Dr Sam on Pigmentation, Melasma and Acne Scarring

I met up again with Dr Sam recently where we discussed pigmentation, melasma and acne scarring. All those fun things. :)

Enjoy! :)

Beauty Myths No.14 - Antibiotics work for acne

Copyright Geof Kirby

Acne. Apparently the second most searched word on the internet, after porn (obvs).

It's easily the topic of my most-asked questions and the lead search on this site.

I know I've already said this over on the cheat sheets for acne ---> and it won't be anything new to regular readers, but please, please think carefully before taking antibiotics for your acne.

Whilst there are a few forms of oral antibiotics that may kill off bacteria in your oil glands, what if your acne is hormonal? Food allergy related? Have you had it for years? Antibiotics are pointless in those situations. You may get some relief initially but as soon as you stop taking them - and in most cases before, the spots are back. Why?
Because they're not bacterial - and you may already be resistant to the antibiotics prescribed.

Prescribing long-term antibiotic use is tantamount to abuse in my eyes. Antibiotics are without doubt a wonder drug. For treating the right illness.
Strep throat? Bacterial - get a prescription for it. Sore throat? Virus. Antibiotics don't work for that. It goes without saying that if you are required to take antibiotics long-term for chronic illness, then I am not talking about your situation.
Meningitis or pneumonia? Antibiotics will save your life. Literally. I'm not bashing the drug. I'm bashing the over-prescribing of them by doctors who should know better.

And in the case of acne, especially in the UK, an antibiotic prescription is the first port of call from nearly every GP. Rather than refer you to a dermatologist or look at topical creams themselves, they write the PrX for tetracycline or erythromycin and send you on your way.

It's your body. In your desperation for answers you may want to take anything thrown at you. But I would urge you to do a lot of research, make serious adjustments to your diet and lifestyle, ask about all the other options and most importantly, think of the side effects.

Long-term antibiotic use can:

wreak havoc with your digestive system

make you incredibly sensitive to the sun

destroy tooth enamel

make you resistant to antibiotic usage for severe infections

give you thrush on a continuous basis - which you then also need to medicate..

That's just for starters. 

I know what it's like to have bad skin, do what you have to do to make yourself look and most importantly, feel better.

But please arm yourself with as many facts as you can before you start down this path. And if you've been taking them for months (or years) and you still have acne, listen to your body, stop taking them.

Dr Sam Bunting on topical retinoids

The Doc is back.

This is a very short one and ends quite suddenly - newsflash - I'm not Martin Scorsese. :)

ANYROAD: we are definitely filming again and will be collating as many questions as we can and YES I am going to interrogate Sam on her own beauty and makeup routine.

I will also remove the bottle of handwash from behind Dr Sam's head. I laugh every time I see it. At least it shows we were so engrossed in content that we didn't even notice it!

Dr Sam on Female Hormonal Acne

Hi All!

So back for Round 2 with the very popular Dr Sam. Here we talk about female hormonal acne - next up is topical retinoids, hyperpigmentation and rosacea.

We're responding to comments as soon as we are able so thank you for your patience. 

Silk Pillowcases

I love the saying 'You have two lives. The first one - and the one that starts when you realise that you know nothing and can never stop learning.'
I am already living the second part of that saying.

Now I have two beauty lives.
The one before silk pillowcases, and the one after.

I don't know what to tell you. I hate the touch of silk. Actually borderline-OCD-cannot-touch-it. I don't hate it as much as cotton wool, *GAGS, SHIVERS* but I hate it. No silk negligees over here. Rock band t-shirts all the way. I'm a cheap Valentine's date... You see where I'm going.

So I avoided the silk pillowcase phase/trend, not because I thought the idea was poop, merely because 'HOW COULD YOU SLEEP ON THAT?'

That was before I was sent one of these Ginger Lily Beauty Box Silk Pillowcases. And it was monogrammed. A lovely big 'CH' in the corner. Now, you can take the girl out of Mississippi, but you can't take the monogrammed-loving-Southerner out of the girl.
I thought: 'Ooh that will be pretty on the bed!' and used it. And now I'm panicking about ever having to sleep on cotton again.*

Speaking as someone who uses a lot of night-time products, especially oils and balms, sleeping on something that doesn't suck the life out of your cheek is revolutionary. I sleep on my side, on my front, pretty much every which way except on my back - the recommended way, and it shows in your face when you wake up. Puffy eyes, lines on the cheeks or in my case, just plain squashed cheeks. Attractive.

No more dear reader. No. More. There are lots of reported benefits to using silk, namely less absorption of products (true), less perspiration (true), fewer lines upon waking (really true) and I don't want to necessarily start a stampede, but for me, speaking completely personally, I have not had one of those hideous red, sore cysts in the jaw region ever since I started using this pillowcase. I know. I kid you not.
I wouldn't say that lightly, I understand the desire to do anything possible to prevent breakouts/acne/cystic annoyance, but the 'leftovers' of my increasingly erratic food allergies are swollen, almost burning hot spots in the jaw region that don't come to a head, just linger like a bad smell, then scar. RANDOM. I don't know if this is the reason, or if you will get a similar (wicked) result but it is literally the only thing that I am doing differently. Not. One.

If you suffer from these also - you will understand my new obsession. They are also notorious for preventing 'bed hair', but I wouldn't pay attention to/notice/care about that side of it anyway because SPOTS ARE GONE.

