In a case of unrequited love...
the best therapy has always been to move on and transfer your affections elsewhere. And so, reluctantly, I have emptied my shelves of face oils, having finally accepted that they will never love me, or my combination skin, as much as I loved them.
Oils are highly fashionable right now: made from natural plant products – parsley, grape, coconut, olive – they sound and smell good enough to eat, and users swear by their miraculous effects on the skin. Moreover, they encourage a nightly massage. No wonder I was determined to incorporate them into my routine. Yet morning after morning, I woke not to the soft, glowing complexion I was hoping for, but to a greasy, congested face and stained pillow.
In the end, I sought expert advice. ‘You have to stop overloading your already saturated skin,’ the dermatologist Dr Stefanie Williams warned me. ‘Anyone prone to spots should avoid oil – even if their skin feels dehydrated.’
This may seem confusing. But dehydrated skin like mine is not lacking oil (which is the problem for dry skin); instead, it is the water content that is out of balance. Telling the difference between the two can be problematic, but broadly speaking, dry skin is a complexion type that often worsens as we age and lose essential fatty acids; dehydration, by contrast, tends to be a short-lived condition that is characterised by temporary sensitivity, tightness and a slightly rough texture. Applying oil to
By KATY YOUNG dehydrated skin will have little or no positive effect, and can aggravate problems by clogging the pores and causing spots.
To make an analogy, just as we muddle sensations of hunger with thirst, I’ve learnt that I really don’t need more emollients on my face when it feels tight. My parched skin just needs a long drink, delivered in the form of hyaluronic acid.
Designed to sink into your skin so fast that you can hardly feel it, hyaluronic acid is the star ingredient to emerge from the beauty labs in the past 20 years. Just one gram of this powerful humectant can hold up to six litres of water and, thanks to new nanotechnology, it is now delivered in molecules so small that they are able to reach our own irrigation system, in the deepest layers of the epidermis.
My favourite skin saviours so far include SkinCeuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier, Niod’s Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex and any version by Shiseido, the first beauty company to encapsulate hyaluronic acid in a bottle. But do shop around: this water-like molecule comes in many different sizes, which means that while some serums, such as Niod’s, disappear into skin immediately, others, including Shiseido’s Beauty Sleeping Mask, sit on the skin like an aquatic film before sinking in. All types are effective, so the choice comes down to your preferred consistency.
For an intensive skin boost, I also book in for regular mesotherapy at the Dray Clinic. This involves a personalised cocktail of the skin’s favourite ingredients, including vitamins, minerals and, in my case, three types of hyaluronic acid, injected with tiny, painless needles into the dermis.
The overall effect is wonderful, plumping out fine lines and wrinkles (hyaluronic acid is after all what makes up filler), while adding the ‘glow’ that bad sleep and central heating inevitably leaches away. It is to my mind, and to my complexion, the best form of skincare you can have.
There is no need, either, to forgo the pleasant ritual of nightly massage that oil users indulge in. A dollop of my (oil-free) cleanser by Dr Sam Bunting provides enough slip to circle my cooling jade roller around puffy eyes and across cheekbones for light, but still effective, lymphatic drainage. Today, my skin has never looked fresher or plumper, while the spots that used to plague me are a thing of the past – and my pillowcases, too, are unblemished.
It served as a good reminder that the most important ingredient in any beauty regime is an understanding of the skin we’re in.