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Want perfect skin? Treat it like you do your hair, says skincare expert

Regular treatments and individualised skincare is vital to get skin looking healthy and glowing, and keeping it that way

“All I’ve ever wanted is perfect skin,” I whine to Donna Glazer, skin guru at Face It beauty salon in Highgate, North London.

And something about Donna’s knowing smile as she sets to work on a deep cleanse of my none-too-perfect skin tells me my wish could soon be reality.



Donna herself can certainly boast that she has achieved my holy grail. Her skin is smooth, glowing and blemish and wrinkle free – so much so that though she’s been working in skincare for more that 20 years I couldn’t even hazard a guess at her age.

Happily she reassures me that I too can have the skin of my dreams – and so can you.

“Unless you eat a really terrible diet, I can help you have great skin,” she says confidently.

"There’s nothing better than when a client who usually cakes on the make up turns up fresh faced to a session – because she’s finally confident enough to bare her skin.

“We should all feel like that.”

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Personalise your skincare

Donna’s first recommendation is to think about your skin in the same way that you would your eyes or your hair. You wouldn’t test your own eyesight and pick an off-the-shelf pair of glasses.

And you wouldn’t (unless you’re particularly gung ho) cut your own hair if you wanted it to look any good – so why do we trust our skin to pre-packaged one-size-fits-all products that by necessity are full of chemicals and preservatives?

“Skin is complicated. It’s an organ,” Donna says, launching into a fascinating monologue of skin knowledge.

“And though of course there are good products on the market, that doesn’t mean they will all be good for everyone’s skin. It’s a really individual process and it’s worth investing the time to find out how to deal with your own skin.”


Donna also explains that skincare is an ongoing and constantly changing thing.

“Just like your hair might get dry and need an extra treatment sometimes, or your eyesight might improve and you need a lighter prescription, skin needs to be monitored for changes and you need to respond to them.”

In her clinic, Donna uses a range of products called Dermaviduals to create personalised serums and moisturisers for her clients after determining what their skin needs are at that particular time. She tells us that there are so many variables, you have to adapt as your skin changes and undulates.

“Seasonal changes are obvious, the weather plays a big part in how your skin does its job – covering your body,” she says. “In the winter you might need a more nourishing moisturiser, while in the summer you need more protection from UV rays.”

“But that’s not the only thing to think about. There’s also the effects of stress, lack of sleep, illness – everything you go through, your skin goes through and that’s why you get redness, breakouts, dry patches and generally confused skin. And it’s my job to respond to that and give your skin the tools it needs to deal with fluctuations.”

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Skincare routine

Donna recommends a very mild cleansing milk that you apply to dry skin and then gently remove with a muslin cloth (she sends me off with a simple Dermaviduals cleansing milk ad tells me not to stray from it).

This is followed by serum packed with nourishing ingredients tailored to how your skin is behaving. And finally, you complete this routine with a tailored moisturiser.

Donna also suggests that you don’t actually need to wash your face twice a day – which feels deeply counter-intuitive to someone who's been doing the twice daily cleanse-tone-moisturise ritual for fifteen years.

“If you’re comfortable with it, you can just wash your face in the evening and simply splash it with water in the morning to allow the skin’s natural moisturising process to take over,” she suggests.

“But the face wash is so gentle, you can use it twice a day if you prefer.”

At the ‘blending bar’ Donna mixes up some specific products for my skin, including the ingredients she feels will help it, after diagnosing it as ‘confused’. It’s hardly surprising given how regularly I chop and change up my skincare routine, and how disloyal I am to any brand.



Blemishes

“I’m not a miracle worker,” Donna sighs as we broach the subject of spots. “I can’t stop people getting spots. It’s a natural process that’s part of the skin’s cycle. But there is plenty we can do to make sure they heal quickly and don’t leave any scars or marks.”

She recommends keeping a skin diary and noting when you have breakouts so you can track if anything triggers them or if they’re particularly related to your cycle.

“The trick is to get the skin working really well, looking healthy and renewing and then the odd spot isn’t a problem and goes away in a couple of days.

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Treatments

On top of the day to day looking after of your skin, Donna recommends regular treatments to keep it in tip top condition.

“At Face it we use Environ and Dermaviduals facials which use great products with a wavelength machine that uses reverse osmosis to get more nutrients into the skin cells so you really see the difference,” she says.

It’s a slightly bizarre experience, where the skin is cleaned and layered with products and then a damp material mask is placed on top. This is connected up with electrodes to the wavelength machine, which hums gently for a 15 to 20 minutes, stuffing the skin full of goodness and encouraging the cells to absorb as much of the nutrients and hydration from the products as possible.

Afterwards skin feels super soft and glows with a natural health. I’m a little bit in love with the outcome and resolve to stop being so horrible to it and follow Donna’s advice to the letter.

If skin like hers is on offer I reckon I can certainly stick to my New Year’s resolution on this one.