Niacinamide...why I love it plus a bonus pigmentation lesson

I started using niacinamide (topical vitamin B3) when The Ordinary first brought out their products and I practically purchased all of the range.

Little did I know, I had actually been using niacinamide for far longer, I just wasn't aware of it because it wasn't "trendy" a few years ago. I had actually been using La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo Plus which has the triple whammy of salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide and niacinamide. This tackles acne from all angles - unclogging the pore, reducing inflammation and improving the health of the skin and its ability to heal, as well as improving any pigmentation caused by the acne.

Why I love it

1) It is amazing for acne - it helps to regulate the oil flow in the skin, thus, allowing your protective barrier to remain in tact (the barrier can be damaged by harsher products like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide), but also reducing the risk of pore clogging leading to comedones and spots. I particularly like The Ordinary's formulation as it is combined with zinc, another great anti inflammatory product which is an amazing gentle help for acne

Which leads onto point 2...

2) Niacinamide boots the production of ceramides ( a natural fatty component of skin which almost acts like scaffolding to hold the skin cells together). If you imagine your skin as a sieve, throughout the day and night your skin wants to leak all the lovely things that keep your face looking plump and hydrated. This leads to dryness, dullness, and loss of plumpness. Thus, we need to do as much as we can to close the holes in the sieve in order to keep all the good stuff in. Niacinamide is awesome at that.
Because of this, it is also great as a buffering agent underneath any product that may cause irritation, such as peels, retinols etc. It is also compatible with pretty much every other skin care active (ignore the historic belief that vitamin C and niacinamide should never meet), making it great for layering.

3) Pigmentation buster.

Pigmentation can be tackled at 3 points.

• Prevention of production of melanin by the production cells - known as melanocytes. The melanocytes are stimulated by UV rays and in some cases, even by heat and visible light, mainly delivered to the skin via infra red rays 
• This can be done by:
• Blocking the UV rays from stimulating the melanocytes (i.e. sunscreen - see my favourites here) and blocking free radicals which cause DNA damage via antioxidants such as vitamin c (best as Ascorbic acid)
• Via agents such as hydroquinone (or natural derivatives such as arbutin), kojic acid, and azelaic acid which block the action of tyrosinase (the enzyme responsible for kick starting the melanin production process)
• Prevention of transfer of the melanin to the surface of the skin (the keratinocytes)
• Removal (exfoliation) of the pigmented area from the surface of the skin using AHA's and retinol to boost the turnover of the skin

Niaciamide acts on the second aspect. Whilst it has no activity on the melanocytes themselves, it can stop the transfer of the melanin to the surface of the skin, thus blocking pigmentation. In fact a study in the British Journal of Dermatology found that niacinamide at only a 2-5% concentration gave a 35-68% inhibition of melanin transfer, leading to decreased hyperpigmentation and increased skin lightness in only 4 weeks. 

4) Decrease of lines and wrinkles - Niacinamide boosts collagen (plumpness) and elastin (firmness) so you tackle this from both angles. As mentioned above, it also allows your skin to tolerate stronger active ingredients, especially higher concentrations of retinols, so this allows a double whammy on anti ageing front

5) Skin dullness fixer - as an antioxidant, this can work in the same way as vitamin C to restore brightness to the skin

Simple.




Mentioned paper

Br J Dermatol. 2002 Jul;147(1):20-31. The effect of niacinamide on reducing cutaneous pigmentation and suppression of melanosome transfer.

SPF review - mineral(ish) wonders for sensitive and acne prone skin

Hi. My name is Michelle, and I am a tan-aholic.

I love being tanned. I think the issue stems from the fact that summer, when I have a glow and some colour, is the only time I ever receive a compliment (get out the tiny violins). My tan is something people envied and aimed to achieve (mostly resulting in my boyfriend looking like a lobster).

The issue with this is that the sun is BAD, but the more compliments I got, the darker I wanted to be.

Sadly, this has caught up with me now I am hitting 30.

Whilst I have always been able to use any body spf (I have tried many but always go back to the Boots Soltan range, as there are very few highstreet suncreams that have 5 star UVA protection as well as stable photofilters (believe it or not, some chemical filters can actually degrade on exposure to sunlight, so what started as an SPF 30 can rapidly become an SPF 0). Similarly, the range works well for my heat rash prone skin, and is generally hypoallergenic.

I also love the different formulations including the “once” range. I do however take this with a pinch of salt and always reapply every few hours because even if you do not towel down after swimming, you are probably moving around on your towel, or resting your book somewhere and rubbing off the protection.