Ginger Lily Beauty Box Silk Pillowcase is normally £39.99 from their site www.gingerlily.co.uk/silk-pillowcases but I don't mind telling you that Handpicked Collection have them on sale for £27.97 here: www.handpickedcollection.com/silk-pillowcase because I already ordered mine. *fist bumps self*




*I recognise this is very much a First World problem.




P.S. - I am mortified to admit that I do not know who sent this to me, please do email me if it was you - and accept my sincere apologies and huge thanks.

Vichy Normaderm Night Detox - review

Following on from the last post, I also gave my female tester in her late 20's the Vichy Normaderm Night Detox to trial.

What is it?

The blurb: 

'Those with oily, blemish prone skin suffer from an over production of sebum during the night. By morning, the skin can feel dirty and dull with additional blemishes. New Normaderm Night Detox targets the skin overnight by helping to control the production of sebum while purifying the skin.

Upon awakening:

• Sebum production is controlled
• Imperfections appear reduced
• Pores tightened
• Radiant complexion
• Even skin texture
• Skin feels clean & fresh

Powerful formula yet kind to the skin. The texture is light and non greasy leaving the skin with a clean fresh sensation.'

The reality:

A night cream aimed at those with a lot of spots/acne.

What's in it? (Kudos to Boots.com for actually bothering to list the ingredients)

AQUA • GLYCERIN • ALCOHOL DENAT. • HYDROXYETHYLPIPERAZINEETHANE SULFONICACID •ISONONYLISONONANOATE • ISOPROPYL LAUROYL SARCOSINATE • PENTAERYTHRITYLTETRAETHYLHEXANOATE • PEG-20 STEARATE • DIMETHICONE • CETYLALCOHOL • SILICA • ZEAMAYS STARCH • CI 19140 • CI 42090 • GLYCERYLSTEARATE • TRIETHANOLAMINE • SALICYLICACID • SODIUMPOLYACRYLATE • PERLITE • POLOXAMER 338 • TOCOPHERYLACETATE • AMMONIUMPOLYACRYLDIMETHYLTAURAMIDE • CAPRYLOYLSALICYLICACID • TETRASODIUMEDTA • EPERUAFALCATABARKEXTRACT • XANTHANGUM • DEXTRIN • PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYLHYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE • ACRYLATES/C1 0 - 30ALKYLACRYLATECROSSPOLYMER • ACRYLATES COPOLYMER • PARFUM

What's good about it?
From my tester: 'The Vichy Night Detox is amazing! My skin is almost clear. I've been doing your routine and just using this at bedtime and I can't believe the results.'
It's also a great price point. 

What's not good about it?
This isn't the 'cleanest' product on the market if you are someone who wants natural/organic etc. However, in my experience, once someone has suffered from sustained, incredibly annoying breakouts/spots/acne, you stop caring what's in it (for the most part) and just want something that works. Still, at least on this occasion you can actually look at the ingredients and make the choice for yourself. Also: using the word 'Detox' in your product name is at best risky, at worst an untruth - but that's not for me to concern myself with...

Vichy Night Detox is priced around £15.00 (but always on offer somewhere) and available from Boots.com.

Effaclar Anti-Blemish System - Trial Results

Exactly three months ago I asked two people to test the new 2 step kit from Effaclar that included the cleanser, new toner and the original Effaclar Duo cream.

The results are in and they are to say the least, mixed.

My testers were a woman in her late 20's with hormonal acne caused by PCOS and a teenage boy with typical teenage spots/borderline acne.

Below are the actual transcribes of their reports (we'll give the teenage boy a break for his minimal use of vocabulary ;):

Female:
'First cleanse, tone and cream done. It doesn't irritate, the cleanser says its foaming but it doesn't really foam that much. It feels lovely and smooth when you put it on, the toner is really gentle, no sting or feeling at all - I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. Cream smells nice, face isn't too dry.

Day 5:
I had a massive breakout over the weekend. Big, red, painful spots. The spots I had before haven't gone and the cream is leaving a gritty texture on my face. It doesn't feel nice and smooth like it does after I use the products that you recommend.

2nd August (2 weeks of use):
I stopped using the products yesterday. It hasn't worked for me. I've had massive breakouts (big red painful spots), the spots I had before haven't cleared up and it left my skin feeling gritty and dry. Just used a balm cleanser and it felt like heaven. My skin is smooth again and the bumps have gone down instantly.

Final verdict:
Cleanser - definitely a no. The toner is really gentle so that's okay, it just doesn't seem to do anything. I don't rate the moisturiser at all. I think it made my spots worse, it didn't clear anything up, it left a horrible texture on my face and makeup looked awful over it.


Male:
First text.
'My skin feels a bit dry and tight.'

Then it was quiet for a few weeks...

26th August (4 weeks of use):
I've been using the products for the past 4 weeks. I haven't had any new big spots but my face hasn't really cleared that much. My skin felt good for the first few weeks but now it feels a bit dry. I got quite a lot of new pimples on my forehead. Cleanser - ok, maybe a little too harsh. Toner - didn't really do much. Cream - the cream is probably the best out of the three. Face always felt smooth after using it. No massive new breakouts and no blackheads. I think my face is pretty much the same. It didn't make it any worse but it didn't make it much better.


So the final verdicts would appear to be:

Cleanser - too drying
Toner - ok but doesn't really do anything
Effaclar Duo - better on younger skins perhaps? Good topically on spots but too drying over long term use if used as an all-over face moisturiser.

