Keeping it Simple

As a new participant in this industry, I want to share what I’ve learned along the way, in simple terms, so you can get a greater understanding of why skin health should be a priority in your whole wellness program.

The first and most simple is product. Prior to opening Skindevour, it would be fair to say I was skeptical about all the different options on the market and whether there was significant difference between them. In addition, and no doubt like you, I only have so much disposable income and with three children and all the expenses associated with raising them, not much discretionary spend as a result. Coupled with this, as a mother and a female, I always find we tend to put our own needs last and that’s what I did in relation to my skin care routine. I had always looked after my skin (or so I thought!) and had a daily care routine. Most recently, Lacura, Aldi’s cult skincare range was my product of choice – more than affordable and reasonably good reviews. I had the whole range! But if I knew what I know now, I probably would have invested more and had a prescribed skin care routine from a qualified specialist. Here are the key things you need to know about your home care routine and the products you use:

1. Skin care products are grouped into three categories:

a. Over the Counter (OTC);
b. Cosmeceuticals, and
c. Pharmaceuticals.

2. The difference between each of these categories is the strength of the ingredients and the mixture of the right active ingredients working together;

3. Active ingredients (AI) can have either a beneficial or adverse effect on the skin;

4. OTC products are most commonly used and can be bought from almost any retailer from supermarkets to high end department stores – my use of Lacura is an example of an OTC product. Pricing has large variances and can be very cheap to very expensive. OTC products don’t contain many active ingredients and if they do the amount is so small that it is not going to have a changing effect on your skin. Generally OTC products do not pass through the outer layer of the skin known as the epidermis;

5. Cosmeceutical products have active ingredients that are known to be beneficial for having a changing effect on your skin. The strength or potency of active ingredients is higher and they pass through the epidermis to the second layer of skin, known as the dermis, where they have a changing effect on new skin cells, collagen and elastin production. Cosmeceutical products can be purchased without a prescription and typically at specialist skin clinics;

6. Pharmaceutical products are those only available by prescription and are used for the medical treatment of skin conditions. They penetrate deep into the third layer of the skin, known as the subcutaneous tissue layer and are largely used for responding to and rectifying severe skin conditions