My face however is a different matter. I HATE putting suncream on my face. I can put up with the texture because, as a product obsessive I am used to perpetually being slightly sticky. What I cannot deal with is the eruption of bumps and spots that occur just a day after using it.

Thus it has become my mission to find a facial sunscreen that does not do this.

As I mentioned in my “wait that line wasn’t there yesterday” post  my research showed that physical filters were the way to go.

1.           The formulations in which they are placed are generally designed for the face (because most people’s bodies can tolerate chemical filters/less elegant preparations) and therefore less likely to cause issues   
2.       They provide superior UVA and UVB resistance, they are photo stable and they cause absolutely no irritation to the skin because they are made of minerals.
3.       Most people are turning to physical filters because the standard SPF’s are causing skin issues – heat rash, sensitivity, acne, eczema etc

So my next quest was finding a good one.

I have tried, compared and taken photographs of 5 mineral based SPF’s and documented it for you. The photographs are EXTREMELY honest, taken in various lighting situations (including glaring sun, soz for squinting), with no photo editing so you can see exactly what they look like, because the issue with mineral filters is…they are very white when applied. This is fine if you are just in your back garden, or in fact very pale, but in order to be placed under make up, or not look like a ghost on the beach, this white cast needs to be minimal

ELTAMD: UV Clear Facial Sunscreen SPF 46 - For Skin Types Prone To Acne, Rosacea & Hyperpigmentation – Tinted

Initial application

Great. Really smooth. Surprisingly so. I imagine there is some silicone in here which makes it go on much nicer than any mineral sunscreen I have ever used.

No white cast at all. Tint is nice, the pigment concentration is low so is just enough to take away the white-ness of the mineral sunscreen but not enough to cover anything.

Sun exposure

No burning, no irritation

Water resistance not great – I went for a run in this and most had disappeared from my sweaty top lip before I got home. It does not claim to be water resistant so this is fine

Otherwise, gives a matte appearance to the skin

Reapplication

Reapplies very easily. No pilling, no build up. On my roaccutane ravaged skin however, it did get a bit dry by the end of the day so I would need a good moisturiser underneath.

Removal

Easy. No need to discuss further

Skin reaction

Absolutely none. No clogging, no spots.

Verdict

8/10 – tint could be a bit darker, would prefer it was pure mineral filter vs physical and chemical, but the chemical filter does not seem to cause me an issue at all

ELTAMD UV Pure Water-Resistant Face & Body Physical Sunscreen SPF 47

Initial application

Exceptionally smooth going on. Can barely feel it after a few minutes. Goes on very white but it disappears fast and just gives a slightly dulled down/mattified appearance to the skin

Sun exposure

No burning, no irritation

Water resistance very good. I have not swum in this but even if I did, I would reapply afterwards. No movement on sweating either.

Reapplication

Reapplies very easily. No pilling, no build up. No increase white cast

Removal

Easy. No need to discuss further

Skin reaction

Absolutely none. No clogging, no spots.

Verdict

9.5/10 – This is as close to perfect as I could find. It is just slightly drying but I am happy with this because the alternative is an overly moisturising oily formula which will lead to breakouts.

SkinCeuticals Protect Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF 50

Initial application

White. White white white. This does dry down slightly after 10 minutes but will still look white. If you are pale then that’s fine but anything darker than Snow White will cause an issue.

Sun exposure

No burning, no irritation

Water resistance poor. Unfortunately as you sweat the white pigment rolls away with it. Also, if you swim, wipe your face then reapply, it will leave a white build up around the eyes where you haven’t quite removed it before reapplying.

Reapplication

Reapplies easily but you get more white cast as you go

Removal

Still easier to remove than chemical sunscreen but not as easy as the EltaMD. I had to use an oil cleanser just to be sure.

Skin reaction

Absolutely none. No clogging, no spots.

Verdict

6/10 – No breakouts and no burning but you do look like a ghost. Fine for in the garden, not so much for anything else. Make up does apply nicely over it as it leaves a smooth base but it may affect the colour of your foundation.

Immediately after application - inside

Immediately after application - sunlight view

Avene Tinted Mineral Fluid SPF50+

https://www.escentual.com/avene/avene0131/

This is about a high of an SPF that you can buy in the UK. Due to EU regulations our products cannot be labelled as more than an SPF of 50 even if they may provide more. This is because, theoretically, the difference in sun protection between a 50 and a 70 is so minimal that it may appear like false advertising.

