Category: Milia

What are Milia – And What Can You Do About Them?

You have small raised white bumps on your face, around your eyelids, forehead and cheeks. They’re hard and have an obvious whitehead, so you might try to pop them like you would a pimple. But they just won’t go away. What are these little bumps (and bothers), and what can you do about them?

They’re called milia. Unlike a pimple, these are closed comedones. That is, the follicle is completely blocked, and there is a pronounced whitehead. Dead skin cells are trapped under the skin, and these little white bothers pop up.

If you want to get technical, milia are papules, as opposed to pustules, or pimples. And unlike pimples, they are neither inflamed nor red. They are not painful, itchy or harmful. What they are, though, is persistent. They just don’t go away! They may linger there for weeks or months.

Milia can co-occur with typical acne and blackheads or on their own. They can come out of nowhere or be triggered by skin injuries such as sunburns, sun damage, burns and blistering rashes.

What Can You Do?

Exfoliating regularly and avoiding heavy, cloying moisturiser can help you avoid milia. But what do you do if they’ve made an unwelcome appearance? You may be surprised. Advanced electrolysis. Our clinics are highly experienced in advanced electrolysis techniques that will help you achieve clear skin.

While typically associated with hair removal, advanced electrolysis can treat mila, as well as thread and red veins, spider naevus, skin tags, warts, blood spots, and age spots. A tiny needle (about as thin as an eyelash) is inserted into the affected area and a targeted electric current is applied. This releases the trapped bacteria, allowing your skin to heal.

Milia can be a source of embarrassment and frustration. Contact our clinic for expert assistance, so you can look and feel your best.

Introducing the New 5:2 Diet…For Your Skin!

Whether you tried it or not, we’re all familiar with the 5:2 Diet. It hit the headlines in 2012 with promises to allow dieters the freedom to eat normally for five days a week, still being able to eat virtually whatever they wanted, as long as they then heavily restricted their calorie intake for two days a week. Well now there’s a version for your skin, which involves leaving your skin clear and make-up free for two days a week.

The first five days are “key to its popularity”, according to an analysis on BBC Good Food, and it’s claimed that women on the diet can lose 1lb a week, men potentially a bit more.

There are lots of claims and theories surrounding the diet, some overwhelmingly positive, and some much more critical, but there’s a new 5:2 in town that’s a little bit different.

The 5:2 Skin Diet was suggested by dermatologist Dr Sejal Shah, who thinks giving our skin a break is pretty essential. Apparently “residue from make-up builds up on skin over time because people don’t properly cleanse their faces”. The skin is left covered in things that will irritate it and encourage it to break out over time, it will also clog pores and potentially cause inflammation – all the stuff you really don’t want, basically!

Beauty products, though we all stand by them and use them regularly, interfere with our skin and change its ability to stay fully hydrated and clear. So taking two days out a week to ‘detox’, and give your skin chance to breathe, could be really beneficial.

Fasting for your skin

‘Fasting’ doesn’t mean not putting anything on your face at all. It’s essential to use a gentle cleanser that doesn’t contain any alcohol (notorious for drying out the skin), and to rub the cleanser in without the use of a washcloth. Fingers only! Some materials are surprisingly abrasive.

Next, rinse with lukewarm water. Heat opens up the pores, but too much can leave you red-faced and it’ll take a little while for it to go down. Hot showers can make the face feel dry and tight, because it washes away a lot of the skin’s naturally occurring, essential oils. Skin tightness is something you need to be aware of, no matter what the circumstances of your skincare regime. If your face feels tight after cleansing, you’re using the wrong cleanser and drying your skin out.

Moisturiser is an important third step, and it’s also crucial to limit washing your face to twice a day. This is the most you’ll ever need – any more is excessive.

When did you last clean your make-up brushes?

An awkward question, yes. Especially as none of us can really claim to wash them anywhere near often enough! Foundation brushes especially are used all over our skin, so cleanliness is important. You don’t need any special products, just some baby shampoo or an unscented soap, and they can dry overnight.

