Sunscreen

Hi there! What is the best tweakment to search for to treat pigmentation spots on the face? I've always had freckles on my fair skin but over the years I have larger pigmentation spots popping up.

You could try intense pulsed light (IPL) or broadband light (BBL) which is a stronger type of intense pulsed light, or laser – you can read up on these tweakments on those links, then find a practitioner in your area who offers the one you decide to go for. In the meantime, keep up with SPF50 every day, it's the gradual effect of the UV rays in daylight that provokes the pigmentation changes we see in our skin over time.

After following your guide I’m looking to book an appointment with Emma Deacon in Birmingham. I’m very nervous as it will be my first time having treatment. Can you advise which treatment works best on a crepey neck?

It's really daunting going for treatment but honestly, you'll be fine. I'd ask Emma once she's had a chance to have a look at your neck as she will know what might work best for you, and she may well suggest a few rounds of injectable moisturiser jabs. Read up about potential treatments for crepey necks and make a list of all the questions you want to ask before you go. In the meantime, use the same skincare on your neck as you do on your face, perhaps a vitamin C serum plus a hydrating serum or moisturiser in the mornings, with a retinoid at night, and make sure you're using SPF50 every day, from your hairline down your neck to your chest,…

What is the best treatment for the décolletage area, please? Creases are starting to appear.

Laser or radiofrequency microneedling would both be great choices, to refresh and remodel the skin – possibly followed by hydrating, skin-conditioning injectable moisturiser treatments. While you're deciding, and going forward, use the same skincare on your chest as you do on your face, perhaps a vitamin C serum plus a hydrating serum or moisturiser in the mornings, with a retinoid at night, and make sure you're using SPF50 every day, from your hairline down your neck to your chest.…

Good morning Alice, I have just discovered you and your fantastic website through Instagram! I was wondering what you think of Institute Esthederm SPF? It doesn’t tell you what protection it is. I can be sensitive since menopause. THANK YOU.

Hi, it's a great brand though, yes, it is really confusing because they describe their approach to sun protection in such a very different way to everyone else. Just pick one of the products that describes itself as High Protection or Very High Protection and you'll be fine. Also, if your skin is sensitive since menopause, that may be because it is drier, and the skin barrier isn't as good as it used to be, so give it a hand by using a hyaluronic acid serum after cleansing, then a moisturiser (preferably one with ceramides which are good at holding moisture in the skin and allowing it to rebuild that barrier) before you put your sunscreen on…

What is your recommendation for a face cream for dry skin?

If you want just one thing, I'd suggest the Profhilo moisturiser which is light but powerful. But I feel compelled to add that there's a good deal going on with dry skin. It's not holding onto moisture like it should, which means your skin barrier isn't in great shape. So... cleanse your face gently, with warm water rather than hot, so you don't strip any more moisture out of the skin. I love cleansing oils for drier skin. Then use a hyaluronic acid serum like the Medik8 Hydr8 B5, which will help your skin hang onto moisture. Seal that in with a moisturiser like the Profhilo one. And when all that has settled, add sunscreen on top, as the…

Is there a product you recommend for enlarged pores, and can you put too many different products on your face, as there’s so many different lotions and potions I wondered if your skin can stop absorbing products?

I'm going to split that into three – a) salicylic acid e.g. Alpha H Clear Skin Tonic is great for enlarged pores, as it will penetrate the pores and help clear them out from the inside. B) Yes, you can use too many products , which is a waste of money and risks stripping/ irritating/ clogging your skin, depending on what you're throwing at it and in what order. C) Your skin can only absorb so much product. It's not that it goes on strike and stops absorbing skincare, but if you keep piling stuff on top of other stuff, how is the stuff on top going to get through the rest of it and into the skin? Choose a few key products and use them…

I use Elemis and Dermalogica which have SPF in their day creams – should I be using a standalone sunscreen as well? Thanks

To be honest, I'd prefer that you used a standalone sunscreen on top, unless you're using a really good thick layer of that moisturiser all over your face and neck. When companies test the SPF of their products, they use a standard thickness of 2mg per square centimetre of skin, which comes out as quite a lot. Most of us don't use enough product to get that coverage, whether it's with a moisturiser-with-SPF or a sunscreen, which is why I'd always opt for doubling up.

After toxin and filler, my forehead is still a bit textured and rough. Would a laser treatment be the solution for smooth skin? If yes, which one?

Yes, possibly. Does your practitioner offer laser? If not, take a look at our practitioner finder to find someone in your area (for me, it's all about the person using the device, even more so than the device they're using). Or it might be that a couple of rounds of an injectable moisturiser treatment like Belotero Revive or Volite might do the job as these hydrate the skin, encourage the skin to remodel itself and make it smoother/ stronger/ tighter. Also, make sure you're using good quality skincare. I'd suggest vitamin C serum, moisturiser and sunscreen in the mornings and some sort of retinoid in the evenings  – see the shop on the…

I'm 51 with very dry skin/sun damage (Queensland, Australia) with no skincare routine or tweakments. I don't know where to start! Skin treatment? With menopause I just look so tired!

