Why Is It So Important?

We all strive for radiant, healthy skin, and making informed decisions about your skincare regimen is key.

While countless products and DIY routines claim to be the solution to all your skin concerns, nothing compares to the expertise and personalised guidance you receive from a professional consultation.

In this blog, we explore the benefits of booking a consultation at a skincare clinic and why it’s a crucial step in achieving your skincare goals.

Tailored Assessments

One of the primary advantages of a skincare clinic consultation is the personalised assessment of your skin. Each person’s skin is unique, influenced by factors such as genetics, lifestyle, and environmental exposures.

Our skincare professionals thoroughly evaluate your skin, identifying its specific needs and concerns. This forms the foundation for creating a skincare plan that caters to your unique skin requirements.

Targeted Solutions

A consultation at a skincare clinic allows you to access targeted solutions for your concerns. Whether you’re dealing with acne, fine lines, hyperpigmentation, or other skin issues, clinic experts recommend the most suitable treatments and products. This ensures that your skincare routine is tailored to your specific concerns, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Exclusive Treatment Options

A key benefit of skincare clinic consultations is access to advanced treatment options that aren’t available over the counter.

Clinics offer a range of transformative treatments, including chemical peels, microneedling, laser therapy, and more.

These procedures, performed by our skilled professionals, are tailored to your skin goals, helping rejuvenate and revitalise your complexion.

Product Recommendations

Navigating the overwhelming world of skincare products can be daunting with so many brands vying for your attention.

During a clinic consultation, skincare experts recommend products best suited for your skin type and concerns. This guidance removes the guesswork from your routine, ensuring you invest in products that deliver real results.

Education and Awareness

A skincare clinic consultation is an educational experience that deepens your understanding of your skin. Skincare professionals explain your skin’s condition, the root causes of specific issues, and the science behind recommended treatments.

This knowledge empowers you to make informed decisions and fosters a sense of responsibility for your skin’s health.

Long-Term Planning

Effective skincare is a journey, not a quick fix. We understand the importance of long-term planning and can create comprehensive treatment plans that span months or even years. This approach ensures your skin receives consistent care and monitoring, allowing you to achieve and maintain lasting results.

Confidence Boost

Investing in your skin’s health through a skincare clinic consultation enhances not just your appearance but your overall well-being. As you notice positive changes in your skin, your confidence naturally increases.

Healthy, glowing skin can elevate your self-esteem and provide a renewed sense of self-assurance.

If you’re ready to take the next step, get in touch or book a consultation with one of our experts, for a quick chat, feel free to call us at 01932 731762

Prevent ageing completely?

Currently only available in sci-fi movies, but we do know the best way to avoid wrinkles – future-proofing your skin.

Making a plan that prevents, prolongs, and protects your skin health will prevent the signs of ageing from appearing prematurely. Of course, no one can prevent ageing completely (and we don’t think we should, ageing is a privilege and we believe in ageing well), but you can keep signs of ageing skin, like wrinkles, dark spots, and sagging, away for longer.

It’s a skin ageing prevention strategy that you can build with your skin pro – no matter how old you are right now.

PREVENTING

In recent years we’ve seen a shift away from corrective measures later in life, to skin prevention in younger years. Keeping your skin looking more youthful – which could include some of the visible effects like less wrinkles, firmer skin and a more even tone. So how do you prevent early wrinkles?

You future-proof with medical-grade skincare! Creating a future-proofing plan with your pro will likely begin with a focus on your skin barrier. A resilient skin barrier shows your skin is working efficiently which means less chance of the damage that leads to the visual signs of ageing.

Your pro will help you build a rejuvenating skincare routine that’s right for you, but consistency is key.

The best age-prevention skincare can only work when applied every morning and evening, no matter what. And the products? Well, our hardworking hybrids are formulated to work in synergy with your skin and one another for the best results. Your skin pro won’t keep you on the same routine forever. As you hit your skin goals your pro will update your products, so your skin just keeps on improving.
 

PROTECTING

Environmental aggressors accelerate our natural rate of ageing – free radicals present in pollution, pesticides, and more bombard our skin and lead to premature visible effects of ageing such as wrinkles and dark spots. Antioxidant ingredients work to neutralise these free radicals and help to stop them attacking our collagen. You can boost this protection by applying antioxidant-rich skincare each day.

