Beauty Clinic: Pores, blackheads and T-zone troubles
Q. I am in my forties with combination skin: my t-zone gets oily after a few hours while the rest is dry and can feel tight. I suffer from blackheads, mainly in my t-zone but elsewhere too. I have tried a lot of products (from cheaper high street to more expensive branded), extraction facials, microdermabrasion.... I now use oil-free and non-pore clogging products. But I am still in the same state - nothing works. I never go without foundation to cover up my problem. But I would really love is to get rid of the problem! A. This is becoming a much more common concern for women in your age group – and it has always been tricky to correct. However, there are now good ranges for this problem, one of which is Radical Skincare (www.radicalskincare.com), a US brand – now an international best selling range - founded by the two daughters of a leading plastic surgeon and researcher specialising in wound healing. Liz and Rachel Edlich (see above) were set to work in their father’s lab before they were ten: so when they both developed skin problems in middle age they in turn set chemists and scientists to work to find solutions. We asked Liz, now 50, and a powerhouse of skin knowledge, to advise you.
‘We are seeing more and more congestion/acne issues from 40+ ladies, which can often create a problem for those also looking for anti-aging solutions. Radical Skincare offers a Hydrating Anti-aging Elixir, which also contains ingredients that are anti spot, anti bacterial and deeply pore cleansing. Oil-free products simply don't provide the hydration you need.
‘I suggest a deep cleanse morning and night with our Hydrating Cleanser, which contains humectants to bind moisture to the skin, anti-bacterial tangerine oil plus niacinamide which helps to prevent those dreaded lumps and bumps. This won’t strip your skin, which is essential for maintaining balance.
‘Follow with Age Defying Exfoliating Pads nightly - these will munch away at dead skin cells with multi-fruit acids and clear out pores with salicylic acid. The pads clear the build-up of dead cells that can promote breakouts and have been shown to significantly reduce your pores, which is essential for banishing those blackheads! Finally they also help with acne marks as they promote cell turnover to encourage those lovely fresh cells to the surface while protecting them with calming and soothing chamomile and aloe. They also contain Swiss apple to help promote longevity of your healthy cells.
‘I would use the Youth Infusion Serum twice daily, which provides exceptional hydration in a lightweight formulation. It contains hylasome, which has four times the moisture-binding capacity of hyaluronic acid, to address the dry areas on the skin but also has good levels of niacinamide [see above]. Youth Infusion won’t block the pores, is also anti-wrinkle and anti-sag and can be used around the fragile eye area (particularly important due to the lack of oil gland).’
‘Anti-Ageing Restorative Moisture is your go-to moisturiser for combination skin. It’s antioxidant-rich and and also contains fabulous lightening and brightening ingredients if you are left with marks on the skin following breakout or picking! This multi- tasking miracle will also show significant reduction in wrinkles.’
‘After using Radical for a couple of weeks you should begin to see a significant improvement in your skin and may feel brave enough to have make up-free days. I would suggest the Radical Skin Perfecting Screen SPF 30, which protects, perfects and primes. Non-chemical filters defend against UVA/B rays, diamond encapsulation deflects light and blurs wrinkles and imperfections, then priming elements provide a long-wearing base for make-up.’
Radical Skincare products: find these on www.qvcuk.com
Hydrating Cleanser/£27 for 120 ml
Age Defying Exfoliating Pads/£42 for 60 pads
Youth Infusion Serum/£105 for 30 ml
Anti-Ageing Restorative Moisture/£95 for 50 ml
Find all these in generous sample sizes in Radical Skincare 5 Piece Discovery Collection/£40
Skin Perfecting Screen SPF 30/£38 for 40 ml at www.radicalskincare.com