YOUR SKIN PLAN
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.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH STRESS.
Stress has been highlighted as a prevalent factor that is negatively impacting your health and wellbeing. The following guide is here to help you understand and manage stress so you can start to physically feel and see results. Navigate the guide from the tabs above, or the buttons below.
STAGE OF STRESS:
TYPE OF STRESS:
You struggle with:
Emotional, Physical, Environmental
STAGE
O1.
ALARM PHASE
Your System Is In Active Fight-or-Flight.
Right now, your nervous system is in the early stress response.
Adrenaline and cortisol are elevated.
Your body is alert and reactive.
You may feel:
Wired but productive
Anxious or overstimulated
Prone to stress cravings
Reactive in decision making
Struggling to fully switch off
Blood flow is being diverted away from the logical part of the brain, which is why when stressed you may operate more on reflex than reason.
At this stage, your body is still adaptive — which means it responds well to calming support.
Our focus is lowering stimulation and signalling safety.
NERVOUS SYSTEM SUPPORT
Ashwagandha
L-theanine
Passionflower
Valerian
Holy basil
5-HTP (where appropriate)
Magnesium
LIFESTYLE FOCUS
Reducing caffeine
Breathwork
Gentle evening wind-down routine
Lowering stimulation at night
Essential oils such as lavender or lemon balm
TYPES OF STRESS
Stress can show up in 3 ways:
Physical Stress: Work pressure and overcommitment, being busy with no true rest, over-exercising, injury recovery, poor sleep, blood sugar instability.
Emotional Stress: Unhappy or unsafe relationships, loss or grief, past or present trauma, feeling unworthy or misaligned with your true self, living in constant self-criticism.
Environmental Stress: EMFs, pollution, endocrine disruptors, ultra-processed foods, free radical exposure.
REGULATING EMOTIONAL STRESS
Healing does not begin with elimination diets or new supplements. It begins with safety. Some foundational shifts include:
In relationships, friendships, and work environments.
If something consistently dysregulates you, it needs addressing.
REGULATING PHYSICAL STRESS
Healing often requires doing less — not more.
If someone is training five days a week with high-intensity cardio or HIIT sessions, we may look at reducing this to around three sessions per week, lowering the overall intensity, or replacing some workouts with more restorative forms of movement. This could include Pilates, yoga, walking, or strength training with longer rest periods between sets.
Exercise should regulate the nervous system — not overstimulate it.
REGULATING ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS
It’s impossible to remove every environmental exposure completely, and trying to do so often creates more stress than benefit. The goal is not perfection, but gradually reducing overall load where it feels realistic and supportive.
Supportive shifts may include using stainless steel or cast iron cookware, drinking filtered water, choosing organic produce where possible — particularly for high-pesticide foods — and avoiding smoking or vaping. Other helpful strategies can include improving indoor air quality through ventilation or air purifiers, turning Wi-Fi routers off at night if practical, placing phones on airplane mode while sleeping, introducing more indoor and outdoor plants, and reducing the use of synthetic fragrances within the home.
YOUR DAILY ROUTINE:
This routine has been custom made for your needs and lifestyle:
ADDITIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES
These documents have been together as general educational tools to help you understand stress better, and therefore be able to control it.
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