Tag Archives: skin advice

Three things you must avoid in your skincare

I think everyone that knows me and the Skin Essentials by Mariga philosophy of building great skin by nurturing the epidermis and it’s processes, is aware that we have three absolutes that you must avoid in your skincare:

Perfume, sulphates and essential oils.

The perfume and sulphates are easy enough to understand (perfume irritates skin, sulphates strip moisture) but often people are surprised that I include essential oils in that list – after all aren’t they natural?? (Yes – to plants!)

Find out exactly why the Skin Essentials way says no to essential oils in the video below:

Mariga x

Have you read Mariga’s book yet? ‘The Skincare Rules’ is packed full of simple, easy to implement tips that will help to get you great skin – for life!

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Cover of The Skincare Rules- how to have great skin for life by Wexford skin clinic owner and author Mariga Sheedy

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Clinical vs Home Microneedling

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It won’t come as a surprise to know that microneedling is my favourite anti-ageing treatment as I talk about it so much here on the blog and across all my social media channels!

The reason that I recommend it so highly is because it is natural, it works on all skin types and it can be used at any age and stage of ageing to prevent, and reduce, lines, wrinkles, loosening skin and all general visible signs of ageing.

Image from Skin Essentials by Mariga, Wexford showing 40 year old skin post microneedling

Read all about our exclusive Bio-therapeutic needling programmes

I always advise my needling clients to use a home roller along with their clinical treatments. The two are very different and are used for separate but complimentary outcomes.

Clinical needling is deeper (up to 1mm) and has some downtime of redness associated with it, usually 1-2 days. It is used to deeply stimulate skin structures, notably fibroblasts, to increase their output and act like younger cells. We focus on the correct depths to increase collagen production which in turn and over time tightens, brightens and firms the skin.

Home needling is a much shallower treatment, .25-.3mm maximum. This depth affects only the top layer of the epidermis and allows for deeper penetration of your products for maximum absorption and results from your recommended homecare routine. It also acts like a ‘reminder’ to the fibroblasts of the clinical treatments and furthers collagen production started in the treatment room. Twice a week at home is great and it takes just 5 minutes. Ideally, use our Hyaluronic+ Moisture Boost Serum with your home roller for a hydration boost. And remember, always buy your rollers from a reputable source! (We sell them here). Cheap online versions of anything are generally cheap for a reason. Never compromise with your skin, it has to last you a lifetime.

Read all about our exclusive Bio-Therapeutic Needling programmes for younger skin here

Have you read Mariga’s e-book yet? ‘The Skincare Rules’ is packed full of simple, easy to implement tips that will help to get you great skin – for life!

Own The Skincare Rules now on Kindle for €2.99

Melasma – tips to prevent & treat skin pigmentation

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Melasma is one type of pigmentation that can affect the skin of the face.

Melasma is a generalised darkening of the skin, often in a butterfly pattern, across the centre of the face and usually involving the upper lip area.

It can be caused by hormonal influences such as pregnancy or contraceptive pill or deep skin damage due to bad sunburn or aesthetic procedure.

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Watch the video to find out Mariga’s tips on the products that can prevent and reduce the appearance of melasma, treatments to fade surface pigmentation and when it can’t be helped.

For personalised advice and recommendations call our Wexford Town skin clinic on 053 9145981 to book The Skin Essentials by Mariga unique comprehensive skin analysis or use our online clinic service to arrange a distance skin assessment.

We look forward to helping you feel happy and confident in your skin.

Have you read Mariga’s e-book yet? ‘The Skincare Rules’ is packed full of simple, easy to implement tips that will help to get you great skin – for life!

Own it now on Kindle for just €2.99

The Skincare Rules by Mariga Sheedy

Scroll through our treatments and book in with us to start your skincare journey with Skin Essentials. We have a wide range of skincare treatments available as well as an effective range of skincare products seen in our shop.

Is your phone damaging your skin?

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Tips for neutralising blue light damage in your skin.

