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About Dr Sam

When it comes to active ingredients in skincare, people often navigate to acids first for a little extra “oomph”. While glycolic and lactic acid get a lot of attention, there’s a lesser-known acid that is truly the secret underdog of skin success. En

Azelaic Acid 101: How To Use It & What Are The Benefits?

Ever wondered what’s the cause of those annoying skin-coloured bumps you can see on your forehead? More often than not, they’ll be a pesky skin issue called a closed comedone, and alas, they tend to travel in groups. They’re currently having a moment

How to Tackle Closed Comedones + Texture - Avoid These Mis

I’ve seen a few patients this week who’ve not been using their azelaic acid treatment correctly. For those of you who are new to azelaic acid, it’s a dicarboxylic acid that has a host of benefits and is useful for everything from acne to rosacea, per

I think the list of “don’ts” with rosacea might just be the biggest of any skin condition. It’s finicky. It likes things done just so. If it was a Sex and the City character it would definitely be Charlotte. As someone who has built up a library of d

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7LmxBXmumss" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">I think the list of &#x201C;don&#x2019;ts&#x201D; with rosacea might just be the biggest of any skin condition. It&#x2019;s finicky. It likes things done just so. If it was a Sex and the City character it would&#xA0;</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">definitely</span></i><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;be Charlotte. As someone who has built up a library of don&#x2019;t for my own redness-prone skin, I thought I&#x2019;d round out this Rosacea Awareness Month with these caveats as they&#x2019;re just as important as knowing what to use.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="does-rosacea-get-worse-with-heat"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Does rosacea get worse with heat?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">In a word - probably. Too much heat encourages vasodilatation, where the blood vessels near the surface of the skin become wider. In rosacea your skin already has a tendency to overdo this - so more heat makes it worse. I recommend minimising intense heat exposure by keeping showers tepid, and avoiding saunas, hot yoga and steaming.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="how-do-you-exfoliate-if-you-have-rosacea"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">How do you exfoliate if you have rosacea?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Don&#x2019;t use physical exfoliation if you suffer from rosacea- even a flannel can be too much. I recommend nothing rougher than the pads of your fingers. Rely on chemical exfoliation rather than physical exfoliation - a gentle BHA works best. Better yet, stimulate the cell cycle with ingredients like azelaic acid which is also anti-inflammatory.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="are-facials-good-for-rosacea"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Are facials good for rosacea?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">If you&#x2019;ve just developed rosacea, you can easily fall into the trap of thinking beauty solutions might be the answer. Alas, it&#x2019;s unlikely to be the case. Rosacea needs to be handled daily with what you use (and take care to avoid). Facials contain too many rogue elements - unlikely to be significantly impactful and too full of potential irritants to be worth the risk for so little upside.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="is-it-ok-to-borrow-someone-elses-skincare-if-i-have-rosacea"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Is it ok to borrow someone else&#x2019;s skincare if I have rosacea?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Now of course sometimes this can&#x2019;t be helped. I&#x2019;m remembering an ill-fated flight when I accidentally checked by washbag. Disaster. But as a general rule, avoid taking recommendations or dipping into someone else&#x2019;s bathroom shelf. Your skin knows what it likes.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="should-i-get-medical-advice-for-my-rosacea"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Should I get medical advice for my rosacea?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">I think that too many people struggle on with rosacea alone. Unlike with acne, there aren&apos;t many options in the OTC space. And sometimes you can&#x2019;t escape the need for a prescription. I&#x2019;ll say it again, we&#x2019;re dealing with a medical problem, not a beauty one. A single appointment can teach you so much about handling your skin so don&#x2019;t suffer in silence.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="is-azelaic-acid-good-for-treating-rosacea">Is azelaic acid good for treating rosacea?</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Yes! It&#x2019;s brilliant for redness and rosacea-prone skin. It reduces the activity mediated by Toll-like receptors, which are essentially danger detectors that sense our environment for threats, helping activate our skin&#x2019;s defenses. In redness-prone skin these sensors are turned up too high and Azelaic Acid helps bring them back under control.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="how-long-does-it-take-for-azelaic-acid-to-reduce-redness">How long does it take for azelaic acid to reduce redness?</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Things should start to improve after a few weeks and continue to get better for up to a further 3-6 months. In practice, I find that azelaic acid is the one ingredient that can actually really help change the course of rosacea over time. Many people will find that their skin becomes more tolerant of other active ingredients, like retinoids, after a period of use.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Final thoughts</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">You need to get intimate with your skin when you have rosacea. Know thyself was never more true than in this situation. But I assure you, the habits you get into with rosacea will serve you long-term in terms of prevention of premature aging so there&#x2019;s a positive outlook for your skin with this framework in place. I&#x2019;m at the point now where aside from caution around red wine and the sun, I don&#x2019;t think about it too much. You can get there too!</span></p></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 2.5rem; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/shop" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; border: 1px solid transparent; align-items: center; appearance: none; box-shadow: none; display: inline-flex; font-size: 11.1111px; font-weight: 700; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: 1px; min-height: 42px; padding: 0.75rem 1rem; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; width: auto; min-width: 200px;">SHOP DR SAM&#x2019;S PRODUCTS</a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/5-biggest-mistakes-when-treating-rosacea" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br></a></div></div>

5 Biggest Mistakes When Treating Rosacea

Here's a statistic to make you stop scrolling: the hashtag #Skinbarrier has 5 BILLION views on TikTok. This trend is here to stay, so we’ve added Flawless Moisturiser Intense to the family - and this is not your average moisturiser. This was a produc

