Are you suffering from breakouts and sensitive skin? Skin worse than it‘s been for a while? Are you wondering why and what to do? Don't worry, there's usually a very good reason for this. January is a time of resolutions, fresh starts, healthy lifestyle changes. Does this apply to you? Have you cut back on the booze? Introduced more fruit and veg into your diet? Said goodbye to junk food? Started a new fitness regime?
When you introduce healthy changes like this your body will respond by expelling toxins as it responds to change. This is normal and its a good thing, however it will often cause your skin to go through a period of 'purging'. This means that all of the bad stuff will be pushed to the surface of your skin and will show up as breakouts as the bacteria is sent packing! I repeat again - THIS IS A GOOD THING! You will go through short term pain however, if managed correctly, it will leave you with beautiful, clear, smooth skin.
So whats the best way to manage this? Well usually I would have you in the salon for a full consultation and a detailed treatment plan however, in the meantime, here are the 3 key steps to add to your skin regime to eradicate the toxins and help the purge;
Drink lots of water to help flush those toxins away quickly. If you've adopted a healthy lifestyle then it's likely that you’re doing this anyway but it's too important to leave unsaid. Water, as well as flushing away toxins, will support the hydration function of your skin and help you look fresher with plumper healthier skin.
Double cleanse at night, every night. Your skin repairs while you sleep and you need to do all you can to support this process. Your skin will find this process far more arduous if it has to contend with grime or makeup first. I prefer to use a face wash type of cleanser, I just find it makes me feel fresher and cleaner. You may prefer a cream cleanser that you remove with cotton wool pads and this is absolutely fine too. The key here is to use a cleanser that suits your skin and that you have a system in place that means that you're consistent with this part of your skincare regime. See our online shop for our favourite cleaning products.
Exfoliate. This is a step that is often overlooked and it is so important for maintaining a healthy skin barrier function. Your skin has a natural exfoliating (or peeling) process that, when we're young and perfect, takes about 28 days to efficiently expel dead skin cells and replace them with fresh, plump, healthy new ones. As we get older this process becomes less efficient and patchy and we need to help it along a little bit. There are a couple of options available and the one you may be more familiar with would be a physical scrub exfoliate. These are normally lotions containing beads of ingredients that will cause an abrasive action when rubbed on the skin. When the right product is used in the correct way these can be a great way to resurface your skin and will leave you feeling smooth and fresh. Always take care to use a product that is gentle enough to not cause grazing to your skin, especially if you have more mature or if you're on certain medication, such as steroids, that can make your skin more sensitive. The other option, and my preferred way to exfoliate, is to use a product containing acids or enzymes that will nibble away at the dead skin and do all the hard work for you! You will see these referred to, in most instances, as peels. There are some fantastic home care products of this type available, my personal favourite being the Fillmed Skin Perfusion Glycopeel Mask. This is one of the stronger non professional products so should be used respectfully but it will deliver fantastic results. Pop this on once or twice a week to help unblock pores, clear out oil, remove surface debris, brighten and tighten your skin. Your skin will be left silky smooth and glowing.
Why not pop onto our online shop and take a look at the fabulous products we have to help you with your home care skin care.
If you have any specific questions about your own skin or would like to know anything about any of our fantastic treatments then please click on our contact link and get in touch.
