Emer O'Callaghan: Just how clean is your skin?

Hello, February! Well, I never heard so many people wish poor old January away so much as I did this year.

It’s fair to say it always feels like a long and cold month. But spring is now upon us, and with it the season of renewal and hope.

I truly believe that hope is one of the most important things we all can hold onto in life, hope gives us all a reason to push through, and Mother Nature gives us all an annual lesson in hope by sending through the green shoots of spring bulbs and welcoming a new season.

I love spring, it’s my favourite time of year. Many of my clients tell me they’re already after ditching the New Year’s resolutions, but the new season is often, I believe, a far better time to start afresh on any new goals or plans you may wish to try this year.

As a beauty doctor and skin specialist, I work with clients of all ages every day in Emerald Beauty Clinic and I am passionate about educating them on the importance of cleaning and caring for their skin properly.

Every day, I see blocked pores, blackheads, spots, dirt, and layers of dead skin cells on people’s faces and my job is to educate them on how and why we all need to be cleaning our skin correctly every day.

I did one of my popular beauty videos on this recently and you can see it on the Emerald Beauty Clinic Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages now.

So this week I want to give my top tips for everyone of every age group and skin types, to learn the importance of knowing how clean your cleanse is.

TWICE A DAY, EVERY DAY

Today, when humans have never had so many beauty products and access to so much science, six out of ten people are still not cleaning their skin correctly every day, according to research,

Did you know also that eight out of ten women who do not wear make-up will only cleanse their skin once a day, not knowing they have a whole day’s sweat, dirt, oil, bacteria, pollution, and mites on there?

What do so many do then daily? They hop into bed with their dirty skin, thinking, sure I washed it this morning!

As all my clients hear me say so often, once a day is not OK. All our skin needs twice-a-day cleansing.

In the morning when we wake, our skin has secreted and detoxed our whole body through our skin, so the first thing your skin needs every day is to be well cleansed to remove the night before from it.

While many may not visibly see the dirt, trust me, we skin experts have studied it under magnifying lamps and in labs.

It takes seconds to wash your face, no-one can say they haven’t that time.

The same goes for night time, except you have a whole day to wash off your face then.

Just as we all brush our teeth twice a day, all our skin needs twice a day cleansing also, regardless of your age.

THE SINK, NOT SHOWER

As someone who loves skin, it always makes me cringe when someone tells me they do their skincare in the shower as it’s faster.

I always gasp in horror to let them know it’s wrong. The shower is in fact the worst place for anyone, male or female, to be cleansing their face and neck.

The sheer pressure of the water is far too severe for the delicate skin of the face and neck, which are thinner than the body’s skin.

Therefore, it is always after your shower, at the sink, using lukewarm water, that your cleanse your face and neck. This removes all the shower and hair products also, while correctly cleansing the pores and cleaning fully the skin of the face, neck and décolletage.

WHAT CLEANSER IS FOR YOU

First off, let me say wipes are not the same as cleanser, and are not nearly as effective.

Wipes are also astringent, so they strip the ph balance of your skin leading to more dryness, which leads to fine lines, which leads to wrinkles... see why I don’t like the wipes?!

My product of the week picture here is my best-selling cleanser, the Dermalogica Magnetic Glow Cleanser, €56, which not only cleanses the skin, but the advanced ingredients in it will act to allow for better absorption of the products afterwards. That’s a game-changer in skin terms and certainly a must- have buy for all who wish to get a good cleanser.

Every day, I do up personalised skincare plans and no two clients’ skin is the same so their programmes cannot be either.

For dry skin, I prescribe a cream cleanser, for oily skin a probiotic gel cleanser, for sensitive skin a soothing balm cleanser, for pigmentation a glycolic cleanser, and so on.

This is why we skin experts are always saying you are only wasting your hard-earned money when you are not getting the professional expertise on what exactly your skin needs - buy any old cleanser, get any old results!

DOUBLE CLEANSE A MUST

A double cleanse is vital for full skin cleaning every morning and evening. Your first cleanse should be with a pre-cleanser, usually an oil or balm. For example, in my clinic my clients use my Dermalogica Pre Cleanse Oil, €56, which acts as the first step in our cleansing routines every AM and PM.

You massage the oils into the face and neck and it lifts off dirt, bacteria, pollution even heavy make-up, tinted moisturiser, and SPF. You follow with a cleanser after fully removing the pre-cleanse from the skin.

I can tell very fast once I see and touch someone’s skin as to whether they double cleanse or not.

REMOVAL IS KEY

Gone are the days when cotton wool removed your cleanser from your skin. I know so many women for decades sat down in front of the TV with their toiletry bag and did this. Cotton wool in fact does not fully remove all the cleanser, but leaves an invisible residue on the skin.

You use a clean, fresh face cloth daily, and after massaging, your precleanse, and then your cleanser into your skin.

I honestly can’t stress enough the importance of basic skincare, to clean your skin daily every morning and evening.

I love skin, and after 25 years specialising in it, there really is not a condition I have not worked on and cleared.

Also, we know we need a lot more education to the public about skin cancer.

The smart woman knows it pays to go to us, the professional, diagnosing your own skin, and buying a bit of this and that is the worst thing anyone can be doing for their skin.

If you would like some help and education on your skin, you can contact me at Emerald Beauty Clinic and I will be more than happy to help you get the healthy, radiant, flawless, youthful skin that you so deserve to have.

Emer O’Callaghan is a beauty doctor and skin specialist who won Irish Beauty Therapist of the year and works at Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949. A Multi Award Winning Gold Standard Clinic, 2008-2026, www.emeraldbeautyclinic.ie - follow us on Facebook/Instagram/TikTok Now.

SPECIAL OFFER

Book any of our winter Dry Skin Dermalogica or Guinot professional facials this month and get a complimentary eyebrow shape, heated hand treatment, samples and treats. Appointments necessary, to book call Emerald Beauty Clinic 021 4365949. Free parking for clients.