Skincare

Skincare and PCOS

Posted on by Danielle Hudson

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I got diagnosed with PCOS at 16 years old and was fortunate enough not to have many of the nasty side effects, just irregular periods- no complaints there! I was put on the combined contraceptive pill and told to look up Polycystic Ovary Syndrome at the library (yes seriously- this was pre Google *insert Granny Face emoji here*).

Fast forward a few years; I came off the pill and my skin went wild! I’m not going to talk too much on the medical side of PCOS, it can be a serious condition in some cases and should be monitored by a medical professional, but I now have my skin under control (95% of the time) so I wanted to share what works for me (I realise that the skin issues associated with PCOS are not necessarily the most serious side effect but it can have a massive impact on self confidence and how we feel so it should be addressed).

There are varying degrees of skin problems for PCOS sufferers but they generally all stem from the same thing- blocked sebaceous glands. The sebaceous glands are the hair follicles/pores that house oil to keep our skin supple. PCOS can cause excess oil production, increased facial hair (hirsutism) and abnormally fast skin cell turnover, all of which block the pores. The oil and hair are self explanatory as to why they block the pores- the pores are only small and don’t need excess of anything to overcrowd them! But it is the cell turnover that causes the biggest problem; new cells are layering up before old cells have had time to shed- this creates a thicker and rougher feeling complexion. Therefore the blockages become much deeper and all the oil and dead skin cells have a more difficult time trying to escape, causing painful spots and bumps under the skin.

A natural instinct is to use a strong, oil removing cleanser and toner, but this can have an adverse effect; if the skin surface is stripped of oil, the receptors in the sebaceous glands send out an alarm to produce more oil! Thus adding to the problem. Cleansing is a very important first step though (in all skin care regimes), I like balm cleansers as the oil in them attracts the oil from your skin without stripping it but cleansers are very much a personal choice of what you like and what works for you.

For me, the most important part in my defence against PCOS is Retinol. Retinol exfoliates from the inside out! It uses vitamin A to push dead skin cells up and out (rather than removing the surface layer) this prevents that thickness in the skin. Retinol should be introduced VERY slowly to the skin; only1-2 times a week to begin with. I use La Rosche-Posay Redermic R every other night. Pregnant women should steer clear of retinol, although ironically (despite PCOS making it difficult to get pregnant) pregnancy actually counteracts the side effects of PCOS. Very funny Mother Nature.

With all these dead skin cells being pushed to the surface it is important that they are gently sloughed off at this level too. I don’t want to overstimulate my skin with a scrub so 1-2 times a week I use Ren Wake Wonderful Night-Time Facial, this is a night lotion that contains a small amount of lactic & glycolic acid to remove the dead skin- it is dreamy! Now with all this exfoliating it is essential that I use an spf daily, whatever the weather! Without it I would be leaving myself exposed to free-radical and pigmentation damage. At the moment I’m using Skinceauticals Mineral Radiance UV Defence, it’s lovely and light so it’s fine to use under makeup.

It’s also really important to keep your skin as supple and nourished as possible (especially when it comes to skin healing if you’ve had a nasty breakout), and I’ve recently discovered the B range at Superdrug- it’s amazing! Think of it like Superdrug’s version of the Boots No.7 range. I’m using the B. Renewed Night Cream, it melts into the skin and leaves it so soft and moisurised- I’m really impressed! It contains hyaluronic acid and shea butter for moisturising, and peptides for improving elasticity, and it doesn’t have any nasty perfumes in it!

The last thing I do, which is more of a general pick me up, is to use the Ren Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial. Regardless of how well you look after your skin, we all have days where we need that something extra to put the glow back in our cheeks and the flash rinse does that for me! It contains water activated Vitamin C to totally brighten and revitalize the complexion, it’s great for anyone but particularly city skins and fatigued/stressed skins. Like an SOS in a bottle! Save Our Skin!

So that’s how I try to combat my PCOS skin, it may not work for everyone (age can be a factor, I am 35 so somebody younger will probably want to use a slightly lighter night cream) but I hope it will help because painful, bumpy skin is not fun for anyone.

Danielle x

Redermic R, £29.50 www.laroche-posay.co.uk

Wake Wonderful Night-time Facial, £32.00. Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, £32.00 www.renskincare.com

Mineral Radiance UV Defence, £39.00 www.skinceuticals.co.uk

B.Renewed Night Cream, £11.99 www.superdrug.com

BIOTULIN: APPLICATION INSTEAD OF INJECTIONS?