Enter: Alumience A.G.E.® with a sophisticated blend of antioxidants it helps to protect the skin from free radicals. It also contains EXO-P – an anti-pollutant that creates a breathable shield on the surface of the skin which traps the smallest particles of pollution that come from things like car exhaust fumes. These particles are so tiny that they can penetrate through the hair follicles and get into the lower layers of the skin and cause environmental ageing and damage, particularly to skin that’s already sensitive.

L-ascorbic acid is another incredibly powerful antioxidant that the body utilises to make vitamin C – known as the glow boosting vitamin. As well as its brightening powers, vitamin C can help to protect skin from environmental aggressors AND both prevent and improve the appearance of lines and wrinkles, you’ll find it in our EverActive C&E™ + Peptide.

What is the no.1 cause of the premature signs of ageing? Yep, you know it – UV rays!

So, protecting your skin 365 days a year with a powerful sunscreen will help to preserve your skin and prevent damaging rays from attacking your skin’s architecture. Our range of mineral sunscreens offer broad-spectrum protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays. You can choose tinted or clear, moisturising, or matte and all feel comfortable, lightweight and are so easy to apply.
 

PROLONGING

Collagen is a key component in our skin’s architecture, but when we hit our mid-twenties, we start to lose around 1% of collagen every year and this only increases as we age.

Cell turnover naturally slows down which leaves the complexion dull and sluggish and natural hyaluronic acid – which helps to hydrate and plump skin also decreases.

The good news is that you can protect your skin’s architecture by banking your collagen. Collagen banking is a relatively new term, but we’ve been talking about this for years, essentially you target your collagen before it declines and thus preserve it.

How? Well, retinol and vitamin C have both been proven to prevent and dramatically reduce the appearance of collagen-related degradation such as lines, wrinkles and scarring, alongside peptides, and our skincare is based on this principle.

Every AlumierMD product works in harmony to protect and prolong the skin’s construction for everyone. No matter what age you are now, the best time to start is today.

With thanks to our Friends at Alumier this week, for thier BLOG

Get Future Proofing & please get in touch or book a Skin Consultation with one of our experts here. If you want to have a quick chat, please give us a call on 01932 731762

Are you looking for a sunscreen? 30, trusted, versatile tint…

Whilst Suncreen is no joke, it is however so much easier to protect your skin and look amazing, so let’s talk some more about sunscreen with thanks to our friends at Alumier.

You know you need to wear it every day, even when it’s not summer and also when it’s cloudy. So, wouldn’t it be great if your hybrid sunscreen did more than just protect you from the premature ageing associated with the sun’s rays?

Imagine if it also specifically targeted your skin concerns and was smooth, easy-to-apply and all day comfortable?

Happy to announce that we can make your dreams come true with ANY ONE of our sunscreens. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the science that takes our hybrid SPF formulas to the next level, so white coats at the ready . . . 

All of our sunscreens (6! count ‘em!) offer triple defence with superior shielding from mineral ingredients zinc and titanium dioxide, plus antioxidants which provide environmental AND daily hydration defence.

But we’ve taken our formulas to the next level with impressive new ingredients that will protect your skin at a higher level because there’s more than just UVA and UVB rays attacking your skin . . .

 
PROBLEM: Infrared Radiation

No, this is not a sci-fi novel; infrared radiation is a form of electromagnetic energy (again, not sci-fi) and around half of the sun’s total energy output is in the form of infrared radiation. While it falls under the invisible light spectrum, meaning you can’t see it with your eyes, it can be felt as heat. It has the ability to penetrate the skin, triggering structural damage, including photoageing. Exposure to infrared radiation, particularly from the sun, can contribute to skin ageing and potentially increase the risk of skin cancer over time. 

OUR SOLUTION: Elix-IR

This rather incredible knotgrass extract is rich in flavonoids and helps to protect the skin against some of the damaging effects of infrared radiation. It’s proven to protect dermal fibres from global sun damage (both UV and infrared), while increasing firmness and reducing the appearance of wrinkles. You’ll find it across our sunscreens, so apply daily and you’ll be fighting a problem you didn’t even know you had.

PROBLEM: High Energy Visible Light (HEV)

AKA blue light (in the visible light spectrum), this is the one that’s emitted from screens, but it also comes from sunlight. It may well contribute to visible skin ageing, hyperpigmentation, and skin damage, though research on its specific effects is on-going. For now, protection through screen filters and skincare products can help mitigate potential harm. 