Initial application

Great! Not as smooth as the eltaMD products so I had to use a little more than normal. Tint is great, it is undetectable in fact even on my skin with a slight tan, it just looks a bit more matte.

Sun exposure

No burning, no irritation

Water resistance seems OK but would definitely need reapplication on serious sweating

Reapplication

Reapplies easily

Removal

Seems easy enough to remove

Skin reaction

Absolutely none. No clogging, no spots.

Verdict

8/10 – No breakouts and no burning but not as nice to apply or reapply as the EltaMD. Tint is good and slightly more pigmented than the EltaMD

Bioderma Photoderm Mineral Spray SPF50+

Initial application

Very smooth but VERY white. Whiter than any of the other mineral SPF’s I have ever used. You could definitely use less but then are you getting the proper coverage?

Sun exposure

No irritation

Water resistance is great

Reapplication

You will look like actual Casper the ghost. Far worse than the SkinCeuticals. So comical in fact I didn’t bother taking a photo

Removal

Pain in the arse. Had to do a double oil cleanse and then my regular Cereve with my Foreo

Skin reaction

This feels so lovely and silky on the skin but would definitely cause spots and clogged pores on me as it is a much heavier, stickier formulation. This would be lovely for a drier skin as it goes on super smooth. No fragrance and no nasties, but not oil free

Verdict

3/10 – Will break me out, hard to get off and BEYOND white.  It is also worth noting, this made my fringe feel DISGUSTING, unlike all the other mineral sunscreens which actually act a bit like dry shampoo!

6 weeks Roaccutane (Accutane/Isotretinoin) free

Thought I would do a little update for you now it has been about 6 weeks since finishing my Roaccutane. This seems to be the agreed amount of time that the drug takes to clear from the body (although some of the side effects can last much longer, all of it has been metabolised and cleared now).

Skin dryness
Dryness has almost completely gone. My lips were back to normal by week 2 and any dry patches of skin from using products that were too strong have now completely gone. My skin is still combination.

Skin reactivity
The ferocity to which my skin reacts to products seems much reduced. My tolerance to retinols and acids has definitely increased.
I have not noticed and increase chance of burning from the sun, however I am being VERY careful - hat, sunglasses and SPF 50.

Joints
Knee pain has almost completely gone. I was lucky to never suffer from back pain but did have a significant amount of neck and shoulder pain and this reduced a lot, especially between weeks 4 and 6. My foot and ankle pain/ache is the only thing that is remaining but that has also reduced significantly.

Spots
I got my first spot around 4 weeks after being off Roaccutane. Turns out I was also due on my period! This came and went within a few days. Panic over. The issue with Roaccutane now is that people are put on it for much less severe acne than they were 10 years ago. If you have full face, severe, cystic acne, then an improvement for you will be much different to someone who gets 5 or 6 spots a month.
Because the 5-6 spots a month group are now being put on Roaccutane, the expectations for an "acne cure" are much higher, but this is not the reality. You will still get spots however they should be less frequent and less severe. 


The pictures below are me now. No make up. No filter (as always).

As those who work in hospital or in a dental surgery will know, there is no more honest, or less flattering light, than what they use in a dental surgery or hospital. I thought this would be a good light to show you my skin because you will see it, warts (/scars) and all. 

My skin care routine

AM

1.       Non foaming cleanser (I used antibacterial, anti acne, anti anything good for the skin    cleansers for years until a dermatologist told me this is the worst thing you can do!) I use Cereve hydrating cleanser, or cetaphil. Both super cheap from Boots
2.       Hyaluronic acid serum – I use the one from - The Ordinary hyaluronic acid and B5 serum  
3.       La roche posay effaclar duo plus – this has salicylic acid, niacinamide and benzoyl        peroxide which are the 3 best acne and pigment fighting ingredients
4.       Skinoren 20% azelaic acid cream - just around my chin and lips where I have comedones and pigmentation
5.       Oil free moisturiser – this is key. I have a post on my blog about my faves and I tend to rotate between them. I mix this with the ordinary 100% L ascorbic acid powder (which is pure vitamin c). This will work on the marks left behind by the spots, it also acts as a bit of a skin protector from UV
6.       SPF in summer (if you spend any amount of time outdoors or in the car in daylight you will need this year round, I spend most my time in a basement of a hospital with no natural daylight). I’m trying a few new ones out at the moment and will be doing a blog post soon

PM:

1    

1.        Cereve cleanser with my Foreo Luna mini
2.        AHA/BHA toner (unless I am about to follow with a stronger retinol) 
3.        Niacinamide serum (I love The Ordinary 10% niacinamide and zinc serum )
4.        Oil free moisturiser if I am using a higher strength retinol to buffer
5.        Retinol. I have a post on my blog (the “wait that line wasn’t there yesterday) with my       favourites. I had to drop down the The Ordinary Granactive retinoid 2% due to my skin    reactivity but am now up to 0.5% retinol in Neostrata Retinol NAG

Are your hair care products causing your acne?

