Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

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

Hi John,

I'm 27 years old, but I still don't know what skin type I am. I have oily skin on my forehead and nose, but suffer from random dry flaky patches of skin on my cheeks, around my mouth and sometimes my nose too.
I have tried several exfoliators but they tend to dry out my skin and make the dryness worse and unfortunately even the lightest moisturisers make my skin feel and look like an oil slick!
I have now given up with any form of foundation, as this also seems to make my skin patchy and flaky. Are there any products you can recommend that will make my skin less dry and more even looking?

Thanks in anticipation,
Jo

Jo,

Your skin is severely out of balance. I think you are treating only one of the areas of your skin rather that treating it as a whole. If you are over-cleansing, the areas that have the ability to produce oil will get more and more oily. But the areas that can't? They will get patchy and dry. Exfoliators are often even more aggressive than the cleansers, so everything you are saying makes perfect sense. The only problem is that to solve all of this will take a huge dialogue, and me knowing everything you are currently using and how your skin feels immediately afterward. I CAN tell you that you need to find a moisturiser that gives you hydration instead of oils. Probably the most logical solution is to have a skincare consultation with someone you can trust. An independent advisor would be the best, as they are not trying to sell you anything. But you could go to a reputable skincare counter and ask for advice. If they immediately start telling you that you need to buy tons of products to get sorted...walk away. See if they are willing to give you samples to try before buying. Or go and have a facial at a place that uses more than one single brand. That way you are more likely to get a therapist that will give honest advice. Above all, be really honest with them about your skincare habits. They can't help if they don't have the entire picture. They will have heard it all before! I offer this sort of service at Fenwick of Bond Street, but there is quite a long waiting list for appointments. You can ring my assistant on 020 7409 9823 and see if you can get in on a cancellation. There is also another independent person there named Frey-ja Barker. I trust her with clients if I am unable to see them soon enough. You can get her by ringing the store on 020 7629 9161. I wish I could tell you everything you want to know here, but hope you can understand that it is a little more complicated, and I don't want to just tell you to go get this, that, and the other, and have you waste money again.

Warmest regards Jo,
John

Hi John,

I'm 30 and have suffered from acne for 18 years. I have had just about all the treatment available on the NHS including Roe Accutane. I've been getting bad breakouts again for the last year, I think mainly due to stress. I started using MD Formulations products in March this year, which have really helped, but as I have some debts now I can't afford to buy the products again. I am using their Facial Cleansing Gel, Glycare Acne Gel and Moisture Defence Cream. Do you know if there are any cheaper products containing the same ingredients on the high street?

Thank you,
Louise Hilton

Louise,

I really sympathise with you. The problem here is that the ingredients you need are expensive and need to be regulated in borderline medical products like MD Formulations. If they were sitting on any old chemist shelves, people who don't need them and don't understand how to use them would be slapping them on and risking damage. The companies can't take that risk. If I were in this situation - and I have been in other instances - I would try to afford the main product and surround it with a less expensive option. The Glycare Acne Gel is the one you should try to budget for. A non-stripping cleanser and a more basic moisturiser would be my suggestion. It may also be that you need to have another course of Roe Accutane. It usually clears the problem with a single course, but in some people...a few years down the line, they need to repeat. A low dosage that is shorter can often solve the problem. Maybe only for a while, but for the short term. I think you need to go see your doctor and get his/her advice. I know one woman who will be on it for the rest of her life or she almost immediately breaks out in deep and painful cystic spots. Not the most pleasant problem OR solution. I hope this will help you. This may be a case of juggling your outgoings to afford something that is making a difference to the way you both look and feel.

Good luck,
John

Dear John

I have a stubborn deep cyst-like spot on the side of my nose which, having squeezed in March (naughty I know), healed very nicely with the application of tea tree oil and lavender. Alas, the dreaded thing has returned and I want rid of it!!! Can you suggest a product to shift it please that is ok to use on my face?

Alice

Alice,

I have great luck myself with a Dermalogica product called Special Clearing Solution. It uses several previously prescription only ingredients to treat blemishes and is really really effective. You can use it several times a day and it doesn't dry out the skin. There is another that I tried recently by Philosophy called On A Clear Day that I also have found to work well. You can also use it on the entire face as an occasional treatment. And in the next few months, StevenVictorMD products are bringing out little clear sticky patches that you wear when you go to bed. The ingredients are of a medical grade and go straight into the skin where the patch is being worn. They will be available for only select outlets and I have not heard where those will be yet. You can check them out on stevenvictormd.com.

Tara,
John

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