Posted on by Danielle Hudson

ProduktfotoA piece I wrote for www.stylenest.co.uk

Botulinum toxin A or ‘Botox’ as it is more commonly known is fast becoming the norm in the war against anti-ageing but what if there was a product that could give similar results to Botox minus the injections (and frozen face)? Step forward Biotulin!
Developed in the US and produced in Germany, Biotulin claims to make you look visibly younger in just 60 minutes!
The key ingredient of Biotulin is Spilanthol, a fatty acid and local anaesthetic extracted from the Acmella Oleracea plant. Spilanthol reduces facial muscle-contraction and therefore reduces the appearance of fine lines. Other key ingredients are Imperata Cylindrica (another plant extract) to hydrate the skin for 24hrs and also the much loved skin plumper; Hyaluronic acid!
I have been using Biotulin for 4 weeks now (btw a little goes a long way) and I am very impressed! My fine lines are noticeably softer and my skin is definitely more hydrated and dewy-looking! The claims are true; you do see a difference within the first 60 minutes of application but I think the true results show themselves over time, in fact the more you use the product, the more effective it becomes!
Personally, I don’t believe that Biotulin is a replacement to Botox but I do think it is a fantastic competitor and a really good natural product. It is a great option for those who aren’t quite sure about Botox or those who are just starting to enter the anti-ageing arena! It would also work well as a ‘maintainer’ between Botox appointments. Or of course for anyone who would never dream of having Botox but would still appreciate a more youthful appearance!

Danielle x

Biotulin £35.00
www.biotulin.co.uk

Mineral Oil: Guilty until proven Innocent?

Posted on by Danielle Hudson

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I recently wrote this piece for www.stylenest.com and I wanted to share it with you…

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in a beauty product and recoiled in horror if the dreaded Mineral Oil was listed?! Well I have, many times in fact. I was told by my (beauty) college lecturer many moons ago that Mineral Oil clogs your pores and to avoid using it on yourself and on your clients at all costs. So I did without question.
But lately I have been asking the question; where’s the proof?
There are many outspoken influencers in the beauty industry regularly stating that ‘they won’t use ‘product x’ because it contains mineral oil’ but as far as I have seen there has been no evidence or papers written on the subject to prove that it is bad for us?
The first thing to understand is that there are very different grades of mineral oil, for example; petroleum (Vaseline) is mineral oil and so is liquid paraffin (like in a moisturising paraffin wax treatment manicure- not to be confused with what you would buy in a hardware shop for a paraffin heater). In fact, as a chemical mineral oil is boringly simple; it is only made of 2 atoms, carbon and hydrogen and it is very unreactive. The lack of reactivity means that skin reactions to mineral oil are almost unknown and certainly unproven.
Mineral oil does not dissolve in water either which gives it excellent barrier properties; if you have dry skin, it is usually due to the outer layer of your skin letting too much moisture escape. A thin layer of mineral oil will slow down the loss of moisture and rehydrate your skin very quickly. It would also be beneficial as a skin barrier if your skin is sensitive to washing powder etc.
In a cleanser, in my opinion, mineral oil is a fantastic ingredient to have- oil attracts oil so it will very efficiently remove all traces of makeup and grime from the skin, it will not absorb into the skin (so therefore cannot clog the pores- as long as you are removing the actual cleanser thoroughly) and will leave a protective barrier to prevent any moisture loss. Hence the popularity of the famous Eve Lom cleanser.
So in summary I would say that in terms of skincare, mineral oil is innocent! It seems perfectly fine to use and could be particularly beneficial on dry skin and in cleansers. It is so inert that it could also be the perfect option for sensitive skin too.
BUT!!! If we were to talk in terms of the environment, as a non-renewable material, mineral oil is certainly not green but that’s a whole other story…..!

Eve Lom Cleanser 50ml £40.00 www.evelom.com

(PLEASE NOTE! This is just my humble opinion! Danielle x)

Skincare in Makeup…..To be or Not to be?

Posted on by Danielle Hudson

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For many years now skincare companies have introduced ‘colour’ to their skincare ranges, some have been good (Dermalogica tinted moisturiser I’m talking to you) and some have been baaaaad. Ultimately they were never quite good enough; either the coverage wasn’t sufficient, or the make up didn’t last all day and more often than not they didn’t manage any of these! Great!