As a little follow on from my hair care post, I thought it was worth mentioning that acne, particularly around the edges of the face, the jawline, and body acne (bacne) can be caused by hair products.

I found myself last year with a constant crop of little bumpy spots on the left side of my neck and a few more on my back. It made no sense as my face was clear. It was only as I stood in the showering pondering this issue, that I realised, whenever I apply hair conditioner, I do it by pulling my hair to one side (the left). Similarly, I plait my hair when in work (far less breakage than tying in a pony tail, and far more comfortable than in a clip or a bun), and the tail of the bun lies on the left side of my neck.

I also found that when I was allowing my conditioner to sink in, and then wash it out, my hair was always sat along my back.

So…easy tips for eliminating yet ANOTHER potential cause of your acne:

1. When applying conditioner, flip your head forwards, or lean so it is well out of the way of having any contact with your skin
2. If you are allowing your conditioner to soak into your hair, put a shower cap on, or at least tie or clip your hair out of the way. This applies to men too if your hair is long enough to require conditioner.
3.  Try not to lean forwards while conditioner is sitting in the hair as this can allow it to drip down the face
4.  Always cleanse your face and body  once all the hair faffing is finished. This will ensure that no product which may have come into contact with your skin is left on there
5. Also consider your shampoo and styling products. I have taught you to avoid SLS, foaming agents, fragrance etc in your skin care, however if shampoo or styling products are used with these products, and you are reactive to them, then an acne flare up is inevitable.
6.  If you have a fringe, apply your skincare before you dry it. I say this because once your fringe is dry and styled, you will be very hesitant to mess it up by applying skincare under it. This means that a large portion of your face will be missing out on the skin care ingredients it needs. I also use copious amounts of dry shampoo so that oil from my hair is not transferred to my forehead and vice versa    
7. Once you are out the shower, give your body a spritz with an anti-bacterial zinc spray – my favourite is La Roche PosaySerozinc
8. When applying heat protection/anti frizz spray to wet hair, ensure your body is covered, either use a towel or do when clothed. This will mean none of the product gets on your body causing irritation
9. If using styling and finishing products - especially those which give shine or have oil, try just to apply to the outside of the hair, rather than the bits that come into contact with your neck/back. Smooth over the top layer and leave the underneath - which no one can see anyway!
10. Finally, if you finish with a hair spray, or anti humidity spray, cover your face. It may seem silly, but especially if you have a fringe which you desperately want to stay in place, or stay straight, a lot of the product will end up on your skin. I literally hold a towel close to my face, flip my fringe over, and then spray. Your skin will thank you for the extra 30 seconds of work. You can also scare your boyfriend/family members in the process

Supplements - what to buy and what to REALLY not buy

Following on from my previous post about diet changes (read here) there are certain supplements I now take that have definitely improved my health, improved my skin’s ability to cope with what I make it do (Roaccutane, retinols, peels, life).

I have never really believed in supplements, I was always of the philosophy that if you are deficient in something then your diet must be unhealthy.

I still believe this to a massive degree, e.g. vitamin C, iron, magnesium etc but there is no in harm in giving the body a hand in a helpful way especially if you are going through a time that puts physical stress or you have done something/going through something which alters the body in some way e.g. roaccutane, antibiotics, chemotherapy, colonic hydrotherapy, diet changes.

After my first colonic session, Jackie recommended various things to me to improve the health of the gut. It is important to say that colonic hydrotherapy does not “strip the gut of bacteria” or wash out everything. Quite the opposite, it simply removes all the crap (literally) and allows a clean and neutral environment in which you can introduce good helpful things without the unhelpful things getting in the way. Before I started looking into all things diet, I took a combined multivitamin and probiotic.

The problem with this as it turns out is that 1) the probiotic was not in the right form, the right bacterial count  or in the right carrier to actually do anything 2) multivitamins are pretty much pointless.

The issue with multivitamins is that your body processes it like a drug. Anything taken orally is already absorbed at a very low level because of the digestive process, add into this a foreign capsule shell and a load of chemically synthesised vitamins and the amount you absorb is negligible. Effectively you just pee it out.

