The Skin Nerd: These are the skincare questions that people ask me the most

Please do keep the questions coming and enjoy the start of the fresh new chapter which is 2025!

What are the basics of a good skincare regime?

An effective daily skincare routine should involve a three-pronged 360 approach: inside (diet, supplements, mindset), outside (skincare) and on top (SPF / mineral makeup).

At The Skin Nerd, we recommend a daily routine built around a nourishing cleanser, a serum to hydrate and an SPF to protect against the sun’s UV rays.

Anything you add after this will then be determined by your specific skin type but could include an active treatment cleanser to be used every 2/3 nights or a barrier-boosting cream to be used for extra moisture when necessary.

What are your skincare mantras?

• The skin is an organ – so always treat it with respect and take a 360 approach to achieving maximum skin health.
• Apply SPF daily – 365 days a year. Exposure to UV radiation accounts for about 80% of facial ageing and more importantly, puts you at risk of skin cancer, so protection is essential whatever the weather!
  

What is the one skincare ingredient you can’t live without?

Vitamin A is my skincare hero and essential for healthy skin. Not only does this ingredient repair DNA damage, reduce oiliness and tackle pigmentation, vitamin A is celebrated for its ability to boost youthfulness by helping to reduce and prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Can you get rid of fine lines and wrinkles?

If you already have wrinkles, there is not a lot you can do to completely get ‘rid’ of them, apart from invasive cosmetic procedures.

Feeding skin from within is important, and research has suggested that nutrition and taking selected supplements may help to delay signs of skin ageing and improve skin conditions.

When it comes to skincare, vitamin A is a game-changing ingredient that can repair DNA damage, and therefore looking for formulas including this ingredient can make a real difference to the look and feel of your skin.

When should you consider getting a tweakment?

Tweakments are personal to everyone. If we consider extrinsic and intrinsic ageing, we have a number of variables that are dependent on every individual, such as levels of sun exposure, lifestyle and genetic factors.

Although we associate signs of ageing with UV aggression, we should also consider lines of expression or wrinkling depth, as well as keratoses or lentigines (age/sunspots and freckling). Skincare experts commonly look at two scales - the Glogau Scale, which assesses wrinkle depth and the Rubin classification which assesses the severity of solar damage to the skin.

These scales allow a more in-depth consideration of the depth of skin ageing.

We typically find that prevention is better than cure, so topically we need to consider skin health and how we protect it, for example by using sun protection and incorporating Vitamins A, C & E and antioxidants into your skincare regime.

We can then see if we can improve skin health with treatments such as chemical peels.

We should be aware that tweakments such as fillers and Botox alone will not improve overall skin health, it should be a 360 approach.

What are the most common mistakes you see when it comes to people and their skin?

• Over-exfoliating: Harsh exfoliating scrubs can damage the skin barrier and so I always recommend an exfoliating acid, which provides a gentler and more effective mode of boosting skin renewal.
• Thinking you only need sun protection when it is hot. SPF is required all year long with no exceptions.
• Using facial wipes to remove makeup – wipes do not clean the skin thoroughly, leaving makeup and dirt behind to cause congestion. They can also dehydrate the skin, causing redness and irritation!
  

Today versus Payday: Intensive Day Creams

• Today - BareMinerals Butter Drench Intense Moisurising Day Cream, €36

Comfort and care for dry skin with this luxuriously rich face cream.

Enriched with the brand’s Intuitive Mineral Moisture™ Technology and skin renewing shea butter, this restorative day cream relieves that tight, uncomfortable dry skin is accustomed to and instantly hydrates for softer, plumped skin. I love the buttery texture, which always feels like an extra treat in the colder weather.

• Payday - Elizabeth Arden Prevage Day Intensive Anti-Aging Moisture Cream SPF30, €165, boots.ie

On the pricier side of the scale, this multi-defense moisturiser incorporates advanced Idebenone technology to shield the skin from environmental stress. Also including broad spectrum UVA / UVB sunscreens, this nourishing day cream helps to minimise sun damage and reduce the signs of ageing including discolouration and wrinkles.