Vitamin C Serums

Which treatment is best for hyperpigmentation due to sun damage? IPL or chemical peel? I live in Barbados and that’s all that’s available here. Thanks!!

Hi, I'd find the most experienced dermatologist or other cosmetic physician on the island and ask for their advice - and also plan carefully how, if you go ahead with treatment, you are going to protect your treated skin from the sun. In the UK, it's best to do these things in the winter; you will have to commit to buckets of SPF 50 and a hat afterwards to minimise further pigmentation developing.

Can I ask what you think of the Skin Laundry company, its memberships and in particular its Ultra Duo facial? Many thanks

Hi, Skin Laundry offers some great treatments, though I haven't tried any of them for a while. I can't comment on its membership offers or the Ultra Duo - but I know the company uses top-quality devices and their therapists are well-trained.

Hi Alice, I am 55 and take good care of my skin: LED, NuFACE, fillers, toxin, RF. I use ferulic vit C and the peptide serum you recommend as well as prescription retinol 2/3 times a week. I am interested in the Calecim cream you list and also the...

Wow, that sounds like quite the regime! Yes, Calecim is great, you could use it on nights when you are not using the prescription retinoid. I like it for skin recovery after procedures. The Neostrata neck product is fab, I'd use this after the vitamin C and before moisturiser/ sunscreen in the morning, and use it at night, too. If you're using the retinol on your neck, you could use this either afterwards or before the retinol, and see how it works for you....

What is the best treatment for dark spots?

Laser or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). You can read more about these treatments at those links. It's also worth using a vitamin C serum to help on the surface of the skin, and always using sunscreen to prevent dark spots becoming any worse.

I’m presently using Alumier EverActive C&E+ Peptide serum. Could you give me your opinion on the serum, and which vitamin C serum would you recommend?

It's a great product. I'd stick with that and give it a few months to assess what improvements you are seeing from it. The vitamin C products that I have chosen for the TTG shop are listed here.

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....

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...

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 breastfeeding, but I have crepey skin on my neck that just seems to be getting worse. What tweakments would you recommend?

Stick with good skincare for the time being (vitamin C serum in the morning, plus hydrating serum or moisturiser, plus sunscreen) then try, with caution, a glycolic acid product like Alpha H Liquid Gold in the evenings once or twice a week (it's great on your face, too. Neck skin is always a bit more sensitive than the skin on our faces, which is why I say try it with caution). Once you're no longer breastfeeding, treatments like laser, broadband light and injectable moisturiser/ skinbooster treatments are great for the neck, but leave those for the time being. And also go easy on yourself, it's exhausting looking after a baby, and fatigue...

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.