Thank you to my two willing testers. I removed any mention of brands they preferred/balm cleanser used etc to try and keep it fair. The next post is from the same 20-something woman and is about a cream she raved about.....

Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel and a crazy Giveaway.

Regular readers will know that a few of us have been trialing overnight treatments - especially for acne/combination skins. The reviews of the La Roche Posay kit and Vichy's Dermatox are coming next.

I've been using Ole's Invigorating Night Gel for a few weeks and it's a must-have for either acne, combination or prone-to-random-hormonal-swollen-red-spots/bumps skins.

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Algae Extract, Glycerin, Calcium Ascorbate, Sorbitol, Tocopherol, Vaccinium Myrtillus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Parfum)

There is a definite knack to using this. It's an oil-free gel that absorbs almost instantaneously so the temptation is to apply more. Don't. It's a treatment, not a moisturiser. I use this underneath either an oil, an overnight treatment or a hydrating moisturiser. 

It is very light and laden with glycolic and lactic acids and fruit sugars making it both a resurfacing and clarifying overnight treat.

For more information on Ole Henriksen and the Invigorating Night Gel look here: www.olehenriksen.com

The lovely team at Ole Henriksen are offering 15 readers. Yes, fifteen readers, the opportunity to win one for themselves.

Enter via Rafflecopter below.

• UK only
• Subscribe to my You Tube Channel
• No cash alternatives offered

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Lunchtime Clinic - Topic - Acne - CLOSED

The Clinic is live. CLOSED!!!

Please leave your question in the comments. The comments are moderated so there is no need to repeat your question if it hasn't shown up. I will leave the comments open until there are a large selection of differing questions and will let you know as soon as it is closed so that you don't waste your time. Just a reminder...

• I will answer 25 (or more depending on time) questions
• I will only publish questions that I am answering so they are easy to find and read 
• PLEASE make sure you have read both the acne and spots cheat sheets. This will save time and may answer your question.
• As always, brief questions will work better for these online circumstances - if you need a more intensive reply it might be better to wait for the skin consults to open again. (Soon)

Thanks everyone!

Friday Lunchtime Clinic - 12pm. Topic - Acne.

Hi Everyone!

Just a heads-up that I will be holding a Friday Clinic tomorrow at 12pm. The topic this week is Acne.

• I will answer 25 (or more depending on time) questions
• I will only publish questions that I am answering so they are easy to find and read 
• PLEASE make sure you have read both the acne and spots cheat sheets. This will save time and may answer your question.
• As always, brief questions will work better for these online circumstances - if you need a more intensive reply it might be better to wait for the skin consults to open again. (Soon)

See you tomorrow at 12pm! :)

Coming soon! Effaclar 3-Step Anti-Blemish System

Any brand would love to know how to have as successful a product as Effaclar Duo - the way the product has sprung into the every day chat of beauty people on social media/blogs and in my skin consults is nothing short of extraordinary.

Well, not being fools, La Roche Posay are extending the range to include a brand new kit, designed specifically for problematic skins. The kit contains the current cleanser and Effaclar moisturiser/treatment plus a brand new Clarifying Toner brought in from the Asian arm of the LRP business *hyperventilates* as a new step in the range. The Clarifying Toner contains salicylic and lactic acid as well as two types of zinc (think Serozinc) in a glycerin base. Marvellous. The only catch is that the toner is not available on its own - YET. 

I have two kits that I am giving to my (willing participants) testers to be used exclusively for 6 weeks and will report back on their findings during the trial. (Just to be clear - I already have two willing testers. This is not a giveaway opportunity!)

In the meantime the Effaclar 3-Step Anti-Blemish System launches in September via Boots and is priced £29.50.

The wait list opens in two weeks. Brace yourselves for the stampede.

Beauty Myth No.6 - Having spots means you have an oily/combination skin.

Most of the people I see have normal/dry/sensitive skin with spots. This is very different to acne.

I've only ever referred 3 people for roaccutane or medical intervention treatment in my entire career.

The vicious circle. It usually occurs via two paths.

Vicious Circle One: 
You had acne as a teenager and are now 28/34/47 and continue to treat your skin as if it is acnaic - even though your skin moved on when you were 19/20 and is actually normal - underneath that redness and sensitivity that was caused by years of using products for oily/combination skin - which dries it out and 'mattifies' (*cries*) it - which causes it to over-produce oil, give you angry red spots, burning cheeks and lead you to think that you are still an oily/combo skin and that your skin hates you. And usually makes you hate your skin and despair.

Vicious Circle Two:
You once had a few breakouts and went to a beauty counter/had a facial where you were told you had an oily/combination skin because your sales assistant/therapist has been trained in no way other than spots = acne = oily/combination = foaming = mattifying. Your skin was actually pretty normal. Now it's oily because it's dried out and is desperately trying to replenish itself so you are oily by 12/3pm and keep thinking that you have an 'oily' skin. You thus think you're doing everything wrong and your skin hates you. And usually makes you hate your skin and despair.

Below are pictures of one of my clients with a true 'acne' breakout. (used with their permission obviously)

I'm not suggesting that if your skin does not look like this that you don't have a problem.
I'm simply suggesting that we overuse the word 'acne' across the industry and don't train our people well enough to detect the difference between acne and hormonal breakouts/food intolerance spots or product reactions for example...
The majority of the people I see with breakouts have a normal/slightly dehydrated or sensitised skin with spots. That is very very different to acne. It can happen to anyone for any reason.
As a matter of interest the same client is pictured below after treatment:

So please, please. The next time you have breakouts - even if they are multiple - in different areas of the face - at different time of the month. They are spots. Don't treat your entire face as if you have an acne/combination skin. 

