There’s no such thing as perfect skin!

Everybody tries to strive for that perfect flawless skin look, trying to get rid of pores and imperfections, tiny little blemishes, spots pigmentation and fine lines. Now don't get me wrong I absolutely understand this as someone who has suffered with acne since before I was a teenager. I now get compliments frequently on how good my skin looks, but it wasn't always this way and one of the reasons I now work as an aesthetics nurse practitioner is to help you with your skin concerns.

Having good skin takes time, patience,consistency and using good quality skincare on a daily basis. Now even using the very best skincare you will still have those days where skin misbehaves. This could be for a many number of reasons time of the month, the year, the weather, your own health, stress and sleep quality, are some of the very many things that affect the condition of the skin.

Although my skin is relatively healthy now I previously said I've already suffered with acne the whole of my life as a teenager this led to being made fun of, over the years I've tried many different things from cleansers, creams, lotions and potions, even prescribed medication from the doctor. None of it particularly worked well, but I never truly understood how skin worked. I was also one of them that never used SPF because the sun appeared good for my skin, on holidays I found I had my clear skin. I didn't understand this is because my skin was super dehydrated. I also found that when I did use SPF it made me break out more so than this led to me having lots of pigmentation on my face. This was back before there were great sun screens around that are suitable for different skin types. 

Even celebs are not exempt from bad skin days

Although my skin is relatively healthy now I previously said I've already suffered with acne the whole of my life as a teenager this led to being made fun of, over the years I've tried many different things from cleansers, creams, lotions and potions, even prescribed medication from the doctor. None of it particularly worked well, but I never truly understood how skin worked. I was also one of them that never used SPF because the sun appeared good for my skin, on holidays I found I had my clear skin. I didn't understand this is because my skin was super dehydrated. I also found that when I did use SPF it made me break out more so than this led to me having lots of pigmentation on my face. This was back before there were great sun screens around that are suitable for different skin types.

So what does all this have to do with striving for perfect skin like I said there's no such thing we can have good skin, but there's no such thing as perfect skin. Everybody will have pores, everybody will have good and bad days. Those days where you get spots and they'll be days when skin feels dryer, some days every days when skin just is not right. This is completely normal often in trying to achieve that flawless looking perfect skin you're actually making your skin much worse, danaging the skin barrier, over using aggressive skincare products such as exfoliating scrubs, AHAs and BHAs leading to further skin damage, increase in breakouts, more redness or dryness, which can cause post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).

Everyone wants a quick fix to get a spot gone now, you get dry skin and want a fix today, reversal of fine lines before the big night out. This lack of patience is what is contributing to making the problem worse. But having suffered with acne and having breakouts I totally get it especially before a special event or a big night out, your face is the first thing that people see, and if you don't feel it looks great it can lead to loss of confidence. 

There are things you can do and unfortunately time is one of them having a good skincare routine that you use consistently for 3 months to really notice the difference. You need to use products that are suitable for your skin type and condition

• A cleanser that is not too harsh (skin feels really tight and dry afterwards it's probably too harsh)
• Using targeted serums that are recommended for your skin. It is best to see practitioner who is experienced in skin and skin conditions to determine which are more suitable for you.
• Moisturiser, watch to popular belief, not everybody needs to use a cleanser toner and a moisturiser every day twice a day however, moisturiser is important in your routine to remote your skin barrier and keep skin healthy
• SPF, this is probably one of the most important things that you can use as the UV rays cause 80 to 90% of skin damage which then leads to skin barrier damage pigmentation thickened skin. Uneven skin tone skin lesions and skin cancers. 
  
  
  

Let's normalise skin, filters have made normal skin seem bad and this has led to a rise in further skin problems in people trying to erase pores. Pores are normal and serve a purpose. They are designed to let you sweat and secrete oil to help with your skin barrier function and keep skin soft and moisturised.

Not sure which skincare is right for you, here at Essence clinic in Maryport I am able to help you identify and choose the correct skincare products for your skin.