Re:face

Me, experiencing and practicing Connective Tissue Massage on my course.

A big thank you to Anne Bramham from for making the trip from USA to share your knowledge and experience with us. ❤️

….or CTM focuses on connective tissue release or fascia release (CT and fascia are the same thing)

Connective tissue does exactly what the name implies - it CONNECTS us from the top to the bottom and to every square inch of EVERYTHING in between!

Think of it as a huge network of fibres ranging from tendons to microscopic threads all TOTALLY connected to every part of your body; skin, muscles & organs…

Imagine a large spiders web - when something touches the outer part of the web it is felt by the spider sitting in the centre.
Your fascia is the same - by working on the skins fascia we can affect the whole system because it is all linked.

CTM is a powerful tool for natural skin rejuvenation by opening up connective tissue, increasing the fluid flow and circulation, which in turn, allows your body to heal itself by stimulating the PARASYMPATHETIC nervous system - where your body initiates rest and repair.

- induces deep relaxation
- naturally rejuvenates the skin
- helps scar healing
- stimulates circulation
- sculpts and tones the facial muscles

Microcurrent technology uses microamps (between 40-600uA)
This teeny weeny electrical current accelerates the production of ATP - your call energy and also stimulates the movement of positive and negatively charged ions within the skin to improve cell to cell communication (yes, your cells really do talk to each other 🤯)

Microcurrent treatment follows the Arndt-Shultz Law which states that the use of low dose stimuli is considerably more healing than high dose stimuli.
This rule applies to medicines, lasers, other energy based therapies and even hands on massage!

We see better results by whispering at the body - not shouting!

This is why you don’t feel the current during microcurrent treatment and can completely relax.

Using probes or conductive gloves (my preference), with microcurrent, allows the therapist to sculpt the facial muscles by holding them in the preferred position: Bringing the origin and insertion of the muscles closer together for toning (e.g. zygomaticus muscles of the cheeks for lift) and stretching them apart to relax (procerus & corrugator in between the brows)

I can incorporate this method into my 60 or 75 minute treatments.

This client has been self conscious about her skin for most of her life and along the way has tried lots of skin brands and had regular facials.

It wasn’t until she started seeing me for treatments and switched to that her skin REALLY changed for the better.

This beautiful skin has been achieved from monthly facials and consistent use of a corneotherapeutic skin care routine.

You could describe this as “glass” skin but absolutely NO physical or acid exfoliation 🚫 has touched this face - just a once a week, super gentle, enzyme mask.

Regular Dermaviduals products used:

➡️ Cleansing Milk
➡️ Moisturising Toner
➡️ Hydrating Lotion
➡️ OM Ointment
➡️ Enzyme Mask (weekly)

Some fantastic examples of how HYPO21 works on all things inflammatory 🙌🏼

If you know anyone who suffers with:

Eczema
Rosacea
Dermatitis
Acne
Psoriasis

Share this post with them!

I’m excited to see how HYPO21 can help my clients.
Even with systemic conditions like eczema and psoriasis when combined with products I can really help you to keep them under control.

HYPO21 targets inflammation and healing and Dermaviduals repairs the skin barrier for long term, effective control of dermatic conditions. ❤️❤️

I’m thrilled to have found this AMAZING product! 🙌🏼

After a couple of fellow therapists were raving about HYPO21 to me I wanted to find out more as it sounded like something that would fit brilliantly with the kinds of skins I deal with the most.

HYPO21 is the first ever MHRA (medicine and medical device regulator)
Pure Hypochlorous - HOCL - solution

HOCL is produced naturally in your white blood cells and forms part of the skin response to infection/inflammation. It is antimicrobial and initiates healing.

Applying pure hypochlorous solution topically, boosts the immune system and helps greatly accelerate the healing process.

Suitable for ALL skins including children and helps ANY skin issue associated with inflammation and/or infection.

DERMATITIS
peri-oral/contact/seborrheic - all!
ECZEMA
ACNE
PSORIASIS
ROSACEA

DM me for more info if you are affected by any of the above ⬆️

Updated prices and opening times from April.
As most of you know I will now only be working until 5:30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of 8:30pm.
Link to website in bio

My turn! 💆

The Dermaviduals cleansing milk is part of the “DMS” range, which stands for Derma Membrane Structure i.e. they contain the five primary components of your skin barrier:

1 - phosphatidylcholine
2 - ceramides
3 - Triglycerides
4 - Squalane.
5 - Sterols

No surfactants
No emulsifiers
No preservatives
No harsh cleansing agents

Just ingredients that will restore and replenish your skin, while efficiently cleansing - even waterproof eye make up.

Dermaviduals is only sold through skin therapists like myself - we are not allowed to sell online but I offer virtual consultations for anyone interested in Dermaviduals or Corneotherapeutic skin care.