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Here&apos;s a statistic to make you stop scrolling: the hashtag <strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">#Skinbarrier has 5 BILLION</strong> views on TikTok.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">This trend is here to stay, so we&#x2019;ve added <a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Flawless Moisturiser Intense</strong></a> to the family - and this is not your average moisturiser. This was a product I felt I needed to create.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Moisturiser Intense"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/FMI_Ingredients_copy_2_1024x1024.jpg?v=1695988348" alt="Model holding Flawless Moisturiser Intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">I&#x2019;ve watched the trends of flooding and slugging come and go, but I felt there had to be a better way to help patients and customers fix their barrier by getting to the root cause. That, and I felt it had to be possible to repair your skin barrier with a cosmetically elegant formula, rather than the traditional functional formulas that are thick and gloopy, cause breakouts, and wreck your pillowcases and your blow-dry.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="but-first-things-first---how-do-you-know-if-your-barrier-is-damaged"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">But first things first - how do you know if your barrier is damaged?</h2><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="lets-look-at-the-spectrum"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Let&#x2019;s look at the spectrum:</strong></h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">With mild skin barrier damage, there may be nothing visible on the surface. Skin may well feel tight after cleansing and products might sting on application.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">When it&#x2019;s more severe, the features are usually visible on the skin - redness, dry or flaky patches and new breakouts in odd places may all feature. Skin tends to itch and &#x201C;everything burns&#x201D;.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Now, a delicate skin barrier might be your norm if you experience eczema or <a href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/redness-rosacea" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">rosacea</strong></a>. However, it can happen to any of us, usually as a consequence of overdoing skincare at a time when we&#x2019;re stressed, doing long-haul travel, or not sleeping well.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="the-science-behind-a-damaged-skin-barrier"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Science Behind A Damaged Skin Barrier</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">When your barrier is disrupted, it refers to damage to the outermost bit of your epidermis, the layer on the outside interfacing with the environment sitting on top of the dermis, where the collagen lives. This is called the stratum corneum.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Your epidermis&#x2019;s main job is to create a very special layer of keratin embedded within a wall of lipids that keeps the good stuff, like water, in, and the bad stuff, like irritants, pollution and UV, out.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">When we overdo things (too many actives, too much cleansing, a tricky environment, etc.), this layer gets breached, and everything goes wrong. Things penetrate underneath that shouldn&#x2019;t, and we end up in a nasty, vicious cycle that needs NAD to stay on top of.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="what-is-nad"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">What is NAD?</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">So what is NAD, in medical terms? Well, the amazing thing about&#xA0;your skin is that<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">&#xA0;it knows how to repair itself</strong>, but it gets harder as we age. Repair takes energy, and a critical energy molecule &#x2013; that&#x2019;s NAD+ &#x2013; starts to tank, affecting our cell batteries. Levels are at 50% or less once we hit 40. Up until now, we haven&#x2019;t been able to address this with skincare. But things are about to change.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Traditionally, we applied a layer of occlusive ingredients, like mineral oil, onto the surface of the skin to protect it, while it struggled to repair the damage. This is what I call outside-in repair.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">But with <strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;">Flawless Moisturiser Intense,</a></strong> for the first time, we can start to repair from the inside-out. Using a breakthrough ingredient called sunflower shoot extract (SSE), we can address that struggling battery and help <strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">recharge</strong> it, <strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">boosting levels of NAD+</strong>.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="nad-deficiency-symptoms"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">NAD Deficiency Symptoms</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">NAD levels are incredibly important, both for your physical and mental health. Without it, you might find yourself experiencing symptoms like:</p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Fatigue</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Mental fog</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Insomnia</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Oxidative stress</p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">And, of course, tired looking skin</p></li></ul><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">To help you replenish you&#x2019;re NAD levels, I&apos;ve combined sunflower shoot extract into a <strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">triple action barrier repair</strong> product. It also helps reduce water loss on the surface with ectoin, squalane, ceramides and glycerin. In fact, its&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/clinic" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;">clinically proven</a></strong> to support barrier repair from the first application.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">And just for extra measure, we&#x2019;re also targeting the microbiome to bolster the skin&#x2019;s defences as it repairs.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Moisturiser Intense"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/FMI_Ingredients_5_1024x1024.jpg?v=1695897937" alt style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></a></p><h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="whenshould-i-use-flawless-moisturiser-intense">When&#xA0;should I use Flawless Moisturiser Intense?</h3><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">This is the perfect product to support barrier repair after summer - make it the cornerstone of your transitional skincare kit, but remember to press pause on other actives while you&#x2019;re doing this.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">I&#x2019;ve formulated <a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Flawless Moisturiser Intense</strong></a> to be lightweight and elegant, rather than gloopy or oily. It won&#x2019;t clog pores so it&apos;s ideal for you <a href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/blemishes-breakouts" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">acne-prone</strong></a> sensitive types. It&#x2019;s perfect for daily use morning and night, and is brilliant under make-up - no need to save it just for rescue missions. Combine it with <a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/cleanser/products/flawless-cleanser" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Flawless Cleanser</strong></a> and your <a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/sunscreens-spf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Flawless SPF</strong></a> of choice for an easy-peasy solution to that damaged skin barrier.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">In fact, 98% of our consumer testing group said it made skin feel more hydrated and soothed after just 1 week&#x2019;s use.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Moisturiser Intense"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/FMI_Routinecopy2_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1695897937" alt style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">What I&#x2019;m especially excited about is how easy this product makes using a <a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/retinol" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">retinoid</strong></a>. It&apos;s the perfect way to prep your skin on your first actives journey, especially if it&apos;s sensitive or you&#x2019;re starting a retinoid for the very first time. You can find out if it&#x2019;s right for your skin by using our&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/find-your-routine" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;">routine finder</a></strong>.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">And as for seasoned retinoids users like me? With Flawless Moisturiser Intense in my routine, I know my skin has the right resources to make the most of its many, many benefits.</p></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 2.5rem; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/shop/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; border: 1px solid transparent; align-items: center; appearance: none; box-shadow: none; display: inline-flex; font-size: 11.1111px; font-weight: 700; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: 1px; min-height: 42px; padding: 0.75rem 1rem; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; width: auto; min-width: 200px;">SHOP FLAWLESS MOISTURISER INTENSE</a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/why-i-created-flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br></a></div></div>

Why I Created Flawless Moisturiser Intense

One of the most common questions I get asked is about retinoids - which one is the right one for me? The collective noun “retinoid” refers to the family of ingredients derived from vitamin A and includes retinyl palmitate, retinol, retinaldehyde, and

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><iframe width="1439" height="701" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QXSpES23OjQ" title="Are You Using The Right Retinoid? Retinol, Retinaldehyde or HPR? | Dr Sam Bunting" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">One of the most common questions I get asked is about retinoids - which one is the right one for me? The collective noun &#x201C;retinoid&#x201D; refers to the family of ingredients derived from vitamin A and includes retinyl palmitate, retinol, retinaldehyde, and hydroxypinacolone retinoate (HPR). I&#x2019;d like to make an important note here - perhaps a touch pedantic! - there is no such thing as &#x201C;retinols&#x201D;, a term that&#x2019;s frequently misused. There are retinoids, of which retinol is one type. These are commonly used in skincare products to improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone. However, not all retinoids are created equal, and it&apos;s important to understand the differences between them in order to choose the one that offers the most benefit for your skin.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">Retinoids as a group work by increasing cell turnover and stimulating collagen production, leading to a smoother, more youthful appearance. However, the efficacy of a retinoid can depend on its ability to convert to all-trans retinoic acid, the active form of vitamin A. I don&#x2019;t include retinyl palmitate in this discussion because almost none makes it passed the skin barrier - you can do better! The key chemistry to be aware of is that both retinol and retinaldehyde *must* go through a series of oxidation steps before they can convert to all-trans retinoic acid, which is the form of vitamin A that can interact with specialised retinoid receptors. This has the effect of triggering increased or altered gene transcription inside the cell&#x2019;s nucleus. Remarkably, more than 3000 genes are potentially influenced by retinoid binding to receptor. Within the cosmetic retinoid receptor space, HPR is the exception in that it&#x2019;s already in its active form and can bind directly to retinoid receptors without the need for oxidation.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/2_480x480.png?v=1674132220" alt style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Retinol is the most common form of retinoid found in over-the-counter skincare products. While it is proven to be effective, it is also the least stable and can be easily degraded by light and air. It is also somewhat irritating relative to it&#x2019;s efficacy, making it less suitable for sensitive skin at higher doses. Retinaldehyde, by contrast, requires one oxidation before it can convert to all-trans retinoic acid.Both forms benefit from a process called encapsulation which helps protect them from breakdown on the shelf - but this has the potential impact of adding additional cost to the formulation.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">HPR is inherently more stable than both retinol and retinaldehyde - this practical consideration is an important one given that you&#x2019;re likely to take a few months going through any standard sized retinoid product (usually around 30ml). It is also less irritating than retinol and retinaldehyde relative to its efficacy, making it a great option for those with sensitive skin or those just starting out.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">In conclusion, when it comes to choosing the right retinoid for your skin, it&apos;s important to consider the stability, irritation potential, and relative efficacy of the product. While retinol and retinaldehyde can be effective, they can also be irritating and less stable (or if encapsulated may be more pricey). HPR, on the other hand, is already in its active form, making it more effective and less irritating, making it the best choice especially for sensitive skin. Unsure about which retinoid is right for you? Then it might be worth seeking medical advice, especially if you have a specific skin concern. The good news is that investing your time and energy in this one step will offer tremendous benefits for almost everyone.</p></div>

Which is the right retinoid for me? Retinol, retinaldehyde or HPR?

Y’all know I’m a retinoid cheerleader. But the one thing I’ve not honed in on in a video so far is the potential fall-out for our lips of misplaced retinoid. Dare I say it, if you use a retinoid for long enough (especially in winter) you WILL experie

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EAQX6I0Og50" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe></b></h2><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="retinoids-and-the-lips"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Retinoids and the Lips</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Y&#x2019;all know I&#x2019;m a retinoid cheerleader. But the one thing I&#x2019;ve not honed in on in a video so far is the potential fall-out for our lips of misplaced retinoid. Dare I say it, if you use a retinoid for long enough (especially in winter) you WILL experience this at some point.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="can-retinoids-cause-dry-lips"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Can Retinoids Cause Dry Lips?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Retinoids cause dryness when they come into contact with our lips and can even trigger itching, redness and frank dermatitis, so a clear plan of preventative action is needed! It usually comes about as an accident - we inadvertently swipe our fingers over our lips when applying our precious night-time retinoid; or we smoosh it over our lips when we face-plant into the pillow.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">So the first thing to know is application technique is&#xA0;</b><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">everything.</i></b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Prepare by protecting the orifices. Generously apply your favourite lip-balm after cleansing and before you get started with your retinoid. Be sure to work it into the corners of the mouth, where skincare products can sometimes pool and cause trouble.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Then, get some structure to how you apply your retinoid.&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">13 Dot Technique</strong> was developed to help ensure your retinoid gets absorbed where it&apos;s needed, and nowhere else.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OqsZC4j_smU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Consider avoiding&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/shop/products/flawless-moisturiser" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;">moisturiser</a> over the top, if you&#x2019;re experiencing issues despite these steps - certainly, be sure to have fully massaged in your retinoid to prevent redundant surface product moving around.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Know that if it all gets too much, 1% Hydrocortisone cream dabbed on red, cracked irritated corners of the mouth will get you out of trouble - don&#x2019;t do this for longer than a couple of days.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">And as a final note, if you&#x2019;re hitting the slopes this winter, source lip balm with good broad spectrum UV cover as dry, cold air plus intense UV at altitude will push your pout to it&#x2019;s limit.</span></p></div>