One great beauty hack is to use olive oil or almond oil on brushes that are particularly caked. It breaks down residue efficiently, and means you don’t have to buy any expensive, harsh, alcohol-based make-up brush cleansers.

More than a quick fix

Taking two days off from wearing makeup isn’t something most women will want to try, let’s be honest. How do you choose the two days? At work it’s not always appropriate, and the weekend is red lipstick time, not no lipstick time.

For the same experience and results, without having to go out barefaced and self-conscious, there are a variety of facial treatments and peels which leave the skin glowing and thoroughly cleansed.

The Obagi Blue Peel RADIANCE® contains a unique blend of acids to provide a gentle but effective peel, resulting in tighter, smoother, brighter-looking skin immediately after just one procedure. Don’t let the word ‘peel’ but you off though, this is a gentle, soothing treatment that has zero recovery time.

So nothing can stop you from that daily smokey eye.

What’s the Most Harmful Thing You Can Do To Your Skin? Continue Smoking.

Along with too much sun exposure, a lack of sleep, and stress, smoking is one of the worst things you can do if you want youthful, healthy skin.

The British Heart Foundation are using No Smoking Day to encourage people to make today the day they decide to quit for good, and there are so many potential benefits to your health and appearance it’s a no-brainer.

Dr Douglas Model coined the term ‘smokers face’ in 1985, to refer to the complexion people often develop as a result of smoking. He claimed to be able to identify a smoker of ten years or more by their face alone, as the signs were so distinctive.

Everyone is familiar with the risks of lung cancer, stroke and heart disease, as well as many other lung conditions such as emphysema, and how closely linked they are to smoking. However, the toxins and chemicals ingested have much wider implications.

Cigarette smoke slows down the skin’s ability to regenerate, it starves cells of oxygen, and reduces blood supply to the skin too – all very damaging to the body’s largest organ.

Ruins your skin tone

Because smoking deprives every inch of your body of oxygen, skin becomes more pale, dull and discoloured.  Skin will also be dehydrated, so will suffer from dryness and look noticeably lifeless. That youthful, dewy complexion that has become so popular is virtually impossible to achieve if you’re a smoker.

Makes wrinkles much worse

Smoking also narrows the blood vessels, which in turn damages collagen and elastin, which are naturally found in the skin, causing deep and irreversible wrinkles. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, wrinkles have been seen at a microscopic level in smokers as young as 20, showing how early this damage begins to occur.

Makes skin sag

The destruction of elastin and collagen doesn’t just affect the face, it makes skin weaker in other parts of the body too, such as the arms and breasts, and it begins to sag more quickly than it would naturally.

For many, loose skin around the arms is one of the worst things about getting older, and impossible to reverse without surgery, and smoking is going to accelerate the whole process.

Causes psoriasis and other severe skin conditions

For those who suffer from it, psoriasis is a very uncomfortable and unsightly problem. Most common on the joints, hands, feet and back, psoriasis involves itchy patches of white, red or silver tinged, inflamed skin. Smokers are actually twice as likely to develop psoriasis, with women facing a greater risk than men.

Palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP) is a skin condition that often appears alongside psoriasis and predominantly affects the hands and feet, and is particularly severe. According to studies conducted into tobacco and its effects on the skin, 95% of PPP sufferers are smokers.

A lot of damage caused by smoking is irreversible, but it can be improved by treatments that target the outer layer of the skin, where damage is the most prominent. Anti-ageing facials and laser treatments such as IPL skin rejuvenation can improve damaged skin with intense light pulses.

For more information about the British Heart Foundation’s No Smoking Day, and to find out how you can help yourself or loved ones to quit smoking,

 

Overnight Ageing…Sleep on Your Back to Avoid Wrinkles

Creased Skin In The Morning?

Have you ever woken up with creases all over your face? Many women over a certain age know that look on too well…and it’s not pretty! A face like a prune first thing in the morning does nothing to help avoid the ageing process and believe it or not the simple action of sleeping on your back instead of on your side or your front can keep your skin younger looking and smoother for longer.

Continue reading “Overnight Ageing…Sleep on Your Back to Avoid Wrinkles”