Skincare Sunday: Insider secrets

According to Darden, we’re more likely to be swayed to choose a product because a friend loves it rather than because it’s specific to our own skin’s needs. “The major issue I see is women using the wrong product for their skin type,” she says. “I see women with skin that keeps breaking out, and they are using something for dry skin. Also, most women are using creams too heavy for their skin.” Rather than choosing a richer cream to nourish drier skin, Darden recommends creating a bespoke regime by layering up light-textured serums and creams.

“I see a lot of rashes and random skin issues that I believe are from food allergies,” says Darden. “I send many clients to have blood testing to identify specific intolerances – it’s definitely a growing problem, one that we didn’t seem to have a while back.” Something that I’m hearing often from many facialists is that dairy, in particular, is the cause of a lot of skin problems. “You see it especially in breakouts along the jawline – switching to organic doesn’t seem to make a difference,” says Darden. “My advice is to pull out the dairy in your diet and see how it goes.”

Increasingly, I’m hearing from estheticians and skin doctors that many problems are (unknowingly) self-inflicted, especially with our current obsession with peeling, scrubbing and polishing the skin. “I see so many chronically dehydrated skins, all from people using too many AHAs and retinols, having too many peels and too much micro-needling, and mixing them all together,” says Darden. Her advice is to remove some of the peeling and resurfacing products, and certainly never to layer them up, “with a scrub, followed by a peeling pad, followed by a retinol cream,” she continues. “I’m not a huge fan of micro-needling or anything aggressive as, in the end, if you strip the skin too much you get that leathery texture – you see it all the time in California.”

“So many women don’t clean their skin properly,” says Darden. “You have to be on it – take the time to properly remove makeup and then clean your skin, otherwise it gets congested.”

“I love a good hyaluronic acid-based serum, as you don’t need a heavy cream to keep the skin plump and moisturized. For me, HA is an essential and I haven’t yet seen anyone who has had a problem with it. I like vitamin C and everyone talks about how great it is, but it can be tricky for a lot of women – try it once a week and see how your skin responds.”

I love a naturally-based face oil, but they are less popular with many skin experts, including Darden. “Face oil is such a trend right now, but I find over time it can dehydrate skin,” she says. If, like me, you still love oils, try layering them in with your hydrating serums and light-textured cream, not using them in isolation.