SUE DEWES

Tauranga beauty clinic Tranquillo specialises in treatments that target ageing, scarring, pigmentation and more. Its owner talks us though her steps to a beautiful winter.

PHOTO SALINA GALVAN

With autumn’s arrival, it’s time to turn things up a notch for our skin – think correction peels, treatment facials and stronger home-care products, one of our hero winter ingredients being vitamin A.

There are several things we need to consider when preparing your skin for our treatments and products. Our main priority is to maintain its protection, repair any impaired barriers and work on a sustainable home-care system. Without keeping these three things in mind, both the skin’s integrity and your treatment results may be compromised.

The barrier, or acid mantle, is the top layer of the skin. Although it’s a fragile system, it’s a very important one for defence. Internally, it maintains internal stability and keeps skin hydrated by limiting water loss,

while externally it protects against environmental aggressors, chemicals, allergens and infection. If this system has been impaired by the misuse of products and treatments or overexposure to the elements, we need to rebuild it before the skin can withstand any further treatment.

Did you know that about 70 percent of your results happen at home? By introducing a small amount of product on a regular basis, the body responds a lot better to more potent peels and treatments. Some of our ingredients, such as the vitamin A I mentioned earlier, allow skin receptors to accept this foreign product. Of course, other than key targeted ingredients, a major thing you need is a great SPF; with any treatment plan, sun and environmental protection is of the utmost importance.

We had a lovely long, hot summer, with people staying at the beach longer and applying more sun protection. So the second function we’re focusing on right now is exfoliation and hydration, as any build-up of SPF on the skin slows its natural exfoliation process, causing sluggishness, congestion and dehydrated cells. Also, with all that lovely heat and sun comes sweat. Sweating’s a natural process; however, it’s hard to keep skin hydrated when we’re losing water so quickly, so hydration is another element we need to correct before going into our winter skincorrecting treatments.

Not all peels, acids and enzymes are created equal, so we say leave it to the experts. It’s all about percentage, pH, internal health, work/play and home care. We know what’s best to maintain your skin’s integrity and deliver great results.

Although the word ‘peel’ makes you think of shedding skin or downtime, this isn’t the case. Our treatment peels are non-invasive, with ingredients tailored to your skin; think ‘infusion’ instead – one that boosts cellular turnover, gently lifting cells to exfoliate the surface skin. We offer enzyme peels best suited to hydrated skin with key ingredients such as pumpkin and papaya. Acid or AHA peels include lactic and glycolic acids for dehydrated skin or mandelic acid for irritated skin.

Come on in for a consultation! We’ll explain what your skin needs, whether that’s to repair its barrier, exfoliate away any build-up or boost your hydration, and what to use at home and how.

We love to see our clients doing something for themselves and their confidence grow. A skin plan can change a life, and helping people shine is such a pleasure.