OUR SOLUTION: PHYSAVIE

Another one of our hybrid sunscreen ingredients, this is a wow plant extract that’s clinically proven to biologically reduce damage from infrared radiation and visible light and also protect skin from the harmful effects of blue light. We use Physavie in all of our sunscreen formulations, so you don’t even have to consider separate protection.

PROBLEM: POLLUTION

A problem in so many ways, particulate matter from pollution can be undetectable to the human eye. Did you know some of the smallest particles are a fraction of the size of the circumference of a hair strand? Particulate matter is able to adhere to the skin like glue and can even penetrate the skin barrier, often triggering trans epidermal water loss and elevating sensitivities, not to mention triggering premature signs of ageing.  

OUR SOLUTION: EXO-P

Our sophisticated solve is an exopolysaccharide that forms a breathable, biomimetic shield which works to trap particulate matter before it enters the skin. Apply one of our sunscreens each day and you’re protecting your skin against this harmful pollution, particularly useful if you live in a city or drive on busy roads.

Our hybrid daily sunscreens bring all this and our triple defence – mineral ingredients: zinc and titanium dioxide, antioxidants which provide environmental protection and daily hydration defence. And of course, SPF (read all about it in our Busting the Myths of SPF blog). We make the best hybrid sunscreen (if we do say so ourselves!) and remember you have 6 option:  Clear Shield, Sheer Hydration in untinted or versatile tint and Moisture Matte in Ivory, Sand or Amber.

You can even replace your daily moisturiser with our hydrating sunscreen formulas if that works better for your skin.

For personalised skin advice, don’t forget our skin pros offer SKIN CONSULTATIONS  and will tweak your daily skincare regime for the summer months.

Take your skin protection to the next level and future-proof your skin day in day out with a sophisticated AlumierMD formula.

Please get in touch or book a Skin Consultation with one of our experts here. If you want to have a quick chat, please give us a call on 01932 731762.

Are you thinking about an in-clinic treatment or already have a booking?

Then we have good news for you: you can boost your results!

No matter what your treatment is, from microneedling to chemical peels, you can improve your skin outcome, everything you do in the weeks before and after your treatment will have an impact, from the skincare products you use to the amount of sleep you get.

If your skin is in really good condition on the day of your treatment, your results will be even better!

So, don’t save all the good skincare for afterward—your treatment isn’t the beginning; today is!

When it comes to your skin professional, they will be thrilled if your skin is at its best on the day of treatment. This means they can potentially go deeper, stronger, and harder and you’ll get both amazing results and the best value!

Plus, if your skin is more resilient and stronger, there’s a chance you will be able to combine more than one skin treatment at your appointment. You might be able to have, for example, an enzymatic peel followed by some light-based therapy.

The same applies to your recovery

If you follow good aftercare, you will have better and quicker results. There’s so much you can do outside of your treatment slot to get your skin in prime condition before you even walk through the clinic door.

Here are our top 5 hacks, so don’t delay and start today!

Take a look at your wellbeing Focus on your gut health, as any inflammation here will often show up on the skin as redness, dullness, or breakouts. Also, ensure you get enough sleep in the weeks leading up to your treatment, as sleep is intrinsic to skin health and recovery.

Prep with medical-grade skincare to get great results Don’t save your precious AlumierMD skincare for after your treatment. Work with your pro to ensure your daily skin routine is working hard for your skin goals and needs. If your skin is in tip-top condition when you walk through the clinic door, your treatments will be even more successful.

Do at-home facials In the weeks leading up to your treatment, spend a bit of extra time on a weekly or bi-weekly at-home facial. Ask your pro for a mask recommendation.

Set your pro a challenge Arrive at the clinic with such good skin that your pro will need to work extra hard to take it to the next level!

Follow the aftercare routine set by your pro Your pro will advise you on what to use and when for the first few weeks after your treatment. If you follow it to the letter, you will have better and quicker results—can’t say fairer than that!

Please get in touch or book a Skin Consultation with one of our experts here. If you want to have a quick chat, please give us a call on 01932 731762.

Recognising these distinctions and practicing sun safety can protect your skin from harmful UV radiation, reducing your risk of skin cancer and premature aging. This blog explores the difference between tanning and sunburn.

