Why do you have to be so ABRASIVE ?

Here is one of the biggest skin tips I can give any skin type, I don't have to see you to know what to tell you today!

A big no no and something that does more harm than good to our skin is over exfoliation.

By exfoliation I mean the physical/chemical/product removal of skin cells.

(Flashback to the 90s skin care regimen I used to think was the best solution to my skin, this included TCP- oh the smell!! and skin stripping exfoliants)

These things are still out there, I just nipped to the supermarket today to do my weekly shop and found the skin aisle laced with charcoal bacteria fighting, skin exfoliating fancies.

But Annette you tell us all the time that increasing skin cell turn over is good.

Well I do, and that is right, it is, but that is usually once we have the skin in good health and know how to look after our new skin cells.

Let's think about skin cell turn over for a moment, this occurs naturally and healthy skin usually takes approximately 28 days to replace itself with new young skin cells.

This number is healthy, optimised skin.

If you have skin conditions like acne, or rosacea and of course ageing skin this can be reduced somewhat and this slower skin cell turnover will increase the feeling of needing to EXFOLIATE, and the look of grey, dull dead skin cells and that lack of lustre and glow.

The vast majority of time ahead of skin cell turn over increasing we need to optimise the skins health and restore integrity of the LIPID barrier, allow the skin to maintain the moisture it needs to lubricate and allow our natural skin cell turn over cycle.

We also need to understand and comply to PROTECT our new skin cells as they are forced to the surface be that naturally or with our intervention.

HELLO SPF, you are my BFF

It is then and only then should we think about skin cell turn over help with professional treatments and home-care such as RETINOLS (Vitamin A), chemical peels and other skin rejuvenating properties.

Let it be noted frictional skin cell exfoliation is now more of a 'thing' since the wearing of facial masks has been the norm, and considerations need to be made to ensure this is not effecting your skins health- before anything we need to look at lots of factors that may be effecting your skins health, from those obvious ones like over exfoliation to more complex intrinsic considerations

• What are you washing your reuse-able masks with ? Choose a non bio and 60 degree wash cycle for fabric ones, Try Clini-sept for cleansing those 'stealth' style masks.

• How often are you changing your disposable ones? I would advise no longer that an hour where possible

• What is on underneath your mask to protect the skin and its integral lipid layer? SPF!! and layer up with a repair balm for ultra dry skin

More to come on Maskne in future blogs

For your own tailored skin plan or to upload your skin selfie and concern visit our website or book your virtual skin consultation today!