Think about what it could be. What have you done differently? have you ever had intolerance tests for food?Is your period due? Have you been on a 3 day bender?? Are you using an SLS shampoo in the shower and letting it run all over your face?

Treat the spots, take care of the skin. It is not your enemy. Don't treat it like it is.

Spots and acne are two very different things.

Cheat Sheet - Sudden breakouts - what to do and what to do it with

Last week happened to be half term and coincided with me falling off the 'face' wagon. You know what I mean, you drink things you know you shouldn't (coke), eat things you know you shouldn't (Kettle chips I'm looking at YOU) - and unbeknownst to me, I was also pre-menstrual.
You'd think after having periods for 30+ years I'd see the thing coming. But NO.
I couldn't figure out why I was so tired and craving all the bad things - I even took an energy supplement to see me through - with catastrophic results* - more of which later.

I digress.

Consequently I woke up on Sunday morning with my period and a random attack of zits that would make the most hormonally-challenged teen proud (cry).

I had 3 particularly attractive (what I call) 'throbbing cysts' that perched happily right in the middle of my face - just in time for a week full of appointments with clients. You know, the appointments where I advise people how to have great skin? Yes, those.

I immediately went into my usual plan of action - and as I've been talking about it a lot with clients on appointments I thought it may help some of you who suffer from those extremely irritating red spots/welts/cysts/whiteheads/swellings - anything really that comes on in a hurry and tries to teach you who is Boss. Rude. If the cause is unrelated to food/changes in diet or routine or you simply don't know why your skin is reacting...try this anyway.

First things first - food:

• Pop an antihistamine (assuming you have no medical contraindications). Antihistamines job is to calm the redness and 'put out the fire'. Chlorphenamine maleate is better for the skin problems than cetirizine. This translates as Piriton over Zyrtec/Clariton - but ask your chemist/read the boxes. Technically of course, antihistamines do the same thing, I just found a slightly better result with the Piriton. To each their own.
• Be honest about any dietary changes you've had and make adjustments. For me this means no coke or crisps - for a lot of the people I've seen in the office it means the 3 C's. Coffee (the extravagant kind that involves shots/cream/syrup), Coke and Cadbury's. Sadly you need to get rid.
• Drink water likes it going out of fashion. Still. No fizzy. (Although fizzy is obviously my favourite. It would be.)
• Ingest fish oil and salmon like you haven't eaten in weeks. My default 'fix my face' eating plan is pretty much anything Dr Perricone mentions in his 3 Day Diet. I tend to go overboard but in all honesty, nothing works as quickly for me as this eating regime. Dr P really is the King of the anti-inflammatory diet. He pioneered it when everyone thought he was crazy and has stuck to his guns to be proven correct. Read all his books. You won't regret it.
• If you are vegetarian and fish isn't an option you need flax/Udo's oil and should binge on seeds and nuts high in omegas. Flax, walnuts and soy are your friends.
• No sugar.
• Minimal dairy - and dairy should always always be organic full fat.

Routine:

• Evening cleanse is key. Balm/oil cleanse the skin. Make sure you've rinsed properly.
• Acid tone. Make sure you go over the spots/cysts really well. If they are bleeding, go over them until the acid quells the bleeding, which it should. Don't be traumatised by a little blood, work your skin normally.
• Apply something topically to the area - my go-to is Aesop's Control gel. It contains vit c, niacinamide and salicylic acid but its in an aloe base so it calms, gets rid of the redness and hydrates - as opposed to harsher products designed to 'dry-out' spots. They don't need drying out, they need nourishment.
• Apply a facial oil. One designed for a combi/oily skin is ideal but in all honesty, most oils will do the trick (assuming you personally are not allergic/intolerant to them). My go-to here is Clarins Lotus oil. Put 3-4 drops into your palm, swipe across the other palm, apply to the areas affected first, then elsewhere. Don't saturate your skin. Less is more. Layer. Don't suffocate.

Now you need to monitor the situation. Keep the Control gel to hand, and reapply after you've used the oil. Leave it half an hour or so, check your skin, reapply the oil if its absorbed. I had to reapply 3 times last night over the space of a couple of hours. My skin was drinking it. Alternate: Control gel (your spot treatment)/Oil/Control gel/Oil.

Before you go to bed check your skin. Apply a last hit of Control gel, followed by your oil. I chose to seal the deal with some Kate Somerville moisturiser, in the way you would add an extra blanket to the bed. It was cold, I was just going the extra mile. This routine works best with little or no silicone. Layer upon layer of silicone gives you 'rolling' and gets in the way of absorption of the gel/oil.

In the morning:

• Light cleanse
• Acid tone
• Hydrate tone - Darphin Intral is a bit of a gem for this - brilliant for redness
• Control gel
• Couple of drops of facial oil
• Moisturiser

You should find the redness has subsided a little and the spots have either come to a head or started to go down. 

Keep an eye on your diet, check your skin regularly throughout the day - the Control gel is clear and can be used over makeup etc if you want to - and repeat the process the next evening until you start to see results.

This may not work for everyone - but when you're at the end of your tether it's worth trying!