Did you know? We have a new source of free-radical skin damage to worry about now!
Blue light from your computer/mobile devices can have a negative impact on your skin. A recent report claims that four days computer time is the equivalent of twenty minutes exposure to the midday sun and that blue light goes deeper than UVA/UVB rays, accelerating oxidisation and damaging the vital skin barrier.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to bin your phone, just incorporate some simple tips to minimise the impact on your skin. For many of you, especially if you are already a Skin Essentials client, you will already be doing this so no change will be needed!

What is free-radical damage anyway?
Also known as oxidisation, free radical damage occurs when the skin is exposed to more biologically-stressing factors than it can effectively cope with. Our skin comes with naturally-occurring, in-built anti-oxidant capability but this can be easily overwhelmed in today’s world where almost everything we do, eat and apply adds to the oxidative stress load. Also, as we get older, these natural defence components of the skin reduce in concentration, meaning the older you are, the faster your skin will show damage from your environment. Yikes!

Of course, we have lots of help on hand for you in the form of topically-applied anti-oxidants that will offer immediate repair and also build long term strength to aid your skin cells in fighting the accelerated signs of ageing caused by free-radical damage.

Simply apply the advice below to drastically reduce the impact of blue light and other oxidants on your complexion.

1. Using a daily sunscreen with UVA/UVB filter and added anti-oxidants will protect you from blue light as well as sunlight. Another reason to make your daily SPF a last step in your skincare routine 365 days a year! Our daily SPF30 advanced protection cream will give you great protection while also supplying anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals.

2. Great ingredients in your skincare for repair are Vitamins C,A & E, green tea extract, dismutase super-oxide, niacin amide, ceramides, plant sterols. There are many, many anti-oxidants and the best approach is just like with your diet – get a variety for optimum skin health.

3. If you are over 35 your collagen will be breaking down faster then before so it is time to add a powerful serum full of ingredients targeted at helping the fibroblasts in your skin make and maintain good quality collagen for many years to come. Our Hydra Collagen Serum, used under your SPF, gives you added anti-ageing, anti-pollution, anti-oxidant, hydrating and collagen building goodness. No wonder it’s our best-selling serum!

4. Your skin also needs oil-soluble anti-oxidants to repair free radical damage in the vital lipid layers of the skin. Lipid Repair Concentrate is our stand-out facial oil formulated to repair and rebuild stressed, damaged and compromised skin. Use morning (dry skin) or at night (normal/oily skin) after your water based serum for complete skin repair.

5. Get anti-oxidants from the inside too. Help your skin to produce natural anti-oxidants. Eat a varied diet rich in omegas, fruit and vegetables. Keep hydrated.

6. It may seem obvious, but minimise exposure to blue light, direct sunlight and pollution where possible and protect well where it is unavoidable.

7. Avoid ingredients that can irritate your skin, causing a greater stress load on your cells. Worst offenders are perfume, sulphates and essential oils.

8. Make sure that your professional treatments are addressing your anti-oxidant needs. Tell your skin therapist if you spend a lot of time in front of your computer. The Skin Essentials Barrier Repair Facial is a great monthly facial to help reduce oxidative stress as well as the deeper lipid peroxidation that is the secondary stage of oxidative damage, and of course it offers barrier repair. All this and it’s very relaxing too.

I hope you find these tips helpful. Remember, at Skin Essentials by Mariga we are always researching and innovating to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information as well as practical solutions for all skin issues you might encounter, even ones you haven’t heard of yet!

Products mentioned can be bought from the Skin Essentials clinic in Wexford, or on our webshop. Need advice on choosing? Call us on 053 9145981.

Like these tips? Find much more on our blog, YouTube channel or Facebook page.

Read Mariga’s book – The Skincare Rules – for easy, everyday tips to help you get great skin – for life!

Available now from Amazon worldwide

Packing your skincare for holidays – what do you bring?

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My holiday skincare routine. I brought everything in my current routine and even mixed a new formula to test out!

I took the photograph above during a recent holiday, as unpacking my products on the first night got me to thinking about whether you can pare back your products for holidays or would that set you back in your progress?

Read on for my thoughts on packing your skincare products for different types of trips…..

