As I enter my 40’s, I feel the last decade is beginning to show on my skin. I’ve had 3 children and I’ve put myself last on the list as we mothers tend to do. Plenty of late nights, lack of sleep, forgetting my diet, exercise and water regime and basically neglecting my skin. And it has had an impact I wasn’t expecting.
Sinead thinks her tired skin needs a reboot after years of motherhood
We all know that while we battle the elements outside of us, we have internal elements working against us as we age. I can’t ignore the hormonal shifts we all go through, along with the harsh winters, central heating and forgetting my SPF having had such a massive impact on how my skin now looks and feels.
I have always managed to maintain a decent regime of cleaning and moisturising, but I’m now beginning to learn that maybe that wasn’t enough. I need to consider what I need to do now to ensure my skin stays well and looking good. I feel like it’s given me fantastic years and I’ve looked after it as best I could. But it needs something more. My children are older now and I have decided to undertake the skin treatments needed in order to secure a better, cleaner, fresher feel to my skin as it ages. I’m looking for a clear complexion, a bright complexion and I’m hoping to remove some of the signs of ageing I’ve been wearing in recent years. I spoke to Emma at ClearSkin.ie for a diagnosis and consultation. Some of the things wrong with my skin, I don’t even have the name for! I’m hoping that an expert like Emma can tell the issues I have and have a solution to help.
At the Consultation
The first thing Emma did was remove the makeup on my skin and she put me under a strong bright lamp. I was nervous that she would see all my imperfections! But clearly this is what she does so it was time to stop being so shy and hope she can help! Straight away Emma picked up on the imperfections in my skin.
Pigmentation
There was a problem with Pigmentation. I have patches of skin that look dark and appear to possibly be age spots. These are red or brown and make my skin look sore. I know that sometimes I have red patches and I wonder if these can be reduced in any way. These are usually something that disappear under makeup but they are a concern of mine – I’ve known there are there and are making my skin uneven in tone. If I’m looking for fresh skin, this is something that needs to be treated.
Thread Veins
These are delightful red veins on the skin on my cheeks and on my nose. I have had these all my life and they are absolutely hereditary! I had them treated successfully before for my wedding 15 years ago and I am ready to get them looked at again now. They are around my nose also and are quite unsightly. No amount of makeup are hiding them and I really don’t want them there!
Open Pores
I have had the odd one or two but I have definitely see an increase in them over the years. I have tried several pore refining products and primers under make up but the results are minimal. I am delighted to hear there’s treatments planned now that can address this.
Dark Circles
Oh wow and do I have them! I honestly feel, especially mid-November, that I look like a member of the walking dead. I keep my face out of the sun to avoid ageing and so I have tried fake tan make up. If you are considering this to rid yourself of dark circles, don’t. The tan sat beautifully in the dark circles, making them darker. I know drinking a good amount of water and limiting my caffeine intake helps reduce them, something Emma agreed with, but honestly, they are always there. And now we have the potential to work on reducing them. I’m so happy about this!
Congestion
I have no idea why but I’ll assume its age but over the last few years, I have noticed an increase in the congestion around my nose and chin. I have always had the milia, the small white spots on my forehead, but I now have them around my chin. I’m delighted to hear there is a treatment for them. I’ll be very critical of how this works for me as this is a massive problem for me.
The one thing I’ll say from the consultation is that I had assumed that I had skin issues I had to just live with. The open pores or the congestion. No amount of face packs can remove what I have so I am so totally thrilled to hear there is a treatment to help my skin. I don’t have wrinkles, but I do have “movement lines” on my forehead. She didn’t feel the need to work on them but I could consider Botox if I wished.
Recommendations
Emma has suggested the following for me to have done: A Chemical Peel, IPL, Carboxytherapy, Microdermabrasion, KTP and Microneedling.
Watch this space for updates on how each of these treatments go, how they work, if they hurt, what the recovery is like, and of course, the results!
