I don’t get out much for skin pampering (particularly this year), but if I am going to treat myself, I’ll go to see Douglas Pereira in Sydney’s CBD. Recently, he has launched a new range of Douglas Pereira Skin Health skin identical cosmeceuticals, which are clean nontoxic, scientifically formulated products that improve the integrity of your skin...
Here, I quiz Douglas on some of the biggest mistakes we make with our skin, find out more about his new range (and find out more about the ingredients we need to be using on our skin) and also look at how we need to tweak our skincare regime for Spring.
Go to dpskinhealth.com
What are the top three products you love right now?
These three products are perfect for the transitional period between winter and spring as they assist in reducing dryness, remove built-up dead skin cells and assist in increasing hydration and encourage better cell turnover. Helping our skin reduce winter dryness and prepare our skin for the warmer season ahead.
Lipid Pre-Cleanse:
Eliminates heavy oil build-up, gently removes impurities and aids barrier repair. Bio lipid cleansing oil forms a light milk consistency when combined with water. Skin feels hydrated, plump and clean. Soothes irritation.
Luminosity Serum:
The sophisticated combination of EGF’S, wrinkle-reducing and lightening peptides with Hyaluronic Acids to help plump skin and promote elasticity, helps reduce pigment & provide optimal nourishment. Exfoliates, energises and helps clear blocked, enlarged pores and dead skin cells whilst accelerating cellular renewal with Caviar Lime extract, Lactic Acid and 5 Fruit Acids. This superior silky delivery serum reveals new healthy-looking luminous skin that feels supple, hydrated and plumped.
EGF Peptide Serum:
Complete skin rejuvenation. Vital growth factors penetrate, aiding optimal skin condition helping minimise the appearance of scars. The first key ingredient is rh-Oligopeptide-1, also known as EGF, a peptide that accelerates skin regeneration helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and assists in wound healing. The second ingredient is Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, a biomimetic peptide derived from a growth factor that boosts collagen production, activates skin repair, and also reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Together these peptides leave your skin feeling tauter and more repaired.
How do we need to change our skincare routine for spring?
Whilst the winter season is all about nourishment and comfort for our skin due to the dryer season. Spring is all about sloughing away the build-up of dry winter skin and increasing our hydration levels.
The key changes we should make for the spring season are:
A. Using a liquid exfoliant to melt and digest away winter dry skin.
B. Change your moisturiser to one that is more hydrating than nourishing.
C. If you are not yet using a Niacinamide based serum formulation in your regime, it’s now time to start.
D. Book yourself in for a skin treatment that focuses on exfoliation and hydration.
What are your favourite skincare ingredients that actually work?
Niacinamide:
Vitamin B3 Niacinamide is a version of water-soluble vitamin B3 with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Applied topically, niacinamide can improve skin texture and strengthen the protective barrier function of the skin, which then helps to reduce inflammation often appearing as dry, irritated or flaky skin. It does so by increasing natural lipids found on the skin surface and reducing water loss Niacinamide can also help reduce unwanted pigmentation and increase cell turnover, improving the look of ageing skin.
• Repairs barrier function – reducing sensitivity
• Potent anti-inflammatory – calming atopic skin disorders
• Inhibits Melanosome transfer to Keratinocyte – normalising hyperpigmentation
• Maintains surveillance function of Langerhan Cells during UV exposure – reducing tumour formation
• Regulates moisture levels – overactive sebaceous activity slowed – hydration levels restored
You can find products with Niacinamide here.
Liquid Exfoliants:
Liquid exfoliant uses a chemical acid or fruit enzymes like Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs), Pomegranate, Organic Sugar Cane, Bilberry, Sugar Maple, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Cranberry Extracts to digest away dead skin cells, leaving skin smoother and more radiant. Thanks to the active ingredients, they’re often far more effective than traditional scrubs. ‘A physical exfoliant will only ever remove the dead skin cells on the surface; a liquid will do exactly that but also work deeper into the skin, ungluing the bonds between cells
You can find products with liquid exfoliants here.
Retinaldehyde:
Retinaldehyde is a stabilized form of Vitamin A that slowly converts to Retinoic Acid in the skin. Retinaldehyde is a gentler version in the Retinoic family. Like Retinol, Retinaldehyde rejuvenates the skin and improves its cellular-turnover rate, but in a less-irritating formulation. The conversion process within the skin allows Retinaldehyde to work on a cellular level and It converts to retinoic acid 11 times faster than retinol. Skin that’s more prone to sensitivity can be more tolerant of Retinaldehyde skincare products.
Retinaldehyde repairs connective tissue in the skin, boosts collagen synthesis for anti-ageing benefits and increases elasticity. Retinaldehyde also balances sebaceous (oil) production, thus shrinking the skin’s pores to prevent them from getting clogged and inflamed.
For people considering a Retinol product, but can’t tolerate the flaking, peeling and irritation that can often accompany it, Retinaldehyde skincare products are the perfect solution to encourage youthful and healthy skin.
You can find products with Retinaldehyde here.
Skin identical lipids:
Lipids are skin’s natural fats. They are essential components of skin and play a crucial role in maintaining the strength of the skin’s protective barrier, which holds moisture, protects the skin from damage and keeps dirt and impurities out. They also aid the skin’s natural repair process. The role of topical skin-identical lipids helps improve healthy, youthful skin. As we age, or experience imbalances in our skin functions, our lipid production declines, and this can result in rough surface texture, uncomfortable tightness, dullness and loss of facial fullness.
A compromised skin barrier is also more prone to irritation and water loss. This is why it’s important to counter the effects of lipid loss with a topical skin-identical lipid product.
You can find products with skin-identical lipid here.
Tell us about the science behind your products?
Douglas Pereira Skin Health, skin identical cosmeceuticals are clean nontoxic, scientifically formulated products that improve the integrity of your skin.
