Sudocrem and Keratosis Pilaris

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I absolutely love Sudocrem.

Apparently it’s licensed as a medicine, which means it has proven efficacy in soothing and treating nappy rash.

But I don’t really care about nappy rash here. Why I’m actually interested in Sudocrem (the original) is its use in treating keratosis pilaris or those nasty little spots on top of the arms 

and on occasion, thighs and legs.

Keratosis pilaris is a completely harmless condition that occurs in loads of people. Some affected people have bumps which are red and inflamed and therefore, more noticeable (and can be confused with spots) and some have just raised, rough skin coloured bumps. Beauty pages in magazines will normally advise dry body brushing to get rid.

Why does it happen to us? 

Our body produces keratin, which is a protein that makes the outer layer of the skin (epidermis). Keratin is also the major player in making of the hair and nails.

But, for some reason, our body can sometimes produce excess of the stuff. The overproduction can be either genetic or hormonal – after all, it does occur mostly in women and adolescents.

So when our body produces excesses of keratin, what it does is wrap around hair follicles forming a “plug” – a bit like a blackhead. So that’s your keratosis pilaris. It’s not a serious “condition”, or not serious enough that you rush off to your doctor asking to be cured.

Enter Sudocrem.

I don’t even remember how I ended up using it on my arms – I was probably trying to soothe an irritation (I get allergic to things). But what I have noticed that the nasty bumps on the top of the arms disappeared! My skin just got very smooth instead. Eureka!

So what’s in Sudocrem that makes it amazing?

According to its website, the main actives are zinc oxide, benzyl benzoate and benzyl cinnamate.

Zinc oxide (in skincare) is widely used in deodorants, antibacterial creams and also sunscreen. It’s mainly an antiseptic.

It’s a white powder and that’s why some sunscreens can appear white on our skin. And it’s one of the ingredients in mineral make up.

Sudocrem claim that “zinc oxide reduces the loss of tissue fluid”, which translated into plain English would be that zinc oxide helps in creating a barrier, so the moisture does not evaporate from skin – slightly confusing as zinc oxide is not really an emollient? I’d be more likely to say that emollient in Sudocrem is lanolin, which is also listed as one of the ingredients.

Benzyl benzoate is used for treating parasitic conditions on skin such as scabies (lovely!). Present in “Balsam of Peru”.

Benzyl Cinnamate is mainly used in fragrances as it smells….of vanilla apparently.

This is another one of the ingredients found in “Balsam of Peru” – which comes from a resin of the bark of balsam tree. It is also an antiseptic and helps in minor wound healing.

Now this is where it gets a bit funky as Benzyl Cinnamate and also “Balsam of Peru” are listed as major allergens and should not be used in large quantities or prolonged time.

Maybe that’s why there’s a warning on Sudocrem that it should not come into contact with eyes and mucous membrane?

Anyway, I really don’t know how Sudocrem works on keratosis pilaris. I imagine that it is probably a combination of all ingredients that are mainly different antiseptics, who knows! Sudocrem don’t list keratosis as one of the conditions it treats.

Maybe one day a proper scientist will do a research on the topic and come up with a good answer.

So give Sudocrem a try. It’s not the prettiest of creams, actually it has quite a horrible consistency. Thick and white, best be used at bedtime and when alone. But it does work. Try it and let me know how you get on!

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Full list of ingredients available here http://www.sudocrem.co.uk/technical-product-information

This season I'll be mostly wearing... Lips And Ponytails

Unless you just got back from Mars expedition (so how was it?) you probably noticed that lipsticks are the new black. The trend’s been brewing for  a few seasons and it kind of got established that we are wearing more and more lipstick on a day to day basis. And not just the “nude” variety or the barely there lip gloss. But full on, in yer face, brights.

And red is the mama of those brights.

What used to be the reserve of those special occasions where it was the night only, canapés and champagne kind of evening out, now the red has moved up to the day wear as well.

And us women are loving it. You can call it the “Mad Men” effect or whatever you like, we are embracing the new trend like never before. Ruby Woo is one of the best selling MAC lipsticks, especially in trend setting London.

As much as I like the MAC favourite, I’d probably go for something more bling-tastic for a statement lipstick.

Aptly named “Rouge Passion” by Sisley is a great colour and texture in a very nice packaging. Or if I died and came back as a lipstick, I’d probably want to be Chanel Rouge Allure in La Fascinate.