*The energy drink I had was purely vitamin B6. B6 triggers my skin something shocking. B12 I'm absolutely fine with - but the other B's? - NO. I should have read the label. Never again. This is one of the many reasons I don't advise taking multi-vitamins. Target your supplement needs to your body. Don't just take a one-shot-hits-all pill and think it's doing the job. I promise you it isn't.

*No affiliate links and I've been using/buying these products forever.

balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm (and Radiance Face Oil - secret spot weapon)

balance Me (their spelling) are an old favourite - if you like 'natural' products that really are 'natural' - this brand is for you.

What is it?

The Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm is the balm cleanser in their range and is lush. Note: If you used this when it first launched (as I did) and hated it because of the huge pieces of oats in it (as I did) fear not - it was very quickly reformulated and now has the very softest of oatmeal grain - soft enough to use around the eyes. Give it another go.

What's in it?

Well, you could look at the balance Me website as they have a full inci listing for every product clearly labelled.    *JAZZ HANDS, tips hat to balance Me team*

No 'active ingredients' nonsense - just the full list. For your ease though:

Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, Colloidal oatmeal, Cera alba (unrefined beeswax), Mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, Butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter***, Theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, Polyglyceryl-4 caprate, Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic polyglycerides, Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic polyglycerides, Rubus chamaemorus (cloudberry) seed extract, Cocos nucifera (virgin coconut) oil***, Aleurites moluccana (kukui) oil, Rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, Camellia oleifera (camellia) oil, Citrus reticulata (mandarin red)*, Litsea cubeba (litsea may chang)*, Citrus aurantium amara (petitgrain)*, Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile)*, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang)*, Coriandrum sativum (coriander)*, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, Limonene**, Linalool**, Citral *natural pure essential oil **naturally occurring in essential oils ***certified organic ingredient

Who is it for?

Labelled as 'normal to dry/sensitive' - although the shea butter and beeswax content feels quite refined and shouldn't therefore break out any oily/combo skins.

What's good about it?

• lovely texture - perfect for massage
• doesn't emulsify into a runny milk - holds its form
• does not sting the eyes - at all (on me)
• removes makeup but I would still use a pre-cleanse oil over eye area first
• doesn't leave oily residue
• affordable!

What's bad about it?

I'm ignoring the muslin cloth. 

How much is it?

Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm is £20.00 for 125ml (I know!) - £20.00! available from balanceme.co.uk 

Highly recommended.

While you're there:

If you are someone who suffers from spots/breakouts/acne and slaps on toothpaste (loads gun) or nappy cream (fires gun) - use the above instead. This little rollerball is on my bedside and in my MU bag. Any sign of a zit and it gets rolled to death. Continuous use of an oil like this one is much better for your skin and your spots - and helps prevent scarring - in essence if you use this it will either:

• bring the spot to a head without scarring - OR
• make it completely disperse before it comes to a head
• Also helps heal scarring old and new (remember scars can only be helped without machinery intervention if they are still red/pink, showing blood circulation - this will not fix the scar on your knee that you did when you were 6).

Everyone should have one. £15.00 from balanceme.co.uk  - the 10ml size is the rollerball.

pepta-bright from indeed laboratories - Review

My love affair with Hydraluron (Hironsluron) is well known. Well, Indeed Labs have done it again.

This is one of those products that you don't know you need until you use it and then can't bear to be without it. I wanted to use it for a few weeks to test the claims of fading scarring and pigmentation.

Let me say this from the off: if you are young, have bouncy fabulous skin and no pigmentation or uneven skin tone - you won't love it like I love it. Because bitch you may not need it. (You will still see the benefits - but they won't be as WHOA as someone my age.)

If, however, you have a face that shows you're 30+ and have lived a good life (ahem), worship the sun enjoy sunbathing, have suffered with adult acne and the resulting scarring - any of the above really - then you could do a lot worse than to check this out.

Presented as an 'Intense Brightening Treatment' it claims to do the following (with my subtle comments next to them):

1. Even skin tone - YES
2. Reduce and lighten pigmentation - YES
3. Prevent, treat and diminish dark spots - YES
4. Restore luminosity and radiance - OHMYGOD YES
5. Prevent photoaging - WHO KNOWS?
6. Stimulate cell turnover - TOO EARLY TO TELL
7. Maintain skin's hydration - YEP, USE LESS HYDRALURON AS A RESULT

In short, for me - its all about No. 2 - My acne scars are fading - and No.4 - as soon as you put this on your face it looks like someone has used QVC's soft-lighting-reserved-especially-for-you-know-who to make you look awake, alive and glowing.

What's impressive is what is left out of the formulation. 

It does not contain any:

• bismmuth oxychloride - the ingredient most commonly used to give 'radiance' in eyeshadows/eye creams - also one of the most common allergens and the reason I can't use Bare Minerals.
• hydroquinone - banned in the EU but still widely available in a lot of high-end brands - naughty
• kojic acid - like hydroquinone - skin bleach
• mercury - d'uh - its mercury
• parabens - I don't actually mind about parabens - a lot of fuss about nothing that now has a myth attached to it. Parabens don't give you cancer. Chillax.

Now a part of my staple skincare wardrobe - if you look at pictures of yourself when you were 20 and say 'GOD I look so YOUNG' - this is for you.

pepta-bright is available from Boots for £29.99 - and is at the time of posting on 3 for 2. *sits on bank card*

Sidebar: I use it AM and PM religiously. Its a commitment people. Keep it up.

