Top 10 tips for 'perfect 10' skin

1. Great Sunscreen is essential!
Not all sunscreens are good for you! Only use sunscreens which contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide high on their ingredients list, without a long list of chemicals.
Research is now showing that very high SPF chemical sunscreens can create more free radical damage as they absorb UV rays and then release free radicals as they break down. Many chemical sunscreens don’t effectively block UV-A - the ageing UV rays. SPF15 blocks 94% of UV-B rays, SPF30 blocks 97%, so you don’t really need anything above SPF30.
We love Cosmedix Reflect (titanium dioxide spray sunscreen) and Cosmedix Serious Protection (zinc oxide cream) because they also contain antioxidants to mop up any free radicals created by the few UV rays that do get through the sunscreen!

2. Medical grade skin care products that work
Let’s face it; most of the standard creams which make big claims don’t really follow them up with results. Medical grade skin care products are different, as they contain much higher doses of active ingredients such as biologically active Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which have been proven to make changes in the skin. Excellent medical grade skin care ranges include Environ, Results Rx, Aspect and Cosmedix. You will need to see a highly trained ‘advanced skin therapist’ to have your products ‘prescribed’ for you, as the higher doses of active ingredients mean you may have a reaction (just like medicine) if you don’t use these properly.

3. Put good things in your body (omega 3, 6, 9; antioxidants and plenty of H20)
You are what you eat, so it’s important to eat a good healthy diet and drink lots of water (boring, I know you’ve heard it before, but it’s true!). Supplement with good quality fish oils for your omegas (essential for skin) and take lots of antioxidants to mop up the free radicals which cause ageing and disease. Drink alcohol in moderation and if you still smoke - STOP.

4. Skin Polishers
Remove the top dead dull layer of skin and reveal the healthy, glowing new skin underneath with skin polishers like microdermabrasion, light natural peels or microdermaplaning - a treatment which also removes the fine downy ‘peach fuzz’ hair we sometimes develop on the fact.

5. Treat your brown spots/sun damage
If you want to go the fast way, try IPL (Intense Pulse Light). You will need to be out of the sun for 1 month before and after each treatment, and you may need 3-5 treatments. It’s satisfying though, because the pigment that’s going to disappear does darker for about 10 days after treatment, so you know its going! This is best done in the winter months, and is great for sun damaged hands and chests too.
If you have very dark or tanned skin this might not be your ideal treatment. Don’t despair; there are other things available, although they may be a bit slower. A course of safe, relaxing and non-painful Omnilux Revive™ light treatments can gradually improve pigmentation as well as giving you healthier, beautiful skin. Skin lighening products and Vitamin A can also help, although be wary of Hydroquinone - it has been banned in many countries, as it has been found to cause a rare problem where it destroys the pigment producing cells.

6. Zap redness, rosacea and red veins
Again, IPL and laser can be great for these... some people also inject red veins, however the IPL and laser can help improve the skin in general. Why would you do anything else?

7. Improve acne or spots
Isn’t it unfair when you get spots AND lines? Vitamin A is a cornerstone of acne treatment, and medi-facials with Vitamin A, antioxidants and gentle peels can help skin tone, lines and spots. Acne is a huge issue and there is no miracle cure which will make it disappear overnight. Omnilux Blue™ light therapy comes the closest - research shows up to 80% reduction in acne in 12 weeks with a 3 week course of treatments. Acne is a chronic, ongoing disease, and there are many causes, so if you want to treat it well, you will need to become very good friends with your advanced skin therapist!

8. Tighten you skin and reduce your wrinkles
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Yes, there is a non-surgical way to actually tighten skin! elos skin tighting uses a combination of light and radiotherapy to ‘wake up’ the collagen producing cells which get lazy as we get older. This is not a ‘quick fix’ - you have 1 treatment a month for 5 months and the results gradually improve - with results usually visible in 3-5 months, continuing for up to a year after treatments. Also ask about new Omnilux Plus™.

9. Fill’em up
Our face deflates as we age, and we lose volume through the cheeks and jawline, creating folds and jowls where there were none before! Our eyes also sink back in the sockets as the eye sockets get bigger, which gives the hollow ‘tired’ under eye circles. With the underneath structure gone, our skin looks worse than it really is. Dermal fillers can be used by an experienced Cosmedicine™ doctor to re-volumise these areas, creating a softer, more youthful look. If your lips are getting thinner and losing definition, dermal fillers are an excellent treatment to have them looking gorgeous again. Be careful who you go to though - soft, natural results are best and the last thing you want is a trout pout!

10. The best way to fight wrinkles - get relaxed
Face it - muscles create a lot of the lines on the face - dynamic lines - where repeated contractions of the muscle bang the skin against itself and break down the collagen fibres. When we’re younger we can repair the damage. As we get older, our skin cells get lazier, we are less able to repair the damage, and suddenly we notice wrinkles! Common areas where this occurs are the grumpy frown, horizontal ‘worry’ lines, crow’s feet around the eyes, upper lip lines and chin crease. If you have deep etched in lines, they can soften and be prevented with certain muscle relaxers... in experience hands the muscles can also be ‘rebalanced’ to gently lift the brow, lift the mouth corners to give a ‘happier’ look, reduce a gummy smile or slim the jaw line. You will definitely need to see an experienced Cosmedicine™ doctor if you want to try any of these!