Retinoids and the Lips

Today, I’m diving into the fascinating topic of skincare product application order. Whether you're new to skincare or a seasoned pro, understanding the correct order is crucial for achieving the best results and addressing specific skin concerns. So,

The Best Order to Apply Your Skincare Products for Effective Results

The saying “you are what you eat” may be a stretch but a varied and nutritious diet is vital to fuel our bodies and that extends to our biggest organ - our skin!. A staggering 3 billion of you have searched for “what to eat for healthy skin” and our

The 10 Best Foods For Glowing, Healthy Skin

As the appetite for active skincare continues to soar, it’s unsurprising that, in parallel, the quest for the ideal barrier cream continues. It's understood that a little occasional dryness and irritation is the price we pay for all the benefits that

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TiCCdTISlxU?si=90i3yKw_1kiGU1L1" height="315" width="560" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">As the appetite for active skincare continues to soar, it&#x2019;s unsurprising that, in parallel, the quest for the ideal barrier cream continues. It&apos;s understood that a little occasional dryness and irritation is the price we pay for all the benefits that come from using powerful ingredients like retinoids. But with an ever-increasing number of barrier repair creams on the market, in every format, how do you choose the right one for you?</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Indeed the big skincare trends of 2022 included slugging and flooding - both essentially methods for managing a&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/fix-a-damaged-skin-barrier-after-summer" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="How To Fix A Damaged Skin Barrier After Summer">damaged skin barrier</a></strong>.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Let&#x2019;s break down the way we can approach barrier repair for speedy results:</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="repair-by-locking-water-into-the-stratum-corneum-and-helping-rebuild-the-barrier"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">Repair by locking water into the stratum corneum and helping rebuild the barrier<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">This is the essence of most barrier repair creams - by reducing transepidermal water loss on the skin&#x2019;s surface and helping rebuild the bricks and mortar structure of the stratum corneum, the barrier&#x2019;s protective role can be re-established.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Occlusives are key and will determine the skin feel of the product - heavy duty unguents rely on ingredients like mineral oil and will be best used overnight as they tend to be a bit gloopy or paste-like. Newer ingredients like ectoin reduce transepidermal water loss by forming a water shell on the surface of a skin, resulting in the same effect but without the need for the gloop factor.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">The addition of ingredients like ceramides and skin lipids help replenish the stratum corneum, allowing it to start to regain its own innate ability to hold onto water effectively. This allows the skin to regain its flexibility and resistance to penetration by undesirable chemicals.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" alt src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/FMI_Illustrations_1024x1024.jpg?v=1697619426" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="soothe-inflammation">Soothe inflammation<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">The breach in the skin barrier will potentially allow irritants to penetrate more deeply into the skin than they&#x2019;d usually reach - this can lead to inflammation, with associated redness, bumpiness and itching.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">We have many different ingredients that help fight inflammation in barrier repair creams - look for bisabolol, derived from chamomile and Centella, with its active constituents (think madecassoside and asiaticoside).</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" alt src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/FMI_Ingredients_5_1024x1024.jpg?v=1695897937" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Revitalise the skin&#x2019;s natural defenses by strengthening the microbiome</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">The increase in the use of pre- and postbiotics is of interest -we know that this way of fortifying our friendly army of bacteria and yeasts helps keep out colonisation of the skin&#x2019;s surface by unfriendly organisms. This is a popular feature of French pharmacy brand barrier repair creams such as La Roche Posay, Cicaplast and Avene Cicalfate.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="recharge-the-skin-to-heal-itself">Recharge the skin to heal itself<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Finally, a new frontier in barrier repair is to recharge the cell battery, by boosting mitochondrial function - this allows us to better access the skin&#x2019;s built-in blueprint for repairing itself. Energy for these &#x201C;housekeeping&#x201D; functions declines as we age and levels of NAD+ drop as low as 50% after the age of 40, so this is especially relevant to anyone in the perimenopausal period and beyond. Sunflower Shoot Extract is the hero ingredient I discovered at a major global conference this year - I added it to our formulation for&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Moisturiser Intense"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Flawless Moisturiser Intense</strong></a> and have seen remarkable benefits on barrier health with use.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">At the end of the day, the first thing is to choose a barrier repair cream with a texture you actually like using. It&#x2019;s also important it doesn&#x2019;t make pre-existing issues like a tendency to clogged pores and blemishes worse. Finally, a multi-tasking approach tackling all the facets of what happens when you damage your skin barrier will expedite recovery.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></p><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="the-ordinary-soothing-barrier-support-serum">The Ordinary Soothing Barrier Support Serum</h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">This interesting formula comes in a lightweight serum and will best suit those who with oily skin who prefer lightweight textures. The cyanocobalamin element that gives it its colour is a bit of a gimmick, as this isn&#x2019;t an ingredient with a profound impact on barrier health but the rest of the formula will help calm inflammation and boost barrier function. You&#x2019;ll probably still need a&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-light" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Moisturiser Intense"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">lightweight moisturiser</strong></a> over the top.</p><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="avene-cicalfate">Avene Cicalfate</h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">A similar type of formula to the perhaps better known La Roche Posay Cicoplast this is a useful &#x201C;rescue&#x201D; for irritated skin and is safe to be used anywhere on the face or body, and in infants. It&#x2019;s not particularly suitable for use during the day under make-up as it has a paste-like texture but it&#x2019;s a good general purpose rescue product to have in the bathroom cabinet.</p><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="la-roche-posay-cicoplast">La Roche Posay Cicoplast</h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Similar in structure to the Avene product, I&#x2019;m less fond of this formula as it can be occlusive so a caveat for those who have blemish-prone skin. But it&#x2019;s otherwise a good option for dry or irritated skin. Again, it&#x2019;s safe to use anywhere on the body and is also well-priced.</p><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="dermalogica-stabilising-barrier-repair-cream">Dermalogica Stabilising Barrier Repair Cream</h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">This rich and nourishing cream is ideal for dry,&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/premature-ageing" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/premature-ageing" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s products to prevent premature ageing">mature skin</a></strong> as it&#x2019;s rich in barrier-replenishing safflower and evening primrose oil. This is less suitable for anyone with combination or acne-prone skin. The price point makes it a treat rather than a staple.</p><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="dr-sams-flawless-moisturiser-intense">Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Moisturiser Intense</h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Ideal for someone looking to use a barrier repair cream under make-up as well as at night. Ideal for&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/retinol" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s products with retinoids"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">retinoid</strong></a> users, as it helps access their benefits as well as negate their potential for irritation, and for those who are acne-prone.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" alt src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/FMI_Routinecopy2_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1695897937" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></p></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 2.5rem; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/shop/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; border: 1px solid transparent; align-items: center; appearance: none; box-shadow: none; display: inline-flex; font-size: 11.1111px; font-weight: 700; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: 1px; min-height: 42px; padding: 0.75rem 1rem; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; width: auto; min-width: 200px;">SHOP FLAWLESS MOISTURISER INTENSE</a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/reviewing-viral-barrier-repair-creams" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br></a></div></div>

Reviewing Viral Barrier Repair Creams - How To Choose The Right One At Any Budget

I firmly believe that rosacea management is about your daily habits. One of the biggest triggers for a flare is using the wrong skincare - something I imagine every rosacea sufferer knows. But when you get it right, it has a powerfully calming effect

