Why is it so important to wear sunscreen everyday, even when the UV level is below 3?

It's so important. The Advanced Day Ultimate Protect is an SPF of 50. I absolutely love this, and I know a lot of you, particularly those with more melanin-rich skin tones have mixed feelings with sunscreen because a lot of sunscreens out there do leave you with a kind of grey, ashy. But, this isn't the case whatsoever. It's that lightweight, moisturiser consistency. I absolutely love it. And again, it’s super easy to layer on the skin and it's not gonna pill under makeup. So, really be diligent with the sunscreen because it makes a big difference at combating and preventing hyperpigmentation.

Again, the thing with sunscreen is that it's all well and good knowing that you need to use it, but it's about using it consistently and diligently, because only when you're consistent with it is when you're actually going to see the benefits and true results from sunscreen.

What do you recommend for your clients to really care for their skin in between treatments e.g. peels, facials etc?

Of course, CSA - that's going to be a great starting point for you with your skincare routine. Also, what I would say is as much as injectables, clinic treatments and peels are amazing, you really need to look after your skin in between those things because essentially you're getting these treatments, at most, once a month or maybe every few months and that's not going to be enough. You need to maintain your results and take your results to the next level with good at-home, active-based skincare products.

Again, anything that contains a retinoid such as Crystal Retinal

How often should you use vitamin A on the skin?

When in doubt, just follow the instructions on the back of Medik8’s Crystal Retinal. It is really important to drip feed retinol into your skincare routine. Because, if you're using it every single day, particularly at higher strengths, if you're not so familiar with retinol-based products in your routine, the skin might freak out.

But for me, my general recommendation that I give to patients is for the first two weeks, use it every two days. And thereafter, increase the frequency gradually. When you are increasing the frequency, really just check in with your skin and see how your skin's doing. Do you notice any irritation, any redness, any rashes? If you don't, just keep on going.

What is microneedling and how does it work?

It's a treatment that I personally love and essentially it's a procedure where you're using a microneedling device, which is essentially a device made up of tiny little needles and you're introducing that onto the skin to create a controlled injury.

It sounds a bit dramatic, but it's all controlled. And through the introduction of microneedles onto the skin, it then creates little channels or holes within the skin and then that stimulates the natural healing, collagen producing pathways. Therefore, it's great for improving collagen, elastin and things like scarring.

It's my holy grail, I love it. But, I would say that people are a little bit confused in terms of what it's good for and what it's not. I love it for overall skin rejuvenation and scar improvement, but when it comes to hyperpigmentation, the only microneedling method that I love for hyperpigmentation is where you combine it with a tyrosinase inhibitor. Because, personally from my experience microneedling alone doesn't do that much for hyperpigmentation.

What are some good alternatives to hyaluronic acid?

Generally, I would say hyaluronic acid is one of those ingredients that most people will be okay with. However, here and there I have actually heard of people being sensitive to hyaluronic acid. However, what I would say is that you probably weren't using a Medik8 hyaluronic acid.

Not all hyaluronic acids are equal by any means. It really is about what are the co- ingredients within these products? Because, it might be the co- ingredient that's actually breaking you out. Also, really make sure that you're strengthening that skin barrier function to minimise any adverse reactions when it comes to using hyaluronic acid. For specific alternatives, I love things like polyglutamic acid and glycerin.

Is there an easy way to work out how to layer Skincare products?

The world of skincare products is so confusing and overwhelming. And there's a lot of conflicting information out there. What I would definitely say is start with a lighter, water-based product first and then work your way up to more thicker, oil-based products. That's my usual go to.

What is the best age to get a blepharoplasty?

It's essentially a surgical procedure which helps address eye bags, whether it be underneath the eyes but also any excessive fat or skin to the upper aspect of the eyes as well.

It's really important that you go and seek professional advice, specifically getting a consultation from a cosmetic doctor or surgeon because a blepharoplasty isn't for everyone. It may be a situation where you could instead just get filler, so it's really important that you get a consultation and see which treatment works best for you.

How do I get rid of orange peel skin on my chin?

I would definitely say exfoliants. They're my favourite and there's so many Exfoliants that you can use in the Medik8 line. Sleep Glycolic is a really cool time-release, acid-based product that you can use overnight whilst you sleep and then wake up with that orange chin completely gone.

What is the best way to prepare skin for your wedding?