So…I now take a probiotic with 7 or 8 different strains of gut bacteria with 30 billion bacterial count at expiry. The expiry bit is important as many probiotics will state they have significantly more than this but then do not state how stable the carrier is etc. Yes they are expensive but yes they make a massive difference AND MOST IMPORTANTLY  do not need to take them every day until the end of time unless you are on long term antibiotics. 30 days is enough to colonise the gut with enough bacteria for them to then continue to multiply by themselves (as long as you are eating well, minimal alcohol or medications etc).

The second thing she recommended was something to replace the multivitamin aspect. I now take either chlorella or spirulina ( you can get a huge pack for about £5 on ebay – I have linked some below). These provide all the vitamins and nutrients a normal healthy (ish) person will need on a daily basis. INCLUDING the buzz word of the moment “magnesium” – which everyone seems to herald as the miracle cure for everything. Both supplements are made from green leafy plants which have simply been dried and crushed. For this reason your body processes it from food, so not only does it contain everything you need, your body actually stands a chance of absorbing it. Interestingly they have more iron than beef, more potassium than bananas and more calcium than whole milk as well as protein, zinc AND Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, C, D, E, k AND all 8 essential amino acids that the body does not synthesize. Sold yet?

I also take hyaluronic acid capsules which helped immensely during my roaccutane treatment. I bought one bottle and could not see a massive difference, I then stopped taking them and within a week my flaky skin had upped its game and the dry-PVA-glue skin was back.

Vitamin D3 is a new one. I thought I would give it a go after Dr Sam Bunting recommended its use especially being on Roaccutane and avoiding the sun like the plague. Vitamin D is a tricky one as the levels set for appropriate levels are a cause for contention. In the UK where we see the sun for about 3 hours a year, pretty much EVERYONE will be vitamin D deficient compared to these levels yet only a small proportion will have symptoms of deficiency. This being said, I found myself in February feeling ill, sluggish, unmotivated. Whilst I have days like this sometimes, I am very much a bounce-off-the-walls-with-energy kinda girl, and this awful feeling had been going on for months.

A week into taking D3 and boom, I was back to having to jog on the spot in work to release the extra energy I had. A month later and I still feel that way (much to my nurse’s annoyance as she has to careful work around my jogging with the dirty instruments)

As I say, not everyone will need it, but I leave the house at 6:45 in my car, go to a leisure centre until its time to go to work, drive the 2 minutes from there to the hospital, work in a basement level in said hospital for 8 hours, then drive home. Whilst I am very active, little of this activity takes place outdoors, so my vitamin d levels were probably rock bottom despite my efforts to eat well.

Omega 3, 6 and 9. This was especially important during Roaccutane treatment as it hammers your liver risking change to fatty acids and triglycerides in the body. My good cholesterol levels were 3 times the level of a normal healthy person and were even slightly higher by the end of treatment. Now yes you can get these from eating fish, but my boyfriend hates fish so while I still eat it, it is not at a level that will provide enough.

I prefer getting mine from vegan sources (flaxseed etc – which I also add to my porridge), see below

Heliocare care ultra capsules are my latest addition. Sun safety is obviously hugely important but with Roaccutane treatment your skin is extremely sensitised so while I am now careful in the sun and wear my high SPF’s etc, anything that can boost the body’s ability to protect and repair from UV damage is obviously a good thing.

What NOT to take

Separate tablets for every nutrient. Unless you have severe dietary restrictions then you really do not need as many nutrients as Instagram tells you you’re missing.

Your body cannot absorb collagen through tablet form, the molecule is too large, so don’t bother taking those .

Vitamin c to prevent a cold – absolutely no evidence for this, there is some anecdotal evidence that increasing vitamin c intake during illness might help speed up recovery but you are FAR better doing this through food than you are through supplements

Please DO NOT BUY COD LIVER OIL. The liver is the filtration system of the body. The sea is full of the rubbish that we have put in there, including the much feared mercury, so the liver will also be full of this. Concentrate this down a few hundred times to give the potency of a cod liver oil capsule and you’re doing far more harm than good. Krill oil is far better, you want the oil that has come from the flesh not the liver.

Perfectil. Biotin is the only proven supplement that will increase hair and nail growth/strength. This issue with this is that it makes ALL hair grow quicker and stronger. Your upper lip wax will be getting moved to weekly rather than monthly. That’s all I’m saying. If you don’t suffer with this, just buy plain Biotin rather than spending your life’s savings on Perfectil or branded ones. Whilst this is the only supplement that alone will help hair and nail growth, having the right amount of amino acids and fatty acids will also do the same job. You're covered there by the chlorella/spirulina and the omega oils

Food substitutions – just a quickie.

