Published on 19 April, 2020There’s something that our time during self-isolation has given us. It has presented the opportunity for us to press the refresh button. Although we are all going through different situations at the moment, this time of pause regardless of our circumstances has made us think. For some it may be about things that we haven’t thought about in a long time, and for others it has been light bulb moments or realisations.The last few months has certainly not been an easy ride, with many of us initially feeling the stress & weight of the world’s news on our shoulders, and along with that the uncertainty of when it will all be over. All of this worry and change has greatly affected our mind, body and skin. Even though we aren’t able to have professional skin treatments at the moment, I have come up with a few easy ideas you can do at home to look after your mind, body and skin, and to find that serenity during self-isolation. 1. Exfoliate & cleanseWhen our skin is under stress, and our nutrition and gut health is out of balance, we break out more! The last thing we need right? But unfortunately this is often the case for many of my patients after a period of strain.Their skin is compromised and our natural acid mantle becomes weaker. If this coincides with hormonal changes, it causes our skin to become oiler, and feel congested. My go to for helping decongest my skin is doing a double cleanse with Synergie Skin Ultracleanse morning and night. This Cleanser is also gentle enough to use around the delicate eye area.For a good manual exfoliation I recommend Mediscrub 1 to 3 times a week, concentrating on problem areas for up to one minute. For more advanced skin care users, if your skin is healthy and strong, you can even alternate with Reveal which is an advanced serum exfoliator containing 13% AHA and 2% BHA, working much deeper in the skin to unclog pores while helping to even skin tone. It can be used 3 times a week. For moderate acne, it may be used daily until skin is feeling clearer.If you have a more sensitive skin I would suggest keeping it simple with a gentle cleanser such as Biocleanse and to not over exfoliate with anything too harsh, especially if you your skin has any flares ups of other skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, or dermatitis.If you feel like you have annoying blind pimples, don’t squeeze! All you will be doing is potentially spreading bacteria trapped underneath the skin, and it will only take longer to heal. You can use a spot treatment instead such as Synergie Blem-x or our compounded anti-acne cream on individual spots to decongest and exfoliate.2. MaskingThis is my favourite time of the week! Whether you’re experiencing dryness and dullness, or random ‘stress break outs’ and unwelcome excess oil, there is no better time to do a little masking.For a more luxurious mask, my go-to is MasquErase. Pictured right, this is the ultimate age-optimising home treatment in a jar, and so if you can’t get into the clinic for a rejuvenating facial with me, this is the next best thing! Packed full nourishing goodness, including phycosaccharides, vitamins, shea butter, and soothing organic honey, you almost might want to eat this masque. Leave on for a minimum of 30 minutes before rinsing, or use instead of night cream once a week and leave overnight. 3. De-puff your face and those puffy eyesWhether it’s the late nights from studying, too much alcohol, salty foods or general aging, we all wake up some mornings feeling a little puffier than others! So what can we do to reduce the appearance of puffiness?Have you ever noticed how good your skin looks after a facial massage? The face and eye area look less puffy, and generally has a pink glow from the lymphatic drainage massage. The massage is like taking your face to the gym; it helps to tone and tighten the skin while at the same time helping to rid the face of all the toxins. The face unfortunately gets forgotten about.Although you may not be able to come and see me in clinic facial right now, you are however able to perform little massage techniques in the comfort of your own home all over you face , especially the eyes. I have been using this easy to follow video for my own self-facials at home. You may not want to do the whole routine, but if you incorporated 10 minutes each day, you will certainly notice a huge difference.We love to massage our patients skin with the Synergie de-stress oil and it’s also great to help soothe sensitive, irritated skin and reduce redness.At night, apply Synergie Improveyes night to the delicate eye are along with your serum, before your evening moisturiser. This helps to hydrate, smooth out fine lines and wrinkles and helps to address darkness and puffiness.In the morning as my body is slowly starting to wake up & after I have had some water, I like to wake up the skin on my face by gently tapping all over my face for a couple of minutes, then bringing my focus to the eye area and doing some gentle eye drainage movements. If I’m puffy, I use a little old-fashioned trick – cold spoons! That’s right, two cold spoons that have been in the fridge overnight, held against your eyes. All up, this should take 2-3 minutes, and is absolutely worth it.My go-to morning eye treatment is Synergie Improveyes Day. It’s a lightweight serum, and the green coffee extract, hyaluronic acid and peptides help to address fine lines, crows feet, puffiness and dark circles! It sits perfect under makeup.4. Lifestyle factors: food, rest and self-careHow and what we put on our skin is important, but I also place a lot of importance on great nutritional supplements and self-care. This includes good nutrition and gut health, as well as mindfulness and exercise. BioCeuticals Mega B Q10 provides nutrients that are important during times of stress while BioCeuticals SB Restore is a high strength probiotic that helps maintain healthy digestive function, while its zinc, selenium, vitamins A and D provide immune support.Getting motivated while in isolation can be difficult, so I’ve compiled my favourite list of pilates and yoga workouts for an easy place to start, as well as the mindfulness podcasts I’m listening to at home right now: EPilates EYoga EMindfulness & meditation EPodacastsWhen in doubt, just ask! I am still available for complimentary consultations via email, or phone, if you have any questions about how you can keep your skin glowing while in isolation.Until I see you in the clinic next, please be kind to yourself, know that this is all only temporary – and I’m will be here for all your skin needs throughout this period. I can talk skin all day – so I am always happy to help!