* PR sample

Clarins Skin Beauty Repair Concentrate - Review

OK moving on from yesterday (please) - this little beauty is an example of what Clarins do really well. Skin Beauty Repair Concentrate should be in everyone's skin SOS kit. 

Containing only plant oils (yay!) this is an extremely gentle serum/oil that:

• soothes irritation with fatty acids from soy and avocado
• reduces redness with licorice and marjoram
• increases the skin's resistance to external aggressors
• contains fat soluble Vitamin A which is the most gentle formula for the skin. 

That along with the above means you start to slowly get your glow back in place of the glaring red of sensitivity. Its mild enough to be used regularly for sensitive skins as a serum/protectant and is perfect for those days where your skin just needs a comfort blanket - whether its feeling rough from partying/weather/travel - anything. Its ability to take down redness combined with the Vitamin A means it is also a safe bet for acne/combination skins.

This is a staple in my travel bag if I'm going on a plane - it's light so can be reapplied (long haul!) and doesn't clog pores - at all. 

Use under moisturiser am and pm.

One of my staple products and highly recommended.

Available from Clarins.co.uk priced £39.50 for 15ml.

The lovely Dr Tom Mammone from Clinique

Dr Tom Mammone. Executive Director of Skin Physiology and Pharmacology

Clinique Research & Development, Worldwide

So here is the blog post that almost never was. The charming Dr Tom very kindly gave me this interview back in May. Yes, May. He even went as far to give me a telephone interview when I couldn't make it to our planned meeting. Then I put the notes carefully away - so as not to lose them - and well, lost them. The shame. I thought Ava had taken my lovely notebook to school (she's a stationary addict just like her Mother). She swore blind she hadn't, making me feel even worse.

I was then of course, too mortified to say 'Oh HI Kim! Thank you for arranging for me to speak to the Doc personally. Oh yes - I lost my notes. My bad. Ask him again would you?' No. Can't do that. The SHAME.

And then - THEN - I was looking for my passport - checked the 'safe family keepsake spot for all things important', and found my notebook, sitting there, complete with all my notes and questions in the margin. FINALLY.

So, here, without further ado and with my hugest apologies to the lovely Clinique team - especially Kim - who it turns out, has the patience of a Saint, are Dr Tom Mammone's Top Tips for good skin and good ingredients.

I asked the Dr why he thought that cases of adult acne and concerns about pigmentation are on the increase? He mentioned that he had recently had the same conversation with Dr David Orentreich, Clinique's guiding dermatologist. 

'We think they are in relation to the growing cases of adult allergies - such as shellfish, which sensitise the skin. We are also seeing a lot of acne breakouts around the mouth and chin which we are beginning to link to increased usage of oral products. 10/20/30 years ago - this was just not an issue. Its a relatively new concern.' 

I love it when I can relate to what someone is saying and recognise it to be true. Readers of the blog will know that I myself developed both adult acne and a shellfish allergy around my 40th birthday. It's not nice. The increase in adult acne and the readiness of GP's to offer antibiotics out like sweets is one of the reasons, I think, for an increase in pigmentation problems - and I asked Dr Tom for his top pigmentation fighting ingredients.

1. Vitamin C Ester
   (reads Ascorbyl palmitate on inci lists) -
   A stable form of Vitamin C, it works in both the prevention and cure aspects - it recharges Vitamin E within the skin, aiding antioxidant support by helping your body boost glutathione levels in the skin - glutathione is called 'The Mother of all Antioxidants' (and for good reason).
2. Dianella Ensifolia (lilacea) - This forms part of Clinique’s patent-pending CL-302 complex, which features five synergistic brightening ingredients and is a tyronaise inhibitor. It is the most powerful inhibitor of pigment synthesis we have ever seen.
3. Yeast and mushroom extracts -
   These are proven to break down melanin in the skin and are a key part of our Even Better range.

I also took the opportunity to ask Dr Tom for his most annoying beauty myth. What really gets under his skin?

'You know, when I am at dinner parties and people talk about what they do for a living - I am always asked 'Oh come on, those beauty products, do they really work??' - of course they work. You just need to find the right products containing the right ingredients for your skin!'

And finally I asked for his No.1 tip for good skin.

'People need to treat their skin like they do their body. If you want it to be in good shape you have to work at it - its a commitment!'  (<---THIS!)

Thank you to Dr Mammone for taking the time to talk to me! And look out for Clinique Even Better in my 2012 Awards. 

Cheat Sheet - Acne

One of the biggest concerns in the Clinic seems to be problems related to acne/bad spots and 'raised red bumps'. I have taken my time with this cheat sheet because of all the skin problems out there, this one causes the most upset/depression/stress and I don't take it lightly.

When I turned 40 a couple of years ago I experienced adult onset acne - along with food allergies.
Out of nowhere. I mention this because it it is increasingly obvious that the same is happening to a lot of women. I had near-perfect skin for 40 years and then suddenly, a face full of red, angry cysts. My GP put me straight on anti-biotics and I, in my desperation, took them unquestioningly.

Once I realised that the acne was more than likely hormonal, here to stay and that the anti-biotics were doing me no favours, I decided to fix it myself. And I more or less have. The reason I am giving you so much background is because you need to do the same for your skin.