<p id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n8xjEow1-pU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">I firmly believe that rosacea management is about your daily habits. One of the biggest triggers for a flare is using the wrong skincare - something I imagine every rosacea sufferer knows. But when you get it&#xA0;</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">right</span></i><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">, it has a powerfully calming effect, reducing flares and their severity. Here are the ingredients that I feel form the cornerstone of a winning rosacea skincare routine.</span></span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="is-mineral-sunscreen-good-for-rosacea"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Is mineral sunscreen good for rosacea?</strong></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Here I&#x2019;m referring to kind-but-mighty zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, the ultimate sunscreen filters when it comes to pernickety skin. They also have a light-reflecting quality which can help dial down redness, especially if also tinted. I&#x2019;m a huge fan ofr both patients and personally.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">I like Elta MD UV Elements,&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/sunscreens-spf/products/flawless-gossamer-tint-spf-50" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Gossamer Tint SPF 50">Flawless Gossamer Tint 1</a> or&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/sunscreens-spf/products/flawless-gossamer-untinted-spf-50" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Gossamer Untinted SPF 50">Untinted</a> or Jan Marini Physical Protectant (also tinted).</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="is-ivermectin-good-for-rosacea"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Is Ivermectin good for rosacea?</strong></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">This prescription cream (also known as Soolantra) has become my go-to for active flare-ups of the papulopustular variety. It&#x2019;s very soothing and has a pleasant skin feel - this delivers reassuringly effective results, giving peace of mind. I tend to use it in bursts - once the flare-up has settled, I&#x2019;ll transition to something different for maintenance.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="is-niacinamide-useful-in-rosacea"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Is Niacinamide useful in rosacea?</strong></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">This widely-available skin-loving vitamin serves 2 key roles in rosacea - it&#x2019;s anti-inflammatory and it boosts barrier function, helping tackle 2 of the key issues in the disease. It&#x2019;s been a real star in those whose rosacea has been exacerbated by wearing a mask.We hear lots about mask-ne, but &#x201C;rosacea-ne&#x201D; is a real thing too.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="what-role-do-retinoids-play-in-rosacea"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">What role do retinoids play in rosacea?</strong></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">In rosacea that&#x2019;s coasting along in the maintenance phase, a retinoid can be a really helpful addition. Given the preponderance in fair-skinned, light-eyed individuals, this is a group at risk of sun damage and the associated damage to collagen that ensues. So the value of a retinoid in helping rebuild the dermal matrix is potentially huge. It may also help reduce abnormal vessel formation too. As always, proceed carefully - consider a trial of a non-prescription retinoid to test the waters. Granactive Retinoid is a great one to try. Find that in&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Nightly 2% Retinoid Serum">Flawless Nightly Serum</a>. If that goes to plan, you can always dip your toe in the prescription space and try Differin (or adapalene).</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="is-azelaic-acid-good-for-treating-rosacea"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Is azelaic acid good for treating rosacea?</strong></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Yes! It&#x2019;s brilliant for redness and rosacea-prone skin. It reduces the activity mediated by Toll-like receptors, which sense our environment for danger, helping activate our skin&#x2019;s defenses. In redness-prone skin these sensors are turned up too high and Azelaic Acid helps bring them back under control.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="final-thoughts"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Final Thoughts</strong></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">It&#x2019;s vital to have a long-term view on this as rosacea tends to hang around - but you can absolutely influence disease progress when you put the right skincare foundations in early so it&#x2019;s worth doing the work.</span></p>

My Favourite Ingredients For Tackling Rosacea

So firstly let me say this. If you’ve not had this happen, don’t worry, it will at some point!! It’s just a rite of passage for retinoid users. And in a way it’s necessary to probe the boundaries of what your skin can cope with, so you know where you

How to cope with the Retinoid Uglies

Blocked pores can lead to breakouts, blackheads and acne so it’s no surprise that everyone seems obsessed with shrinking their pores. The reality is you can’t make them smaller but you can minimise their appearance by keeping them unclogged and clear

<p id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HjgQliOEfso" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Blocked pores can lead to breakouts, blackheads and acne so it&#x2019;s no surprise that everyone seems obsessed with shrinking their pores. The reality is you&#xA0;</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">can&#x2019;t</span></i><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;make them smaller but you&#xA0;</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">can</span></i><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;minimise their appearance by keeping them unclogged and clear, which stops pesky blemishes in their tracks.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">To understand what causes blocked pores let&apos;s first think about what our pores do. Found in the middle layer of the skin, known as the dermis, pores are connected to our hair follicles and act as little tubes with&#xA0;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">small openings that connect the oil glands to the surface of the skin to release oils and sweat.&#xA0;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">When we hit puberty and the oil glands switch on, there can be a lot of traffic. When oil mixes with dead skin cells it creates little blockages. When these blockages are exposed to air, they become blackheads or open comedones and when not exposed, they&apos;re white heads or closed comedones.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">It&#x2019;s crucial to understand that every acne breakout starts out as a blocked pore so keeping pores clog-free is key for controlling acne. Having said that, if you&#x2019;ve got those annoying little dots on your t-zone they may be sebaceous filaments rather than blackheads. Annoyingly, they both appear in the same areas of the face but sebaceous filaments are completely normal formations that line the inside of the pore. It&#x2019;s very common to have some visible matter in your pores but if they bother you, a consistent pore strategy will help everything look brighter and clearer.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Although blocked pores are an extremely common skincare issue, when left untreated they can be challenging to clear up. But, with the right advice, products and consistency, you can achieve clear, healthy and glowing skin, s</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">o let&#x2019;s get into the steps that matter.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="step-1---remove-any-products-that-are-making-matters-worse">Step 1 - Remove Any Products That Are Making Matters Worse</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Sometimes you need to do a skincare audit and assess everything you&#x2019;re currently using to see if any are triggering your skin and hindering your progress. It&#x2019;s also the first thing I do with patients and ensures I can give them the correct treatment plan. This is obviously a highly individual process but I often eliminate high-risk products such facial oils, balms and longwear foundation that are often more prone to clogging pores.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="step-2---use-a-beta-hydroxy-acid">Step 2 - Use A Beta Hydroxy Acid</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Beta-hydroxy acids such as salicylic acid are exfoliants that can penetrate deep into the pore due to its oil-soluble nature. Over-the-counter topical treatments come in concentrations between&#xA0;</span><a href="https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(15)02614-6/fulltext" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">0.5% to 2%</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">, this is the simplest thing to add and may be enough if you&#x2019;re just getting a few blackheads. I advise a leave-on product of 1-2 % BHA with no alcohol or fragrance. Click&#xA0;</span><a href="https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/what-is-salicylic-acid-everything-you-need-to-know-about-using-salicylic-acid-on-your-skin?_pos=1&amp;_sid=fd21b1682&amp;_ss=r" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;to read more on how salicylic acid can help your skin.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="step-3---consider-using-azelaic-acid">Step 3 - Consider Using Azelaic Acid</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Long term readers will know I love azelaic acid - my acid with extra which I typically always add into a regime for breakouts and blackheads. Not only does it work incredibly well for clogged pores and preventing further congestion, it&#x2019;s anti-inflammatory properties help to reduce any associated redness. It&apos;s also very well tolerated and safe to be used in both pregnancy and breastfeeding.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="step-4---introduce-a-retinoid">Step 4 - Introduce A Retinoid</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Retinoids are comedolytics which means not only do they help remove existing clogged pores, they also prevent future ones from happening. With so many overall skin benefits, it&#x2019;s a case of why wouldn&#x2019;t I use one rather than why would I?</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">If you&#x2019;re new to retinoids, it is important to remember not to run before you can walk! With multiple strengths found in over-the-counter products, it&#x2019;s best to start with a low percentage and build up your strength rather than grabbing something too strong which can often do more harm than good.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="step-5---niacinamide-is-a-great-support-act">Step 5 - Niacinamide Is A Great Support Act</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Niacinamide is a gentle anti-inflammatory ingredient which also acts as a powerful pore-clearing agent and helps balance the skin barrier. With far-reaching ingredients it&#x2019;s the perfect partner for exfoliating acids and retinoids which can sometimes irritate the skin. It&#x2019;s gentle nature makes it recommended for those with sensitive skin too.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="step-6---throw-away-the-magnifying-mirror">Step 6 - Throw Away The Magnifying Mirror!</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Perhaps the most important step for your morale! Stop torturing yourself and put the magnifying mirror away. Nobody needs to 10X their skin on the hunt for a blocked pore which will invariably lead to trouble as it&apos;s so hard to resist the siren call to squeeze.</span></p>

