Skincare Junkie: An Expert Assessed My Skin, And Everything I Thought I Knew Was Wrong

Hello friends, this is the start of a beautiful journey.

I know I have a gift of talking like I know everything, and most of the time I do. My love and interest in skincare leads me to believe I know a thing or two about skin, mine in particular, but I am well aware that I am in no means an expert. Not even close.

I’ve mentioned before that I suffered with acne in my early teens, so unless we count my brief encounters with my GP, I’ve never had my skin properly assessed. I decided it was time for this to change, and was lucky enough to be invited into Renew Skin Clinic in Dublin for my first ever skin consultation with the real experts.

This article will be the first of multiple in my Skincare Junkie mini series – my skin journey with Renew Clinic. In this post I’ll tell you all about the consultation process so you know what to expect, and also what I learned about my skin from the amazing ladies in Hatch Street. Time to learn some things.

The Renew gals have good taste.

Before my consultation, I was asked to fill out a form so that my dermatologist could learn more about my skin history. So things like medication history, skin issues, my biggest concerns, and also the products I use.

I was lucky enough to be seen to by the lovely Nicola, who gave me the harsh truth I needed about my skin. Things that I thought I already knew about my skin were debunked quickly – I don’t have normal skin, I’m oily af apparently, and although I’m blessed enough to rarely be affected by a breakout, I’ve serious discolouration – freckles (but did I mention I was in sunny America for the summer?), redness, and the early onset of rosacea. AMAZE.

Unfortunately for me, getting perfect skin isn’t as easy as popping into Nicola and getting a facial. Nope, I have to go off and change my routine all together, swapping out some of my favourite products for new ones recommended to me. Scary, but with the new found trust I have in Nicola and the Renew gals, I’m feeling up to the challenge.

They sent me home with four products that are essential for improving my skin: Image’s Clear Cell Active Cleanser that I’ve to use every morning and night (containing salicylic acid for my gorge oily skin), SkinCeuticals’ Serum 10 Antioxidant that I’ll apply every morning to protect my skin from environmental damage, Image’s Prevention + SPF 32 that I’ve to use every day to protect against those harmful sun rays, and lastly, Image’s MD Restoring Youth Repair Creme, a retinol I’ve to use nightly as an anti-ager.

I’ll incorporate these products into my everyday routine for the next six weeks before I go back to visit Nicola in Renew Clinic to have her assess my progress and tell me if I need any more intense treatments (fillers, anyone?).

As mentioned previously, this is the first of a few updates i’ll be giving you on my skincare journey. I’ve inserted some pictures below of my raw, current skin condition, and will let you know how I get on after my next visit to Renew.

SO #EXPOSED.

Keep an eye out for more updates on my skin journey, it’s going to be a good one!

Follow Renew Clinic on Instagram @renewclinicie for some top skincare tips and fab deals.

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