Dr Helen Marsden shares her Summer skincare secrets
A handy guide to how to look your best and protect your skin, straight from the expert
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By Dr Helen Marsden
I’m still regularly hearing that people are fed up with their dull and lacklustre complexion. Radiance is on everyone’s wish list right now, with healthy skin adding to our overall feeling of wellbeing enormously.
Hopefully, we’ll have some lovely, bright and sunny weather ahead of us for a while yet. But it’s important that, while we get out and about and enjoy ourselves, we’re also protecting our skin.
At Dr Helen Marsden Aesthetics, we have lots of wonderful treatments available to help achieve that radiant-looking glow. But optimal results will always be achieved if you combine in-clinic treatments with a great skincare regime at home.
Not sure where to start? Let me help…
SPF, SPF AND SPF
This is the most vital (and often the most overlooked) part of skincare for anyone and everyone who cares about their skin’s appearance. UV damage is responsible for most (approx. 80%) of the visible skin ageing that we see on the face – lines, wrinkles and the patches of pigmentation. We should always avoid sunburn at all costs. But did you know that even a gentle tan represents sun damage?
Treatments to help eradicate/minimise pigmentation are pointless without the use of an adequate SPF, as pigmentation will return with sun exposure.
The key to protecting your skin is a high quality and broad spectrum SPF. In Winter, SPF30 may be enough but in the Summer SPF50 is essential to protect the skin.
One of our best sellers is Synergy 6 – a lightly tinted moisturiser with SPF 50. It’s rare to find a product that feels as fabulous on the skin while giving a wonderful glow.
While this is my first and most important tip, it should be the last stage in your skincare routine.
REMEMBER YOUR VITAMINS!
A high-grade Vitamin C serum really is worth the investment. It’s a great year-round product, but is particularly beneficial during the warmer months for super Summer skin.
Vitamin C has anti-oxidant properties which help to protect your skin. It also helps prevent pigmentation with a photo-protective effect and it stimulates collagen production to improve the appearance of fine lines. So a pretty vital step in the anti-ageing process!
DON’T FEAR RETINOL
There are few people who won’t benefit from retinol in their skincare regime.
Also known as Vitamin A, this supplement has anti-acne and anti-ageing properties, and even helps even skin tone.
How, we hear you ask? Retinol stimulates skin cell turnover and regeneration. As a result, it’s great for correcting the blemishes and blotchiness associated with problematic skin.
IN-CLINIC SKIN TREATMENTS
Popular treatments at the moment are chemical peels (we use The Perfect Peel) and skin resurfacing treatments (PH Formula) to brighten the skin post-lockdown.
I’ve mentioned SPF a lot already, but protecting your skin is even more important (if that’s possible) after a peel or resurfacing treatment. Perfect peel causes dramatic peeling of the skin, whereas the re-surfacing treatments are more gentle with gradual resurfacing over a number of treatments. Whatever your skin’s needs, there’s an option for everyone.
Another popular treatment is WOW fusion, which is a combination of microneedling and mesotherapy with a hyper-personalised skincare cocktail tailored to suit your individual skincare concerns. The unique WOW device allows delivery of the high-grade, multi-vitamin serums into the skin for maximum benefit. It’s great for brightening the skin and can be used to help dullness, redness, acne and signs of ageing.
WOW fusion can also be combined with prescription-only products for further treatment options. The post-WOW glow looks and feels great. Many of our patients have a monthly WOW fusion treatment, others book them in as and when they really want their skin to be glowing.
Finally, I think everyone has heard of Profhilo by now, as it has recently been in the press, many magazines and TV chat shows. Profhilo is not a new treatment, but it’s currently taking the country by storm with a huge surge in uptake. And quite rightly so!
We’ve been providing Profhilo treatments for a long time now. It’s actually my favourite treatment, both personally and professionally! I mean, what’s not to love? Profhilo is an injectable treatment, tightening and brightening, and great for any laxity in the skin. It’s commonly used to treat the face and neck, and can also be used to tighten the skin elsewhere on the body – such as arms, hands, décolleté, knees and on any stretch marks. Nothing else gives the same long-lasting glow as Profhilo.
Fancy a chat about how any of these treatments could work for you? Consultations can be booked in clinic or virtually via my website.
We look forward to welcoming you to our clinic soon!
Dr Helen Marsden Aesthetics, Durham City Physio, 55a Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HN
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