How To Tackle Clogged Pores + Sebaceous Filaments

With over half a billion results on the hashtag retinoid on TikTok, there’s a wealth of information floating around in the ether - but how much is actually correct?. I talk to a lot of people in the beauty industry and I have no doubt that many of th

6 Retinoid Myths Debunked

Building an effective morning routine takes a little more care and consideration when your PM plan is retinoid-focused. Whilst on the one hand you want to be careful of your skin barrier, especially in the early days of retinisation, you also want to

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><iframe width="1420" height="769" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ji2mjQOvW60" title="How To Layer Azelaic Acid | My Morning Skincare Routine | Dr Sam Bunting" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Building an effective morning routine takes a little more care and consideration when your&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/my-2023-night-time-skincare-routine" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="My 2023 Night-time Skincare Routine!">PM plan is retinoid-focused</a>. Whilst on the one hand you want to be careful of your skin barrier, especially in the early days of retinisation, you also want to make sure your skin is properly protected against environmental aggressors. Here&#x2019;s how I make my morning routine count without leaving skin frazzled!</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="how-should-you-cleanse-when-using-a-retinoid">How should you cleanse when using a retinoid?</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">It&#x2019;s vital to avoid unnecessary depletion of those essential skin lipids when cleansing the morning after your nighttime retinoid. Think gentle, non-foaming&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/the-best-way-to-cleanse-your-face" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="The Best Way To Cleanse Your Face">cleansing</a> and tepid (not hot!) water using just your fingertips. Take your time, and use it to breathe and connect with your skin. After rinsing, pat skin dry with a clean towel without using friction.</p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/cleanser/products/flawless-cleanser" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Cleanser"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/products/Dr-Sams-Cleanser_awards_2b5f19b8-22ec-4d7a-9ca6-21d44353efcf_480x480.jpg?v=1643501294" alt="Flawless Cleanser" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></a></div><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="what-ingredient-works-best-around-the-eyes">What ingredient works best around the eyes?</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">I always protect my eye area with ingredients designed to nourish the skin barrier and brighten it&#x2019;s appearance. For me,&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/niacinamide" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Niacinamide - 10 Reasons Why I Love it!">niacinamide</a> ticks all the boxes. The beauty of using a moisturiser enriched with this wonder ingredient is that you can prime and protect the delicate skin in one step - what I call my Moisturiser Goggles&#x2122;. It also helps shield the eye area from potentially irritating actives used elsewhere on the face.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="what-serum-pairs-well-with-a-retinoid">What serum pairs well with a retinoid?</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Choosing the right actives for daytime use to partner with your nighttime retinoid depends on your skin goals. For me, as an experienced retinoid user, I love to use multi-tasking ingredients to deal with redness, a tendency to breakout and pesky fine lines. That means &#x201C;zoning&#x201D; my actives. I use&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives/products/flawless-neutralising-gel" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Neutralising Gel">Flawless Neutralising Gel</a>, enriched with 2% salicylic acid to clear pores and calm breakouts in my t-zone and on any rogue blemishes. Then I apply&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives/products/flawless-brightly-serum" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Brightly Serum ">Flawless Brightly Serum</a>, with 10%&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/how-to-use-azelaic-acid-for-best-results-demonstration" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="How To Use Azelaic Acid For Best Results">azelaic acid</a>, to my cheeks to tame redness.</p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives/products/flawless-brightly-serum" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Brightly Serum"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/products/FlawlessBrightlySerum_SiteThumbnail_4_480x480.jpg?v=1656330686" alt="Flawless Brightly Serum" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></a></div><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="should-i-moisturise-when-using-a-retinoid">Should I moisturise when using a retinoid?</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">It&#x2019;s vital to support my skin barrier function day and night when using actives twice a day. Even with combination skin (like 65% of us), this is essential to keep skin hydrated and dewy in cold weather, when central heating tends to leave skin depleted. I use a generous layer of&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Moisturiser ">Flawless Moisturiser</a> all over, which my neck LOVES!</p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Moisturiser"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/products/Moisturiser_Thumbnail1_480x480.jpg?v=1676308295" alt="Flawless Moisturiser" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></a></div><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="is-sunscreen-essential-when-using-a-retinoid">Is sunscreen essential when using a retinoid?</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">An effective daytime routine is not complete without&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/sunscreens-spf/products/flawless-daily-sunscreen" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Daily Sunscreen SPF 50">daily sunscreen</a> use - and the dose is critical. Familiarise yourself with a quarter teaspoon so that you can measure it correctly every day and aren&apos;t tempted to skip! That&#x2019;s the correct dose for your face and then I use the same again on my neck.&#xA0;<a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/sunscreens-spf/products/flawless-gossamer-tint-spf-50" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Gossamer Tint SPF 50">Flawless Gossamer Tint</a> also does double duty as my coverage, leaving my skin dewy and even-toned without foundation.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/sunscreens-spf/products/flawless-gossamer-tint-spf-50" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Flawless Gossamer Tint 01 SFP 50"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/Dr-Sams-gossamer-tint_01_900x_56cc661b-eff8-4a1a-840c-a4f6dec65c07_480x480.webp?v=1677146969" alt="Flawless Gossamer Tint 01 SPF 50" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">The key to a successful morning routine is, ultimately, the fewest number of layers for maximum impact - this routine is quick, efficient and works brilliantly for my skin.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br></p></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 2.5rem; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/find-your-routine" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; border: 1px solid transparent; align-items: center; appearance: none; box-shadow: none; display: inline-flex; font-size: 11.1111px; font-weight: 700; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: 1px; min-height: 42px; padding: 0.75rem 1rem; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; width: auto; min-width: 200px;">FIND YOUR ROUTINE</a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/morning-routine-with-a-retinoid" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br></a></div></div>

My Morning Routine When Using A Retinoid

Welcome to my secret skincare laboratory, where I'm spilling the tea on the expert art of layering techniques that will transform your skincare routine into a highly effective and results-driven experience. These seven cutting-edge layering technique

