Calm the Redness

Are you feeling flushed?

Does your face feel hot and itchy sometimes? Do you get breakouts at an age that you think you shouldn’t?

Maybe you have a skin disorder called ROSACEA!

Let me help you get rid of the redness…

Rosacea is a skin condition that generally begins after 30 and is frustrating as you think to yourself I shouldn’t be getting pimples at this age. Presenting with redness, pimples, bumps on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead this disorder is poorly understood and misdiagnosed regularly as acne or eczema.

Unfortunately the cause of rosacea is unknown and there is no cure however I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help you out.

Firstly let’s see if we can diagnose you….

Are you experiencing flushing that can last as long as 5 minutes? Does your skin feel hot, unpleasant or itchy? How about your capillaries (blood vessels) on your cheeks? Do they dilate easily?

Are you regularly referred to as having sensitive skin? I’ll throw a quick spanner in the works here and let you know your skin cells are not sensitive just your blood vessels!

Spots, spots and more spots? Do they come then go, then reappear?

Here are some of the stages of Rosacea.

 1 – Facial Redness

Stage 1 (erythematotelangiectatic) rosacea is characterized by flushing and persistent facial redness. Visible blood vessels may also be present, and facial discomfort is common.

 

                                           2 – Bumps and Pimples

Stage 2 (papulopustular) rosacea is characterized by persistent facial redness and acne-like bumps and pimples, and is often seen after or at the same time as stage 1.

 

                                           

                                             3 – Skin Thickening

Stage 3 (phymatous) rosacea is characterized by skin thickening most frequently around the nose.

Now we know what to look out for… let me give you the best treatment and product options.

As your skin is aggravated we want to use a gentle cleanser to keep the area clean without triggering a flare up or reaction.

An anti inflammatory serum can calm and soothe the skin whilst keeping it hydrated and nourished.

For moisturising a basic hydrating moisturiser is best free from alcohol, witch hazel, fragrance, menthol, peppermint and eucalyptus oil. Ensure it is allergy tested  not just hypoallergenic as this term is not clearly defined nor means it is actually allergy tested.

There are many environmental and stress triggers that contribute to rosacea. Sun exposure caters for 81% of factors that affect rosacea followed by emotional stress, weather conditions, alcohol consumption, spicy foods, medications, dairy products and some skincare products.

Therefore, the number one thing to due is to purchase a great sunscreen (please check previous post on brands). Make up that you use needs to be a true mineral range preferably with anti bacterial properties. Green based foundations will assist in the coverage and counteraction of the red flushes from rosacea.

However, the best thing to do is to see a great skin therapist! We can look at your skin, prescribe the best products for you and treat your skin back to health.

There are many treatments from gentle through to aggressive and advanced treatments to correct symptoms of rosacea. Occasionally, symptoms will be so severe that topical and oral medication will be required. This should only be sourced after attempts have been made through diet, lifestyle and skincare routine changes implemented.

The thing to take out of this is to know that you are 1. NOT ALONE 2. THERE ARE TREATMENTS AVAILABLE and 3. YOU CAN GET THE SKIN YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED!

If you need any advice or have any questions about your skin please do not hesitate in emailing through skinfitclinicmelbourne@gmail.com

Stay beautiful

xx

  

Is your Sunscreen working???

Are you really protected from the sun?

Or are we too trusting of sunscreen labels?

After years and years of wearing sunscreen, getting burnt and not getting burnt I can now tell you personally my top 3 sunscreens to use this Summer. But first let’s see how much we know about sunscreen…

Everyday I have clients come in with concerns of pigmentation, sun damage and premature ageing all wanting it gone. My first question is what sunscreen are you using?

Most respond with I use sunscreen everyday its in my moisturiser and make up. But few are aware that the majority of these so called “sunscreens” are ineffective.

What?!?!?!

That was my first reaction too when I discovered this. There has been so much development in sunscreens, jeez we went from a nation of being completely oblivious to sunscreen to now seeing SPF50 everywhere, but what does that little label actually mean?

Growing up with the introduction of being “Sun Smart” I was sure I knew the answer to this. Surely SPF 15+ was better than the SPF10, then the 30+ came out and we were sure that was amazing and now SPF50 woah that must make me almost sunproof… I should buy that one!

I’m sorry my beautiful’s but this information doesn’t really give you the full picture.

Are you ready to know how sunscreen really works, what SPF is and which sunscreens you need to use?

First let us start what SPF means… and how it works!

“SUN PROTECTION FACTOR” (SPF) numbers were introduced over half a century ago to measure a sunscreen’s effect against UVB rays only.