As I found I was intolerant to most sweeteners, but did not want to use sugar, I found this was the best to use. It takes the same as sugar, is not gritty, does not have an after taste like pure stevia, and causes no bloating.

Natvia All Natural Sweetener

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/291614360

Protein – my first blood test for Roaccutane showed my albumin was towards the lower end of the range, and having not scored low on a test my whole life, I wanted to fix this. I REFUSE to take the disgusting stuff they have in the gym and fitness shops. It is absolutely loaded with garbage – sweeteners, enzymes to break down the protein, flavouring etc etc so eventually I found this. I use the soy one, but they also do a hemp and a brown rice protein too in case anyone has soy allergies . Please note, these do not taste good, hence why I use sweetener. The plain soy is completely inoffensive, it just does not taste of anything. The cocoa brown rice one STAY FAR AWAY.

Pulsin Soy Protein Powder

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/pulsin-soya-protein-1kg-60006973

I also now use almond milk in my cooking etc as I needed a dairy free alternative. Its also great to use in curries etc as well as in the obvious porridge. I have tried several that taste like actual soil but this one is great

Alpro Almond Roasted Unsweetened Fresh Milk Alternative

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/275067782

Supplement links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Udos-Choice-Super-8-Probiotics/dp/B0036E5KG6

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hyaluronic-Acid-Capsules-250mg-High-Strength-and-100-Pure-Supplement/112813220964?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vitamin-D3-5000IU-x-150-Caps-MAX-Strength-Bones-SAD-Immune-System-Lindens/322481059234?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255431548

http://www.zestbeauty.com/heliocare-ultra-capsules-30-capsules.html

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suma-Bagged-Down-Organic-Linseed-golden-organic-1kg/182948960066?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Bloat be gone. My diet - past, present and future.

Another requested one

My diet is a topic I have tackled from both health and bloat/skinvanity perspectives.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have always had issues with my skin after eating chocolate. It would be like clockwork, 24-48 hours after said chocolate indulgence, *poof*, a mountain range of spots would appear around my mouth.

After being told by many GP’s that chocolate does not cause acne, I did my own research and found that in fact whilst dairy, and iodine found in dairy, does not cause acne, it certainly can trigger it or worsen it. At this point I cut out dairy almost entirely and ta da, I noticed a significant improvement in my skin. If I must have chocolate I try and have dark (as it’s the milk that is the problem not the cocoa) or, and this is the more likely option, enjoy all the chocolate and just accept I will have spots in a few days (I avoid this option if I have a big even in said upcoming days).

Funnily enough, years later, we are now being told by every “health coach” and nutritional “expert” out there that dairy is the devil when it comes to acne.

I have suffered from IBS since I was about 16 so bloating was nothing new to me, but this was about all the diet modifications I made until last year when a dose of norovirus left me....digestively challenged.

It was at this point I decided that action need to be taken, and being one for  not doing things by halves, I booked to see a dietician and a colonic hydrotherapist.

The colonic was an enlightening experience. There was no pain, neither physically or mentally. My therapist (Jackie Turner, who I now see every 4-6 months, link below) was welcoming and knowledgeable. The process took around an hour for the first session as it required a history and explanation of the procedure. Said “procedure” involves body-temperature water entering the colon, and leaving the colon again with the rubbish your body cannot effectively get rid of itself. There is no “pump”, the water is in a tank near the ceiling, and enters the body through a pipe via gravity alone. 

Your body then ejects the water through its normal peristaltic action, so there is nothing being forced; it works naturally with the body.

To make some sense of the anatomy, your colon empties in the bottom left corner of your abdomen. It travels upwards towards your ribs, turns 90 degrees and twists to run horizontal to your diaphragm then turns again (in a more gentle manner this time) and runs down to join onto the small intestine.

You can in fact aid your own bloating by massaging in a circle from your right hip bone, up to your ribs, from right to left of your ribs and down to your left hip bone. This is the path of digestion in the large intestine

At the first session the water was only able to get halfway along the transverse colon, so a second session was needed, which took round 30-45 mins. In this session the water was much more quickly able to reach the first portion of the ascending colon. After these 2 sessions I felt light as air. There was some slight cramping and discomfort the afternoon after my second session but immediately the bloating disappeared and the pain under my left ribs vanished (this is where the descending colon twists and becomes the transverse colon, so if this area is blocked rib pain occurs, I thought it was just my bra digging in!)