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This is what the lovely said after her last treatment. Steph has been seeing me pretty much monthly for 7 years!
I think the trick is that I always keep a record of what I do during each treatment and try and use different massage techniques and modalities each time so clients don’t get the same thing over and over - instead they are pleasantly surprised each time as they’ve forgotten how good it was from 4 or 5 months ago! 😅 From time to time I ask if there’s anything particular they want me to do during the treatment but mostly clients are happy to mix it up. 🤗

Loving my new neon sign by

It’s what lots of my clients say, with a big sigh, as they come through my door. 😄

Whenever I’m in a treatment I’m always mindful of every aspect of the client experience. From the weighted blanket, heated bed, music playing to keeping quiet when I want the client to relax as much as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I love a catch up with my clients when they come and see me but I try and keep the chat at the beginning (client depending of course!) saving, at least, the last half hour for quiet relaxation.
You’re welcome 😉 😴😴😴

If you’ve never heard of Myofascial release then I urge you to look into it if you have any aches/pains or any body imbalance - which, obviously, is everyone! 😄

Last year I had a few one-to-one treatments with which I found to be both profoundly helpful but also pretty spiritual experiences. ☺️ It is the kind of treatment that allows you to let go, both in the physical sense and on an emotional level.

I’ve just finished a 4 week course of Self-Myofascial Release with Alex and it has been invaluable in teaching me to be able to manage my aches and pains at home - I had been suffering with tennis elbow for around 6 months and this SMFR has dramatically improved the symptoms so hopefully with a bit more self massage it can eliminate it completely.

I love it so much I’m looking into ways to incorporate the techniques into my own treatments to help release facial fascia tension - some of my other treatments already do this, such as; Gua Sha, Thai poultice and my Face Workout but watch this space for further developments in this technique! 👀

Alex is Cheltenham based so if you are in the area check her out!

In recent years the saying “you are what you eat” is being proven over and over to be absolutely true - not least when it comes to your skin.

What we ingest provides the building blocks of all the cells in our body so we literally are what we eat!

Your skin acts as a window into what’s happening on the inside- from the yellow hue created by liver problems to rashes induced by eating foods you may be allergic to.

Generally speaking, there isn’t much hard scientific evidence to prove that changing our diet in certain ways improves skin problems because its so difficult to eliminate other mitigating factors that would affect this kind of study and also due to the huge costs of creating large scale studies.
BUT there are soooo many personal stories and well tried and tested adjustments that - without a doubt - help people with skin issues.

Mostly these involve avoiding foods that increase inflammation and eating more of the things that reduce it!

For me and my mild rosacea it’s dairy and sugar. What’s your food trigger?

Really loving this fascinating book by .lyman

The Remarkable Life of the Skin - an intimate journey across our surface:

Discussing everything from the multitude of skin functions that keep us alive to traditional tribal skin markings.

Ultimately it’s a story of being human written through the lens of our most visible organ.

“The skin is our wall and our window”
Monty Lyman

It’s been super mild over Christmas but when the cold weather comes don’t forget to use the same method of “layering” of your skincare that you use for your clothing. ❄️

Like your clothes, skincare should change through the seasons to adapt to your changing skin needs.

Start with the lighter layers underneath, building up to the thicker /heavier layers over the top.

- Start with WATER based serums or leave on spritz
- follow with moisturiser; WATER/OIL combination
- finish with OIL based serums or balms to seal everything in and help reduce TEWL (TransEpidermalWaterLoss)

If you have any questions or more advice on winter skin let me know. 🙂

Little bit of a redecorating going on here. New colour by and shelves by

Don’t miss out on 20% off on your (mostly Osmosis 😉) products from Get Harley!

Offer valid until November 30th.

I just love seeing these kind of before and after photos.
I used to not take pictures of clients skin unless it was a more serious skin issue but even “ok” skin can become amazing skin with the right product choices.

My lovely client here just uses the Cleansing Milk and Hydrating Lotion - that’s it!

If you compare the images it has minimised breakouts around the chin, helped heal the dermatitis around her eye area, reduced her visible pores and blackheads, eliminated the area of redness either side of the nose and generally made her skin look beautifully clear and glowing.

THIS is what happens when your skin doesn’t have to process ingredients that are NOT compatible with your skin.

Dermaviduals only uses skin compatible ingredients:

- no emulsifiers
- no fragrance /colouring
- no amines
- no silicones
- no preservatives
- no thickeners
- EDTA
- no PEG’s
- no phenoxyethanol
❤️

As of December 1st the Dermaviduals products will be increasing in price.

Since I took on Dermaviduals 4 years ago the price has pretty much stayed steady with very little increase.

Sadly lots has happened since then to drive costs of ingredients, manufacturing and shipping up so prices have had to increase.

Dermaviduals has always been excellent value for money and it absolutely still is by far the best in terms of formulation, and as a result, best for the skin, that your money can buy.

Products are up by @ 15%

From left to right:

Osmosis L- Mandelic Acid powder for in-clinic treatments such as the Osmosis Facial Infusion

Dermaviduals Treatment Gel - an at-home product moisturiser with Salicylic Acid for congested skin and comedones.

Dermaviduals Salicylic Fluid for at-home or in-clinic treatment.

Osmosis Polish - the amazing smelling Lactic Acid & Cranberry mask for in-clinic and at-home use.

Alpha & Beta Hydroxy Acids are KERATOLYTIC which means they chemically break down the physical bonds that hold the keratinocytes (skin cells) in place.

