Have you ever wondered what are your Skin Therapist's secret hacks or the things they would shake their heads at? Our Skin Therapist Sari shares her personal must-haves and the things she would never do to her skin!
As a Skin Therapist, I would never...
1. Forget to apply my SPF
As we all know, the sun is a silent killer, and Australia has a very high rate of skin cancer. Not only can the sun cause skin cancer and skin conditions but it is the most damaging to our skin. The sun is the number one cause of skin ageing. This is why I wear SPF every morning. I also wear zinc on my face if I'm at the beach and reapply it every 2 hours. I never go for a walk or to the beach without being protected by a hat either.
2. Forget to keep hydrated
Not only does water keep our bodies and skin from dehydration, but it also maintains our skin's luminosity and elasticity. Do not undersestimate this skin (and body) health tip, it does make a difference!
3. Go to bed wearing makeup on
Here's an interesting little fact (or should I say grossly important information):There are tiny micro-organisms of mites that live on our skin called Demodex (or eyelash mites). These mites feed on the ingredients in our makeup. Although they're generally harmless, if you don't remove your makeup, you might end up overpopulating your skin with an infestation of these mites, and that could pose a risk to your eye's health.
Leaving your makeup on overnight rather than wash your face before bed will also clog your skin pores, not allowing the moisture it needs to get into the epidermis.
4. Skip my cleansing in the morning and nighttime
When you're going to paint a wall, you need to wash it before laying the first coat of paint. The skin works in a similar way: you need a washed face and cleansed skin before applying serums or moisturisers so they can penetrate better and deeper within the skin.
5. Miss putting my essential serums on
I often tell my clients that hyaluronic acid is the foundation of healthy skin. If your skin's moisture-protective barrier function is not healthy, then our skin can not work efficiently!
Besides hyaluronic acid, Vitamin B3 (niacinamide) is also essential in order to protect your Langerhans cells (your immunity cells), whilst Vitamin C and Vitamin A are our must-have collagen precursors.
6. Over-exfoliate my skin
I see a lot of clients over-exfoliate their skin. Our skin is meant to naturally desquamate by itself, so if we over exfoliate it, its natural mechanisms will become slack and not do their job. Your exfoliation routine should assist your skin, not take over its job. That way you might end up striping the skin of its essentials oils and do more harm than good.
7. Skip my moisturiser morning or night
I feel a lot of clients may skip this step in their skincare regime and believe serums are enough protection, and/or oily skins feel like it is "too much" for their skin to also apply a moisturiser over their serums. I cannot stress this enough: a moisturiser protects the first layer of your skin against external aggression and it is an essential skincare step. It locks in your serums too to guarantee my
Also read: The Best SFP for Your Skin Type
8. Use non-cosmeceutical skincare on my skin
What I put into my body, is exactly like what I put on my skin: good quality sourced and scientifically proven skincare that deliver results.
Cosmeceutical skincare has the highest percentages of active ingredients and optimised delivery systems that allow these ingredients to penetrate into the deepest layers of the skin. You will simply not get the same level of results with a cosmetic brand.
9. Stop looking after my skin from within through nutrition and vitamins
I have a well-balanced and nutritious diet that supports my body and skin. However, in our western diet, we simply can not always have access to high quality and organically sourced food. This is where I supplement my diet with vitamins, so I can give my body and skin what it needs to stay healthy and strong.
Our gut health is the main communicator of our digestion, skin and brain. If we have an imbalance in our gut flora, then the communication link isn't working efficiently and you can see that on your skin!
10. Forget about the eye, neck and decollete area
We can often be very diligent with the skincare we apply to our face, but miss our necks, the very delicate eye area and the decollete. Investing in an eye cream and making sure you apply your skincare all the way through from your face to your decollete is essential!
11. Have my daily 8h sleep
Sleep is an extremely important step for skin health - it's when our bodies recharge and our skin regenerates. Same as keeping hydrated, this might seem like a "basic" step, but it should not be overlooked! It most definitely makes a difference on the skin.
12. Smoke
Smoking accelerates skin ageing. The nicotine in cigarettes declines our ageing process, it causes our skin to constrict. This impairs the blood flow to your skin, which means there is not much oxygen and important nutrients flowing to the skin.
13. Skip my LED and skin-needling treatments
My absolute favourite professional treatment is the Omnilux Contour face Mask/healite in the salon and skin needling.
I love skin needling as it works with the communication of our stem cells to keep the messages going. It is working with the physiological side of our skin. Our skin does the healing process to promote collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid within the mechanism of our skin.
Here are a few of my favourite skincare products for optimal skin health:
Retouch Hyaluronic Base Serum is a targeted, high-performance serum that provides a perfect base of hydration for the skin.
This next-generation, rare form of Vitamin A acts up to 11 times faster than classic retinol at providing remarkable anti-ageing, radiance-boosting and skin-smoothing benefits to the skin. Crystal Retinal enables your skin to always peak and never plateau. Crystal Retinal is also perfect to target the appearance of blemishes and congestion due to retinals unique antibacterial action on the skin. Think clarified, brighter, healthier skin.
A luxurious sheet mask enriched with vitamins and hyaluronic acid to soothe, nurture, and deliver intense hydration for dewy, glowing skin.
Based on the world’s leading Omnilux MedicalTM light therapy technology, Omnilux Contour Face is an FDA and TGA cleared flexible, portable, affordable home-use device that uses light-emitting diodes (LED) clinically proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and improve overall skin tone, firmness, and health.
About The Author:
I am Sari, a qualified Skin Therapist here at Skinmart. I have been in the skincare industry for over 15 years. I have a holistic approach to skin and my passion lies in ‘Health’. My philosophy is if we are healthy on the inside, then it shows our vitality on the outside.
I have furthered my knowledge with courses in Skin Anatomy, Advanced Skin Concerns, Advanced Skin Needling and Fitness.
My emphasis is on guiding my clients through their journey of skin concerns and conditions. I like to educate my clients and find the potential triggers for their skin concerns or condition so that together we can eliminate the root of the cause. I aim to give personalised consultations with treatment and correct prescribed skin products.