At the same time, I had been researching solutions to me continuous bloating. Various things appear on Google including food intolerance testing.

This is where it got complicated. There seemed a million different companies offering various ways to tell you what foods you were “allergic” or intolerant to. The most common way was through a pin prick of blood which you drew at home and sent to a lab/placed on a strip which then changed colour. The blood is supposedly tested for levels of IgG (an antibody produced by the body in response to pretty much ANYTHING which isn’t itself).

According to NICE guidelines (the body that basically makes guidelines for anything medical – they are the rules we abide by as dentists and doctors), the only true detector of food allergy is IgA. This is the antibody produced in response to pollen in hayfever sufferers, bee stings, insect bites and to peanuts in those with a true peanut allergy. It leads to swelling, redness, watery eyes, runny nose etc. Yes you can test for this, but you could still be intolerant to a food without being allergic to it.

Therefore I disregarded any of the IgG testing method.

There is also something called “kinesiology” where a therapist places a food item on the body and pressing on a muscle. If the person is stressed by the food, the muscle will unlock (go weak) whereas if there is no stress involved, the muscle will remain locked (strong). Personally, if a blood test for IgG antibodies is deemed not a reliable method of intolerance testing, then I believe even less strongly in the ability of this method to truly detect a problem.

So....off to the dietician I went to be led on the FODMAP elimination diet. It is worth noting that while technically you could do this yourself, even with my science background it was difficult to get my head around. Similarly, nutritionists or nutritional therapists cannot introduce the FODMAP elimination diet as their professions (unlike dieticians) are not subject to any registration and so their level of education is not regulated.

The premise is, that certain carbohydrates stay in the digestive system long enough to start fermenting. This is great for the body as longer digestion = more calories burnt, more nutrients absorbed, feel full longer. However, this fermentation produces gases which lead to bloating.

FODMAP stands for the food groups which you have to eliminate.

Before seeing the dietician, the only pre made food I ate were cinnamon Quaker oats sachets and the “natural” pea snacks from Lidl so I thought I was going to get off pretty easy with not having much to eliminate. I was wrong. There were a plethora of fruits I had to eliminate, no gluten, no lactose. This was relatively easy compared to having to delete onions, garlic, nuts, soy and celery. Turns out they put this in EVERYTHING. Meatballs, sausages, lea and perrins, stock, gravy. It also means you pretty much cannot go out for food because even though they may cook something with no sauce (although frankly what’s the point of food without sauce when you’re paying for it!), they will probably have involved seasoning or stock at some point so it just wasn’t worth the effort or in fact embarrassment of being “that” customer.

Cutting a long story short, you cut these out for 4-8 weeks (depending how long it takes for the symptoms to go), then you introduce the big 3 (onions, garlic, leek) individually then the food groups. Turns out I am intolerant to:

sweet potato (a massive bummer as I was having this every day)

broccoli - only if eaten every day or in combination with other trigger foods such as sweet potato 

gluten (I can live without it and will take the hit if it’s a home-made cake)

sweet corn and corn cakes (which I thought would be better for me than rice cakes, turns out not!)

lactose (I sort of assumed this from the acne reactions), especially in cheese and cream forms

apples and dried fruit or in fact anything high in fructose

beans and peas – although fortunately hummus in small amounts is fine

sweetener other than sucralose, stevia and erythritol. I can also have aspartame but won’t because of the negative effects it has

As a by product of this FODMAP elimination diet, which technically is only designed for reducing symptoms of IBS, I lost 2 kilos, and my skin completely settled down. I did not have a single new spot the whole time I was on the diet and any bumps or scars I had completely calmed down.

Here is a before and after. I managed to dig out the same clothing in an effort to try and keep the 2 images as similar as possible. Bear in mind, there are no filters, no fake tan, no posing, no lighting modifications because I am not an Instagram model, I am a real person and I want you to see the difference in reality, not from one pose to another.

I have written a shorter post on the supplements I use/food group substitutes I use so stay tuned for that

Link to colonic hydrotherapist:
http://gardenofhealth.co.uk/

And dietician: http://www.ckennynutrition.co.uk/

The Ordinary product review. Nothing ordinary about it.

