NEO Skin Lab

Friday Thoughts 💭

Here is 17-year-old me😆

There is quite a lot to unpack here.

Firstly, can we take a moment to appreciate the blue eyeshadow?

Not just a subtle wash across the eyelid either.

I clearly believed that if you owned blue eyeshadow, you should use ALL of the blue eyeshadow. 😂
While we’re here, I think the blusher deserves an honourable mention.
Apparently I thought I was going for healthy glow and instead I went with: just completed a 10km run 😂

Oh that hair, SO much Hair.

The funny thing is, I remember being 17 and thinking I was completely grown up.

I knew everything. I had opinions on everything and my parents, obviously, knew absolutely nothing. 😂

Looking at her now, I have a bit of a soft spot for her.

She had absolutely no idea where life was going to take her, who she’d become, or just how much she still had to learn.

Would I go back and be 17 again?

Absolutely not. 😂

Would I borrow the hair, the knees and the ability to go out until 2am dancing in stilettos and still function the following day?

Absolutely.

So…. what were YOU like at 17?

What was your questionable beauty or fashion choice?

Blue eyeshadow? Perm? Enormous shoulder pads? Over plucked eyebrows? 👀😂

Please, please add Photographic evidence 📸😂

☀️ If only I could have a little chat with my 20 year old self…

I loved sunbathing!

I grew up at a time when being brown was considered healthy looking, and in the 1980s I used sunbeds. 😳

Then I got sensible. 😂

I’ve been an avid sunscreen user since 2004, and these days I’m obsessive about sun protection.

Unfortunately, sunscreen doesn’t come with a time machine.

Recently I was diagnosed with my first actinic keratosis (AK) on my face. An AK is an area of sun damaged skin caused by cumulative UV exposure and that damage can show itself years, even decades, later.

I’ve just finished treating mine with Efudex, a prescription cream containing 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). It targets abnormal sun damaged cells and causes an inflammatory reaction as those damaged cells are destroyed.

It’s not particularly glamorous while it’s doing its job. 😂

AKs are important because they’re considered precancerous. Most won’t become cancer, but some can progress to squamous cell carcinoma, which is why new, persistent or changing skin lesions are worth getting checked.

Some of the decisions made by 1980s Michelle have finally caught up with me!

But here’s where sunscreen gets really interesting:

We know that UV radiation can damage the DNA in our skin cells and contribute to the development of skin cancers.

And we have something better than skincare marketing to support sunscreen use, randomised controlled trial evidence.

A large Australian study randomly assigned adults to daily sunscreen use or to continue using sunscreen as they normally would.

Regular sunscreen use was associated with a reduction in squamous cell carcinomas, and longer term follow up of the same trial also found fewer melanomas in the daily sunscreen group.

So while we often talk about sunscreen in terms of pigmentation and skin ageing, its most important job is helping protect our skin from the UV damage that can contribute to skin cancer. ❤️

But there’s an interesting bonus…

Researchers also assessed 903 adults under 55 from the study for skin ageing. After 4½ years, those assigned to daily broad spectrum sunscreen use showed 24% less skin ageing than those using sunscreen at their own discretion.

So sunscreen isn’t just helping reduce UV damage that can contribute to skin cancer.
It can also help slow some of the pigmentation, uneven texture, loss of elasticity and other visible changes we associate with photoageing.

You don’t need to be lying on a beach turning yourself into a rotisserie chicken for UV exposure to add up. 😂

It’s everyday life too: walking the dog, gardening, driving, sitting outside with a coffee. Those little bits of exposure accumulate over a lifetime.

I’ve worn sunscreen religiously for more than 20 years, but it can’t erase the UV exposure I had when I was young.

That doesn’t mean it’s too late to start.

We can’t change what we did in our teens, 20s or 30s, but we can protect the skin we have today.

Sunscreen isn’t particularly glamorous.

No needles.
No fancy machines.
No miraculous promises.

Nothing particularly fancy, just one of the most evidence based things we can do to protect our skin. ☀️

While helping our skin age better is a nice bonus, reducing our lifetime UV exposure and our risk of skin cancer is the bit that really matters.

If I ever invent a time machine, though, I’m taking a bottle of SPF50 straight back to 1986 😂

And perhaps having a fairly stern word with myself about those sun-beds 😳

Friday Thoughts 💭

I emptied my handbag this morning!

