We've all done it, we've all regretted it, and we've all repeated this cycle over again. Buying overpriced deliciously scented face creams has become somewhat of a habit for the general population in the search for eternal youth in a pot. Marketing campaigns and celebrity endorsements fuel this habit making us believe their cliams . In reality you are most likely paying over the odds for what is essentially a moisturiser that smells great but is failing to deliver real skin changes.

Skin Care Oxfordshire

At Lumiere MediSpa in Oxfordshire we have been preaching the title on a daily basis for many years, but until recently most of our patients hadn't even heard of a retinol or the concept of wearing daily face protection. Following the recent BBC Documentary "The Truth About...Looking Good" we were thrilled to see how the programme had educated the public, and have seen a huge demand for our microencapsulated, slow-release, Retinol Resurfacing Serum from AlumierMD Cosmeceuticals and daily defence facial protectants from our Heliocare 360 range. In fact Heliocare 360 was also recently featured within The Daily Mail, with Dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto, as an effective evidence based solution to sun and oxidative stress protection.

What is a Retinoid or Retinol?

A Retinoid is broad term for a chemical class of Vitamin A derivatives and has many topical variations and stregths within this umberellla term; Retinyl Palmitate, the weakest formulation commonly found in shop bought cosmetics; Retinol, the most common formulation for clinical cosmetic use; Tretinoin, the strongest topical formulation and prescription only.

How does Retinol work?

Retinol works upon the building blocks of the skin and affects almost every aspect of its cell function. Importantly, in anti-ageing terms, it increases the skin cell turnover (something that slows with age and leads to thin, dull skin) and stimulates the production of suppportive skin proteins such as collagen and elastin, as well as hyaluronic acid.

Daily Skin Defence

You know the saying..."prevention is better than cure", and the same can be said for sun and oxidative stress induced ageing. According to dermatologist Professor Chris Griffiths, around three quarters of lines and wrinkles are caused by sun damage and has an even greater extent of skin damage than smoking or pollution.

A simple solution is the Heliocare 360 range of hybrid daily face protection, blending powerful antioxidants and vitamins with UVA, UVB, infrared and visible light protective filters.

Book A Consultation Today

A skin consultation provides you with expert knowledge from a medical professional and a tailor made skin care regime for your individual skin type.

Call our appointment line on 01844 278362 or email info@lumieremedispa.co.uk and book a skin consultation today!

Ask The Expert...

Adrian Baker - Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner

What are your own personal skin goals?

I suffer with acne-prone skin as well as sun damage from my carefree younger days, therefore my skin goals are to keep my skin clear, fresh and healthy.

What does your daily skin regime consist of?

In the morning and evening I cleanse with Biretix gel foaming cleanser for acneic skin. In the morning I follow this with Perfect C antioxidant serum and Heliocare 360 oil-free gel face protection. In the evening I follow cleansing with AlumierMD Retinol Resurfacing Serum.

What is your favourite skin product?

AlumierMD Retinol Resurfacing Serum without a doubt. I love the improvement my skin has made since using it, and others have commented too!

What skin treatments does your skin care regime support?

I'd like to say i'm not high maintenence but that would be a lie. I have Botox anti-wrinkle injections to keep my frown and crows feet at bay, as well as dermal fillers to my cheeks and jawline for post weight loss skin support. I also have SkinPen microneedling treatments for acne scarring once a year and The Perfect Peel to treat sun damage brown spots