My current skin care must have Dermalogica's Ultra Smoothing Eye Serum $69.00
The world of Skin Care is a little baffling for most of us with companies spending millions of dollars in marketing claiming to have invented a face lift in a bottle. As a confused and frustrated customer like many of you out there, it was refreshing meeting Emma Hobson Dermalogica's Education Manager for Australasia. Her take on skin care was very simple and impressive there was no big scentific words or promises of instant change it was about routine and working with your changing skin. Emma kindly answered some of my skin care questions de-coding a lot of skin care buzz words and sharing some of her valuable skin care tips.
There are so many ‘buzz’ skin care words being used to entice consumers at the moment. EG: Peptides, AHA’s, BHA’s Glocolyic Acid. What are your suggestions that women should look out for when shopping for skin care?
I am a great believer in you get what you pay for, so look for quality companies that don’t promise the earth with their advertising. If it sounds too good to be true, it normally is! Peptides are fantastic ingredients so it is good to have these in your products, but don’t get caught up on the hype of just one ingredient - you need well rounded products that address your complete skin care needs. For example, a person concerned with ageing who has a sensitive skin needs products that address inflammation and skin sensitisation (this is a given) but they also need to have ingredients that can address hydration, skin texture and prevent premature aging using peptides and anti-oxidants.
Peptides: what are they?
Peptides are signalling molecules, they are made synthetically in a lab and are small protein fragments. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and therefore peptides, the amino acids are constructed into chains to create a protein/peptide. The structure and order of the amino acid chain created to make the peptide will then determine the response the peptide has on a human cell. Change the order or number of amino acids on the chain and you will change the response in the cell. But it is important to note that not all peptides are created equal, some are much more effective than others because the peptides are made synthetically, so the ‘quality ‘of the ‘science’ that creates them is immensely important.
And what are they going to do for my skin?
They are often termed ‘the work horse’ of a product as they have such a definite and dramatic impact on the skin and can evoke various reactions. They can, for example, stimulate collagen synthesises, act as sugar traps to prevent GAGS (glaciation of the proteins in the skin) that leads to premature ageing and they can control melanin formation in the treatment of hyper-pigmentation.
Acne breakouts for women in their mid to late 20’s and 30’s, should treatment be differently to a teen acne treatment?
Clinical studies indicate that between 40- 55% of the adult population in the 20-40 age group are diagnosed with a low grade, persistent acne and oily skin. The primary aggravating factor leading is stress and hormonal fluctuations. Adult acne tends to have more inflammation and less congestion (blackheads and under the skin congestion) and a more sensitised skin. It is essential to find products specifically designed for 'adult acne/skin congestion' and avoid the ones for resilient teenage acne. The reason being, teenage products tend to be addressing a very oily, thickened skin (which adults don’t normally suffer from) whereas products designed for adult acne focus on healing the persistent lesion, treating the inflammation and also addressing the other issues an adult skin can suffers from. I’d advise you seek out products that are medicated and will gently clear the skin and contain a powerful mix of anti-inflammatories.
When using an Acne focused products, how is it best to keep using Age defence products at the same time?
If you are using products designed for adult acne they are extremely easy to integrate with your age defence products. It is very easy to keep using targeted serums, eye care products, spritz toners whist combining these with antibacterial cleansers, targeted spot treatments, and treatment moisturisers. Ideally you should consult your professional skin therapist to seek their advice as to how best to integrate your products to achieve maximum effectiveness.
Exfoliants: Can exfoliant be damaging to the skin if it is granulated?
Exfoliants can be irritating and sensitise the skin if used incorrectly. For example, using the wrong type of exfoliant for your skin condition or incorrect product use by yourself (including the frequency at which you use the product). It is advisable to only exfoliate 2 to 3 times per week and not on consecutive days. Granular exfoliants can be used on an oily skin with under the skin congestion, but not on inflamed lesions (spots), as this could cause increased irritation and inflammation as well as the possibility of spreading the bacteria from one lesion and creating another!
Can exfoliants be used to treat acne breakouts?
Yes they are an integral part of the successful treatment of acne. As previously mentioned, non-abrasive exfoliants should be used such as hydroxy acids or digestive enzymes. One of the best exfoliants to use on breakouts is Salicylic acid - a beta hydroxy acid.
For newbie’s to Dermalogica, what are your star products and what would you recommend for someone trying out the brand for the first time?
For all skin types the PreCleanse, a true cleansing genius. Total Eye Care SPF15 a super hero eye care product . Multi-Active Toner and Skin Hydrating Booster which both are tremendous for rehydrating a lack lustre skin.
For a normal to combination skin you can’t go past Special Cleansing Gel, Daily Resurfacer and Skin Smoothing Cream.
For an oily skin it has to be Dermal Clay Cleanser, Gentle Cream Exfoliant and Active Moist.
For adult acne from our MediBac system; Clearing Skin Wash, Overnight Clearing Gel, Oil free Matte SPF30
For Age defence from our AGE Smart system; Skin Resurfacing Cleanser, MultiVitamin Power Serum, Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF30
For sensitised skin from our UltraCalming system; UltraCalming Cleanser, UltraCalming Serum Concentrate and Super Sensitive Shield SPF30.
For more information please visit
www.dermalogica.com.au or visit your closest Dermalogica counter to speak with an expert.
I would like to thank Emma for taking the time to answer these questions.
xxx Nella