Holidaying Abroad/flights: you can travel a little lighter if you want to but really as the Skin Essentials products are all concentrated and lightweight you shouldn’t need to. Recommendation: bring and use your usual routine. If you are flying away for your break, you will be happy to know that all of the Skin Essentials serums and the SPF are in containers sized well below the airline security maximum of 100ml so no worries there. The larger size creams and Salicylic cleanser will have to be decanted into smaller containers for flying. Going on the ferry? Great, bring everything 🙂

Festival: you get a pass from me on this one, just cleanser , a microfibre cloth and SPF will see you through 🙂

Backpacking/Camping: you probably need to pare back as much as possible if you are backpacking so bring cleanser, microfibre cloth that dries quickly, SPF and Daily Nutrient Serum to maintain skin while away then book an anti-oxidant repairing facial for as soon as you get back!

If you are dealing with any ongoing skin issues such as acne or rosacea you really should bring your full regime wherever you go as these are progressive treatments and missing out for even a few days can set you back. Don’t forget that SPF needs to be reapplied every 2 hours in hot weather to remain effective and that the more anti-oxidants in your skincare the better to help prevent and reduce sun damage. Your Skin Essentials by Mariga products are rich in multi-anti-oxidants, particularly the Lipid Repair Concentrate, Hydra Collagen Serum and Daily Nutrient Serum so don’t leave them at home where they can’t do you any good!

Enjoy your holidays

Mariga 🙂

Mariga’s skincare journey – a story of sticking to the skincare rules!

Mariga’s personal skincare journey – a story of compliance and commitment.

No deterioration in pore size and refinement in 5 years!

At Skin Essentials by Mariga we ask all our clients to take a big leap of faith with us. Namely, to trust that the advice and recommendations that we give you today will bear fruit long into the future.

Every product we recommend for you, every treatment choice and all of the lifestyle advice given are designed with the same result in mind – to give you gradual, progressive and sustainable results, for life!

Of course we take care of any temporary issues and conditions in the first few weeks to months of corrective skincare, but after that we have one eye always on the goal of anti-ageing.

Ageing gracefully, but very slowly, is our mission.

To help you to put this concept into real terms, I have made the video below to show you the results on my own skin of great daily skincare and targeted treatment choices, charted over a five year period in photos and numbers.

For reference, here is a typical day in my home skincare routine:

Morning:
Rinse with warm water and a microfibre cloth.
Apply Hydra collagen Serum (anti-ageing) mixed with a few drops of Hyaluronic+ Moisture Boost Serum (plumping and revitalising).
Follow with Skin Comfort Cream on days that I am feeling a bit dry or the weather is very cold.
SPF30 over the top.

Evening:
Cleanse with Skin Comfort Cleanser and a microfibre cloth.
Apply either a mix of Lipid Repair Concentrate/Skin Comfort Cream (to maintaining lipid balance and strengthen skin barrier)
OR
Overnight Repair Cream followed by Skin Comfort Cream (anti-ageing and repairing).

In winter I tend to go for the Lipid Repair 4-5 nights a week, with the Overnight Repair Cream the other 2-3. In the summer I switch it around.

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For clinical treatments I tend to keep it very simple. I am a big fan of microneedling for anti-ageing and have that done 3 times a year (after an initial course of 3).
I only exfoliate my skin a few times a year, and that tends to be if I have repair work to do such as after being sick or at a change of season, and will do this as part of an express facial followed by an LED rejuvenation, every couple of months or so.
Once or twice a year I use hydroporation needle-free hyaluronic acid plumping system to keep the area around my lips plumped up and line-free. As I am only using this as a prevention I keep the dosage low and infrequent, usually doing it before a big event, although this can be used in a series of 3 for anyone who already has lip lines to reverse.

Do have a look at the video for my before and afters and let me know your thoughts!

Mariga x

Are you concerned with visible signs of ageing on YOUR skin?

Then join us this July/August for our AGE SLOWLY event. Click here for details.

Have you read Mariga’s e-book yet? ‘The Skincare Rules’ is packed full of simple, easy to implement tips that will help to get you great skin – for life!

Buy Mariga’s book here for just €2.99