YOUR SKIN PLAN

THE SKINCARE

YOUR LIFESTYLE

YOUR DIET

PHASE ONE

Your skin is showing signs of ongoing barrier disruption and inflammation rather than simply being dry skin.

The redness, small bumps and spots around the cheeks and nose, alongside the tightness and dryness you’ve experienced for years, may fit a rosacea type pattern. However, my priority isn’t to attach a label to it, it’s to calm the skin, rebuild its barrier and monitor how it responds.

Because you’re getting married next week, i'm not going to throw loads of new things at your skin or try to force a quick result. For now, the aim is simply to keep everything calm and predictable.

Reduce dryness, tightness and visible inflammation.
Strengthen the skin barrier.
Simplify your skincare and remove potential irritants.
Improve the variety and nutrient density of your diet.
support your nervous system and sleep around changing shifts.
Monitor the redness, bumps and under eye colour over time.
Introduce additional skincare only once your skin is ready.

Skincare plan

For the first eight weeks, we are keeping this deliberately simple.

Morning

Skin soak using a clean, soft microfibre cloth and comfortably warm water.
Apply Prologic Derma Aid while the skin is still slightly damp.

Evening

Cleanse once using Prologic Cream Cleanser.
Remove thoroughly with your soft microfibre cloth.
Skin soak for approximately 30 seconds.
Apply Prologic Derma Aid while the skin is still slightly damp.
Apply a decent amount of mineral SPF.

For now, stop using

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser
The Inkey List Azelaic Acid
CeraVe Moisturising Cream
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Rosaliac SPF

This isn’t because every one of these products is necessarily bad. I just want to remove variables and give your skin a proper opportunity to settle.

Avoid scrubs, exfoliating acids, retinol, cleansing brushes, hot water and introducing anything new yourself.

After eight weeks

We’ll review your skin before making changes. If it is less reactive, less tight and generally more settled, we can consider introducing Prologic Omega 3 Oil gradually.

In clinic treatment plan

I recommend a course of eight Celluma LED treatments, spaced once per week.

The aim is to support

Redness and inflammation
Barrier recovery
Skin repair
Overall resilience

This is a supportive treatment rather than an aggressive one, making it more appropriate while your skin is reactive. We won’t consider stronger treatments until the barrier is stable, if even needed.

YOUR

LIFESTYLE

You describe your stress as low, but working night shifts for two weeks each month still places a physical stress load on the body. This can affect sleep quality, inflammation and skin recovery even when you don’t feel mentally stressed.

The wedding next week will also naturally bring extra stimulation, excitement and disruption, so the goal is not perfection, it’s giving your body small, regular signals of safety.

Daily to do's

After waking

Have water before coffee.
Eat within around 60 - 90 minutes.
Get outside for 10 minutes of daylight when your schedule allows.
Take five slow breaths before starting your day.

Before eating

Pause for three slow breaths before your first mouthful. This helps move the body away from rushing and towards rest and digest mode.

During work
Once or twice during your shift

Drop your shoulders.
Unclench your jaw.
Breathe gently into your stomach.
Make your exhale slightly longer than your inhale.
This only needs to take one or two minutes.

Before sleep

Keep the bedroom cool and as dark as possible.
After night shift, limit bright light on the journey home where practical.
Avoid scrolling once you get into bed.
Use slow breathing - inhale for four and exhale for six to eight, for around two minutes.
Keep the room and bedtime routine consistent, even when the time of day changes.

Wedding week

This week, don’t chase a skin transformation.
Don’t introduce new products.
Don’t pick or squeeze the bumps.
Keep meals regular even when busy.
Prioritise sleep wherever possible.
Keep alcohol and very spicy foods sensible if you already notice flushing.
Continue the simple skincare routine.

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.