The Basics of Tans and Sunburns

Tans and sunburns are the body’s reactions to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.

Let’s break down how each happens…….

Tans

• Exposure to UV Rays -When your skin gets exposed to UV light, especially UVA rays, it produces more melanin.
• Melanin Production – Melanin is a pigment made by skin cells called melanocytes. It helps absorb and spread out UV radiation, acting like a natural sunscreen.
• Types of Melanin – There are two types, eumelanin, which is darker and offers more UV protection, and pheomelanin, which is lighter and offers less protection.
• Tanning Process – As melanin increases, your skin darkens, creating a tan. This is your body’s way of trying to protect itself from more UV damage. However, even a tan can’t fully protect your skin from harm.

Sunburns

• Excessive UV Exposure – Sunburns occur when your skin is exposed to too much UV light, especially UVB rays.
• Damage to Skin Cells – UVB rays penetrate the outer skin layer (epidermis) and damage cellular DNA, leading to inflammation and the redness and pain of a sunburn.
• Inflammatory Response – Your immune system responds by dilating blood vessels and sending inflammatory cells to the damaged area, causing redness, swelling, and pain.
• Long-Term Effects – UVB rays can damage DNA and cause mutations in skin cells, increasing the risk of skin cancer. Sunburns are a clear sign of serious skin damage.

By understanding how tans and sunburns work, you can better protect your skin from harmful UV rays and reduce the risk of skin cancer and premature aging.

Identifying Sunburn – Symptoms and Immediate Steps

Recognising sunburn and acting quickly can help reduce discomfort and prevent further skin damage. Here’s how to identify sunburn and what to do if it happens….

Signs of Sunburn

• Red Skin – The skin looks red and may feel warm.
• Pain and Tenderness – Sunburned skin is often painful, tender, tight, or itchy.
• Swelling – Severe sunburn can cause swelling.
• Blisters – Severe sunburns may result in blisters, indicating significant skin damage.

Immediate Actions

• Get Out of the Sun – Move indoors or to a shaded area immediately to prevent more damage.
• Moisturise – Apply a gentle, soothing moisturizer with aloe vera to reduce dryness and pain.
• Hydrate – Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
• Pain Relief – Take over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen to ease discomfort.
• Protect Skin – Keep sunburned skin covered or stay in the shade to avoid further exposure.
• Handle Blisters Carefully – If blisters form, do not pop them to avoid infection.
• Rest – Stay in a cool, shaded area and avoid activities that could irritate your skin further.

If you need any help or advice with your skin this summer, please get in touch and chat with one of our Experts, or call us at 01932 731762.

The Role of Hydration in Skin Health

Hydration is crucial for healthy skin. Adequate water intake keeps skin elastic, soft, and supple, while dehydration causes dryness, flakiness, and dullness. Dehydration can make dark circles more prominent as it thins the skin, revealing blood vessels. Drinking water improves blood circulation, which may reduce the appearance of dark circles.

Benefits of Staying Hydrated

• Clearer Complexion: Water flushes out toxins, enhancing skin tone.
• Reduced Puffiness: Balances the water-salt ratio in the skin.
• Anti-Aging: Maintains skin elasticity, slowing the aging process.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

The Eatwell Guide recommends that people should aim to drink 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.

You may need to drink more fluids if you’re:

• pregnant or breastfeeding
• in a hot environment
• physically active for long periods
• ill or recovering from illness

Can Drinking Water Reduce Dark Circles?

Dark circles under the eyes are a common issue, often blamed on lack of sleep, stress, or aging. While numerous eye creams promise amazing results, the power of hydration is often overlooked. Can drinking water really help reduce dark circles?

Why Do Dark Circles Appear?

Dark circles result from the thin skin under the eyes revealing blood vessels more clearly. Factors like sleep deprivation, aging, and genetics can make them more noticeable.

Beyond Drinking Water

Hydration isn’t just about drinking water. Foods with high water content, such as cucumbers, watermelon, and oranges, as well as herbal teas and infused waters, also contribute to hydration.

Additional Tips

• Quality Sleep: Aim for 7-8 hours of restful sleep each night to allow your skin to repair.
• Comprehensive Skincare: Combine hydration with good sleep, a balanced diet, and effective topical treatments for the best results.

For personalised advice, book a Skin Consultation with one of our Experts, or call us at 01932 731762.