pigmentation, sun damage or wrinkles.
So the minimum I would recommend while going on holiday are:-
- Sunscreen (minimum SPF)
- Your favourite cleanser
- Your favourite serums (if you can find one that does everything you want, that’s even better. Choose one that contains anti-oxidants and Vitamin C to encourage repair and minimise pigmentation. I would recommend using the Endocare Tensage serum.
In a change of climate, your skin may turn too oily or too dry at the beginning. Keep it simple and your skin will naturally adapt. Avoid using any heavy creams while you’re out there.
If you’re using retinol based products, your skin will be more sensitive to the sun depending on the concentration you are using and the phase of repair your skin is. Long term, the use of retinol actually thickens your skin, protecting it from further sun damage. However, while your skin is getting used to it, it will go through phases where your protective epidermis has not keratinised (formed) fully yet. That’s when you’re most susceptible to sun damage. If you are using retinol based products, I would suggest you speak to your skin doctor or myself if you need to change your routine while you’re out on holiday.
If you’re a bit more disciplined, you can also bring your exfoliating scrubs to slough off any damaged skin.
Even if you’re not going on holiday just yet but want to give your skin a spring clean break, then you can also follow the 3 product rule above. I will share with you a new skincare routine which I have been trialling with some of my patients with interesting results. It’s called The Skin Fast – using minimal products to boost your skin’s natural repair and hydrating mechanism. I will write this up in an upcoming blog soon.
I hope you found the blog useful.
Over to you. Do let me know if you’re a fan of serums too and what skin product you would never live without?
Until next time, dust your sunglasses, enjoy the gorgeous sunshine (responsibly) and happy Spring Clean!