I genuinely thought I only carried the essentials.
Apparently I have a rather generous definition of “essential”. 😂
One wallet.
One coin purse.
Two lip balms and Vaseline, because dry lips are the emergency I’m most prepared for.
Mints.
Various tablets.
A pair of worn socks!
A face cloth… why!
A cloth for cleaning my glasses.
Keys, work phone.
My pink driving gloves to protect my hands from the sun, because of course I have driving gloves. 😂
Enough pens to open a small stationery shop (I do love stationary)
A shopping list from months ago and a dentist’s quote, because obviously that needs to accompany me everywhere I go. 😂
I’m prepared for dry lips, dirty glasses, cold hands, a dental emergency and UV exposure at all times. 😂

The thing is, I didn’t look at any of this and think, “Why on earth is THAT in my handbag?”
It all seems perfectly reasonable.
Which may actually be the problem. 😂

Yet, when someone says “Have you got a pen?”, I’ll rummage around for five minutes and announce that I can’t find one 😳

Perhaps a handbag at my age isn’t really a handbag anymore.
It’s more of a mobile headquarters.

Right ladies…

What is the most random thing you think is currently lurking in YOUR handbag? 😂👇

Wednesday skin chat 🧪

Can we talk about chemical peels? Because there still seems to be this idea that if you’re not peeling for days afterwards, it hasn’t worked. 😂

I still think the words chemical peel make some people imagine Samantha from S*x and the City: red, shiny and hiding behind a veil. 😳

Thankfully, that isn’t what every peel needs to look like.

Chemical peels work by using carefully selected acids to create a controlled effect within the skin. How deeply they work depends on things like the acid used, its concentration, pH, how it’s formulated and how long it stays on the skin.

And more peeling does NOT automatically mean a better result.

Visible flaking is a possible side effect of some peels, it isn’t the measure of whether a treatment has worked.

This is one of the reasons I like the Linder Health Polite Peel.

It’s exactly what the name suggests… polite. 😂

I pair it with Hale & Hush, which is a range I use particularly when I want to be mindful of sensitive or reactive skin and the skin barrier.

The aim isn’t to aggressively strip the skin. It’s a gentle resurfacing treatment designed to help improve things such as texture, dullness and overall skin appearance, while keeping the treatment comfortable and supporting the skin afterwards.

I actually think we’re finally moving away from the old idea that skincare has to hurt, burn or peel dramatically to be effective.

Your skin barrier is not something we need to wage war against. 😂

Sometimes clever and gentle is exactly what skin needs.

Sometimes the best treatments are the ones that quietly get on with the job without your skin having a complete meltdown afterwards. 😂

Michelle x

Friday Thoughts 💭

I have discovered that I have a system.

See something interesting that I absolutely MUST remember?

Screenshot it. ✅

Recipe I’ll definitely make.
Something for the dogs.
Skincare information I need to investigate.
A book.
A restaurant.
Something I want to buy.
Travel information.
Some random fact that at the time seemed VERY important.

Screenshot taken. Problem solved.

Except apparently my filing system is simply…

Screenshot it and never look at it again. 😂

Then six months later I’m scrolling through my photos, find one and think:

“What on earth did I save THAT for?”

And if I actually NEED to find something I’ve screenshotted?

No chance.

It’s somewhere amongst thousands of photos, screenshots, dogs, grandson, holidays and accidental pictures of my feet or many chins. 😂

Apparently this is the modern day equivalent of writing something on a piece of paper and putting it somewhere “safe.”

Never to be seen again.

Please tell me other people do this too?! 😂

P.S. The screenshots accompanying this post are actual evidence. I clearly have a problem. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Apparently 2014 was 12 years ago. I’m not entirely sure who authorised that. 😂

That’s me on the left in 2014 and me now.

While ageing is obviously a privilege, there are some very real things happening to our skin as we move through our 40s and 50s particularly around menopause.

Did anyone else hit their 40s/50s and discover their skin had apparently resigned from its previous job? 😂 The moisturiser you’ve used forever suddenly isn’t enough.

Your skin feels drier.
It bruises more easily.
Things take longer to heal.
There’s redness or pigmentation you swear wasn’t there last year.
Those little lines that used to disappear after a good night’s sleep have now apparently signed a permanent lease. 😂

There are some very real biological reasons for this.