I genuinely believe this is the best range I have ever tried. The carrier systems and feel of the products may not be the most sophisticated but I love them as:

 1) you know what concentration the active ingredients in (which quite frankly is the only bit of the product I care about)

2) the active ingredients are in a stable form – you can find plenty of products on the high street with active ingredients such as vitamin c (cough Aldi cough), but as soon as you mix them with water the ingredient is no longer active and effective

3) the packaging is appropriate for the product i.e. dark glass for vitamin c products to avoid UV oxidation AND mostly recyclable due to the use of glass vs plastic

4) they are mega affordable so if you skin does not agree with a certain ingredient you have only lost a fiver

I have tried A LOT of products from the range so will do a quick rundown of my favourites, and some that I have used but may not be repurchasing

Product	Pros - Why I liked it	Cons
Hyaluronic acid and B5 serum	Cheapest way to get good quality hyaluronic acid into the skin	It is a bit sticky. This is not a problem if you only layer a moisturiser over, but I have found if you layer it over niacinamide or use a vitamin c powder mixed with the moisturiser it will causing some pilling
Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%  Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% Solution	Pleasant to use, no stinging, no grittiness so good to apply makeup over. Dark bottle to avoid oxidation	I did not really see any results from either of these products so swapped to a higher concentration
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate Solution 20% in Vitamin F	Feels lovely to apply.	Oil base so this was donated to my mum who has a drier and non acne prone skin
Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%	Great for resurfacing and brightening	Doesn’t feel great to apply, gritty. This does go after 5/10 mins as it absorbs and warms to the skin, but you would probably want a primer if applying foundation over
100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder	This is my current form of vitamin C. You can make it as potent or diluted as you like. Minimal tingling. No gritty feeling.	I find it works better mixed with a moisturiser vs a serum as sometimes it does not dissolve fully in a serum and leaves white patches on the skin. The problem completely disappeared when I mixed with moisturiser.
Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion	Lovely product. Lovely lightweight serum, did not cause any peeling or irritation. I did not even need to use a moisturiser over this	None I prefer this formulation to the Granactive Retinoid 2% in Squalane
Granactive Retinoid 5% in Squalane	Great product, you skin feels like silk in the morning.	This caused absolutely no irritation or breakouts on my skin however I had to switch to oil free products for my comedones, so this got moved to use on my neck only. My neck cannot seem to tolerate the higher strength retinols that I use on my face, so this is perfect
AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution	This may well be my favourite product from the range. The concentration of the acids is great and is the highest performing mask of this kind that I have tried. Glass skin ahoy	It burns and tingles. Beware if a first-time user of acids. Start with leaving it on for just 2 minutes and work up slowly. When you’re mad like me, you can even run your foreo over it at the end of the 10 mins to activate it further
2% Salicylic acid serum	2% is the percentage you need for it to have a true pore cleaning effect, so this is perfect	I prefer my la roche posay effaclar duo as it provides the triple spot fighting whammy with salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide and niacinamide so I stick with this to avoid having to apply 10 different products
100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil	Lovely texture, absorbs quite quickly but can also be layered to do a massage or for a healing boost. I had a burn from a product (too strong a retinol) on my neck and this was the only thing that solved it and stopped it being sore and itchy. If you do not have any pore blockage issues this would be great to use on the face too	Doesn’t smell great, which actually is fine by me because I do not want added fragrance in my products.
Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA	Lovely simple moisturiser. No oil, no fragrance. Great for cuticles and nails too (tip from Mr Truaxe himself)	None
Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%	Great concentration of the actives. The added zinc is also great for my acne prone skin. No irritation	If you layer this under hyaluronic acid, make sure you only use a small amount of the niacinamide otherwise the hyaluronic can leave little white patches, however these disappear as soon as you layer over a moisturiser.
Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG	If you are at all prone to puffiness – going through a break up, massive Chinese food binge – slap this on the night before and again in the morning and it’ll disappear. The other wonderful benefit of this product is it can be mixed into other things. For example, when I’m on a real summer kick, after dry body brushing my legs (which I do daily) I mix a good squirt of the caffeine solution into my body cream and slather on for some skin firming action	This is drying (it’s kind of the point of the product) so I apply this onto clean, dry skin, let it absorb for a couple of minutes while I brush my teeth etc then layer my eye cream or moisturiser over the top
Lactic Acid 10% + HA	Lovely texture, easily absorbed, good resurfacing	For some reason this worsened my acne. I am lactose intolerant but that is a digestive thing so shouldn’t have affected the skin but either way, I stopped using this and donated.

In summary, my must haves are the aha bha peel, the caffeine solution, vitamin c powder and niacinamide. For beginners, I would definitely get the hyaluronic acid serum and the retinoids.