There is no magical 'cure' for acne. There are different types, yes, but no one-dose-fits-all cure. So do read the below - but bear in mind that acne is different for everyone. You may have one type - or 3 types.
You need to know your skin, your body, your state of mind, your 'system' inside out to truly see results.

I'm using this as a 'skeleton' to build on. I'm posting it in place of the Clinic so when you ask your questions - if the answers are something that will help others - I'll add them to the body of this Cheat Sheet. Make it interactive - but more importantly - get as broad a spectrum of questions and answers/tips that we can.

I'm not touching on scarring yet - I'm assuming that the people who are reading this have active acne - in which case you are a little limited in what you can do for bad scarring.

Types/causes of acne:

Hormones - just starting periods, just finishing periods, peri-menopause, menopause (all of them), for boys - raging androgen
Can cause over production of oil, slow shedding of dead skin cells, increases in the mount of androgen in your system - all creating the perfect breeding ground for acne

Bacteria - Propionibacterium Acnes is the bacteria that gives our friend its name - all it needs is the perfect environment to spread

Inflammation - illness, foods, stress - a system fighting illness is inflamed on its own, add medication and you are doubling your potential problems (not that that's your fault!), foods can cause inflammation (especially food allergies) and stress always causes inflammation - again, all breeding grounds for acne

Sensitivities - allergies, reactions to products, reactions to foods/environment

Looking at the above you may see where your skin fits in - and why anti-biotics just don't work for some people.

Myths and Old Wives Tales:

It seems that once something has been said in a glossy mag, heard on tv - or both - it becomes the Law. Sad but true. And not helpful to those of us with real problems that we want to fix!

• Acne is caused by dirty skin. Not true. There is a massive difference between bacteria and dirt. Over-washing your face destroys the acid mantle that protects your skin, makes an alkaline environment, makes your acne worse and your skin a dry, dull, sore breeding ground.
• You can 'dry up' spots. Not true. A spot is a mixture of oil, inflammation, bacteria and dead skin cells. No water in that list. All you are doing is drying the surrounding area in the hope that it will make the spot look smaller. What it actually does it put the spot on its own 'look at ME' platform.
• You can use toothpaste or nappy cream to spot-treat acne. I cannot EVEN.
  A one-off spot may have its redness taken down - temporarily - by applying one of the above. If acne could be fixed by Oral-B or Sudocrem all of our problems would be solved. YAY! *jazz hands*
  Dude. Stop putting toothpaste and bum cream on your face.

Things that may help:

Below are some of the things that have helped myself, friends, clients and readers of this blog. It is not a definitive list and is only suggestions.
They may not work for you, they may work brilliantly - unfortunately there is no perfect recipe. If you are on serious medication speak to your consultant before supplementing. 

• Avoid mineral oils when cleansing. Natural oils are better for the skin. They just are. (See one exception later on in the list)
• Avoid too much alcohol in products. A 'tingle' is ok. A 'burning' is not. Products where the main ingredient listed is alcohol will dry out the surface of your skin, destroy the acid mantle and make the perfect breeding ground. However: alcohol is sometimes a necessary evil for suspending things like glycolic acid in a solution - where they would normally not work as well.
  (See Liquid Gold as an example - the glycolic benefits override the alcohol) It can be confusing but its a case-by-case basis.
• Avoid soaps and foaming washes. These break down the acid mantle of your skin (think: armour) and make your skin a 10 on the 1-10 acid/alkaline scale. Remember litmus paper from science classes? Again - the perfect breeding ground.
• Don't pick red cysts. A whitehead can be popped in the correct manner (see previous cheat sheets), a cyst is going nowhere and will always, always prevail if you battle it. And then it will scar. Just to teach you who is boss.
• Don't completely strip your skin of oil and moisture. An acne skin that sticks solely to foaming cleansers and oil-free products is nearly always - always - reddened with inflammation and sensitivity. Thus making more work for yourself.
• Treat your skin gently and with respect. You know what I mean. Abusing it with harsh products and getting angry with it - like it's a different person - will make it worse. Your skin belongs to you. Don't try and disown it when it needs you.
• Cleanse with good quality oils and balm cleansers. There is absolutely no reason to avoid oil when you have acne. Again:
  There is absolutely no reason to avoid oil in cleansing when you have acne. Mineral oil, avoid? YES. Good, light, plant-derived oils? - no. They don't clog pores, they nourish the skin you are now pledging to take care of and they do not break you out. Cheap, nasty, mineral oil used in heavy formulations may break you out when you are cleansing, not good oils. Check labels. Avoid paraffin, paraffin liquidum, mineral oil in ingredient listings.
• Use topical exfoliants. Acids used topically help alleviate blocked pores, dead skin cells, trapped hair follicles and reduce your acid mantle to the lower end of the scale - usually around a 3/4 - which is in layman's terms, strengthening your first line of defence to the acne. Think glycolic and salicylic.
• You can use products like benzoyl peroxide, found in spot treatments, to topically treat bad acne spots. It can penetrate the pore and kill off the bacteria specific to acne, but I prefer the acids in the step above. Sulfur is more commonly used, but a word of warning - in my experience, both can be drying to the skin in high %'s. Go easy.
• Hydrate your skin and consider that it might need oil in places. You can have acne in areas and be really dry/dehydrated in others.
• Consider supplementation. I have no doubt in my mind that consuming large quantities of fish oil has saved my face. And it's not just me. People I know have had the same response. It works for acne OR psoriasis and eczema - so if you have any of those - or all - I would definitely recommend. I take anything between 3000 and 10,000mg a day depending on the day, my skin and circumstances. If you are vegetarian you can use flax - but fish is much better. (Sorry!)
• Probiotics are a must. Especially if you are on anti-biotics. Your skin is the first place to show anything going on in the gut. Keep your stomach/intestines as strong as possible. Go for the highest dosage you can find - and remember with probiotics - they degrade very quickly so if it says 2 billion on the packet - by the time it gets through processing, packaging, delivery and shelf it could have gone down to 1 billion - literally halved. I always take double the RDA. 
• Avoid moisturisers with shea butter. Yes its natural but its harder than most oils for the skin to break down and thus tends to clogs pores and give you nice whiteheads.
  Buy moisturisers with water as the main ingredient for day. You can use appropriate oils and balms at night.