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem;"><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><iframe title="How To Correctly Layer Your Skincare  | Dr Sam Bunting" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P3eraVa63Uo" height="783" width="1440" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Welcome to my secret skincare laboratory, where I&apos;m spilling the tea on the expert art of layering techniques that will transform your skincare routine into a highly effective and results-driven experience. These seven cutting-edge layering techniques for how to layer your skincare, all of which will help you make the absolute most of your skincare products. From achieving even distribution to precise titration, let&apos;s dive into the world of skincare layering and unlock your skin&apos;s true potential!</p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br></p><h2 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="how-to-layer-skin-products">How to Layer Skin Products</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br></p><h4 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="1-the-13-dot-technique---a-little-goes-a-long-way">1) The 13 Dot Technique - A Little Goes a Long Way</h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br></p><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Why waste your precious skincare products when you can use the 13 Dot Technique? This method ensures an even distribution of products designed to cover your entire face while making them last longer. Just apply small dots of your product across your face - 3 to each cheek and forehead, and 2 to the sides of the nose and chin - and gently blend, giving you maximum coverage with minimal product usage. It&#x2019;s the ultimate hack to avoid overdosing on your punchy&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/retinol" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/retinol" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s products with Retinoids">retinoid</a></strong>. Get ready to see incredible results and wave goodbye to product wastage and unnecessary irritation!</p><h4 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="2-moisturiser-goggles---safeguard-your-delicate-skin"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/13dot-min_1024x1024.gif?v=1691056069" alt="Dr Sam showing how to apply skincare with the 13 dot technique" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/13dot-min_1024x1024.gif?v=1691056069" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">2) Moisturiser Goggles - Safeguard Your Delicate Skin</h4><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">If you&apos;re new to retinoids or struggling with treating melasma on the cheekbones, you&apos;ve probably experienced irritation around your eyes at some point. Enter the Moisturiser Goggles - a game-changer for protecting your delicate eye area. Simply apply a visible layer of&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Moisturisers">moisturiser</a></strong> around your eyes before using your retinoid or melasma treatment. Bid farewell to irritation and embrace a seamless skincare experience!</p><h4 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="3-dilute---the-power-of-precise-titration"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/1205182043889018.7YBdQ39UvcTETYeTZhsW_height640_1024x1024.png?v=1691056138" alt="Dr Sam&apos;s Moisturiser Googles Technique" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/1205182043889018.7YBdQ39UvcTETYeTZhsW_height640_1024x1024.png?v=1691056138" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">3) Dilute - The Power of Precise Titration</h4><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Dealing with a product that feels too strong? Don&apos;t fret! The Dilute technique is here to save the day. By diluting your potent products with a neutral base - a bland, actives-free moisturiser, you can control the strength and gradually acclimate your skin to powerful actives. Say hello to precise titration and wave goodbye to overwhelming your skin!</p><h4 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="4-feathering---your-path-to-flawless-pigmentation-treatment"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">4) Feathering - Your Path to Flawless Pigmentation Treatment</h4><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Dreaming of an even-toned and radiant complexion? Feathering is your answer. This alternative layering skin care routine works wonders when using treatments for&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/hyperpigmentation" href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/hyperpigmentation" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Skin Concerns - Hyperpigmentation">pigmentation</a></strong>. Gently blend your product around the hairline and jawline, just like you would with foundation, to achieve a soft, seamless finish.</p><h4 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="5-double-layering---embrace-the-power-of-blended-edges"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">5) Double Layering - Embrace the Power of Blended Edges</h4><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">When it comes to treating pigmentation, double layering is your secret weapon! Apply your pigmentation treatment twice, but here&apos;s the magic - allow the first layer, applied all over using the 13 Dot Technique - to dry before adding the second. This technique creates perfectly blended edges and ensures a more uniform distribution of the product.</p><h4 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="6-zoning---the-ultimate-sophistication-for-targeted-results"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">6) Zoning - The Ultimate Sophistication for Targeted Results</h4><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Welcome to the advanced level of layering - Zoning! This clinic-favorite technique targets different actives to specific areas of your face. For instance, use oil-blasting products like&#xA0;<a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives/products/flawless-neutralising-gel" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives/products/flawless-neutralising-gel" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Neutralising Gel"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Flawless Neutralising Gel</strong></a> in your T-zone to tackle blocked pores and breakouts. On your cheeks, opt for&#xA0;<a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives/products/flawless-brightly-serum" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives/products/flawless-brightly-serum" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Brightly Serum"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Flawless Brightly Serum</strong></a> to focus on pigmentation and fine lines. Say goodbye to a one-size-fits-all routines with this layering skin care routine and embrace a personalised approach for targeted results!</p><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: left;"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" alt="Dr Sam&apos;s Zoning Technique" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/1205182043889020.IBzYvvLp7R1TdZWuCM1A_height640_1024x1024.png?v=1691056194" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></div><h4 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;" id="7-sandwich-technique---your-barrier-rescue-in-colder-weather"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">7) Sandwich Technique - Your Barrier Rescue in Colder Weather</h4><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Picture this - it&apos;s a chilly day, and you want to keep using your&#xA0;<a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/amplified-actives" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Serums"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">actives</strong></a> without irritating your skin. The Sandwich Technique to the rescue! Simply layer a nourishing, occlusive over your active treatment to create a protective seal. And shield your skin barrier by applying a thin layer of hydration before your active to slow down penetration of your actives. This technique is super-helpful during retinoid initiation or in colder weather, ensuring you can keep enjoying your actives without discomfort.</p><h2 data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="conclusion"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Conclusion</h2><p data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Congratulations, you&apos;ve unlocked the secrets to mastering the art of skincare layering! Knowing how to layer skin products is essential, and with these 7 layering techniques in your arsenal, you&apos;ll elevate your skincare routine to new heights, achieving remarkable results and a glowing, radiant complexion without any drama. Remember, layering is not just about applying products in any old order; it&apos;s an art that allows you to customise and optimise your routine. Embrace these techniques, tailor them to your unique skin needs, and get ready to revel in the beauty of your transformed skin.</p></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 2.5rem; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/routine-landing" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; border: 1px solid transparent; align-items: center; appearance: none; box-shadow: none; display: inline-flex; font-size: 11.1111px; font-weight: 700; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: 1px; min-height: 42px; padding: 0.75rem 1rem; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; width: auto; min-width: 200px;">FIND YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE</a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/7-layering-techniques-for-skincare-results" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br></a></div></div>

Top 7 Layering Techniques for Maximum Skincare Results

Our skin is subjected to a real onslaught in summer. First, it is bombarded with UV rays, both UVB and UVA, which can cause damage to both the nuclear DNA and the mitochondrial DNA.The result? When it stacks up, premature ageing with all its symptoms