Both of these are very make up bag friendly. Oh and you’ll need to retouch your red lips a lot. And I mean it when I say a lot.

No point for going for one of those stay on forever formula (as if), you do want to show off your lipstick! 

Team up your lipstick with tight ponytail. It provides an instant face lift and as an added bonus, it keeps the hair off the face.

 After all, you don’t want to ruin your red lipstick!

Is Hyaluronic Acid The Secret to Moisturised Skin?

Hyaluronic Acid (Sodium Hyaluronate or I’ll be calling it HA from now on) is one of the proteins that is naturally present in human body and all living organisms for that matter.

In the deeper layer of skin (dermis) lies a network of elastic fibres, collagen and a clear fluid. That clear fluid is HA and its job is to hold a great amount of moisture and repair tissue. HA is also present in joint cartilage and eyes, but in skin it’s most abundant and that’s what I’ll focus on. This is a make up and skincare blog, after all :)

Unfortunately as we age, our body produces less and less HA and that leads to skin losing its plumpness, so we develop lines and wrinkles.

But there are a couple of things we can do.

I’ll come out with one obvious way of HA use in modern skin care.

The fillers.

Or what people used to call “collagen” fillers. I am calling use of fillers “skin care” as they are widely accepted these days and are being done on our lunch breaks…

Doctors, dermatologists are using animal HA and injecting it into the skin in the form of Restylane or Juvederm. Once injected, the HA adds volume to the skin and lines and wrinkles disappear. The effect is temporary. The problem of some celebrities, that they are not temporary enough (not naming names)! They still last for good six months or thereabouts.

Needle-phobes might choose the next option. Topical application. I mean slathering of cream on your face.

Just a bit more scientific blurb to explain what else happens in the skin…

So another by-product of HA is increase of retinoic acid, which leads to more hydration in the skin.

That can be achieved by either injections or use of Hyaluonic acid in face creams.

That effect of HA applied in creams is even more temporary, but I do believe that increased hydration is a good thing and my personal opinion that topical HA will be broken down in the skin (a process called hyaluronidase) and produce sugars that will stimulate our natural HA production.

So there you have it! HA is a very useful ingredient in creams.  Look out for it.

Rodial skincare has even got a whole Dragon’s Blood line of products  enriched with the ingredient and lots more of upmarket cosmetics companies use it in their formulas.

If you really want to experiment, you can buy a vial of HA online and add it to your favourite cream. It comes as a fine white powder, but it will thicken any cream and go lumpy if you don’t mix it in well, but the effects are there. 

Happy testing!

Natural Vs Chemicals

I have this friend who bangs on about liking this skincare range just because it’s “natural”. Does my head in.

And it’s not just her, the whole beauty industry is on the bandwagon with "natural this" and "natural that" and just because of that it's good for us. 

I have a problem with that.

The general public are being deceived. They need to be educated and informed.

Now, I admit I’m not a scientist. If I were, I’d probably be trying to cure cancer and would definitely not be bothered by such trivial things as skincare, but I do have an interest and willingness to find out more about it.

So if I give you a chemical formula of C10H16O, would that ring a bell? No? Ok, I’ll spare you and just come out with it. It’s one of the most widely used essential oils. Lavender.

What I’m trying to say here is that everything is made out of chemicals. Some are man-made, while the others are freely occurring in the nature. But classing a skincare range as “natural” and better for you just because it contains a few plant extracts is wrong.

People tend to get a lot of allergic reactions to essential oils, and because they contain a mix of chemical components it's difficult to pinpoint what the allergen is. 

I used to do aromatherapy years ago and it was a no-no to use essential oils on pregnant women. Or at least, use with great caution. If it was so safe and wonderful, then why should it be a problem?

I don’t have anything against plant extracts either, after all, the whole pharmacology was based on deriving drugs from plants in order to cure common ills.

My opinion is that people should be informed enough to make their own decisions. Not all chemicals are bad for you and not everything natural is good for you (deadly nightshade is a plant from nature, just saying). I just wish the cosmetic companies would stop giving us the spin of how wonderful their range is just because it contains a couple of plant extracts.

And don’t even start me on the whole lanolin backlash...

