Exactly How Much Of Your Skincare Products Should You Be Using? We Asked The Experts

Guilty of lashing on the moisturiser? We've all been there.

We know there are certain products that are absolutely essential for great skin, but does anyone really know exactly how much we should be using? We asked Jeanette Dunne, aesthetic nurse specialist at Renew Clinic, just how much product we need and what exactly they do that’s so great.

Sunscreen: 20 cent coin

“A sunscreen’s function is to protect the skin from UBA and UVB sun damage,” explains Jeanette, but what should you be looking for in one?

“SPF 30 is the perfect factor once it has physical sun protection properties zinc oxide and titanium oxide,” Jeanette confirms. “Stronger SPFs tend to have a lot of chemicals added that can cause irritation and outbreaks on the skin.”

But your moisturiser has SPF in it. Won’t that do just fine, you ask?

“Most moisturisers tend to have SPF added but it needs to be a SPF 30,” Jeanette explains. “Anything lower won’t give adequate sun protection. As for SPF in make-up, by the time the product has been through the manufacturing process it’s not really as effective as it should be.”

Moisturiser: 10 cent coin

You lash your moisturiser on with wild abandon because the more the better when it comes to treating that dry, scaly patch of skin, right? Wrong.

“We all have a certain amount of oil in our skin and we really don’t need to add great quantities of oil to it as this will cause more breakouts, congestion, blackheads and inflammation in the skin,” confirms Jeanette. “It will also suffocate our skin leaving the skin barrier impaired and stopping our own natural hydraters working. So less oil on the skin except if you are post-menopause then you can add a bit more oil.”

Basically? Opt for oil-free with SPF 30 thrown in – and don’t use half the bottle each morning.

Serum: 5 cent coin

Serums are packed full of highly concentrated ingredients, and that’s why a little really does go a long way. “They have small molecules that allow them to penetrate healthy skin very easily making them a very effective way to reduce inflammation in the skin and deliver anti- ageing properties where they can be most effective,” says Jeanette.

For the best results? Apply it straight after cleansing. This way, Jeanette explains, “it will go straight into the skin with nothing to block it.”

Eye Cream: A grain of rice

The function of eye cream is to “hydrate the delicate tissue around the eye area and to reduce puffiness, fine lines and dark circles,” says Jeanette, but will any old eye cream do? Um, no.

“Active ingredients are vital,” Jeanette explains. “Vitamin A also know as Retinol in a low dose works on fine lines and dark circles, while Vitamin C is great for hydration and fading dark circles also.” But, Jeanette warns, “the skin around the eye is thin so don’t over do it.”

Active Treatments: Pea

You’ve got a little magic bottle that brightens the skin, another that claims to delay ageing and a third that’s hydrating, but, uh, how the hell do you use them?

“Active ingredients heal and repair the skin, combatting problems like acne, congestion, enlarged pores and wrinkles, and they are used mostly at night time as we sleep,” explains Jeanette. Her go-to is Vitamin A, AKA Retinol, but, she warns, you should only use small amounts and build up from two times per week.

“Vitamin C is another go-to active for the skin,” she adds. “It will reduce inflammation, reduce pigmentation and act as a scavenger in the skin mopping up all the free radicals. Again it’s quality over quantity. You will need a L ascorbic acid of 10 percent upwards to see results and the packaging process is vital to maintain vitamin C as an active working ingredient for the skin.”

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