As we age, our skin gradually produces less collagen. Around menopause, declining oestrogen appears to accelerate collagen loss. Research suggests women may lose around 30% of their skin collagen during the first five years after menopause, followed by a slower decline thereafter.

Oestrogen also influences skin thickness, hydration, elasticity, wound healing and barrier function.

So when oestrogen drops, skin can become thinner, drier and less resilient.

Then there’s pigmentation…

Those brown spots that seem to suddenly appear weren’t created last Tuesday. 😂 Much of what we see later in life reflects years of accumulated UV exposure finally becoming more visible.

Which is why one of the least glamorous pieces of anti ageing advice remains one of the best:

Wear sunscreen. ☀️

Not a $400 cream made from an endangered Himalayan berry harvested during a full moon. 😂

Sunscreen 💥

The good news is that ageing skin isn’t unhealthy skin, and it doesn’t need to be attacked with every active ingredient known to mankind.

Usually it needs protection, hydration and a few evidence based ingredients chosen for what YOUR skin actually needs.

Skin at 50 doesn’t behave like it did at 30 and thats because it isn’t 30 year old skin anymore.

Personally, neither am I, although occasionally my decision making still suggests otherwise 😂

Michelle x

Friday thought… 💭

I finally have the wisdom
of an older woman.

Unfortunately, I still have
the decision making skills
of the girl I was at 22! 😂

You really don’t need a 10 step skincare routine. 🙌

In fact, sometimes I think we’ve made skincare far more complicated than it needs to be.

I see women who have drawers full of serums, acids, masks and creams and still have absolutely no idea what they’re supposed to be using. 😂

For most skin, I’d much rather see a few well chosen products being used consistently than 12 products being randomly rotated depending on what Social Media told you this week.

The basics?

✨ A gentle cleanser
✨ Something that actually targets YOUR skin concern
✨ A good moisturiser if your skin needs it
✨ Sunscreen. Every. Single. Day. ☀️

Then we can add the fancy stuff if there’s a reason to.

And no, I’m not going to confiscate your supermarket moisturiser when you come through the door. 😂

Good skincare doesn’t have to be complicated, it just needs to be right for your skin.

Michelle x

💙 NEO SKIN GIVEAWAY

I thought it was time for a little giveaway 🙂 one that could genuinely help someone who is struggling with their skin.

I’m giving away a NUYU 3-step skincare routine PLUS a skin consultation with me at NEO Skin Lab.

NUYU is particularly lovely for skin that is dealing with things like:

✨ Breakouts and congestion
✨ Blackheads and clogged pores
✨ Oily or combination skin
✨ Teenage skin that suddenly seems to have a mind of its own
✨ Hormonal/perimenopausal breakouts, because apparently wrinkles and pimples at the same time is perfectly reasonable 😳
✨ Skin that is dehydrated, irritated or just needs a simple routine

The prize includes:

NUYU Melte Mask Cleanser
NUYU Reset Hydrogel
NUYU Clarite Cream
Plus a skin consultation with me, where we can have a proper look at what’s going on and talk through a simple plan.

No 10 step skincare routine. No judgement about what you’ve been using. ❤️

To enter:

💙 Like this post
💙 Comment below with who you’d love to win this for: yourself, your teenager, daughter, son, friend… whoever you think could use a little skin help.
💙 Feel free to tag them if you’d like, but you don’t have to.

I’ll randomly choose one winner on the 12th September.

Open to Southland locals as the consultation will take place at NEO Skin Lab in Invercargill.

Good luck! 🥰
Michelle x

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Facebook.

Friday Thoughts 💭

Can someone explain the middle aged chin hair to me?

You can inspect your face in the bathroom mirror in the morning and everything looks perfectly respectable.

Then at 2pm you glance in the car mirror and discover ONE enormous chin hair that appears to have been growing undetected since 1986! 😂

And why is the car mirror always the bearer of bad news?

Chin hairs. Random pigmentation. Concealer that’s settled somewhere it absolutely wasn’t when you left home 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’ve decided there are some things about ageing we just need to laugh about.

And if you come into NEO with a rogue chin hair, dry skin, no skincare routine or a supermarket moisturiser, I genuinely don’t care. I’m not here to judge you or tell you off.

If you tell me you haven’t worn sunscreen since Christmas, however..

I may give you the look. 👀😂
I’m still a skin nurse. I have standards.

Please tell me I’m not alone with the car, mirror chin hair?! 😂