So when I got asked to try the Perricone MD ‘No Makeup Skincare’ I was expecting much of the same. I was SO wrong! The range consists of 8 products and I absolutely love every single one of them! All their skincare benefits relate to the area on which you use them, for example the No Bronzer Bronzer (a liquid bronzer) has vitamin C ester in it which helps to diffuse sun damage, and the No Blush Blush contains DMAE (a plumper naturally found in salmon) you can use it on your lips too. It’s genius!

My favourite products in the range are the No Foundation Foundation Serum (with neuropeptides to help firm and regenerate the skin) because it gives a glowy (semi)matte coverage but appears barely there as though you are just blessed with perfect skin! The No Concealer Concealer is so creamy, it also contains vitamin C ester and helps to boost collagen production and gradually fade dark circles!!! I always feel uncomfortable using concealers around my eyes as I worry I could be aggravating this delicate area but not any more! (Top tip: the concealer is great for correcting sun damage on the EYELIDS too (more common than you’d think, and usually difficult to treat)). And, the No Mascara Mascara. I wrote a little while ago about finding the best mascara ever (Benefit’s Rollerlash) and just like buses, along comes another one! To be totally honest, I initially thought this mascara was created purely to complete the range and that it wasn’t going to be good at all, WRONG again! This is the best mascara I have ever used in my life, in fact I’m considering divorcing my husband and marrying this mascara instead, it’s true love! It contains neuropeptides and biotin to nourish, condition and strengthen the lashes, but more importantly (for me) it gives you beautifully long, fat lashes!

Also in the range is the No Foundation Foundation (2 shades) which actually gives less coverage than the serum but is beautiful none-the-less, and the No Lipstick Lipstick which you can wear on it’s own (a ‘healthy pink lips’ type colour) or over the blusher on the lips for more colour. In fact all the products in the range can be customised to suit your own preference; mix the bronzer with the serum for more of a tan glow colour, the concealer with the foundation for more coverage or the blush with the bronzer for more of a browny blush. It’s all very clever and very, very good for your skin! Success!

Note: Shake the liquid products up well before each use to disperse the pigments.

Available nationwide www.perriconemd.co.uk

Get the most out of your magazine freebies!

Posted on by Danielle Hudson

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Who doesn’t love a free gift?! The glossy mags are giving away the BEST pressies at the moment, and they seem to be getting better and better!

So, I thought I’d let you know how I’ve been using some of them to get the best results….

A couple of months ago Glamour magazine included a free gift of Balance Me products, I bought 2 mags to get the ‘Pure Skin Face Wash’ and the ‘Radiance Face Mask’. In Marie Claire’s July issue they are offering some Elemis classics; ‘Pro Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm’ and ‘Papaya Enzyme Peel’, I opted for the latter. I’d first like to say how pleasantly surprised I was with the Balance Me products; I think in my head I’d muddled them up with another brand (found in supermarkets) with a similar packaging and ethos, that I do not like at all (sickly smells and not very effective on me) so I wasn’t expecting much from them, but then I opened the face wash and was greeted by the most gorgeous scent! I think it was the frankincense and grapefruit that I picked up the most, delish! The face wash is 98.8% natural and doesn’t contain any sulphates (sulphates are what make a product ‘foam up’ but they have been known to temporarily aggravate the skin of some people, causing redness, dryness and/or itching) yet it still thoroughly and effectively cleanses the skin removing all traces of make up and grime. I did a double cleanse; first, manually to remove my make up and secondly with my Foreo Luna mini for a deeper cleanse.

*I am slightly biased with the Foreo Luna mini as I did some work for Foreo a while back (I launched and introduced the brand to the UK market) however I could only do this successfully because I believe in the product. A healthy complexion starts with a good cleanse but we are in a tricky 21st century situation of needing a ‘strong’ cleanse to remove our long-lasting make up/commute/pollution etc but our skins being so much more sensitive nowadays with daily stresses and all these external aggressors, don’t always react well to said ‘strong’ cleanses! The Luna is a t-sonic cleansing device made of silicone so it has a gentle touch on the skin whilst giving a deep and effective cleanse.

