Spots, Zits, Call them what you will

When I was younger I believed in all sorts of crazy things.  Unicorns, gold at the end of the rainbow, and the concept of there being a time in my life between the spots going away and the grey hairs starting.  Well, as the grey hairs started when I was 15, and at 37, the spots still haven't left that's clearly never going to come true.  I've tried all sorts of things to settle my skin down, but if the Belisha Beacon that's currently taken up residence between my eyebrows is anything to go by, they've not been all that successful.  Creams, gels, medicated washes, light therapy.  Maybe it's time for a bit of professional help.

I've considered talking to my GP, but in all honesty I spend so much time in there with one ear infection after another, I can't build up the nerve to talk to them about my spots.  I'm sure they'll just tell me to go away & get over it, they're far too busy with people who are actually ill.  But acne has a big knock on effect, it's not just about the uncomfortable & unpleasant looking spots, it affects your confidence, your mood, your job chances - who's going to want to be served their dinner by someone whose face looks too much like the pizza you've just ordered?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/Freedigitalphotos.net

I recently heard of a company called SK:N clinics who are specialists in dermatology & dealing with awkward skin conditions.  SK:N clinics offer all sorts of non-surgical treatments to help deal with acne prone or problem skin, with skin peels starting from just £105 – I've got creams that cost more than that (which I won, admittedly, but even so!)  It doesn't cost the earth, and when I consider what I've spent over the years in trying to treat my skin problems myself, I'm kicking myself for not having thought about it sooner.

Acne scarring can also cause a problem.  It's not as simple as your mum used to tell you, that if you pick it, it'll scar, if you leave it alone it'll go away.  For one thing, who can really leave it alone when there's a nice juicy spot there, ripe for squeezing? Scarring isn't directly caused by squeezing anyway, it's caused by damage to the tissue beneath the skin, which can build up excess collagen trying to repair the damage caused by the spots, leaving that familiar pock-marked effect.  Even the rich and famous (or snooker players, I'm more familiar with them) can't escape this, though they have better make up than us.

Stephen Hendry still bears the scars of youthful acne

Acne scarring is treatable, using chemical peels, laser treatment, or the one that grabs my attention the most, a dermaroller, which creates thousands of tiny contact points on the skin, promoting skin renewal  using your body's natural healing process. It's a technique that can be carried on at home between consultations, and sounds like a high tech, skin version of the lint rollers that were so popular in the 1980s for removing fluff from jumpers.

I'm actually thinking quite seriously about this now.  Less these days for my face, but I'll be honest with you, acne can strike in other places as well, and I'm quite conscious of my acne in other areas.  You don't need a diagram.  The dermaroller is safe to use on all areas of the body, so this might just be the one for me.

What about you?  Have you ever sought help with problem skin?  What are your experiences?

Disclosure. This is a sponsored post. I was not told what to write & all opinions remain my own. Links are provided for convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

MitoQ 8 weeks on

You might remember back here, I reviewed MitoQ, a new, powerful anti aging skincare product.  Well, it's time for part 2.

MitoQ's effects take a little time to build, and are most noticeable after a month or more, and thanks to a snarky commenter (I didn't publish, sorry), I remembered that I'd missed posting the follow-up, as I posted my initial review after a single week of use.

I found that the cream did make a difference to the appearance of my skin, especially to the fine lines around my eyes.  My skin appears fuller and smoother, and more evenly coloured.  It took a little bit of getting used to, I had a few break outs during the second week or so.  This might be the cream, or it might just have been one of those things.  So I persevered, and the spots went away, and my skin looks considerably better.  To the extent that people have noticed I look "well".  You know, it's that thing people say when you look a bit different & better, but they can't quite put their finger on why.

Now the summer's approaching, I'm going to have to add an SPF to my beauty regime as well as the MitoQ, which could be a sticking point.  All the SPFs I have, aside from proper "holiday" suncream, are already moisturisers, and I'm not sure whether my skin will deal with two, or whether I'll think it's a bit too much hassle to use two, and just use an SPF moisturiser instead.  This is the one failing of MitoQ for me, that there isn't any sun protection in it.

I'm staying with it for now, but I have a feeling MitoQ may become a winter-time part of my beauty package, and go away for the summer months, which is a shame considering the cost.  I like it, it works, but I need the sun protection.  If your skin is less sun-sensitive than mine, you may feel differently.

MitoQ Anti-Aging skincare Review

I'm becoming quite the beauty blogger here of late.  I'm not even sure how, it's just crept up on me, much like my age.  Well, never one to turn down trying something new, I was recently given the chance to try out MitoQ, a powerful antioxidant, anti-aging cream, which has just been launched in the UK.