So what does this mean for us?

SPF measures the amount of UV rays absorbed by the skin before it burns compared to the time when wearing sunscreen hence giving you a factor. 

However, as everyone’s sun response and tolerance is different and application process can change from person to person these figures are not accurate.

Now, least not miss the most crucial information here… Is Your Sunscreen Actually Working?

Most generic sunscreens have an enormous list of chemical ingredients stating they protect you against the sun however as mentioned above your SPF is ONLY protecting you against UVB rays. UVB rays are the rays that cause sunburn, UVA on the other hand are the dangerous ones having long-term damaging effects on the skin like pigmentation and premature ageing.

So how do we protect our skin?

You should look for sunscreens that are what we like to call ‘physical blockers’. To protect against UVA and UVB you need sunscreens that state at the start of their ingredients list that they contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Please, don’t go thinking you can put one of these products I’m about to recommend on and you’ll be set to lay out in the sun all day. You still need to be sun smart, re apply and ensure your coverage is good when applying.

Now for the TOP 3 Sunscreens

1. Results RX – Pure Protection

2. Skinceuticals – Ultimate UV Defense

3. BECCA – Mineral Sunscreen (Untinted)

If you need any further information on these products or any other skin advice please comment or send through an email.

Let’s be sun smart this Summer.

Stay beautiful xx

A moment to reflect…

 

 

 

 

A moment to reflect…

I know I promised my monthly blog on sunscreen this week however I spent the last few days in Sydney quite close to Martin’s Place.

As a result of being an Melburnite in Sydney at a time of such crisis and terror I was shocked firstly at the situation that was happening in front of my very eyes on Monday and then proud of the comradery of the Sydney locals.

I have taken this opportunity since flying back yesterday to reflect on how precious life is and how we should live and enjoy every moment as we don’t know what is around the corner. I know I wasnt directly impacted by the Sydney siege however on that very same morning a friend of mine lost a loved one. The timing was uncanny and the eerie feeling that swept through Sydney also swept through all of our hearts. You can not anticipate these things happening nor should you live in fear just in case. I guess the point of me writing this is just to send my love to all involve and to say “Stay strong Sydneysiders” we (Melburnites) are here for you too!!

To my friends and the families involved please keep the belief of life in your hearts, you will get through this tough time.

To the public and communities out there, Don’t Hate, Don’t Fight, Don’t Demand Revenge, instead stay true to yourself, keep living life with the passion to achieve your goals, keep your inspiration to dream, remember to love and be happy.

If we do this and come together, that will be the best sort of revenge for this situation. As our political leaders said ‘We are being tested’, so lets prove that we are a caring and loving country and we will not let people like this break us.

The heros and survivors of the day we are thinking of you, as a whole nation you will forever be in our thoughts and it was so moving to see the tributes, flowers, images and social media with hashtags showing the world we are strong, we have spirit and we will not be broken!

Let us live now and forever with the true spirit of humankind in our hearts, let us remain both HUMAN and KIND to each other.

xx

#illridewithyou #sydneysiege #heros #spirit #staystrong #hearts

‘C’ Results in Your Skin Fast with This little Secret

Vitamin C, isn’t that what my Nan told me to take when I had the flu…? How will that help my skin?

Well, this powerful little vitamin is every therapists secret to having great skin. I know you are all asking, so what does it do then??

The question should be what doesn’t this active little vitamin do?

To maintain healthy skin Vitamin C is a critical ingredient for the body to fight against ageing, free radicals and repairs premature skin damage. Vitamin C serums (depending on the product) increase collagen and elastin in the skin and gives a  brightness to  your overall complexion. I bet you are thinking ‘How has my therapist not put me on this magical potion’? The good news is that you can start now! As we age our body’s ability to produce chemicals for staying young depletes and a serum like this will fight back against ageing by replenishing your skin’s vitamin C levels in turn helping to combat and even reverse time’s effect on your face.

But how does it work on so many different things? I was always told that no product could do everything. Yes, this is correct there is not a ‘one’ dream cream or supernatural serum that will fix it all but I will tell you this, Vitamin C serum comes damn close and I truly believe there isn’t a single person that wouldn’t benefit from adding this into their skin care regime.

Let’s break it down then!

What Vitamin C does for…

Wrinkles

Now I can’t give you the exact scientific process of how Vitamin C works on wrinkles without get super technical and losing you all however I can give you a simple description of the effect it has on the wrinkles. One of the most powerful functions of vitamin C is its role in the production of collagen, a protein that gives your skin its elasticity. As you age, collagen breaks down and wrinkles begin to form. By using a Vitamin C serum every morning on your skin it will help stabilise the levels helping to counteract wrinkle formation.