Once per week after cleansing at night, I’ll apply the Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel over my face and neck and leave for 10 mins before rinsing off with luke warm water. I then apply my regular night moisturiser (at the moment I’m using Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil) I would steer clear of any AHAs/BHAs/glycolic moisturisers on this night so as not to over stimulate the skin (this is a personal choice). *TECHY BIT ALERT!* It is said that the desquamation process excels overnight -this is effectively our own in-built exfoliation system whereby new cells from the deeper layers of the epidermis work their way up to the outer layers and old ones are sloughed off – so after using the Papaya Enzyme Peel I would expect this process to be much more productive and efficient and perhaps leave me with lots of sloughed off dead skin cells on my face in the morning! Nice! Hence the importance of cleansing your face in the morning as well as the evening! In the morning I use the Balance Me Radiance Face Mask, in their words it “polishes, hydrates and smoothes” and it really does! For me this works perfectly after the peel as the kaolin in it draws out the last of the sloughed off cells from my pores and moisturises at the same time. I cannot stress enough- this ‘double exfoliation’ will not be suitable for everyone!! It works well for me because my cell turn over is quite slow (judging by the thicker appearance of my skin) and I am not sensitive to products (people with sensitive skin or acne should avoid over stimulating their skin, if in doubt do a patch test). I then moisturise (currently the Omorovicza Illuminating Moisturiser) and most importantly apply my spf! (I use La Roche Posay 50+). To perform such a thorough exfoliation and not apply spf is like opening a can of worms! Please protect your lovely new skin cells!

Anyway, that’s how I do it! It sounds like a lot of work but it really isn’t, in addition to your normal cleanse it’s just a 10 min peel in the evening and a 10 mask in the morning (which I use in the shower, so no extra time taken at all really!). It’s once a week, it’s worth it and it’s free! Happy days!

Danielle x

Sun protection UVA UVB SPF ETC ETC!

Posted on by Danielle Hudson

20150411_125023I am from the generation who can remember when fake tans were awful, a certain sunbed shop chain was an acceptable place to go (the maximum exposure time was 15 mins) and having a tan was everything.

Fast forward a few years and our pigmentated faces and chests are testament to our naivety. Gutted. On the plus side; fake tans are now excellent (and varied), knowledge is power and pale can be interesting.

UV exposure is the single most ageing element on our skin, bar none. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the sun but as with most things in life, it’s all about moderation. In a recent poll, it has emerged that uneven pigmentation (brown spots) is aesthetically more ageing than lines or wrinkles. UV pigmentation can be dramatically reduced/prevented by using spf with UVA and UVB protection  *hormone related pigmentation is a different topic which I will blog about later.

PIZ BUIN 1 DAY LONG SPF30: This is a high quality product, as you would expect with Piz Buin, it has the all important UVA and UVB protection and it is enriched with an antioxidant to further defend against premature skin ageing. It is massively moisturising without feeling at all sticky. Skin is left feeling smooth, silky and protected! The only downfalls for me are that it is only an SPF30 (I personally prefer spf50 for me) and the bottle is on the small side, 100ml, if applied generously (to ensure protection) 1 bottle will not last a full ‘beach-holiday-week’. Despite this, I would definitely buy again .

GARNIER AMBRE SOLARE CLEAR PROTECT+ UVA3 UVB SPF50: This spray does exactly as it says it will, high protection, quick absorption, non-greasy, water resistant and has a transparent finish. It is a really good all rounder. I think it will suit the sporty holiday makers or people who hate the feel of product on their skin. It has quite a strong ‘chemical type scent’ though so it wasn’t a favourite of mine (smell is a big thing for me; not too perfumed, not too plain, definitely not chemical). On the whole though, this is a good product and is good value for money.

LA ROCHE-POSAY ANTHELIOS XL UVA UVB SPF50+ TINTED FLUID: This is a year round favourite for me, it ticks all the right skincare boxes. It has the all important high protection but it is also ultra-light and tinted! The fluid is so light that it is possible to wear your face serum beneath it and it still won’t feel heavy on the skin. The tint colour is fairly universal, I would say it would blend with most complexions from Fitzpatric 2-4 (quite pale to olive). For people like me who are used to wearing make-up daily, a tinted sun cream makes a bare-faced trip to the beach much less daunting! I wear this spf throughout the year (tinted version in summer, plain version under make-up in winter) I am fully aware that we need some skin/sun exposure to boost our vitamin D levels but this doesn’t need to be via our faces! Hands, arms, legs all do the job too! This is definitely my suncream winner.