Ah, sympathies. I'd start with your doctor, to consider hormone replacement, as this has such a huge and fundamental effect on everything from brain and heart health, to our skin (more oestrogen means more collagen in the skin, which means stronger, firmer, better hydrated skin that doesn't look so old and tired). Then skincare! Take a look at the skincare advice on our downloadable factsheet about dry, rough skin, which you can grab on this page.  If you want more detail, I've written a whole book called Start with Skincare which you can find on Amazon. In terms of products, start with a gentle cleanser, a vitamin C serum, a moisturiser…

I’m getting married next year and want to get my skin in the best shape possible but don’t really know where to start. Could you recommend anyone in particular who could help with a number of things (scarring, red around nose, congestion, etc.)…

Wow, congratulations! Start with your skincare – I'd suggest a gentle cleanser, a vitamin C serum, a moisturiser, and a sunscreen for the day, and for the evening, something with retinol or retinal (a bit stronger) in it, plus the moisturiser. Take a look at this collection to see the sort of products I prefer, and how I'd suggest using them. Then find a great practitioner – you can put your postcode into our practitioner finder – and book a consultation to see what they suggest to treat your other concerns.…

What are the best skin products for sebaceous hyperplasia? I am 48 years old. I have taken care of my skin since early 20’s with cleansing, acids, moisturising and then Vitamin C, nicinamide and Retinol 1%. But hyperplasia is difficult to treat.

You're right, sebaceous hyperplasia, where you get lots of little bumps under the skin where oil has become trapped, is an absolute pain. I have lots of them on my face and when I went to see a dermatologist about this recently, he told me that they become more common with age, and to get rid of existing ones you need to tackle them directly with lasers. To reduce the rate at which they're forming, he suggested sticking to skincare that would clean, hydrate and regenerate the skin without adding any extra oil, so that's a glycolic or vitamin-C based wash-off cleanser, an L-ascorbic acid vitamin C serum in the mornings, plus a hyaluronic acid…

Please can you recommend the best at-home treatments for a sun-damaged neck? Would at-home micro needling make a difference?

Start with good, active skincare – a vitamin C serum, a moisturiser and a sunscreen in the morning, and a retinoid in the evening – and see what difference that makes. I'm not keen on home microneedling because most skincare products are not designed to be bombed deep into the skin through needled holes, and also most of us are not very careful about needling all areas of the skin equally, and gently. I'd prefer you stuck with skincare and when your skin is acclimatised to the retinol or retinoid that you're using, moving up to a stronger product, to keep stimulating your skin to renew itself.…

Buying from your website post-Brexit – I live in France... will I be charged import taxes?

There's always a chance you'll be charged import taxes but we can't say for certain either way. Please email us at [email protected] with details of what you'd like to order and your address, and we will give you a shipping quote which will include any extra costs/ taxes we are informed about.

What are your thoughts on Cosmelan for treating melasma?

Cosmelan and its sister treatment Dermamelan are extremely effective professional programmes for treating all types of pigmentation, including stubborn melasma. Melasma can be particularly tricky to treat because it is hormonally driven, which means it can come back time and again. When it comes to melasma, treatment is more a question of managing it rather than fixing it. Cosmelan has been shown to give long-term clearance and can be repeated if necessary. It can be a slow and frustrating business, though. Find an expert practitioner and get them to assess you carefully before you get going on this.  Read more about pigmentation issues…

I am 57, have regular Caci & RF treatments. I also use my Nuface Mini. Been reading up about Coolsculpting and considering it for jowl area. My skin is in pretty good shape overall and would love your advice. Also, I live in Brighton area, so…

Hi, it sounds like you are taking great care of your skin. I'd always suggest a consistent skincare regime with active ingredients like vitamin C serum in the morning to brighten and strengthen the skin, plus a hydrating sunscreen, and retinol or another kind of retinoid at night to stimulate collagen boosting and improve skin texture. CoolSculpting aka fat freezing or crylipolysis can be really helpful for shrinking fat below the jaw - you need an expert practitioner to assess your face and jawline and see if you would be a good candidate for this. They also need to explain the potential complications of the procedure, which is something…

Has the use of sunscreen depleted/contributed to our very low vitamin D levels?

We're all usually short of vitamin D by mid-winter and the best thing to do is to use supplements as a matter of course - as they're cheap and helpful. In the UK, the sun is only strong enough to create vitamin D in the skin between April and September, and then you have to weigh up whether you prefer to go with your face unprotected and take the damage that may cause to the skin. Using sunscreen doesn't contribute much to low vitamin D as very few of us are scrupulous enough with our application of it to stop vitamin D synthesis altogether. I prefer to protect my face and, when it's warm enough, expose my arms and legs to the sun, but…