Hyperpigmentation

When it comes to treating age spots, sun damage and hyperpigmentation Vitamin C is often overlooked. By combining Vitamin C serum in your daily routine with treatments such as chemical peels and lasers you will be gobsmacked by the results! Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, which is shown to reduce the number of sunburned cells as well as reverse age-related damage to skin. It will also work as a tyrosinase inhibitor so it helps prevent melanin production. The coolest thing about this little product is that while working on the pigmentation it won’t lighten the rest of the skin. It seems to target only the discolouration or pigmented areas. Please remember though it’s not a replacement for sunscreen you still need to put your sunscreen on everyday. (More on which sunscreens are best in next months blog)

Inflammation

Studies show Vitamin C has been found to work as an anti-inflammatory. Cells have been found to have decreased levels of inflammatory markers after the use of Vitamin C, this has some thinking it can help with post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. I’m still on the fence with this one but why not give it a try as it is so good for your skin anyway.

 

How do I use it and which product do I get?

People all over the world take vitamin C through a supplement or food as it is beneficial to your health, but to specifically target signs of ageing on your face, you need a topical vitamin C. You can drink all the orange juice in the world but that doesn’t mean your body will transport the vitamin C to your skin. True fact, applying vitamin C to the skin topically can be up to 20 times more effective than taking it orally. Ideally, you will use a Vitamin C serum every morning as it has sun protecting properties. Some people see changes in their skin as soon as 2-4 weeks while others may take 6-8 weeks to see a difference but at around 6 months you will be at your maximum benefits and skin looking great. Just remember the sooner you start the quicker you’ll reach your results!

On rare occasions some Vitamin C serums can cause mild dryness or flaking so you need to ensure that you are using a hydrating moisturiser to counteract this.

The bad news is that some products and brands of Vitamin C serums are not able to penetrate the superficial layers of the skin making the serum essentially useless. Vitamin C can be quite unstable and can inactivate quickly so when choosing your product consider its packaging and formulation. You want a product that comes in an airtight and UV protected package, if it does not DO NOT BUY IT! Vitamin C serums that are encapsulated are another method for which improves the stability of the product and some say causes less irritation on the skin in this form.

Look for products that contain between 10% and 20% and include the active ingredient ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid. Brands such as Skinceuticals and Medik8 have great Vitamin C serums that will have you skin looking amazing. You may need to start on a lower percentage if you are not the most skin savvy person and have not used active products before but today is the best day to change those bad habits and get on some great skin care that has active ingredients and will get you RESULTS!

 

Stay beautiful

xx

 

NEXT MONTH: Sunscreens – Is my sunscreen working? Which one should I be using?

 

Is cleansing really that important???

When it comes to the art of face washing, we ladies should be taking it pretty serious.

We either carefully select our cleanser and wash our face every morning and night, then there are some of us that just pick one off the shelf at the supermarket and cleanse when we remember.

So what is best….. AM and PM cleansing?? Morning cleansing?? Exfoliating once… twice…three times a week?? Ahhh it’s all so confusing and we get told something different every time we go for a facial.

Well, I’m here to tell you to do this ritual in the morning if you need it to look and feel refreshed and awake (even when we likely get less than six hours of sleep) but if you don’t want to cleanse in the morning that is completely ok as the most CRUCIAL part of your regime is that you wash the day off of your face in the evening, removing all traces of makeup, as well as any dirt and excess oil.

But a cleanser is a cleanser, right? Don’t they all do the same job? Hardly. We, the skin experts, would love our clients to do a pre cleanse to remove make up and then a double cleanse to ensure there is nothing on your skin prior to your night products. For every client we see with skin concerns the fastest results are achieved through this cleansing routine.

There are formulas for all different skin types, from sensitive to acne-prone to combination to dry to oily and even those of us with rosacea. You can choose from bars or pump soaps, mild or deep cleansers and take your pick from exfoliating, creamy, foamy or even gel ones. You’ll all have your opinion of what is best but just remember… if there is a film on your skin… your anti ageing products won’t get in!

And in case we haven’t convinced you we are right…. When you sleep in make up it impacts the pores making them appear larger, stretching them out and unfortunately this causes inflammation which generates free radicals leading to collagen breakdown, and for all of us out there that is not good as those pores filled with make up won’t bounce back to their original size. Eeeek!!! Well I’m off to cleanse my face…. TWICE!

xx