The philosophy behind the range is to treat your skin as an individual and not categorise your skin into types or common concerns.
We do this by developing skin identical cosmeceutical formulations comprising the highest grade of cosmeceutical and active botanical ingredients that mimic the skin’s composition and provide it with all the necessary building blocks required to achieving optimal healthy-looking radiant skin.
Skin Identical cosmeceuticals bridge the gap between cosmetics and pharmaceutical-grade skincare. While cosmetics change the appearance of the skin, cosmeceuticals change its function – as they are highly effective products containing active ingredients that physically change the way your skin works.
Our formulas are designed to improve your skin’s condition and help repair the damage that causes specific skin conditions and visible signs of ageing. Our formulations contain skin identical active ingredients and active botanical ingredients that have proven, clinical benefits.
When applied topically, these active ingredients can reach the deeper layers of your skin, allowing them to make noticeable changes in the appearance of skin. These include helping reduce blemishes, increasing skin hydration, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, helping repair the effects of sun damage, and promoting optimum skin condition.
The way we look at your skin is a little different from other brands. Of course, we still factor in your common skin concerns like ageing, pigmentation, blemishes etc. but our main focus is targeting urban stress and modern living and the impact it has on your skin.
Urban living and modern stress impact’s your skin’s ageing process and the condition of our skin. Poor air quality, pollution, stress, late nights, poor diet, the constant use of digital devices and the exposure to UV rays, can all have an impact on our skins ageing and general skin condition.
But not only do we have environmental challenges to face when we are dealing with our skin, but we also need to look at our genetic ageing “the blueprint to how our skin ages”, passed down by our preceding generations.
The ageing process is inevitable, and it usually starts in your mid-twenties. Some of the first ways you will notice ageing is from the changes that appear in your skin. There are two main factors that cause your skin to age: they are the genetic factors (intrinsic) and the environmental factors (extrinsic).
Douglas Pereira Skin Health, skin identical cosmeceuticals, have been formulated to support an urban modern lifestyle and the impact it has on your skin. Each product in the range adapts to your skin needs and the right combination of products will assist in achieving healthy-looking, radiant & skin that is youthful in appearance.
What are some of the biggest mistake’s women make when it comes to skincare?
Not pre-cleansing in the evening before your facial cleanser
Sometimes, doing a full makeup removal routine is the last thing you want to do before bed, but doing so every single night can make a huge difference in skin clarity. Just washing your face isn’t always enough. I recommend using a pre-cleansing oil to deeply and thoroughly remove makeup and environmental impurities ensuring that every tiny bit of makeup is dissolved before you apply your facial cleanser.
Don’t over-exfoliate and use the right one for you!
Exfoliating is an important step in any skin-care routine as it helps to get rid of dead skin cells, making way for healthier ones to take their place. Unfortunately, many people take it way too far. If you’re using a scrub on your face, only exfoliate a maximum of two times a week, and you should be gentle when using it don’t try scrubbing your skin raw, because that’s going to do more harm than good. In general, though, you should be wary of scrubs, as they can be too rough on your skin. Gentle chemical or enzyme-based exfoliants are a better solution, as they gently melt and digest away dead skin cells on a daily basis and assist with the penetrations of serums and hydrators.
Not using products formulated for your skin type.
The reason you may not see improved results with your skincare products is that they aren’t suited for your skin’s unique needs. Find out what type of skin a product is formulated for. If you’re truly looking for results, it’s imperative that you use products exclusively formulated for the unique needs of your skin.
Not wearing sunscreen daily and not applying enough.
The number one reason why your skin will age prematurely is from sunlight, daylight and UV rays—period. And 78% of those rays come from incidental exposure. These are all the times when you don’t think you’re getting the damaging rays, like driving in the car, sitting in your home or office near windows, or walking outside on a cloudy winter day when people don’t feel like they need sun protection. If you want to prevent wrinkles, wearing sunscreen 365 days a year, rain or shine, inside or out, is a must.
What’s the best skincare advice you’ve ever heard?
Always wear sun protection. Enough said!
Give us a quick rundown of what we will find on your new e-commerce store?
When designing the site my goal was not to just have a place where you can purchase my product range but to also where I can share my years of knowledge and philosophy on skin health.
Currently, the site covers the philosophy behind my product range, talks about intrinsic and extrinsic ageing and how environmental factors can impact your skin’s health. The site also touches skin identical formulations, the bases of the formulations of my products.
In the coming months, I will be introducing a blog “yet to be named” style platform into the site to cover more topics relating to skin health and wellbeing.
In addition to the resource information on the site, I have designed the product purchasing format to be very user friendly. You can view all the product in the range on one page. But for those that want to see the product related to their personal skin type, I have curated a collection of products by skin types and skin concerns. Alongside each collection of products, you will find information and facts about the specific skin type and concern.
For somebody that is looking to start a home care regime but does not know where to start, I have developed three “consultations” pathways to discovering your skin. I believe the key to achieving beautiful healthy-looking skin begins with a conversation about your skin’s history and current condition. This is imperative in achieving the best results possible for your skin’s optimum condition.
The three pathways are:
Complementary – virtual or phone consultation – conducted in the comfort of your own home.
Complementary – In clinic discovery consultation – conducted in our retail discovery space.
Initial in-clinic consultation and treatment 90 minutes – conducted in our clinic treatment room.
Sometimes it’s just too hard to get into a clinic to see an expert, you may be a new mum and can’t get away from the house or you may live in a remote area of Australia. I wanted to have a consultation available to everybody no matter where you live or how busy your life is.
The Complementary – virtual or phone consultation can be booked via our website and is a great way you can talk to our skin experts about your skin challenges and goals, and find the best possible solutions for your skin.