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem;"><h2 data-mce-fragment="1" data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id><iframe title="How To Repair Your Damaged Skin Barrier After Summer | Dr Sam Bunting" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A3DU7uUr89w" height="543" width="966" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe></h2><h2 data-mce-fragment="1" data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="understanding-the-impact-of-summer-on-your-skin">Understanding the Impact of Summer on Your Skin&#xA0;</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">&#xA0;</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">Our skin is subjected to a real onslaught in summer. First, it is bombarded with UV rays, both UVB and UVA, which can cause damage to both the nuclear DNA and the mitochondrial DNA.<br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The result? When it stacks up, premature ageing with all its symptoms - hyperpigmentation, wrinkles and broken capillaries. It can also damage your skin barrier:<br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Everything from mild changes (nothing to see, skin tight after cleansing and products might sting a bit) to the more severe end of the spectrum (dry, flaking, redness and everything burns).<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">This is exacerbated by the effects of low humidity during long haul flights, swimming in chlorinated water and air conditioning. So there&#x2019;s a lot of stuff to unpack.</p><h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="the-need-for-transitional-skincare-adapting-to-post-summer-skinroutine"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></strong>The Need for &#x2018;Transitional&#x2019; Skincare: Adapting to Post-Summer Skin&#xA0;Routine</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">&#xA0;</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Do we actually need &#x2018;transitional&#x2019; skincare? Is post summer a good time to change / introduce new things to our skincare routine?&#xA0;</span>I think it&apos;s essential. Many of my patients this month have complained that their skin feels depleted and fatigued, that&#x2019;s because it&#x2019;s been on high alert, defending itself all summer.<br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">One of the things we now understand is the role of the cell battery in our skin and a critical energy molecule called NAD+.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">This gets depleted by the free radicals generated by UV exposure in our skin - this is a disaster for the skin&#x2019;s housekeeping processes, as NAD+ helps control vital functions like DNA repair, fighting inflammation and barrier repair. When these things go wrong, over time this shows up as the visible signs of ageing.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">So a lot can go wrong, hence replacing NAD+ should be a priority once we&#x2019;re back into our regular routine. The good news is that many good lifestyle choices help here - getting good quality sleep, eating food rich in B vitamins, wearing daily&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/sunscreens-spf" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/sunscreens-spf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Sunscreens &amp; SPFs">sunscreen</a></strong> and vigorous exercise.<br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">But excitingly, I see ingredients that replace NAD+ levels as a new frontier in skincare, as we go a level deeper into understanding why they&#x2019;re at the centre of how our skin changes with age. Think of it as the skin&#x2019;s master switch.</p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="reclaiming-your-summer-glow-addressing-depleted-skin-barriers"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" data-mce-fragment="1" alt="Dry Skin" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/dryskin_1024x1024.jpg?v=1696510898" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/dryskin_1024x1024.jpg?v=1696510898" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></strong>Reclaiming Your Summer Glow: Addressing Depleted Skin Barriers</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">&#xA0;</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;">If you&#x2019;ve lost your summer glow or your fine lines and wrinkles look worse, don&#x2019;t stress. This is fixable!<br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">What&#x2019;s happening here is that your skin barrier is impaired, meaning your skin is less effective at hanging onto water and staying hydrated, exacerbating the appearance of lines and any texture on the skin. Simple measures come first - cut back on actives and use a simple,&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/cleanser/products/flawless-cleanser" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/cleanser/products/flawless-cleanser" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Cleanser">non-drying cleanser</a></strong> that does no harm. Next comes&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Moisturisers">hydration</a></strong> - I recommend a three-pronged approach to barrier repair.</p><ol style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-pm-slice="1 1 [&quot;list&quot;,{},&quot;list_item&quot;,{&quot;indent&quot;:1,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;numbered&quot;}]" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Boosting the Skin&#x2019;s Cell Battery:&#xA0;</strong>Firstly, address the depletion of the skin&#x2019;s cell battery - your skin knows how to repair itself, but it needs enough energy to do so. By the time you&#x2019;ve reached the age of 40, your battery is running at around 50% so there&#x2019;s little reserve for the impact of the sun. I&#x2019;m excited by the breakthrough ingredient Sunflower Shoot Extract which boosts NAD+ levels and recharges your skin&#x2019;s battery and solves a damaged skin barrier from the inside-out, rather than the traditional outside-in method (like slugging).<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" data-mce-fragment="1" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/Traditional-Lowres_480x480.gif?v=1696519080" alt data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/Traditional-Lowres_480x480.gif?v=1696519080" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 579.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-pm-slice="1 1 [&quot;list&quot;,{},&quot;list_item&quot;,{&quot;indent&quot;:1,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;numbered&quot;}]" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Sealing in Surface Moisture:&#xA0;</strong>Then we can definitely improve things by sealing water in on the surface - look for ingredients like Ectoin, a new type of ingredient called an osmolyte found in microorganisms that live in extreme climates like the desert. This forms a water &#x201C;shell&#x201D; on the skin&#x2019;s surface to stop water evaporating, allowing hydration levels to dramatically increase. It also helps protect against blue light and UV.&#xA0;<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">This can be combined with other ingredients that lock water in, like the elegant occlusive&#xA0;<strong data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/squalane" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/squalane" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Skincare containing squalane">squalane</a></strong> and and the barrier building ceramides. Likewise, it can be paired with ingredients that help hold water in the skin, like glycerin and&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/hyaluronic-acid" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s skincare that contain hyaluronic acid">hyaluronic acid</a>.<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" data-mce-fragment="1" alt src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/FMI_Ingredients_5_1024x1024.jpg?v=1695897937" data-mce-src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/FMI_Ingredients_5_1024x1024.jpg?v=1695897937" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 579.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></strong></p></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p data-mce-fragment="1" data-pm-slice="1 1 [&quot;list&quot;,{},&quot;list_item&quot;,{&quot;indent&quot;:1,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;numbered&quot;}]" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><strong data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Support the Microbiome:&#xA0;</strong>Finally, bolster your microbiome. This enhances your skin&#x2019;s defences whilst it&apos;s depleted so it can better keep the bad stuff out. Avoid over-cleansing as I said before.</p></li></ol><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><img data-fr-image-pasted="true" alt src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0055/6541/5513/files/DrSams-Lowres_480x480.gif?v=1696519156" style="box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; border-style: none; width: 619.76px;" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><br data-mce-fragment="1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">In the long-term, sorting out your damaged skin barrier puts you in a strong position to support the rest of your routine - it&#x2019;ll be so much easier to use a&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/retinol" href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/retinol" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s skincare with retinoids">retinoid</a></strong>, which can start to work its magic and sort out many of the issues of post-summer skin, like breakouts,&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/hyperpigmentation" href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/hyperpigmentation" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s expert advice on hyperpigmentation">pigmentation</a></strong> and any more entrenched&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a data-mce-href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/premature-ageing" href="https://drsambunting.com/pages/premature-ageing" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s expert advice on fine lines &amp; premature ageing">fine lines</a></strong>. It&#x2019;s really the basis of helping your skin help itself - the ideal scenario!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;">Repair you barrier like never before with our&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">NEW</strong> <strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/moisturiser/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" title="Dr Sam&apos;s Flawless Moisturiser Intense">Flawless Moisturiser Intense</a></strong>, your not-so-secret weapon of choice for building and maintaining a strong skin barrier.&#xA0;</p></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 2.5rem; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drsambunting.com/collections/shop/products/flawless-moisturiser-intense" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; border: 1px solid transparent; align-items: center; appearance: none; box-shadow: none; display: inline-flex; font-size: 11.1111px; font-weight: 700; justify-content: center; letter-spacing: 1px; min-height: 42px; padding: 0.75rem 1rem; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; width: auto; min-width: 200px;">SHOP FLAWLESS MOISTURISER INTENSE</a></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://drsambunting.com/blogs/sam-bunting/fix-a-damaged-skin-barrier-after-summer" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; color: rgb(118, 118, 118); text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br></a></div></div>

How To Fix A Damaged Skin Barrier After Summer

In this final video in the Sensitive Series I’m going to show you how I go about rebuilding the skin's barrier, allowing skin to recover from a sensitive period, or perhaps the use of products that didn't suit your skin. This will then pave the way f