The ingredient of the week - L-Ascorbic Acid

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I often get asked about efficacy of certain skincare products, whether such and such cream is worth paying xyz amount money for and what really works for wrinkles etc….

There are so many good creams around that make a huge difference to skin, but there are even more of those that are useless water in oil/oil in water concoction that do no more than a regular £5 moisturiser would do. Add to that lots of fillers and you have an exotic sounding cream that does nothing for you. Read your ingredients people and learn what those ingredients mean for your skin!

Anyway, one “product” that I know that works to get rid of fine lines is vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid. On one hand, it works like a mild exfoliating agent and on the other, it helps the skin synthetize collagen, so in other words, it will repair any damage that you’ve inflicted on your skin by living your life and enjoying it.

But it’s not so easy in the world of vitamin C. Well, actually it’s not so easy if you’re a big cosmetic company wishing to make money out of it!

Vitamin C is water soluble, highly unstable ingredient to be suitably effective in creams. What that actually means is… don’t buy creams with vitamin C in it, the chances are by the time that cream reaches you, any L-ascorbic acid present will be totally useless. Skincare companies would also make sure the cream is coloured orange, so it looks “healthy”, but in real terms, if vitamin C goes orange it’s deemed oxidised, or in other words, dead. Parrot dead.

To make the most of the L-ascorbic acid’s goodness you should make your own toner and use it fresh. There are other methods of use that involve mixing with distilled water and lotion and keeping in the fridge, but I find mine the easiest.

Buy some vitamin C powder in your health food shop. Don’t be tempted to use some orange sugar flavoured tablets that are sold as a supplement, it’s not what you want on this occasion.  You take a quarter of teaspoon of vitamin C, mix it in a little bit of water and apply it on your face with a cotton wool. Leave it for a while, unless it really stings. If it stings, wash it off and build your tolerance bit by bit.

If you decide to leave it on your skin, wait ten or so minutes before applying your regular cream. And there you go, your own homemade anti-ageing ingredient that actually works. Enjoy!

Bridal make up Q & As

The season of weddings is almost upon us so I thought I'd post some questions that I've answered not so long ago. Some googling brides to be might find them useful. Enjoy :)

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What one piece of make up advice would you give to a bride preparing for her big day?

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     Book a professional make up artist in advance and do the make up trial. Even if you’re really good at doing your make up, the pro will be there on hand to help you with some new tricks of the trade and make the day less stressful for you. Make sure you test the make up in the natural light and on camera before you agree on the look.

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How should your wedding day make up differ from your day to day look?

     Your make up needs to look timeless, be suitable for the occasion, look good in real life and on camera and, of course, last all day. You need to look like you, just fresher and glowing. You probably won’t spend much time every morning doing your make up but on your wedding day it really pays to spend more time on make up so it withstands the assault of the relatives wishing you good luck! Good professional make up artist will layer the make up carefully so you won’t really need to do any retouching during the day.

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What one beauty product can a bride not do without and why?

      If you’re likely to get emotional on your wedding day then waterproof mascara is a must.

How can you adapt this seasons  makeup trends into your wedding day look?

         This is one of the occasions when trends should take a back seat. You really want to look timeless so when you look at the photos 20 years from now on, you don’t want to cringe. By all means take some inspiration from the current trends which are awash with pastels, but pick just one, like coral blush and leave the rest for some other time.

What is the most common makeup mistake brides tend to make on their wedding day?

          Too many mistakes to mention! Orange fake tan is really unnecessary, just pick a dress that flatters your complexion as it is. False drag queen lashes, yes I’ve seen them on brides…. If you want more lashes, individual lashes are the best way to go. Weird eyebrows. Too much make up applied badly,… of course this can be said for any make up occasion, not just a wedding.

What prep can you do in the lead up to the big day to make sure you’re looking your best (skincare, treatments) etc?

         You should start preparing your skin as early as possible, so get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water. Any new beauty treatments should be tried one month before rather than a day before the wedding – we all remember that scene from Sex and the City when Samantha had a acid peel too late – you don’t want the same thing to happen to you! If you decide to try acid peel, mesotherapy etc, you should do it at least one month before so the skin has enough time to recover. Otherwise, moisturise daily, use facial and body scrub twice of three times a week (depending on your skin type). One point to remember is your eyebrows – if they are overplucked then leave them to grow and have them done one day before the wedding.

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