What I would say to brides is that first of all, when it comes to addressing your skincare routine or potential clinic treatment, make sure you start in advance. Specifically, 12 months in advance. The reason that I say 12 months is that it's a good enough time to allow you to experiment under the supervision of a skin expert. Please don't be doing a pick and mix on your face. Again, emphasis on under the supervision of a skin expert. Because, it may be that certain actives that work well for most people, for some reason just don't work well with your skin.

What is the difference between what you can achieve in a clinic with a cosmetic procedure and you can achieve at home with a product?

Very different. But, there's a time and a place for both. What I say is that when it comes to clinic treatments versus an at-home skincare routine, both of them complement each other. If you can incorporate both of them into your skincare routine, that's going to be a match made in heaven.

So, with clinic treatments, particularly injectables, that's going to be really good at improving the overall structure of the skin, the lift of the skin and helping to iron out those wrinkles. But, the skincare regimen that you do at home, that's going to help with the surface of the skin.

What can be used in addition to peptides on the forehead?

Make sure that you’re using Liquid Peptides, because this is going to be your go-to for that. You can combine that with Crystal Retinal - that's going to be an amazing combination. Use Crystal Retinal at night and then use your Liquid Peptides during the day.

What is better, Profhilo or fillers?

Both! They have different purposes. So, when it comes to filler, generally speaking, filler is about contouring the skin or even contouring the face. If you get a little bit of cheekbone filler, that can really help to lift that under eye area. Also, traditional filler is great for improving the volume of things, i. e. you can get a little bit of filler to your lips, and that can make it bigger.

But with Profhilo, it is a type of filler. It's a hyaluronic acid base and it's something that you inject into the skin. However, you inject it at a much more superficial level. In other words, it's like an enhanced skin booster. So, it's going to give you that deep hydration and it's also great for promoting collagen as well.

How to deal with hyperpigmentation?

So, clinic treatment wise, I like to break it down into non-invasive and treatments that are a little bit more invasive. So, non-invasive things would be more like lasers; things like radiofrequency and chemical peels. Or, if you want to go a little bit more invasive with things, you can try botox, fillers, skin boosters and biostimulators.

There's so much that you can try but again, make sure that you get the advice of a doctor or a medical professional when you're considering clinic treatments because it really isn't a one-size-fits-all situation. It's really important that you get these treatments tailored towards what your skin and what your face needs.

Skincare for oily skin?

With an oily skin type, I know it can be super annoying because I have mild oily skin myself and when I was much younger my skin was like an oil slick. This might sound weird, but to a degree embrace the oil because you're going to age amazingly. But, if there were any products that I'd really recommend, I love the Surface Radiance Cleanser. That's a gorgeous, acid-based cleanser that's not too stripping and not too drying towards the skin, but it's still going to give you that glow.

I love Press & Clear, of course, the salicylic acid within that is going to be perfect for a more oily, acne-prone skin type. Clarity Peptides - this is going to be your go-to and actually, the niacinamide within this is going to help with that oil control.

What about skincare for dark circles?

I would say it's particularly common in those with more of a melanin-rich skin tone, so specifically South Asian skin types and Afro Caribbean skin types as well.

The thing is with dark circles, it can be due to a range of different things. Most commonly it can be hyperpigmentation, where there's darkness of the skin under the eyes. If that's your concern, I would definitely say Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye is going to be perfect for that.

Also, sometimes darkness under the eye can be due to venous pooling, where the actual veins under the eye have that purple, blue appearance. The skin under the eyes is quite thin and so combined with those two things, it looks like you have a dark under eye. It's really just about addressing what could be the cause of the dark circles, and then treating them accordingly to that.

What is good for dark spots on the face?

Make sure you're wearing sunscreen. We've talked at length about Advanced Day Ultimate Protect - I love it. I adore it. There's no excuses. It feels like a moisturiser - no white cast whatsoever. Again, when it comes to pigmentation, particularly dark age spots, prevention really is better than cure.

What's the best product for milia?

When it comes to milia, it really is about assessing your skincare routine first because what I say with a lot of skin concerns is it's not necessarily about what you're not doing, it's about what you are doing in your existing routine that could be the cause of these things. So, when it comes to milia it's really important that you stay away/minimise your use of really thick, greasy, and pore clogging ingredients. So, things like certain types of oils and really thick moisturisers.