Know your Skins enemy
This year Miss Sunshine has gifted us with its early arrival bringing warmth, light and feeling good factor. Nature comes to life manifesting in changing of colour by giving our beautiful greenery a new life. All happened towards the end of March. Roughly at the same time our team of therapists noticed a significant increase in the number of questions about dry, flaky skin accompanied with itchiness and tightness.It did not take long to understand what was happening. We were entering a brand new Hay fever season!
Hay fever is a very common airborne allergic reaction to pollen which falls into a category of other allergies to mould, dust, fungal spores or animal dander. It can occur almost any time of year. The symptoms including sneezing, itchy, puffy and watery eyes, raised pimples on the neck, irritability and feeling of being drunk, are the parts of this ‘punishment’ that have to be treated by anti-histamine drugs.
What is actually happening in the skin? When pollen lands on different surfaces it forms a dusty, very often a greenish coat of film. Exactly the same thing happens on our skin surface. This coat of very fine dust particles containing proteins blocks every skin pore in the exposed areas, in fact it can get under the clothes too. It absorbs natural skin oil (sebum) and interferes with its respiration. It causes a damage to hydro-lipidic film (part of the skins natural protection against environmental aggressors). The end result is dryness, deep lines become more pronounced, fine lines, puffy eyes and paper-like skin texture which can be very depressing. In some cases eczema or contact dermatitis can take a hold. Both skin conditions are inflammatory and can lead to a premature cutaneous ageing.
So, how can we help ? The answer is in the RIGHT skincare. My suggested skincare option:
MORNING
Cleanse/Tone as per normal (if the skin is very sensitive at the time, do not use the toner and opt for a Cleanser especially developed for sensitive skin i.e Skinceuticals Gentle Cleanser).
Apply Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 gel or Phyto-Corrective gel (both products contain Hyaluronic acid) covering all the area of the face and the neck, avoid the eyes.
Allow 1 minute for the product to be absorbed by the skin
Lay a very thin coat of Skinceuticals Epidermal Repair and then seal it with Skinceuticals Brightening UV Defence SPF 30/50 or Guinot Newhite UV Shield SPF50
EVENING
Cleanse/Tone
Apply Skinceuticals Epidermal Repair or Triple lipid restore
This part of your skincare is extracted from Skinmaze ‘facial at home’ section. I would like you to repeat this procedure twice weekly for a deeper, more professional result.
After cleansing, blot your face with a flannel, make sure the skin is dry, dot around the face and the neck Guinot Gommage Biologique ( AHA’s complex) and using circular movements work it into the skin for 2 minutes.
Apply Skinceuticals Phyto-corrective mask (it can be left on the skin overnight in a thin layer) or Guinot Mask Hydro-sensitive, leave it on for no less then 20 minutes. Remove with warm water, then apply your regular moisturiser.
For the eyes, Guinot Eye mask, 30 minutes session twice weekly to eliminate dark circles and puffiness followed by your recommended eye moisturiser.
Relax and enjoy the result!
