Beauty Clinic: Replacement for a fave spot zapper!

Q. Do you know of any effective spot treatments? I’m still getting middle-aged breakouts. I used Liz Earle’s Spot-On, which really helped, but it has been discontinued. A. Apparently the company had problems sourcing melissa oil, which was a key ingredient in Spot-On, but they are working on another product, we gather. Meanwhile, we have some suggestions that may help you zap those pesky spots.

Pharmacist Shabir Daya recommends Skin Shop Silver Serum/£12.95 for 50 ml. It contains pure antimicrobial silver, which combats the bacteria that cause spots. The silver also acts to calm inflammation so this is a real double duty product. It stays active on the skin for eight hours so you just need to apply it twice daily. Silver Serum is suitable for all ages.

You could go back to Liz Earle for their Deep Cleansing Mask, which regulates oiliness and draws out impurities. You can try a 15 ml sample size, which comes with two sponges for just £6. It works either as an all over face treatment or to target specific areas.

London-based facialist Jasmina Vico tells us that many of her clients who suffer breakouts have a bad habit of applying make-up (particularly smoothing on foundation with their fingertips) on trains and boats and planes.

In a word, don't. It is one of the most effective ways of causing blemishes, she says. (You can find Jasmina at Hari’s hairdressers in Brompton Road, London SW3, harissalon.com/020 7581 5211.)

If you absolutely can’t spend a few minutes doing your make-up before you leave home, then clean your fingers first with an antibacterial gel and, preferably, use a clean applicator. (Actually, please get up five minutes earlier –or dive into the Ladies at work and wash your hands thoroughly before you apply your base.)

Finally, thorough but gentle daily cleansing is vital to help balance your complexion. Micellar water, a relative newcomer to the cleansing arena that you apply on a cotton pad, may help. These products work not on soap of some sort but micelles - teeny balls of oil that attract debris, make-up and excessive skin oil. We are trialling micellar waters currently for our 2017 Beauty Bible Awards but meanwhile we hear good things about Bioderma Sensibio H2O/£10.50 for 250 ml from boots.com. It effectively removes make-up (even water resistant) but should not irritate or dry skin.