Approx 5 minute read |
Big Pharma Makes Millions Selling Cleansers But Do We Really Need Them?
By NICHOLA MAASDORP BDS, Level 7 Aesthetic Medicine
I am going to rock your world and say that your skin is self-cleansing! Yes, your skin cells are constantly shedding themselves keeping your skin fresh and supple but most of all clean. Evolution is the best and least invasive system in place so why would you want to wreck a process that’s taken thousands of years?
I am not saying don’t keep clean; that’s just not socially acceptable. What I am saying is to reevaluate what touches your skin. Modern living means we are surrounded by chemicals and in contact with nasties that do need washing off! Take makeup, for instance, makeup can block pores and cause breakouts if not removed, and who wants it on your pillow in the morning anyways? I hate to say this, but if it’s so bad for your skin that you need to remove it at night then why would you have it on all day, goddamit?
A dermatologist recently told me that the best advice she gives her patients is not to soap the whole body down every bath or shower. Instead just clean the areas that are dirty and need to be kept hygienic, and if possible use creme soaps that are approved by dermatologists. Radical advice, considering we are constantly told the opposite by the media and cosmetic companies!
Nowadays, there are a plethora of aesthetic doctors, nurses and skin therapists who really know their stuff and can prescribe you a medical skincare regime. Avoid anyone who pushes one specific brand, because they probably are just pushing it as a sideline to their business. Instead, look for someone who will give you generic advice. By generic, I mean that they should tell you the ingredients to look for in skincare and recommend a few basic actives to start you on your skin journey.
Look out for the big red flag that says “FREE consultation”, as we all know there is no such thing as a free lunch. They are going to want to push their clinic-affiliated brands onto your bathroom shelf. Instead expect to pay a consultation fee of anything from £50-£100. Expensive you think? Not so. Anyone who does a thorough skin consultation has to take the time to find out what products you are using and then look at the ingredients and what they are doing for you. Then he or she will analyse your skin and medical history relevant to your problem, possibly take a scan and then spend the time talking you through your next steps in your skin journey. Of course, they can make recommendations for their favourite products; that’s what you’re there for. However, make sure they are incorporating the products you are using into the products you already own.
If I have done my job properly you may be feeling a bit unnerved about your current skincare routine but I hope that you are questioning the status quo. Whether you decide to agree with me or not, I hope that you will consider what I have said before you blindly reach for your purse and fork out a fortune for that miracle cleanser from XYZ ltd!!
More about the author: Dr. Nichola Maasdorp is a dentist, with over 26 years of clinical experience, many of which she has spent specialising in medical aesthetics and skincare. Her passion is helping her patients feel amazing and confident by helping them solve the problems they are experiencing with changes in their skin and the inevitable ageing process we all suffer from. She is a Clubhouse panel speaker of the very popular Skin Talk available Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 5pm. Listen LIVE to pros from all over the UK talk about all things skin and share their invaluable advice on topics such as LED therapy, skin products, the skin microbiome and much more.
Follow her on Instagram @nichola.maasdorp.no4.clinic
"When I read this blog, by our WOW fusion practitioner Nichola, I just had to share it. I love it. It's such a good article, as it really breaks down the importance of using professional skincare and not just off-the-shelf products that don't really offer any true benefits to the skin. That is exactly what we are all about at WOW, results-driven skin care."
THIS ARTICLE WAS TAKEN FROM A FEATURE BY MEDIUM AND DOES NOT BELONG TO WOW FACIAL.
View the original article on Medium.com
Author: Claire
Category: Press, Professional, Skincare