Welcome to 2019...Let's Detox Your Skincare!
Aaaah, the New Year. Everyone loves a fresh start. What’s your plan this year? Or maybe your plan is not to have a plan at all? If you want something quick and simple that you can do RIGHT NOW then allow me to suggest a simple skincare detox.
Why? Because, frankly, the skincare industry is getting a bit crazy. The promises are endless and the hype is magnificent. The marketing is beautiful and powerful and emotional. And the price points are either ridiculously high or insanely low. But we (including me on occasion - I’m a sucker for beautiful branding + packaging) fall for it. Every time. New nano peptide in a squalane base promising to take 10 years off you in 7 days? The newest high tech vitamin C derivative that will change your life? And the list of ingredients in every lotion and potion is getting longer and longer and the weird and crazy ingredients harder to pronounce (Dimethyl polysiloxane, anyone? Or perhaps some amorphous silica?)
As a consultant dermatologist I think that it is my ethical responsibility to help my patients STOP THE MADNESS.
Enough with the empty promises, the crazy concoctions and the HUGE waste of money. Let’s get real. And honest. So in the name of honest dermatology, let’s detox your skincare. Go into your bathroom and take a good hard look at what you have in there. Did any of it live up to your expectations?
Have you finished a product that you truly loved? Or do you have every product from the Ordinary or from Glossier but your skin still looks, well, the same? All you really need is one cleanser to remove your makeup, one moisturiser for night time and one moisturiser or SPF for daytime (depending on your skin and your lifestyle). That’s really it but none of it is ‘essential.’
Now, if you have a skin disease or problem (I call all skin problems ‘diseases’ but I am a doctor, after all - and acne is a disease. So is dry skin in a sense, as it is a disruption of skin barrier function and, by definition, all diseases are basically disruptions of normal physiology) and you have a prescription treatment given to you by an actual consultant dermatologist, then of course keep that one on the shelf. But the 5 different toners, 3 bottles of micellar water, 10 masks, 7 moisturisers, 12 serums, 4 cleansers, 2 exfoliating scrubs and that funky electronic brush gadget thing - I suggest getting a bin bag for those or giving them to a sibling or a friend.
Better yet - take a day or a few days off of all skincare and makeup, if you can. And see what happens. I love doing this as it is a big reminder that my skin is capable of caring for itself quite nicely if left alone for a little while. I think you will surprise yourself. Your skin is cleverer thank you think.
Over the coming weeks and months, through the fabulous combined mediums of this blog and instagram, I will be posting my thoughts on how to achieve your most beautiful skin.
My Motto? Honest Treatments. Flawless Skin.