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DmedPoybhOA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe><br style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">In this final video in the Sensitive Series I&#x2019;m going to show you how I go about&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">rebuilding the skin&apos;s barrier,</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;allowing skin to recover from a sensitive period, or perhaps the use of products that didn&apos;t suit your skin. This will then pave the way for you to start to&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">build an active routine with confidence</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;- which can be&#xA0;</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">really&#xA0;</span></i><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">hard when you&apos;ve had setbacks or when you&apos;ve reacted to certain ingredients or products.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">When I see someone in clinic who&apos;s got</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">&#xA0;reactive skin</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">, the first thing I do is stop&#xA0;</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">everything.</span></i></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">True allergy is always a possibility, of course - in which case I&#x2019;ll arrange patch testing to identify the allergen. But I think for most people the approach of stopping and resetting can be the most practical way forward - then, rebuilding a routine with t</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">he least complicated products possible</span></i> <b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">slowly,&#xA0;</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">one product at a time. I&#x2019;m pleasantly surprised by how often you can find a way forward and rebuild a routine without having to go to pursue further investigation. But sometimes it&apos;s necessary - each case is judged on its own merits.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="how-do-you-rebuild-the-skins-barrier"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">How Do You Rebuild The Skin&#x2019;s Barrier?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Let&#x2019;s start with cleansing. I have a couple of products I reach for time and time again in this instance.&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">La Roche Posay Tolerane Dermo Cleanser</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;is the one we keep in the clinic for reactive, irritable skin. Super-simple. It has&#xA0;</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">just eight ingredients</span></i><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">, one of which is water and it&apos;s free of anything that&apos;s likely to cause irritability issues. It&#x2019;s suitable for use around your eyes as well. Whilst it can be used without water, I usually recommend rinsing it clear with tepid water, and it can be used morning and night. If skin is very sensitive, you may want to skip your AM cleanse for a little while during this period of time, splashing it with water alone may suffice. As an alternative, I also like&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Avene Tolerance Extreme Cleansing Lotion</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">, which has similar properties, Again, very few ingredients, nothing that&apos;s going to irritate, and it doesn&#x2019;t need to contain preservatives because of the special packaging format.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">In terms of preferred moisturisers, Ilike Avene&apos;s Tolerance Extreme Emulsion, which is squalene-based, so it&apos;s a lovely texture. Only seven ingredients again and no preservatives because of the type of packaging. I&#x2019;m also a fan of Avene Recovery Cream, which comes in a rich and a light format. The rich one is based on mineral oil, glycerin and squalene, and it&apos;s a little bit heavier duty.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="what-if-my-skin-is-very-inflamed"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">What If My Skin Is Very Inflamed?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">There are instances where you want to&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">shut inflammation down quickly.</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;If someone&#x2019;s been struggling for weeks and weeks, their skin will often have become so aggravated that &#x201C;everything stings&#x201D;. So I might use a mild topical steroid, like 1% hydrocortisone cream. If someone is very red, itchy, sore, angry patches of eczema, that sort of thing. And I will tend to approach the skin like this for some time. I might treat them with mild topical steroids for five to seven days and a little bit longer if necessary, but then I will bring them off the topical steroid and leave them on just their cleanser and moisturiser.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">I&#x2019;ll usually give it another week to make sure that things don&apos;t bubble up to the surface again, suggesting that we haven&apos;t eliminated the trigger.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">So finally things are improving. Everything is feeling more settled, more calm.&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Like normal.</b></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">We can start to introduce some new elements. For eye makeup remover, I tend to stick to Bioderma Sensibio Micellar water, albeit rinsing off the residue with water after it&apos;s been used - this tends to be very well tolerated in most skin types so I will always have this in the kit.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">The next step is to bring in broad spectrum sunscreen. In this situation I&#x2019;ll often use mineral sunscreen, as it tends to be better tolerated in skin that&#x2019;s misbehaving. I might well move onto a hybrid sunscreen later on, when the skin is completely settled but in this instance, the gentlest choice is going to be an all-physical sunscreen. I like&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">EltaMD&apos;s UV Physica</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">l, which is specifically designed to be used after things like procedures, when the skin&#x2019;s barrier is reduced. It&apos;s based on both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. I also like&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Neostrata Sheer Physical Protection SPF50</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">A tint can be very welcome if you&apos;ve got a little bit of redness in your skin. It means you may be able to skip wear foundation. This can be helpful as occasionally make-up can potentially irritate, especially if your base has a little bit of fragrance in it, as it so often have. I&#x2019;ll often hold fire here and give sunscreen another week or so to settle in before thinking about adding anything else into the routine.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">We&#x2019;re now at about&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">week three</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;- and that&apos;s the right sort of timeframe for the skin barrier to really start to rebuild. But if all is going smoothly at this point in time, I&#x2019;ll then think about adding in a moisturiser, that further assists with barrier building. And that might be something like Flawless Moisturiser, which contains 5% niacinamide or CeraVe Moisturising, which help boost barrier function through increased skin ceramides. If your skin is happy and comfortable at this point, it&#x2019;s a good sign suggesting that the skin is healing.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">So now you start to have more options. You may find you&#x2019;re able to move on to a more robust cleanser. A lot of people prefer the feeling of a gel-based cleanser, which is probably is a more effective cleanse when combined with water in the face of daily SPF.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">By week four now, you&#x2019;ll hopefully be feeling more confident. Even a little impatient. But it&#x2019;s VITAL to take things week by week. No sudden changes, everything is planned in a considered way. It&#x2019;s now a good time to think about adding in an Active. It of course depends on your skin type and what your main concerns are, but I find azelaic acid is one of the best entry level Actives to consider in this situation. In my Routine Finder for the Dr Sam&apos;s range, we&apos;ve made Brightly our go-to for those with sensitive skin, because the formula centres around azelaic acid. It&#x2019;s a great anti-inflammatory, skin-calming ingredient, but it&apos;s also good for pigmentation and breakouts. Other actives you could consider introducing include niacinamide as I mentioned, which is good for pigmentation, for blemishes, and helps boost barrier function. And we can think about a gentle retinoid, but again, slowly, slowly; it&apos;s the kind of product you&apos;d introduce every second, or even every third night. You might buffer with moisturiser first, use a pea-sized amount only, and really do it slowly, so that you&apos;re increasing the frequency of use and the quantity of use every two to four weeks.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">So you&apos;re definitely in the slow lane, and that&apos;s okay.</span></i></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">With&#xA0;</span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">prescription skincare</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">, I still think we have a lot of space to work with and sometimes prescription products are a little bit easier and more predictable to work with as they contain fewer ingredients. If you have sensitive skin&#xA0;</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">and</span></i> <b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">significant acne or rosacea</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">, it&#x2019;s often wise to get some help with routine building. Even just a one-off appointment can really help you have the confidence to go forward, building an effective routine for your skin to get the most out of your products s</span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">afely.</span></i></p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">So that&apos;s my approach to treating sensitive skin with some sensitivity, alongside the products I&apos;d recommend to help you on that journey. I truly hope you found this overview of sensitive skin helpful, and that&#xA0;<strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">i</strong></span><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">t helps you get the results that you want!</strong></div>

How To Rebuild Your Skin Barrier: The Products I Recommend

I feel I could post content on retinoids every week. It’s THAT big a topic. And more importantly, it’s THAT crucial. So when I was inundated with questions to last week’s video I thought it a good opportunity to do a follow-up post, because there are

Answering Your RETINOID Challenges

Salicylic acid is a major player when it comes to treating breakouts and blackheads. The ultra-popular beta hydroxy acid has been around for years and while more recent acids may have bumped it from the spotlight, thanks to a lot of TikTok action, it

<div id="isPasted" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75rem; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8wHqbJQO2KQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 32.2581vw; margin-bottom: 1rem; max-width: none; width: calc(100% + 22rem); margin-left: -11rem; max-height: 550px;"></iframe>Salicylic acid is a major player when it comes to treating breakouts and blackheads. The ultra-popular beta hydroxy acid has been around for years and while more recent acids may have bumped it from the spotlight, thanks to a lot of TikTok action, it&#x2019;s firmly back on people&#x2019;s radars.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Salicylic acid is truly one of the best ingredients for exfoliating oily/combination skin, especially if you&#x2019;re getting breakouts. Found in everything from daily cleansers to overnight spot treatments, the big questions that remain are what exactly does salicylic acid do and is salicylic acid actually good for the skin?</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="what-is-salicylic-acid"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">What is salicylic acid?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Salicylic acid (SA)</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;is a beta hydroxy acid that occurs naturally in plants such as willow bark. With both&#xA0;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">, it also works as a chemical exfoliant to remove dead skin cells.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">One of its key advantages is that it&#x2019;s oil-soluble, meaning it can penetrate into the oily pore. This makes it more useful than AHAs (such as glycolic or lactic acid) in the treatment of breakouts, which are water-soluble and don&#x2019;t readily penetrate our pores.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="what-does-salicylic-acid-do-for-the-skin"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">What does salicylic acid do for the skin?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Salicylic acid helps reduce comedones (both open and closed) and inflamed lesions like papules, pustules, nodules and cysts. As it&#x2019;s oil-soluble, salicylic acid can go deep into the skin to get to work. Dead, sticky skin cells clump together to block pores but salicylic acid can unclog those pores by dissolving the clumps. Salicylic acid also acts as an anti-inflammatory to help red, inflamed spots go away faster. Not only can it reduce blemishes and congestion, it can also help to diminish any dark marks we might get after a breakout.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">It also helps reduce the appearance of sebaceous filaments, those pesky dark dots on the nose that bother people so much. These are very much a normal aspect of our skin and attempts to remove them are pointless but the overall clarity of skin can be improved (so they bother us less) by judicious use of salicylic acid in our routine.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="how-do-i-use-salicylic-acid"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">How do I use salicylic acid?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">As with most ingredients, salicylic acid is found in a number of different products, so you can find the formula that best suits your skin goals. Over-the-counter topical treatments come in concentrations between&#xA0;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">0.5% to 2%</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">. I advise a leave-on product of 1-2 % BHA with no alcohol or fragrance.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Whichever product you opt for, you want to apply on a clean face and initially&#xA0;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">use on alternate days then build up to once a day. It&#x2019;s safe for everyday use and you can gradually increase applications to 2 times a day, as needed. If excessive dryness or peeling occurs, reduce application frequency as you don&#x2019;t want to damage your skin barrier!</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="should-i-use-salicylic-acid-or-benzoyl-peroxide"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Should I use salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Benzoyl peroxide (BP)</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;is another topical agent that may help treat acne. It is an antiseptic that kills acne-causing bacteria. Both BP and salicylic acid are widely available over-the-counter without a prescription which makes them very accessible.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">I tend to recommend salicylic acid over BP when dealing with skin barrier challenges as benzoyl peroxide is often not suitable for people with&#xA0;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">sensitive skin</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">&#xA0;or&#xA0;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">eczema</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">. People with pre-existing skin conditions may also want to consult with a doctor or dermatologist to see if it will be safe for them to use.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">The other practical consideration is that BP bleaches clothing - if this is a dealbreaker for you, salicylic acid may be the better choice.</span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tiempos, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 27.648px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; font-style: italic;" id="who-should-avoid-using-salicylic-acid"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">Who should avoid using salicylic acid?</b></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Circular, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 1rem;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">There can always be too much of a good thing and salicylic acid is no different. The main negative side effect when overused is it can irritate and cause excess dryness. If you have sensitive skin, choose your formula carefully as some products contain denatured alcohol, which can be additionally drying. If you&#x2019;re allergic to salicylic acid then avoid it altogether.</span></p></div>