Foods:
Unfortunately there really is no definitive list of foods that cause acne.
There is however, awareness of foods that cause inflammation in the system (and therefore the skin) and would thus best be avoided:

• Sugar
  The worst. And it's in everything. Avoid fizzy drinks, fruit juice (OJ breaks me out almost instantaneously), pastries, condiments such as ketchup, salad cream, brown sauce and steak sauce (cries). Get into the habit of reading labels. Fructose, sucrose, maltose, golden syrup, dextrose - all sugar. 
• White foods
  Everyone laughs when I say it - but Mother Nature made very little white. Avoid white foods. They have, for the most part, been completely bastardized buy the food industry. Bread, pasta, cereals, sugar and cakes - if they are white - they are not real food. Think how fast your car would break down if you used 'petrol substitute'.
• Red Meat
  Red meat is medically proven to cause inflammation. Not just of the skin - it has been linked to cancer, heart disease, obesity and most inflammatory diseases. This includes beef, lamb, venison, veal, pork and all of the subdivisions such as bacon, sausage, sandwich meat, salami etc..
  If you eat red meat, try and cut back and eat the best organic quality available. It is less likely to be loaded with hormones that aggravate your acne.
  Eat white meat or fish - especially oily fish like salmon. If you eat meat it should swim or fly. 
• Dairy
  We are the only species that drinks the milk of another species. It's not natural and you don't need it. But again, it's in everything. Dairy contains hormones that can alter our endocrine system and contribute to acne. That includes cheese (cries, again). If you eat/drink dairy go for organic full fat. (I use skimmed, but in the last couple of years this has been shown to be the worst type to drink, which is typical..!)
• Fried foods/bad fats
  Avoid all margarines, corn oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, trans fats and hydrogenated oils. This obviously means by association you avoid crisps, chips (french fries for US readers) and deep fried anything. Use olive or macadamia oil.

A word on anti-biotics. 
If you are taking them and they haven't 'done anything' - something I hear a lot on the Clinic - stop taking them (in the appropriate manner).
They are bad for your system, cause stomach problems and make you massively susceptible to severe sun damage. Why some GPs insist on giving out repeat prescriptions for skins that are not responding to them is beyond me. It's just crazy.
If your acne is really bad - ask for a referral to a hospital consultant/specialist unit - but I do mean really bad - covering your entire face, possibly back, scalp, chest etc - a few hormonal spots once a month, while causing you to break out the heavy duty concealer - is not on a par with the suffering of people with the severest cases.
Ask for that referral - and if you don't get one - pay to see a dermatologist! Dr Sam Bunting would be my first port of call.

Hall of Fame - Absolute Must Have: Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream

I love it when I stumble across a product that over-performs and becomes a staple in my skincare wardrobe.

This is one of those times.

I bought this in New York this Summer and have literally used it night and day since. It ran out yesterday morning (gutted - although it did remind me to blog about it) and I am DEFINITELY repurchasing.

When I bought it I thought it would be 'interesting' as it said it was for combination/sensitive skin and particularly good for acne. Well that Kate Somerville - she NO LIE.

What's in it?
Goat Milk - lactose being the key part of this inci - gently exfoliates but maintains the PH balance of the skin
Coconut and Jojoba - moisturising without clogging pores
Grape Seed for antioxidant purposes
Witch Hazel - anti-bacterial
Avocado - nourishing
Rosemary - anti-bacterial and toning
Neem - healing and anti-bacterial
Black Willow Bark - antimicrobial - same properties of salicylic acid which kills the germ specific to acne

What's good about it?
It works. Straight to the point I know, but it soothes redness so is suitable for sensitivity as well as acne-prone skins and is also cooling upon application.
The instances of red cyst-like acne lumps on my face almost ceased entirely. I had a couple show themselves at that time of the month but that was it.
Absorbs nicely. Skin feels comfortable with no residual tackiness.
Comes in a completely air-tight pump action pot that dispenses just the right amount and also stays germ-free.
AND.
It's 80% organic. Who knew?

What's bad about it?
Not widely available in the UK. Only available in selected SpaceNK stores.
The $ versus £ price is as per usual, favourable to buying in the USA.

That's it.

If you have redness, sensitivity, acne or combination skin, I highly, highly recommend this product.


Kate Somerville is available in selected SpaceNK stores and online at SpaceNK.co.uk and is £51.00 for 50ml.


Small print: no PR's were harmed during the making of this post. My money bought it and will repurchase it. Happily.

4beauty - Acne Do's and Don'ts!

I'm over on 4beauty today talking about acne and such like. Please do take a look.
Thank you!