Common AHA’s include:
Glycolic
Lactic
Mandelic
Malic

AHA’s should always be used with caution - preferably with advice from a corneotherapist or skin specialist - and only ever on skin that has a healthy barrier so time should be spent preparing the skin and making sure it’s in the best condition to achieve the best results from any acid use.

The one Beta Hydroxy acid is:
Salicylic which is different to the others because it is oil soluble and can work well when used on oily skins especially those with open comodones.

AHA’s on the high street are often advertised as being a specific percentage but the action of the product is highly dependent on the pH of the product: lower pH = more acidic = more potent.

I will post about specific acids in later posts as they are all different and serve different purposes and skins!

😅

Enzymes in action!
My gorgeous client with enzyme mask on having just had a lovely relaxing head massage.

You can also buy the Dermaviduals Enzyme Kit from me which includes enough enzyme powder for 8-10 masks, bowl and brush for mixing and application.

Enjoy best in a nice warm bath 🛁 or add a little bit to your cleanser for a quick pick me up.

Enzyme Kit £25

I usually use one of 2 types of exfoliants in my treatments:
Enzyme or Acid.

They are both effective exfoliants but work in different ways and depending on your skin one may suit you better than the other.

In this post I’ll cover ENZYME exfoliants.

This type of exfoliator is definitely more gentle on the skin but by no means inferior!
It is actually my favourite…

Enzymes are PROTEOLYTIC which means they BREAKDOWN and DIGEST the skin cells and desmosomes (the bit that links skin cells together) in the outermost layer of skin. They do not impact the lower layers where skin cells are still acting as part of the skin barrier.

Results are immediate as the proteins of the cells are digested and washed away.

Really great option for ALL skins including rosacea/active acne/inflamed.

The enzyme mask is my go-to exfoliant for many of my treatments - it not only leaves the skin glowing but actually reduces redness and calms the skin.

You can get cleansers with enzymes in which can be good but my preference is a leave on enzyme mask as you can leave it on for longer for optimal results.

🍑🍍🧖‍♀️🍑🍍🧖🏾‍♀️🍑🍍🧖🏽‍♀️🍑

Dermaviduals Ambassador!
👏🏻👏🏻
Since I took on Dermaviduals 4 years ago I can honestly say my attitude to treating skin has changed dramatically. 👩🏼‍💻

The number one reason for this is Dermaviduals encouragement of a deeper, scorn knowledge 🧠 of the skin and specifically Corneotherapy.

This approach means thinking about products and treatments with skin cell function in mind.
This may sound obvious but 99% of skin products are not designed this way but are mainly designed with mass marketing and profit as their primary purpose. 🤯

Dermaviduals is the bar against which everything else is measured against- and it pretty bloody high I can tell you!

Thanks Donna and the Team at

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Eczema is a form of Atopic dermatitis (AD).
“derma” = skin,
“itis” = inflammation

To understand eczema we need to have some understanding of how the skin barrier works and the dysfunction that exists in eczema prone skins.

Our skin acts as a protective shield 🛡️ and is made up of skin cells (corneocytes) and lipid layers: - think bricks and mortar.
The uppermost layer of the skin is called the stratum corneum or “horny layer” which consists of compacted, harder skin cells - often referred to as the “dead” skin but is very much alive and serves an important protective purpose. 💪🏼

30% of eczema sufferers have a genetic deficiency in something called fillagrin which is the substance that hardens the upper layers of the skin and without it the skin barrier becomes “leaky” and weakened, allowing external factors to aggravate the skin more easily, which increases the levels of inflammation under the skin.

Think of an impaired skin barrier like a house with half its roof tiles missing - all the external things that wouldn’t normally be a problem like rain, snow and wind become major problems and can cause disarray and damage to everything under that roof. 🫣

The other thing that’s found in an eczema prone skin is a lower percentage of ceramides and intracellular lipids which is the moisture binding and protective “mortar” that lies between cells.

These things cause inflammation, 🔥 so when treating eczema the #1 thing to do is to continually supplement & repair the barrier with moisturisers 🧴 that contain skin-similar lipids and ceramides.

Make sure your moisturiser is high quality with plenty of natural oils.
Look for:
-ceramides
-triglycerides
-phytosterols
-squalene
-phosphatidylcholine
-plant based oils

is absolutely the best choice for eczema sufferers - see their list of ingredients for yourself on my second image.

Mineral oils (anything with petrolatum / paraffin in the name) create a temporary occlusive seal which can be helpful but they can’t replenish the skin barrier long term like natural plant based oils can.

Many of my clients will know that I just LOVE the podcast. ALL the subjects they cover with regard to nutrition are completely fascinating but the most recent episode called:
Skin Ageing and Acne
is (obviously for me) the best one yet as it covers:
- the link between skin health and gut health
- the skin microbiome
- collagen supplements
- acne and diet tips
- maintaining a healthy skin barrier
- how stress affects the skin
- and so much more!!

Do yourself a favour and go listen to this….I guarantee you’ll want to go through their back catalogue of podcasts after!