Skn Clinics

I am one of those lucky ones who never really suffered with breakouts at school, I get the odd spot now and again but other than that ive been quite lucky. The same cannot be said for my younger brother and sister who when they were younger and for my sister, even now had bad skin. Both suffer from breakouts, in the same place funnily enough, on both cheeks. Growing up the main spot treatment everyone used to turn too never really did anything for my skin, if I did get that dreaded one spot, which would be huge and on the end of my nose or right in the middle of my forehead, I always slapped Sudocrem on it and away it would go, but not everyone is that fortunate.

These days there are so many options for people to choose from when it comes to Acne treatment and there is just so much more advice out there for people. Skn Clinics offers a huge amount of treatments for Acne Scarring. 

Acne scarring occurs in the dermis, which is the area of skin immediately below the surface that acts somewhat like a cushion. When people suffer with acne, the dermis becomes inflamed as the body attempts to repair the wound created when scaly skin, pimples or blackheads are burst or otherwise removed.  

Is the apparently explanation as to what it is and I know for some family and friends, it has made them lose their self confidence because they constantly believe people stand and stare at them, knowing there is something that can be done, really pleases me.

At Skn Clinics every treatment is different for each person and a consultation is offered with trained and experienced skin experts to help the patient decide. In some cases, combining multiple treatments may have the best effect. I have been reading through some of the stories from people who have been having treatment and the results are amazing, ive even emailed one of them to my cousin who had the worst acne I have ever seen in someone right up until she was in her late 20's and she used to pack on her make-up so people wouldn't stare at her, now I am hoping she will read the article I have sent.

Have you ever had this kind of treatment?

*This article contains a sponsored link

My Skin and Me

For as long as I can remember I have had red blemishes on my cheeks, some refer to it as Roseacea and others mild flushing, whatever it is, it sometimes really annoys me and I do as much as I can to cover it up with make-up.

As you can see from the two photos below, taken inside and outside, the redness is clearly visible for all to see.

So I was asked if I would like to try some products that might help combat the blemishes by Salcura Antiac Skincare line** which I have seen on Channel 4's embarrassing bodies.   Naturally I agreed to try some to see if there was anything, other than lots of BB cream and foundation that could hide, cover and get rid of the redness.

So I was sent these lovely products to try.  All Salcura products contain an ingredient called Sea Buckthorn oil which is referred to as a 'Super Ingredient' and it helps to reduce inflammation, it calms and soothes the skin and helps to nourish and cleanse the skin.

Derma Spray -  This product is said to have a proven track record and is our most effective and practical solution for eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, rosacea and other related skin conditions.  You can and it is suggested that you spray this onto your face 3-4 times a day, so I tend to use this only at weekends and when it is on the skin, it instantly absorbs itself and leaves your skin feeling soft and moisturised.  Designed for people with dry skin, another condition I tend to suffer from on my cheeks more than anywhere and since using this, I have noticed a big difference.  It does contain Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus Oil which give it a definite scent. It retails for £14.99 for 100ml but there are other sizes available.

Face Hydrator - This product contains Omega 3,6,7 and ( and is designed to give your skin maximum deep hydration and it is designed for itchy, dry and sensitive facial skin.  I do have a slight itchyness on my cheeks where my redness is this gives an almost instant end to that itchy feeling, I was actually really surprised the first time I used it that I didn't want to scratch my face as much.  It retails for £11.99

Daily Face Wash - It is pH neutral and again contains no nasties and it doesn't leave your skin feeling dry after using.  You are told to use it morning and evening which I have been doing and as a wash it is light, unscented and lathers up really well once it has come into contact with water.  This face wash retails for £8.49

Daily Face Wipes - Yes, before some of you start typing in capital letters in the comment box below about the evils of face wipes, these ones contain no nasties and nor will they leave your skiin feeling really dry after using.  They are really moisturising and offer effective deep cleansing, ideal for on the go and they help remove hardened sebum (yuck) as well as excess oils, dirt and grime.  They retail for £6.99 and you get around 25 wipes.

