YOUR SKIN PLAN

THE SKINCARE

YOUR LIFESTYLE

YOUR DIET

PHASE ONE

The biggest thing I want you to remember with your skin is that we're not going to try and fix everything at once.

You've had acne on and off for years, you've previously been on antibiotics for it, and although it can completely settle at times, when it comes back it tends to come back quite aggressively. You've also now got some scarring and larger/visible pores that you'd really like to work on.

We absolutely can work on those things, but first I want to get your skin calm, consistent and in a really good place before we start treating the damage the acne has left behind.

For the first 6 weeks

At the moment you're using quite a lot on your skin, adapalene, azelaic acid, vitamin C, niacinamide alongside your cleanser, moisturiser and SPF.

So initially, we're going to do the opposite of adding more.

We're stripping everything right back and focusing on supporting your skin barrier.

Morning

Cream cleanser
Skin soak
Derma Aid
Prologic Oil Free SPF - start with the tester

Evening

Cream cleanser
Skin soak
Derma Aid

That's it.

I don't want you chopping and changing products or adding something because you've had a breakout and panicked. Give the routine time to do its job.

Around the 6 week mark

We'll reassess your skin and, providing it's happy and tolerating the new routine well, we'll start adding things back in one at a time.

The first product I'd look at introducing is

Bio Balance Serum - £39.50

Then, once your skin is comfortable with that, we can look at introducing

Antioxidant Oil - £69.50

There's no rush to get everything into your routine. I'd much rather introduce things gradually and actually know how your skin is responding to each product.

Then tackle the scarring

I know your acne scarring and pores are a big concern for you, but I don't want to start aggressively treating scarring while we're still trying to understand and stabilise the acne underneath it. So I'm giving us approximately 8–12 weeks first.

I want to see how your skin responds to

simpler skincare + barrier support + better consistency + food/hydration foundations + working on sleep/stress

If your active acne is well controlled and your skin barrier is in a good place, that's when we can move into Exceed Medical Microneedling.

For your scarring, I'm potentially looking at a course of around

6 Exceed Medical Microneedling sessions
Approximately 4 weeks apart

We'll confirm that once I've reassessed your skin because the number of sessions will depend on the type/depth of scarring and how your skin responds.

If we were ready to start around November, the timing would actually work really well, we'd have the autumn/winter months to work through your course before heading back towards the higher UV summer months.

The purpose of microneedlinge is controlled collagen stimulation and remodelling to start working on the structural changes the acne has left behind.

YOUR

LIFESTYLE

You're currently doing A LOT.
You're back at uni studying primary teaching, travelling through to Stirling, working 2.5 days a week and you've described your stress levels as high and feeling like you're constantly on edge.
You're also only getting around 5 hours sleep a night, with that 3 - 5am waking having been going on for around four years.
I'm not expecting you to suddenly become someone who sleeps eight hours, meditates twice a day and meal preps every Sunday
We're looking for small changes that you can actually keep doing.

Sleep + stress

One of our biggest goals is going to be gradually increasing the amount of sleep you're getting.
You fall asleep easily, so rather than concentrating on getting to sleep, we're going to work more on your overall routine and that early waking.
I'd like you to

Start winding down properly before bed rather than going straight from being "on" all day into sleep.
Try to keep your sleep/wake times reasonably consistent where uni and work allow.
Get outside into natural daylight in the morning when you can.
Keep caffeine earlier in the day, particularly with the 3– - am waking.
Start using magnesium glycinate in the evening.
Continue with your plan to speak to the mental health team regarding your anxiety and possible ADHD.

We don't need to completely eliminate stress, that's not realistic. I just want to start giving your body periods where it isn't constantly getting the message that it needs to be switched on.

WHY SLEEP MATTERS

Sleep isn’t passive.
It’s your body’s most powerful repair window.

And this is exactly why chronic stress + poor sleep = flare-ups.

