As we are in the full swing of summer, when it isn’t raining that is, protecting our skin from the daily ravages is more important than ever. Below are 5 tips to keep your skin looking radiant all through summer.

• Keep hydrated H2O for life I don’t know about you but when I don’t drink enough water I feel my lips shrink like a raisin and my skin looks dull. So it goes without saying drink plenty of water for hydration and the advice regarding the amount is to be guided by your own thirst levels but aim to drink more when exercising and if it is a particularly hot day.
• Peel it! Increase the rate of skin turnover by having chemical peels which encourage your skin to slough off dead skins and accelerate skin turnover which leads to fresh dewy skin. As we age our skin cell turnover decreases from about 28 days up to 50-100 days depending on age. When old skin cells remain on the surface it gives you that dull grey appearance.
• Practice a regime The old adage, cleanse, tone and moisturise is outdated advice. We know that we need to cleanse and moisturise our skin and then protect with an SPF. Toners can dry out the skin and upset the PH balance of the skin.
• Wear a physical sunblock every day Few people realise the importance of the effects of sun damage on your skin and in fact research has shown that sun is more damaging to skin than smoking! SPF is used to protect our skin from UVA and UVB rays. Using a physical sunblock will reflect these rays off your skin and a high quality sunblock should contain titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide. Avoid chemical sunblocks as there is research to show that they contain hormone disruptors and although they are FDA approved I would be weary of using a chemical sunscreen. Make sure to use on those grey days as we know UVA penetrates through windows.
• Feed your skin  Hydration alone isn’t enough to plum up your skin, we need results driven skincare products to really nourish our skin and make it look dewy and glowing. Eating a diet full of Omega-3 Fatty acids will help at a cellular level and It is important to invest in products that are suited to your skin type and concern.

1) They are unregulated in the UK

Dermal fillers are completely unregulated and can be bought without a prescription, meaning potentially anyone can buy them and start injecting them. Medically trained professionals should be the only ones to administer fillers as they have the appropriate medical knowledge should something go wrong. Increasingly more and more beauticians are carrying out these procedures with sometimes disastrous consequences. Industry leaders are currently lobbying to change this.

2) Some fillers are made from animals

Did you know that fillers used to be made from the skin of cows and also from pigs. Thankfully nowadays temporary fillers are the most common type of filler and are made from hyaluronic acid which is a naturally occurring sugar molecule found in the body and so less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

3) Dentists are one of the best professions to inject fillers

Dentists have studied the head and neck region in depth and give injections into the mouth on a daily basis. They also have the appropriate knowledge should any adverse reactions occur.

4) It can be virtually pain free

It can be achieved in a virtually painless manner using skin numbing cream or local anaesthetic dental blocks. Those patients who report pain during procedures were probably not given a dental block.

5) Requires artistry

Filler requires artistic skills and you may want to research your practitioner’s website page for images of before and after treatments they have performed or check their social media accounts. As we are often recreating lost volume or restoring anatomical features an in-depth knowledge of the anatomy of the face is critical. Correct proportions should be followed and when they are not followed it can be easy to recognise who has had filler treatment

You might have heard people say they have botox to stop them from developing wrinkles. But how much truth is in this? A lot it turns out. First let’s get to the basics.

Why do lines develop on our face?

We all use facial expressions to smile, frown and show surprise, the constant use of these muscles causes the skin to wrinkle, young skin with good amounts of collagen and elasticity will bounce back. But did you know that as you get older you lose this collagen and elasticity in your skin this in turn creates the lines or wrinkles that do not disappear when you relax the muscles in your face. How quickly this happens depends on environmental and genetic factors

How does an anti-wrinkle injection (aka botox) work?

If we think of a scrunched up piece of paper the longer it has been laid flat the less folds it will have but if someone keeps scrunching that piece of paper then more creases develop. That is how skin over muscles acts. If you reduce the activity in the muscle by injecting a small amount of toxin it stops your skin from crinkling and therefore your wrinkles disappear.

Can it prevent wrinkles from forming in the first place?

Yes if the activity in your muscle is reduced your skin won’t crinkle up and lines won’t appear.
Once a wrinkle is already formed however, depending on how long it has been there, it may take more treatments for it to disappear.

Can I naturally stop my muscles from crinkling?

Yes, Kim Kardashian famously once said she tries not to frown or smile too much to prevent wrinkles from forming. Now we all use facial expression in our everyday life as that is what makes us human, but if we train ourselves to stop frowning so much less wrinkles will appear. That is how preventative botox works, as you get used to the feeling of not moving the muscles on your forehead, you tend to activate the muscles less meaning less anti-wrinkle treatments in the future.

Is it safe?

Yes, botox has a well recorded safety profile and has been used for over 30 years. It was originally used to treat problems with eye muscles where it was accidentally found to reduce wrinkles.