Why I love Perricone skincare…

Perricone, from Dr Nicholas Perricone, is a fantastic skincare brand and is what I would call a true doctor brand.

Dr Nick is a working dermatologist and nutritionist, and specialises in making his own worldwide patented ingredients. You can use any of his products as part of your usual routine.

At the cheaper end of the scale, I would recommend the Perricone Nutritive Cleanser. This gel cleanser is a bit of an unsung hero for this price range.

Anti-ageing beauty advice

Hey all,

We all worry about the horrid signs of ageing at some point in our life, and I've tried to tackle a few of your queries. Take a look at the videos below - I hope I've been of help!

Natural anti-ageing treatments

Recommended Product: Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser

 

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A solution for dry skin and fine lines…

Q. Hi I'm 51 and my skin is getting dry especially round my eyes, with fine lines and crepiness around the throat area. I have sensitive skin and don't know what to use. The backs of my hands are very dry too.

A. The most important thing for you to do is to get moisture into your skin and every product that you use should have moisturising and hydrating properties.

If you already follow a skincare routine, then you can add a moisturising mask that can be used on all your areas of trouble, three nights a week.

I'd recommend the Gatineau Melatogenine Mask - it can be used all the way up to the orbital eye area and even the eyelids, all over the face, neck and backs of hands. Or you can try the Overnight Mask from Origins. These two recommendations are quite specific to your needs and work best when your skin is dry.

To tackle the dry skin, you should exfoliate. As you have sensitive skin I'd recommend the enzymatic formulas such as Papaya Enzyme Peel from Elemis.

If you don't have a skincare routine, I'd suggest Gatineau's sensitive cleanser and toner and their Aquamemory Moisturiser.

 

On tackling wrinkles around the mouth and chin...

Q. Hi Alison, please help I am 62 years old have wrinkles around my mouth and chin and it's getting worse very quickly. Thanks you. Mary

A. You may want to take a look at the Age Benefit Moisturiser from Gatineau. It's featuring in a fab Today's Special Value on Sunday (14th November, 2010).

The wrinkles around the mouth and chin are getting worse because of the fall of the face. This is actually caused by slackening of the face from below the eyes and across the cheeks, which then pulls down the areas of the upper lip and chin so you get folds, creases and even shadow marks.

So if you want to look at an anti-ageing routine for the whole face, the Age Benefit is going to be your best friend because it addresses all the signs of ageing. You can also try the Genie Instant Line Smoother as it will tighten up the look of the affected areas instantaneously.

On a replacement for Prescriptives Line Preventor ...

Q. Hello Alison, I have a stock of Prescriptives Super Line Preventor but what would you recommend I use when it is finished?

A. We have got When Hope Is Not Enough Serum from Philosophy and that comes in a 50ml size, most economical. It boasts a hyaluronic acid formula which is also present in the Prescriptives Super Line Preventor.

On a skincare routine for menopausal skin...

Q. Hi Alison, I need help with my skin. I am 53 going through the menopause - have been for a few years now. My eyes look puffy and my skin looks dull and I seem to have a lot more wrinkles. I don't wear make-up, just use mascara. Hope you can help.

A. I think from a range point of view, you would love the Prai and Clientele ranges. Prai is great if you don't wear make-up, as it works on a skincare basis but also makes your skin look pretty and feel nice and comfortable.

You can mix the Prai range with Clientele range to benefit from the maximum results. There's a Clientele Estro-Lift starter kit which has about six products including face wash, skin serum, an eye serum, a moisturiser with SPF 25 and a night time treatment. Use this as your core skincare line and you can also combine Prai serum.

The Prai serums have all got this lovely, luminous sheen to them and feel amazing on the skin. They give your complexion a lovely soft glow as well as providing all the skincare benefits.

For problem skin, scarring and fine lines...

Q: I'm 39 years old with combination skin. I still suffer from acne all over my chin and on my forehead. They usually hurt, are big and there's also scarring.