The cream comes in a very stylish smoky 50ml bottle, with a pump action dispenser, something I always find comes in handy, as I can be quite heavy handed otherwise & end up squeezing out far more than I need.  According to the manufacturers, MitoQ is 1000 times more effective than other antioxidant creams, restores your skin's natural defences, and lightens & brightens your skin leaving you looking younger & hiding blemishes.  Sounds good to me, I need all the help I can get!

They claim that after 1 day your skin is radiant & hydrated, after 3 days your skin feels noticeably softer, and after 10-30 days skin will look younger with less fine wrinkles and scars.  I've been using MitoQ for about a week now, so I can't comment on that last one just yet.  Maybe I'll have to post a new picture next month, and you'll mistake me & Squeaky for twins!

I've been using MitoQ for about a week, as I said, and now I've got past the initial surprise of the colour of the cream.  I know certain other moisturisers are yellow (that one that's different, in a dramatic way!), but this is really yellow.  Custard yellow.  It doesn't matter though, it's the effect that counts.  The cream is really smooth and light, and easily absorbed into my skin, without any feeling of tightness or irritation.  I was pleased to notice that the cream is suitable for even hypersensitive skin types, as I am prone to reactions to some creams.

Nails: Leyla Soft Touch Effect Noir

It's also completely unscented.  Most times, that would mean there's a kind of base smell, while not unpleasant, not exactly pleasant either.  But no.  When I say MitoQ is unscented, I mean it has no smell.  At all.  That's strange but a good thing, as it means it won't interact with perfumes, and I'm not at all conscious of wearing it.

One thing to note is that MitoQ doesn't contain an SPF, so you will need to add a UV sunscreen or sunblock as well to protect your skin from UV damage.

MitoQ is available to order direct from their website.  It has a 30 day money back guarantee, so you can try it with confidence.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a bottle of MitoQ free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

For Part 2 of this review, click here

La Roche-Posay Skincare Review

I had this hope that for a time in my life I would have neither spots nor grey hairs.  Sadly the grey hairs started appearing when I was 16, and 20 years later, the spots still haven't gone away.  They might be slightly less frequent, but there they are.  So when the lovely folk at Escentual were looking for people to review the La Roche-Posay skincare range for sensitive & blemish-prone skin, I knew I was the woman.

I was amazed to receive a whole bundle of different products to try out, just have a look at this little lot!  We've got Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel, Astringent micro-exfoliant lotion (or toner to you & I), a whole selection of different moisturisers, Physiological micro-scrub, and a thermal spring water spray.  Wow! Where to start?

Actually, that's a difficult question. Because these are trial size products, they don't have all the instructions, so there was a little bit of guesswork involved. However, I'm plenty old enough to know how to wash my face properly, like the beauty experts say I should, so I hit the bottle(s)!

La Roche-Posay is a brand I hadn't heard of before, they're a  French company, and all their products are formulated with water from the thermal springs at La Roche-Posay. They're recognised as a leading brand for sensitive skin & dermatological experts.

I've tried out pretty much everything you see above.  I'm no expert on moisturisers, but the Effaclar Duo was my favourite, light enough to wear under make up, but left my skin feeling soft & smooth.  The cleansing gel was light & effective, and easily rinsed away, the astringent toner did what it said, which came as a bit of a surprise as it's been years since I used toner.  I love the spring water spray, this is going straight in my handbag, I love these for travelling, and it's small enough to be allowed as hand luggage on a plane.

After my first use, a little cluster of new spots cropped up very quickly. I'm not surprised, it happens quite a lot when I change brands, just working out some that would have appeared over the coming days/weeks anyway, bringing out the imperfections.  They cleared up pretty quickly and weren't followed by any further outbreaks in a week or so of use, so I'm happy.  My skin is noticably smoother, and despite a momentary tightness on using the toner, it settles nicely & feels really comfortable.  People with sensitive skin will understand, that's not an everyday occurrence.

With prices ranging between £5 -£25, the La Roche-Posay brand are comparable to other products at the better end of the high street, and they certainly seem to work for me.  The only one I wouldn't buy again is the Physiological micro-scrub, as reading the ingredients it contains polyethelyne, see my previous post about plastics in beauty products for more information.  I found this a bit strange as La Roche-Posay state a commitment to the environment on their website.  I'd love to see a more environmentally friendly version added to their range.

You can buy La Roche-Posay products online at escentual.com, or in person from their store in Wellfield Road, Cardiff (one of my very favourite shopping streets!)  You can also follow Escentual on twitter and facebook.  They have lots of competitions so they're well worth following!

Disclosure: I was sent a range of trial products free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme and will not receive reward for their use.