For those of you who have followed me for a while will know that I'm just not into trends. I think you can see it in the brands I stock, the treatments I offer and the ingredients I use.
In fact, I've never really been a 'trend' person and doing and wearing the same things as everyone else doesn't tickle my pickle to be honest.
It's kinda boring.
There are certain products and treatments on the market that have so much hype around them, but with social media the way it is these days, I know a lot of it is just sponsored content and I don't want to be sucked into all of that noise.
Here are (possibly controversially - also don't come at me!) some of the trends that I am not personally a fan of...
DERMAPLANING
Ok, so I've done a whole post on this topic quite a while back so I don't want to go in too deep here. If you wish to read the post, you can do here. The thing with derma planing is this, I spend all my days working on client's faces repairing the skin's natural barrier. It's there for a reason and it's incredibly important for good skin health and it's immunity. Dermaplaning removes it plain and simple. Why on earth would I ever want to do that? It's for this reason, "I'm out!".
IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT: This is only for a special occasion to help your makeup go on smoothly. There are so many other options though to get smooth skin, even using a good makeup primer (which I also loathe - cue the eye roll) will be better than this.
MEDIUM DEPTH & DEEP PEELS
I love a surface peel, don't get me wrong. A deeper peel however, not so much. All of the irritation, the fact your face kind of 'falls off' and you can only cut the skin, the redness, the scaliness, the fact you have to pretty much stay indoors for a week unless you want to scare anybody who comes into contact with you, the over-stimulation of the skin, the huge risk of post inflammatory pigmentation afterwards, the list goes on... and on...
IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT; Stay out of the sun for pretty much ever. Slather on SPF like your life depends on it. Wear a hat, big glasses, full face shield and balaclava if you have to go out in public - in all seriousness, stay the fu*k out of the sun! If you're prone to pigmentation I would be very very careful!
HIGH STRENGTH RETINOLS
Ok, this is a difficult one as they work for some people. However, I think there are so many other options out there to get a similar result without all the retinoid reaction. AHA's for example when used correctly can give a very effective result without all the irritation.
I personally don't understand the point of having your skin red, sore and scaly for a week just to have good skin for a day, before you reapply it again and the cycle continues.
IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT: Go slow, start with a very low dose and build up. The more the merrier does not work here. Opt for a very tolerable form of retinol such as my SkinBetter Science's AlphaRet which is a great retinol without the retinoid reaction (the only one I recommend and it's really fantastic!). Also, you could supplement with vitamin A instead. I love Skinade's Derma Defence for this.
AGGRESSIVE FACIAL TREATMENTS
Ok, I don't want to name names but there is a certain facial that every Tom, Dick and Harry has which is available on every street corner like Pret. I don't get it. I have client's coming into my clinic who have had their skin damaged by these treatments and then I have to fix it. We don't need to have our face jet-washed and then have a machine suck the life out of it and then show me the dirt. Nobody's face is that dirty. Unless you work in a coal mine, I'm sure your face will be fine without it... possibly better in fact.
IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT: Go somewhere that you have heard good reviews from. Not just reviews from a content creator who has potentially been paid to recommend it, actual friends or people you know and trust. This is your face. Aggressive treatments are not better, they don't necessarily give better results, they're sometimes just aggressive.
FULL FACIAL THREADING
If you have done this and it works for you then great. After many years in this industry though, I have seen so many clients who have had the most persistent breakouts after having this treatment. So for this reason it's a no from me. There is also a chance it can make the hair come back thicker over time because it is bringing blood to the area. When we bring blood, we also bring oxygen and nutrients to almost feed the hair and it can actually make it stronger. I've also seen a lot of cuts to the skin from it in the past too. Another reason why it's not for me.
IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT: Plan it in advance incase you do get those pesky breakouts. Only do it for special occasions and make sure to keep your skin super clean afterwards until the pores close.
AT HOME MICRONEEDLING
I mean... just no. Absolutely not! Is it a sterile environment? Possibly not. Are you sterilising the roller before and after using it and storing it correctly? Are you trained in knowing how to roll the skin? I have so many annoyances about this. It's a great treatment but should only be performed by a professional - even I don't take my roller home and do it! If it's not sterile you're rolling bacteria into your face causing spots and potential infections. If you're rolling aggressively or in multiple directions all over the face, you're probably tearing the skin and causing damage. The short needles on a roller will just cause surface damage if done incorrectly and not actually help the products to penetrate properly and the longer needles will potentially cause damage and a lot of blood if done incorrectly. Just no, save this for a professional. If you want to get your products to penetrate better, use great, well-formulated products such as Nimue Skin Technology or Forlle'd where they either have a plethora of delivery systems in their products or ingredients so tiny they can just sink into the skin.
IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT: Put the roller down and call a reputable skin clinic who can do it for you.
AT HOME DERMAPLANING
No on so many levels... unless you want to risk haemorrhaging everywhere.
IF YOU DO DECIDE TO DO IT: We can no longer be friends...
MICRODERMABRASION
In my opinion it's too aggressive. If it's done right you might be safer, but it all depends on the therapist. I've seen clients in the past who have had lines scarred in their face as the therapist was too heavy handed. I've also seen clients who have had it done so frequently that their skin just breaks when touched as it's so thin.
IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT: Go to a very reputable clinic who does them regularly. Again, somebody who has been recommended. Personally I prefer a gentle peel to get a similar result without the need to sand down the face. Also wear your SPF... lots of it in fact. Actually, do this anyway.
APPLICATION OF PRODUCT WITH A PIPETTE TO THE FACE
If you want to see me shout at my iPhone, simply open up a social media app and show me somebody applying product to their face with a pipette. It actually makes my blood boil. This is not a sterile thing to do, touching your face with the pipette before you place it back in the bottle will put bacteria into the product. This can cause the product to go rancid and give you breakouts.
IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT: Firstly don't, secondly, just drop the product into your palms and then apply from here.
Thank you for letting me rant! This is obviously just my opinion and I know everyone is different. If some of these things work for you then that's great. This is just my experience after eighteen plus years in the industry and I can't not share!
Lots of love,
Emmaline x