Beauty Q & A with John Gustafson

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

John,

I've got a big dilemma with make-up - I'm allergic to it! When I put it on my eyes water and go puffy, my nose goes runny and I get a dull headache from it. And this is obviously not a good look! It's really getting me down, as not wearing make-up isn't really an option for me. I'm 21 years old and really need some kind of alternative to ordinary make-up! I've tried to do some research on it, but can't find anything out there for it. Please help; this is a woman's worst nightmare!

Katherine

 

Katherine,

Crap! I have a couple of suggestions. Evidently, there is an ingredient that is common to a lot of make-up that you have a problem with. What you didn't mention was whether or not this was when you used eye make-up, foundation, etc. Silly question but have you done an elimination process to see if you can wear just eye make-up, blusher, foundation, or whatever on its own? If so, was it ALL items of make-up you had a problem with? If not, at least we have a starting point. Next, have you tried to use the new mineral make-ups? You can now get every piece of make-up needed to enhance/cover/colour in natural chemical-free alternatives. I would have thought adding single items of mineral makeup would have pinpointed problem areas. Even if this only gave you a base and a blusher it would be more than you have now. But I wouldn't have been surprised if you couldn't get all the way through to lip colour this way. An organic make-up range such as Dr. Hauschka could be another variation. I have recently been experimenting with their range and am really impressed with the textures and the pigments. Lastly, you should go and have a set of proper allergy panels run. This should be covered by the NHS and would tell you any and everything you are allergic to. You may have quite a list OR you might find as I said above: there is a common ingredient that is problematic. At least you will know. And then you can try to locate products that work around this. This isn't the first or last time I have run up against this, but if you persevere and do a little gradual experimentation, you should be able to find makeup that will allow you to play and express yourself.

Good luck,

John

 

Hi John,

 A few weeks ago you recommended Dermatix for scar reduction.  I have a small scar on my nose, which is raised and red, and I am very self-conscious about - usually it needs concealer even to answer the door to the postman!  However I purchased Dermatix on your recommendation just over a month ago and I have used it religiously twice a day for just over three weeks (even on my ski trip!).  I have to tell you the improvement is very impressive - the scar is much flatter and a much more uniform colour to the surrounding skin.  I am going to continue to use it for another couple of months but even now I am happy to go to the gym with no make up on the scar!  Thanks very much for the recommendation.

 

The question: - I suffer from a continuous problem of pigmentation on my cheeks (caused I believe by a particular contraceptive pill I took in my twenties) I control it with strong sunscreen and various pigmentation creams (I am currently using the Clinique one).  However I am thinking about paying for IPL treatment.  Do you have any experience of this and the results?  Any advice appreciated!

Many thanks and best regards

Linda

 

Linda,

Thanks for letting me know about the Dermatix! Great little product and I agree, I myself would have been happy enough with my initial results - but am thrilled by the extended ones! So on to a pigmentation problem, eh? Nasty stuff. And you are most likely right in thinking it was triggered by a birth control pill. But I am not sure IPL will be the best treatment. IPL is really good for evening out pigment, but when I enquired about using it myself, they said my larger areas of pigment (mine is spread across my forehead) might not completely even out. I was recommended to have micro-dermabrasion instead. I have not had either done, so I cannot speak to you from my own experience. I can only tell you that the person who made this recommendation is one of the top cosmetic dermatologists in the USA. That doesn't make him right though. If it were me, I would pay for a consultation with a really top UK guy like Dr. Nicholas Lowe and see what he has to say once he has looked at YOUR pigmentation and assessed all of the other variants of your complexion. Sort of sounds like I am copping out on you...but I am not. Honest. Some people are more suitable for different treatment options and this will be an investment in both time and money. It is best to go to an expert - even if you don't have him carry out the treatment. So that is my honest advice. I know people who have had both done and have seen tremendous results, but go into it with your eyes open and make sure the treatment you opt for is the most likely to give you the results you are paying for!

All the best,

John

 

Dear John,

I am a fair skinned 23-year-old ski instructor who tans only very slowly. I work in Europe and New Zealand, and given the high levels of UV light I am exposed to, for the past few years I have relied on heavy SPF 50 sun screens to protect my skin. (I add a light layer of Mac foundation and Benefit "You're Bluffing" powder over the top to even out my skintone.) I have tried both chemical and mineral sunscreens, but I find that both tend to irritate my skin, or are uncomfortable to apply and wear. If neither of those, they sometimes smell pretty unpleasant! So I am wondering if there is an alternative to heavy sun creams, that goes on quickly and lightly and smells pleasant but still will protect my skin from the ageing and carcinogenic effects of the sun - it would be a bonus if I could use it around the eyes, but if I need to buy a separate product I would be interested to know what eye creams you think would be appropriate. (Like Charlotte, whose email you answered in your column a week or two ago, I also suffer from hideous under eye circles!)

Thank you so much!

Juliet

 

Juliet,

Well done for being an informed and conscientious young lady. I wish everyone was as diligent as you - you will be so pleased later on that you took the time and the effort. I myself have a problem with pigmentation so I do not ever leave the house without a pretty nearly full sunblock. And since I have an oilier skin, weight is an issue for me as well. One product you might like to look at is Dr. Lewinn's SPF30 Face Lotion. I know this doesn't sound that high, but it is an Australian product and goes through a more rigorous testing. They are not allowed to claim any sunscreen higher than an SPF30 without a prescription. But this product has actually tested much higher than that. I can't really say more than that without getting myself into trouble! But my personal arsenal of sunscreens contains Shu Uemura Extreme SPF50 (very lightweight cream without the horrid whiteness), Clarins Ultra SPF40 (more liquid and I DO use it around my eyes - rightly or wrongly - and without any problem), and Chanel SPF50 (again, liquid and easy to apply make-up over). Becca has a fairly new chemical free oil-free mineral sunscreen/primer with and SPF30. Great product, but I personally don't like the scent. I say scent rather than smell because it is not what you would have expected. The scent is a sort of coconut almond smell. A lot of my clients love it...I don't! LOL. For the eyecream: best to let things be specialised. I wouldn't expect a high sunscreen from an eye product. The Strixaderm S.O.S. is the best recommendation I can give. American Medical Association trials proved a 60% reduction in only 4 weeks. You can't ask for much more than that. Maybe once you have used a bottle, you could use Clinique All About Eyes as a maintenance product. It is a really nice product and is less than half the price. Take care and keep up the good work Juliet.

Best,

John

 

 

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