The skincare diaries…
From the product that he can’t live without, to the importance of sun protection, Chief Pharmacist at Skin Pharmacy, Mahmoud Metwally, shares his daily skincare routine
Taking the guesswork out of achieving your best skin, is one of the cornerstones of Skin Pharmacy. Which is why it’s important that I have first-hand experience of the products we stock and recommend.
We work with a range of high-tech active packed cosmeceutical brands, meaning we can cherry pick the best they have to offer for our clients, and that’s exactly what I did when creating my own daily skincare regime.
AM
I like to start my morning routine with a gentle, non-stripping foaming cleanser, and the SkinCeuticals Simply Clean, is just that. For speed and ease I use it in the shower, ensuring that I’m not showering under scorching hot water (even in the winter) as hot water strips the skin of sebum. Too much of the stuff can be problematic, but you never want to eradicate it altogether, as sebum keeps the skin moisturised, hydrated and acts as a protective barrier too.
I follow this up with ZO Skin Health Complexion Renewal Pads. These easy-to-use glycolic acid laced exfoliating pads can be swiped over the face to reduce hyperpigmentation, excess sebum, and prevent the build-up of pore clogging dead skin cells. Although when overused, glycolic acid can trigger post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation in skin of colour – these contain the right dose for me, making them perfect for my acne prone, oily skin.
Post swipe I give my skin a dose of antioxidants by way of the SkinBetter Science Alto Defense Serum. Antioxidants help to protect the skin from free radical damage caused by environmental aggressors like UV, pollution, and even blue light from our screens. Additionally, this helps even out my skin tone and leaves it with a luminosity that I truly appreciate first thing in the morning.
To hydrate my skin and protect my all-important skin barrier I apply the Obagi Medical Daily Hydro Drops Facial Serum. Keeping my barrier healthy is of the utmost important, as a healthy barrier keeps skin hydrated, and fends off damaging environmental aggressors like pollution. When it’s been compromised you can expect redness, rashes, tightness, flaking, itchiness, excess sebum and acne.
Next, I give my eyes some tlc with the AlumierMD AluminEye, a brightening eye cream that I’ve been using religiously for the past year. Formulated with tremella mushroom extract, niacinamide, and murumura butter, this cream is great for helping with my undereye puffiness, dark circles and fine lines.
Finally, no daytime skincare routine is complete without sunscreen, which I apply all over my face (including the eye area and lips), neck, and ears. My sunscreen of choice is the AlumierMD Clear Shield SPF 42, because it’s lightweight, has no white cast, doesn’t give me spots, and contains extra skincare actives for good measure.
PM
At night, I wash my face with the iS Clinical Cleansing Complex. It’s an award-winning cleanser made with bionutrients, antioxidants and mild resurfacing ingredients, that offer a deep cleanse that rids my skin of the dirt and debris of the day while still being incredibly gentle.
Post cleanse, I use the trusty ZO Skin Health Complexion Renewal Pads again, before reaching for one of my two favourite retinol-based night treatments. A derivative of vitamin A, retinol is one of the most researched skincare ingredients, and has been proven to increase cell turnover, boost collagen production, reduce sebum and even aid skin healing.
The SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Over Night Cream, combines a high percentage of retinol with exfoliating and hydrating lactic acid - offering all the benefits of retinol while improving the texture of the skin too. While the ZO Skin Health Radical Night Repair, is formulated with a potent microencapsulated retinol, that starts to work only once the retinol has made its way into the skin – which leads to less dryness and irritation. Both help minimise my acne breakouts and soften my lines and wrinkles.
To finish I lightly dab on a grain of rice size amount of the SkinBetter Science Interfuse Eye Cream. It’s a good all-rounder that works on puffiness, dehydration, dryness, and dark circles. It also contains a clever neuro-calming peptide that mimics Botox to help relax lines and wrinkles and means I don’t wake up frowning anymore.