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! :)

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!

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