Serious Relief For Sensitized Skin

PART ONE!

I have just come back from an amazing session at Dermalogica's U.K head office in Leatherhead to welcome a new edition to the family; UltraCalming.

I see sensitised skin in all forms during the skin care treatments that I perform. If you have aggressive acne, the likely hood is is that you will have redness showing where inflammation is present. If sun damage and premature ageing is on your mind, you may be aware that the dilated capillaries on your cheeks become more pronounced through sun exposure, stress or elements in your diet. Or, if like me, you suffer from a genetically sensitive and dry skin you may find that inflammation is your main concern every day. Also there is the other common cause of stressed out skin; commuting! Environmental stress on the skin is often a neglected area when talking about skin that flares, but it is equally as important as all the above.

The brutal fact is that 50% of woman and 30% of men are reporting sensitivity at some level (American Academy of Dermatology Fact Sheet). Seeing as that it is such an issue for so many of us, it is great news that Dermalogica has now launched UltraCalming.

UltraCalming has been developed over 5 years and has been Dermatologist tested by Dr Josh Leader in the U.S who has said that when used with his clients going through skin peels, micro-demerabrashion etc. their skins where calmer and healthier than those of his clients who didn't use the system. So not only has this unique range been tested in the lab, but also in the field to allow us to be able to stand behind it fully and say: 'This really works'.

It works on 3 fronts of attack:

1. The Inflammatory Response: This is when the body's natural immune defence goes on hyper drive. You see an inflammation response when the skin gets red, hot and aggravated. This is just the body bringing lots of blood to what it sees as in attack and pumps loads of oxygen, lymph and white blood cells to try and get rid of the attack.
2. The Nerve Response: This is basically when the nerves that permeate through the skin get very energized through either products on the skin, environmental pollution in the air and sun damage. The nerves send messages to the brain saying that the skin is in trouble and so you feel some kind of pain and irritation as it tries to cope with it.
3. Lipid Barrier Breakdown: When ceramides, essential fatty acids and cholesterol are not present in the lipid barrier in the correct amounts, there will be a problem with the protective layer of the skin. This breakdown in the skin's 'mortar' allows irritation to set in. Therefore we have to make triple sure that this barrier is functioning in a healthy way as well as being hydrated.

True to Dermalogica's form there are products for you to take home and love as well as the products that are created for use in the skin care treatment with me at Cornerstone Therapies. All products contain four cooling, calming and super sensitive products that form the back bone of the range.

Oat Kernel, when used in 48 parts per million it has been shown to work. However, Dermalogica has harnessed it in 100 parts per million to offer you the highest quality and the best results. Oat Kernels have anti-irritant and anti-redness properties and when combined with a synthetic form of Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid it is boosted to knew heights! It works on the inflammatory response of the skin.

Ginger and Chamomile: These two key products work in harmony to help reduce the inflammation and redness.

Red Hogweed: This settles the nervous form of inflammation by limiting the activity of pro-inflammatory elements. It has long lasting effects as it is welcomed into the skin over time. It does need time on the skin though, which is why it is not in the UltraCalming Cleanser.

PART TWO will be on your screens tomorrow when I will take a closer look at the products for you to take home and fall in love with, as well as the Professional Products that you can experience in your Skin Care Treatments with me at Cornerstone Therapies. 

All information has been provided through the UltraCalming Professional Training Guide from Dermalogica.