For contact dermatitis...

I wondered if you could help. My mum's in her early forties and frequently uses L'Occitane and Liz Earle hand creams but has recently been diagnosed with contact dermatitis. The doctor has given her a steroid cream to use but she'd rather not use it. Do you know of a more natural alternative?

Alison: Obviously you must follow your doctor's advice and a steroid cream is essential. I've used them before to help with eczema flare ups, which sometimes can't be controlled due to something we've touched or even from stress. However, even your doctor will agree that you don't stay on them permanently - you just take a concentrated dose for a few days.

In between using the steroid cream, it's crucial to use non-sodium laureth sulphate hand washes - so one that's non detergent-based like Liz Earle Hand Wash or A'Kin Hand Wash. If your skin is looking a little angry, then the A'Kin Eucalyptus & Tea Tree Hand Wash in this duo acts as an anti-septic too.

Keep using your Liz Earle Hand Cream, which is non mineral oil based. On any dry areas you can use the Liz Earle Super Balm and the Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate. So, on a daily basis in between steroid cream applications, use hand products that are non mineral oil based. Other options for you include Elemis, Liz Earle and A'Kin and you can switch between these ranges as you wish.

L'Occitane Pure Shea Butter would be pure gold for you too, especially when you're having flare ups. It contains no parabens, preservatives or mineral oils and you can use it as a balm, which you may find more comforting.

For little bumps around the mouth with possible congestion...

I'm 53 and using Clientele Estro Lift products, but have a problem with little bumps under the skin around my mouth. Am I using the wrong products and causing congestion?

Alison: You are the right age for the Clientele Estro-Lift range so these aren't the wrong products to use. With the ageing process, the Clientele Estro-Lift formula is trying to stimulate skin that has slowed down. However, if you aren't exfoliating then you can get a build-up of skin cells coming to the surface, which could cause this bump effect.

It's important that you exfoliate on a daily basis and Clientele do offer a lovely Pumpkin Scrub to do just this job. You can use this on your skin two to three times a week, concentrating on the lip area with little circular movements to get into every little groove.

This product should make sure that these bumps aren't caused by a build-up of new cells coming through and therefore will hopefully solve your problem.

On the best products for sensitive skin with mild rosacea...

Can you tell me the best brand/products for my dry, hyper sensitive skin. I also have mild rosacea and persistent redness but the bumps on my face are not infected.

Alison: Specifically for redness you want the Elemis Daily Redness Relief. This is a great product for helping to calm down redness and is often used in salons to help with rosacea. So, any red or swollen areas will really benefit from this cream.

For your sensitive skin I'd recommend the Elemis Sensitive Skin Wash or Elemis Cleanser & Toner - whichever you prefer to use to clean your face on a daily basis.

In your situation, make-up is really good as a protective layer as your skin will flare up from weather and hot and cold environments. Just as clothes protect us from the elements, so can make-up help your skin. I'd recommend using make-up that's suited to sensitive skin, such as Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation and Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil.

Plus, what would make a perfect combination with the Elemis Daily Redness Relief is the Elemis SOS Cream. This has a lovely balm texture which you can use at night to soothe and comfort your skin. You can use these products both morning and night, and it depends on how your skin feels as to whether you prefer to use a lighter texture for redness or a richer texture to soothe it.

For fine lines appearing on the face and neck...

I'm fast approaching becoming 30 and am worried about fine lines appearing. What products would you recommend me using for my face and neck area? I have combination skin, which is in a reasonable condition.

Alison: At this age, you're right to start thinking more about ageing and wrinkles, as this will become more of a predominant problem area for you. The first and the most important product that you need to add to your routine is suncare. Simply adding an SPF to your routine could help to prevent you from having to buy so many products to tackle ageing in the future.

I'd recommend using products with an SPF and applying one every single day. Ultra Sun suncare is non-oily, non-greasy, easily absorbed and also contains ingredients to help reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Don't think of sun cream as just sun cream as you can use it every day on your face, neck, décolleté and back of the hands.

For blackheads on the nose...

I was wondering if you could tell me what I could do about blackheads on my nose. They don't seem to be filled with sebum or raised, they just seem to be black marks in the pores. However, I did try squeezing them a lot and wondered if I have pushed the dirt too far down.

Alison: Blackheads on the nose are trapped sebum, which is normally cream in colour. However, when they get trapped in the hair follicle they oxidise, thicken and become blacker. So, when you squeeze them they should come out on to the surface.

Squeezing them is fine as they can be a concern - although only do it once a week. Don't squeeze them if it's painful as you could be bursting them underneath and could cause a skin infection.

It's best done after a shower, hot bath or facial steam as this will open the pores and make it much easier. Plus, make sure you follow with something soothing on open pores, such as Decleor Prolagene Gel as a daily moisturiser.

If you don't want to squeeze them or find that it’s not actually working - it might not, especially if they are deep rooted - then wipe over this area once a day with Alpha-H Liquid Gold. The glycolic acid in this will act to dissolve the blackhead, cleaning out the pore with this liquid. Only apply this to the blackhead area though, as you won't necessarily need it on the whole of the face. Try this every night until the blackhead doesn't appear black any more. Then, continue with a moisturiser, either your own from home or the Decleor Prolagene Gel.

If the blackheads come back, which they will do if you're prone to them, then just repeat the process for a couple of weeks with the Liquid Gold followed by a moisturiser.

For dry skin around the nose and mouth...

 
My 14 year daughter has extremely dry skin around her eyes and mouth. They also get swollen first thing in the morning. Just wondering if you could help with any advice for creams.

Alison: I would advise checking with a doctor first as she could have an eye infection, in which case they may prescribe a form of antibiotics for her.

If she's looking for something gentle to wipe over the eye area in the morning, I'd definitely suggest Liz Earle Eye Bright which contains echinacea extract. She could apply this with clean cotton wool, just by wiping over the eyes. Most importantly though, a separate cotton pad must be used for each eye to avoid spreading infection, if there is one, from one eye to the other.

If she's rubbing her eyes throughout the day, she should be aware that she could cross-contaminate them just with her fingers or even a tissue or hanky. The same applies to items like a mascara wand or eye pencil. So, if she does find she has an infection, she needs to throw away any eye make-up as this will be contaminated too.