When sleep is fragmented or shortened:

Cortisol regulation becomes disrupted
Deep sleep shortens (less repair)
REM reduces (less emotional processing)
Blood sugar becomes unstable
Inflammation increases

Sleep hygiene is not complicated.
It is about environment, rhythm, and small daily behaviours.

Before assuming a client has “insomnia,” I always assess their sleep environment and routine. More often than not, the issue isn’t inability to sleep — it’s misaligned habits.

Poor sleep hygiene creates a cascade:

Disrupted cortisol rhythm →
Poor food choices →
Missed morning light →
Blood sugar instability →
Increased inflammation →
Skin flare-ups

Sleep affects everything.

SLEEP
HYGIENE

WHY IT MATTERS

A SIMPLE DAILY SLEEP FRAMEWORK

Take a moment to think about your current sleep environment and evening habits. What temperature is your bedroom at night? Do you mainly use bright overhead lighting in the evening, or softer lamps and lower lighting? Are there standby lights glowing from televisions, chargers, or other devices in the room? Do you usually scroll on your phone or watch television within an hour of going to bed? Is your phone kept beside your bed, and if so, is it on flight mode? Are your windows always closed, leaving the room feeling warm or stuffy overnight?

Many people are unintentionally disrupting their sleep through small habits and environmental factors they barely notice day to day. But when sleep quality is disrupted, the body’s ability to repair, regulate hormones, recover, and restore the nervous system is disrupted too. Take note of any habits that currently apply to you, and from there we can start looking at simple, supportive changes to improve them over time.

Waking at a consistent time each day, where possible, can help regulate your body clock and support a healthier cortisol rhythm. One of the most effective things you can do shortly after waking is get natural daylight exposure within the first 30–60 minutes of the morning. This could be as simple as stepping outside onto a balcony, into the garden, or going for a short walk — even a few minutes can make a difference.

If practical, try to avoid wearing sunglasses for those first few moments outdoors so your eyes can receive the full natural light signal. This early morning light exposure helps anchor your circadian rhythm, supports healthier cortisol patterns throughout the day, and encourages better melatonin production later in the evening to improve sleep quality.

Eating balanced meals throughout the day can play a significant role in supporting energy, hormone regulation, and sleep quality. Including adequate protein and healthy fats with meals can help stabilise blood sugar levels and keep the nervous system feeling more regulated overall. For some people, introducing fermented foods may also help support gut health and digestion.

When blood sugar becomes unstable during the day, it can contribute to cortisol fluctuations overnight, which is one reason some people regularly wake between 3–4am. Supporting more stable blood sugar patterns during the day can often help improve sleep continuity and reduce those early morning wake-ups.

In the evening, try to gradually reduce light exposure by dimming overhead lighting and using warmer lamps instead of bright ceiling lights where possible. Reducing screen exposure for 60–90 minutes before bed can also help support healthier sleep patterns, and if screens are unavoidable, blue light blocking glasses may offer some benefit. Lower light exposure in the evening helps signal melatonin release, allowing the body to prepare more naturally for sleep.

It can also help to avoid highly stimulating television, intense work, or adrenaline-driven content late at night, as the nervous system often responds to fictional stress in a very similar way to real stress. Alcohol may initially make you feel sleepy, but it commonly fragments deep and REM sleep throughout the night, reducing the quality of true restoration and recovery.

Creating a calmer sleep environment can help the body transition more naturally into rest. Keeping the bedroom cool — ideally around 17–19°C — allowing fresh air circulation where possible, keeping phones out of reach or on flight mode, and practising just 3–5 minutes of slow breathing before bed can all help signal safety and relaxation to the nervous system. Reading a couple of chapters of a book, not thriller or horror types but something that will calm the nervous system can also really help you wind down.

Some people also find additional evening rituals supportive, such as taking a warm bath or shower to encourage post-bath body cooling, doing gentle stretching, using a spike mat if it feels relaxing rather than stimulating, or supporting nasal breathing with light mouth taping where safe and appropriate. Sleep should ideally feel like a gradual descent into rest, rather than an abrupt switch from overstimulation to exhaustion.