Activ Liquid Spray - Designed to be used after cleansing the skin, you apply the spray onto your hands or a clean cotton wool pad and massage into the areas which are most affected.  As soon as it touches the skin it instantly absorbs itself. I found this spray to be quite cooling and refreshing when applied to the skin and from all of the products within this range, so far this has been my favourite.  It retails for £9.99

So having used them for the last month I am sure you want to know whether or not there is any difference, so here are my after photos and I would love to know what you think:

So what do you think?

All Salcura products are free from chemicals that are known to cause additional sensitisation of the skin.  Totally free from parabens, SLS, perfumes, steroids, antibiotics, hormones, lanolin, cortisones, soaps, phthalates and peroxides.

Unclog and invigorate with Bioré Nose Strips

It has been a long long time since I have used Bioré^® Deep Cleansing Pore nose strips and it happened that I came across them on offer in Superdrug whilst distracted by the Essie stand that I decided to buy them.

I have oily-combination skin, though thankfully I am not prone to enlarged pores, flare ups of spots or blemishes.  Also, despite living in London where no doubt we have a lot of pollution, I don't have too much of a problem with blackheads and try as best I can to keep them away using scrubs and masks.  However, as it has been a while and these Bioré^® strips were on offer, I decided to spend £5.32 instead of the usual £7.99 and see how effective they are and as I type this review, I have one on my nose and you can find them HERE

Inside the box, as you can see, there are 6 individually wrapped nose-strips (I am sure you used to get 12) and the foil packaging itself contains all the information on it you need to know about using them and it has a handy arrow pointing to a top section where you can open the packet.  Once out of the packet, the nose strip is neatly stuck to a piece of plastic and as you can see it is designed to fit over the bridge of your nose and to the sides of your nostrils, the places where perhaps you have the most problem.

How to Use

I used this strip exactly as I was instructed to do. I cleansed and cleaned my face to remove my day’s make-up along with other dirt and grime which might have been clinging to my face, patted my skin dry and then wet my nose to apply the strip.  One thing to make note is that please do ensure that the strip is completely in contact with skin and not hanging off anywhere or is loose, as you apply the strip, I found it clung to my skin with minimal effort.  Once on the skin you can tell there is tea tree and witch hazel used as ingredients because you can smell them, thankfully they are no too over-powering as you have to sit and wait for about 10-15 minutes for the strip to dry, I myself am not the biggest fan of either fragrance, but it was bearable.  

After your allotted time, when it comes to peeling off the strip, it is pretty straightforward though it does feel a little odd because you can feel it pulling off your skin, I assume it is pulling out blackheads and other bits of gunk as you rip.  Once off the nose, as you can see there is the evidence for all to see, little pockets of blackheads and other bits of dirt, quite gross really!  I have to admit, there is also something satisfying about ripping these off your face (yes I am a ghoul).

Once I have removed the strip and binned it, I always wash my face again and then ensure that my face is properly moisturised because in the past I have found similar strips to be quite drying on the skin.  Overall though, these strips clearly do work and they do leave my skin looking much clearer.

For more information on Bioré^® Nose Strips, you can find it HERE along with further information on other products from the Bioré^® range. 

**Did you know...

• Over 28.8 billion pores have been unclogged by pore strips sold to-date!
• The average pore is about as large as the point of a ballpoint pen. (With Bioré^® Pore Strips you can make yours appear even smaller!)
• Pores are about as deep as the ridges on our fingerprints — about a hundredth of an inch.
• Blackheads are full of bacteria. So fingernails and squeezing can actually tear your skin and spread bacteria, but using Bioré^® Pore Strips helps get rid of dirt and oil that can cause blackheads without tearing your skin OR spreading bacteria.

**Info taken from Bioré^®