So, I went into the local beauty cosmetic shop the other day and I was absolutely blown away with the hundreds and thousands of beauty products we have available to us now, I have so many clients come in and the first thing they say is ‘I’ve tried everything and nothing has worked’. The cosmetic industry is a billion-pound industry with people so un educated on what is right for them. Most of the time we go into these stores, we are normally being served by someone who is being paid to stand there and sell to you rather than find out exactly what you need and why concerns have come around on the skin. As skin specialists, we are here to educate our clients on the different ranges of products on the market which should make it easier for you to select your skin routine.
First of all, your body is the largest organ in the body, it is living and needs feeding the right nutrition, our skin is also a window to our body so when a lot of things happen inside the body, it will show up on your skin in different ways. When we see concerns on our skin it is mostly to do with an imbalance of cells at the bottom of the epidermis which is caused by many reasons. Due to what we are now exposed to on a daily basis such as sprayed foods, hormones and pollution our body and our organs become under nutritious. The only way we can start seeing short and long term benefits on the skin and to reduce skin concerns is by internal wellbeing and by putting ingredients topically onto the skin which can reach the bottom of the epidermis to change cell activity.
To break down the cosmetic industry to you, there are 4 different types.
Cosmetic products- These products are bought over the counter (such as high street beauty salons, cosmetic stores and shops), the molecules which make up these are very large which means they sit on the top layer of the skin and the top layer of this skin are dead skin cells. This means the products are not going deep enough to work properly. These products tend to be full of parabens, perfumes, alcohol and fragrances which means they will deteriate the skin causing more concerns. The active ingredient which is normally used in the marketing to help a skin concerns is so low in the ingredients list that it won’t do much for the skin. A lot of cosmetic products are being invested millions of pounds in to the marketing which makes the quality of the product very low. This means that it makes you want to buy the product but does not do anything. Not all cosmetic products are bad but not the better option for skin care.
Swiss products- These products tend to be your natural ranges. This means that there are no bad ingredients in the products and there is lots of nutrition but the molecules which make up the product are still too large to by-pass the skin barrier defence system to get to the bottom of the epidermis.
COSMECEUTICAL PRODUCTS- This range of product is where a lot of the magic happens. They hold a high dose of active ingredients which are tailored by skin specialists specifically to people’s concerns, the molecules which make up the products are so fine that they can by-pass the skin barrier defence, disperse active ingredients to correct the concerns at the bottom of the epidermis. Cosmeceutical products can only be bought of skin specialists and can’t be bought over the counter in stores or online. I would advise to do your research on who you are allowing to tailor your cosmeceutical skin care regime as these products are strong enough to create AMAZING results but can cause slight reactions if wrong products are given to wrong skin concerns. These products are tailored to your skin and can be used every day as a skin regime to bring you results short term and long term encouraging healthy skin.
Pharmaceutical products- These products tend to be prescribed by GPs and Dermatologists. Pharmaceutical products bring great results to concerns such as acne, eczema, psoriasis but you cannot tend to stay on these products for long periods of time and occasionally come with various other side effects.
FACTS WHEN BUYING SKIN CARE-
Your skin needs nutrition, if you are not going to invest in cosmeceutical skin care then go as natural as possible. Avoid alcohol, parabens, perfumes and fragrances.
Do not over strip your skin (exfoliators, AHA’s, BHA’s) as this could make break outs worse or can cause various other concerns on the skin.
Internal health plays a key role in skin care. Lots of water, nutrition, green foods will make a massive difference.
Everybody should be on a minimal of a broad-spectrum SPF 30. We are exposed to UV rays and pollution every day. SPF acts like a barrier to protect the skin. These is no point trying to fix the skin if you’re not preventing what’s caused it.
Pick the right make up- Women wear make up the average of 12 hours a day, this plays a key role in skin health.
Cleanse your skin for at least 30 seconds to allow active ingredients to penetrate.
DON’T LET MARKETING TECHNIQUES CATCH YOU- Although it says it’s for acne or anti-ageing or helps dry skin…. Question why? What’s in it? What are the ingredients?
Skin regimes are like going on a diet… There Is no point seeing a personal trainer once a week if you’re going to eat bad at home. You cannot truly fix your skin and make it healthy just after one treatment. Your skin care is a treatment on your skin every day which will give long term results.
Have regular facial treatments.
Great skin care products do not have to be expensive. I went into a store the other day and there was a £540 cream with the same ingredients in as a £4 pot of cream. Look beyond the marketing and look at what products can truly do for your skin.
Most skin specialists offer FREE consultations- Make use of that service even if you’re not wanting to purchase, it will be good as education for yourself to know what is right for your skin.