Due to my age, I also see sagging and lines around my eyes. Could you please recommend a course of action so that I look better on my 40th birthday?

Alison: Our Alpha-H range addresses a lot of the issues that you are suffering with, as well as helping to tackle signs of ageing.

What you may be finding difficult is that spot-care ranges are too drying and make your wrinkles look worse, and 'anti-ageing' ranges make your skin look too puffy or oily. However, Alpha-H looks at both these issues together.

View our Alpha-H range.

For necklace lines...

Q: I'm 26 years old and I have a problem with my neck. I have several necklace lines that never seem to go away. The lines reduce slightly during the day when I have put moisturiser on but they always come back. The lines are really knocking my confidence. Are there any particular products you could recommend?

Alison: I would recommend advancing your routine. Although you're 26, you've already identified that this area of skin is perhaps drying out quicker than the rest of your skin. So, on this area only you should exfoliate more, perhaps two or three times a week. This should help to reduce the look of the wrinkles.

I would then recommend you layer two products morning and evening - a serum followed by a neck cream. Depending on what range you like, this could be using a Decleor Aromessence Oil under the Decleor Neck Cream or Gatineau serum under Gatineau Neck Cream. The first layer should sink in quickly and the second will add comfort over the top.

Also make sure you wear an SPF factor on this neck area at all times, perhaps even introducing Ultrasun to be worn on a daily basis. If you do like to sunbathe and you lie down, cover your face and neck area with a hanky, hat or umbrella. Don't spray fragrance directly onto this area and be careful with using hair spray as that can dry this area out too.

On an easily-absorbed hand cream for crepey-looking hands...

Q: Can you recommend an easily absorbed cream for hands that are starting to look crepey despite being in my early 30s and regularly using hand cream. Could it be the hand washes I use, as I prefer to use antiseptic ones so I know my hands are really clean? Can the appearance of my hands be 'reversed' to look smooth again?

Alison: There are some jobs where you have to use anti-septic washes extremely regularly, such as in hygiene or healthcare industries and indeed hairdressers too. I would recommend two types of hand creams for you.

Number one: Choose a naturally anti-septic hand wash, such as one that has lavender in it, rather than one that's full of chemical anti-septic, as this has a natural anti-septic quality to it as well as a natural, soothing quality. So try L'Occitane Lavender Liquid Soap or the Lavender Shower Cream for a gentler option that still keeps your hands clean and smelling nice too!

Number two: When you do wash your hands an awful lot, it would be beneficial to apply a rich hand cream before you go to bed, such as the L'Occitane Hand Cream with shea butter or Honey and Lemon  Hand Cream. Also, if your hands are dry when you're at home put it on a little more often.

You could also carry around with you a lighter hand cream for when you're out and about.

On a complete skincare routine for mature skin...

Q: I'm 56 and have basically never used anything other than soap and water to clean my face. I do use a night cream but that's all. I have combination skin and just a couple of very fine lines around my eyes.  I'm confused as to what would be the best beauty routine for me though.

I don't wear any make up other than mascara and lipstick but do wear a 50+ sun block when I go on holiday as I have a couple of blotches which were due to a lot of sun bathing when I was a teenager. Can you help with a good beauty routine for me please?

Alison: Obviously you've been conscious of SPF factors in recent years which is fantastic. On a daily basis and through the winter you could use Ultrasun SPF 30 Day Cream. This should help to prevent future damage and is great especially for more mature skin. UltraSun also have an SPF50 if you want a higher SPF - and all their range offers all-day protection.

There are an awful lot of ranges to choose from, but when you haven't used anything before it's best not to jump into anything too complicated. Start off with Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, Superskin Moisturiser and Superskin Concentrate.

This would be best to start you off on, particularly because of your age group. Start off on this simple routine and if you want to go on further and get more results on lines or your eyes, then I can suggest other products and ranges for you. See how you get on, and how you enjoy the Liz Earle products too.