Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

Our make-up, skincare and beauty guru solves all your beauty dilemmas

Hey John

My problem is pretty minor but I have really bad skin. I am very prone to spots and my skin is oily in the t-zone (although surprisingly I don't get any spots there) but very dry on the rest of my face, which is where I get the spots. My skin is also very blotchy and scarred from picking at my spots when I was younger. I've tried prescription medication for the spots but it didn't work. It only made them worse. I don't have really bad acne, I just always have a few really big spots all the time and I was wondering if you could recommend any really good high street products for healing them and covering up. It's really ruining my confidence.

Thank-you,
Jane

Jane,

I am going to shoot from the hip here. Your skin sounds completely out of balance to me. It could be that you are over cleansing, which would explain the lack of blemishes in oilier areas. It could be that you don't understand your skin's true condition (normal, dry, oily). But to me it sounds as if there is some sort of hormonal imbalance. Medicating the spots wouldn't work then. Constant big blemishes are usually the sign of something deeper. I would save my money and get your GP to refer you to a cosmetic dermatologist. Let them do some blood tests and see if your hormonal cycles are in check. This is nothing to worry about, but would explain so many things. Once this is addressed, the path should become immediately clear on care and maintenance. By checking all of this first, you can save a ton of cash on products that aren't really going to deliver results anyway. And then I would be more than happy to recommend whatever products will help keep your skin looking its
best!

Look forward to hearing from you soon,
John

Dear John

I have extremely oily skin on my face and have tried numerous oil free foundations but nothing seems to work. Within an hour of applying them my face becomes greasy and my foundation blotchy. I have only had this problem in the last 2 years. I've stopped moisturising to see if that helps but it doesn't. Any suggestions or can you recommend any good products?

Hey Slick!

As a fellow "slicker", I am actually going to put quite a few recommendations forward here. First: basic care. Make sure you are treating your skin properly. Don't over cleanse, make sure you are using a toner to balance the pH (...you could try one that helps to slow oil production at the same time), and make absolutely certain you are moisturising. If you don't, your skin will make up for it by producing more oil. Clarins, Sisley, and Natura Bisse all have specific product ranges that will not stop the oil, but will make it more manageable. Clinique has a great range called Pore Minimiser to help blot oil under makeup and you could try that as a primer. Becca and Laura Mercier both do dedicated primers to mattify the skin. I also really love Shiseido Men's Anti Shine Refresher as a primer. For makeup - have you tried a powder foundation? They don't look like the orange peel they used to! Clinique, Lauder, and Chanel all have matte/oil-controlling versions for us shiners, but the new Guerlain is a beautiful product as well. Chantecaille is a good one too. You are also going to find quite a few new matte foundations cropping up since it is the "look" for this autumn. Chanel Matte Lumiere has already hit and it is superb. So is the new Sheer Double Wear by Lauder. And then there are a couple of foundations with special oil controlling technology like L'Oreal True Balance and Clinique Super Balanced. This is the technology they use to mop up oil slicks in the ocean - so it should work for us! LOL. My final recommendation would be to try out one of the mineral foundations. Jane Iredale, Bare Essentials, Bare Minerals, Laura Mercier, Revlon, Maybelline, L'Oreal, etc. are all getting in on the action. Coverage, mattness, and the ability to touch up all in a single product. Not a bad plan. I know it is not much, but when you say it is only in the last couple of years - you are going to have to take comfort in the knowledge that it really will help your skin age more gracefully. Not much when you feel like you could fry and egg, but someday... LOL. At least that is what I have been telling myself for the past 25 years or so!

Cheerio,
John

Hi John

I have just been online looking for wrinkle creams as I have bought loads that haven't worked etc, I know deep down that there is no such cream that will get rid of wrinkles but I am a woman aged 37 (enough said) I have read about Lifecell and Revitol but do these creams actually work...does anything work? I think I can guess your answer, but I live in hope!

Thanks
Diane

Diane,

Actually, my answer would be that there ARE products that work. I answered a question a few weeks back for a woman and told her about Strixaderm Face Cream and Dr. Lewinn's. Both excellent and the Strixaderm goes through American Medical Association testing. I have read through the information on the products you mentioned, but what I found was probably as inconclusive as what YOU found. That is why I really like cosmeceutical and dermaceutical products. They are based medically. That is not to say that what you buy in the traditional cosmetic industry is not effective, but the way it is tested is more airtight in my mind. General test findings can be left open to interpretation too easily. Medical ones cannot. My advice to you would be to try to use a multi-pronged attack. Use a proven ingredient like Retin A, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and so forth to remove the dead cells and trigger new ones to be born. Keep your skin well nourished so those cells stay plump with water and reflect light during their transit to the surface. And most importantly: protect your skin with a daily SPF. Drink as much water as you can manage every day and try your best to get 7-8 hours of sleep. Simplistic advice, but if we could all follow it, science has proven that it really does work.

Cheers Diane,
John

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