My 10 Skin Commandments

Everyone does skincare in their own way, but there are some rules we should all abide by for proven results. Maintaining healthy and glowing skin shouldn’t be a chore or overly complicated. In no particular order, here are my skin commandments: if you follow these your skin will thank you.

1. Get your fruit and veggies! Skincare starts from the inside, and ensuring you have a healthy diet will benefit your skin with all the nutrients it needs to glow. Juicing can be an easy way to get your required fruit and veggies, without having to deal with the faff of prepping or cooking.
2.  Drink plenty of water. Our skin is our largest organ, and the main barrier between us and the environmental pollutants. It requires constant hydration to maintain its protective qualities and can add years to our looks when it’s dehydrated.
3. Get a good night’s sleep every night. Go for at least 7 hours, if possible, because sleep is the best time for your body to repair itself, and it can’t do it in too little snooze time. Missing out on quality sleep will show itself up in your skin, especially around your eyes.
4. Always, always take off your make up before you go to bed.  Sleeping in your make up is not only bad for your bed linen, but also terrible for your skin as the ingredients in makeup can block your pores and lead to breakouts.
5. Avoid cleansing wipes and harsh scratchy scrubs. Harsh scrubs don’t provide controlled exfoliation; they can actually cause trauma to the skin which can lead to an inflammatory response. Cleansing wipes just smear dirt and impurities around the skin, and some also contain alcohol, which can dry out the skin. If you want to exfoliate, you can do so with gentle acids which will remove the top layer of dead skin cells without causing trauma to the skin.
6. Use sun protection every single day. No excuses. Make sure that you use a broad-spectrum SPF, and you’ll prevent skin cancer, sun damage and the signs of ageing we all try to cover up. Sun damage accounts for around 80% of the signs of ageing, so daily SPF use is non-negotiable. Even on a cloudy day, SPF is still necessary.
7. Use a targeted serum to address key concerns. Pigment spots or sagging skin? Use Vitamin C every morning.  Lines and wrinkles or dull looking skin? Use Retinol every night. It’s the finishing touch that can really make all the difference to the condition of your skin.
8. Take a probiotic. Your gut is linked to your skin, and a poor diet will show on your skin. Gut bacteria can play a key role in the suppleness, resilience and texture of the skin.
9. Have clinic treatments regularly, to maintain the health and glow of your skin. Deeper exfoliating facials and peels, alongside collagen stimulating treatments like microneedling can really improve skin quality and appearance.
10. Love the skin you’re in! We are all unique, and that’s what makes us beautiful. Love yourself, flaws and all, and remember that on a planet of billions, there is only one you.