There's so much more to 'You are what you eat'. It's an age old story...

About 11 years ago I must admit, I was a mess!
My Acne prone skin was at it's worst, I was over weight, unfit and relied on a barrage of processed foods to get me through my busy days as an area account manager for MD Formulations skincare.

How could I, as a skin therapist, an expert in my field be preaching about achieving healthy, glowing skin & not be doing everything in my power to portray this myself!
Something had to change. That change led me to becoming even more educated as a facialist and to the development of my signature 'U and your skin' facial.

I changed my lifestyle, adopted a new approach to eating, part of which, for me, deleted wheat & dairy from my diet & I was amazed at the impact it had on my skin's health.
The Acne lesion's started to slow, my skin was healing more efficiently and I got that 'glow' back to my sallow chops.

I now understood that my skin was a mirror, a reflection of my internal health and armed with my products I began to develop and experiment with different combinations of nutrients and skin treatments to heal my skin.

I find it so exciting to see how this concept, that I've been working with for the last 10 years, is becoming a 'Hot topic'.
Nutriceuticals, products that target skin health from within, are big news right now and it's always been part of my work as a skin therapist, one of the 3 dimensional approaches I take to treating the skin.

Three years ago I realised that for me to really take my client's skin to the next level, I needed more knowledge and for this I began a collaboration with the font of all nutritional knowledge, Glen Matten www.glenmatten.com
Glen and I both approach our work with a strong evidence based, scientific background and so it makes complete sense for him to tackle my client's skin health from within and for me to then topically target skin issues.

We want to educate you all and bust a lot of the mis-guided myths that surround this topic and are very pleased to be planning a workshop based around 'Healthy Ageing'.
It will be a 3 hours of cutting edge, evidence based information to feed you with the tools you need to look 'younger for longer'.
This exclusive event will be held in Norwich to start with a view to running it out in London and beyond!

We are going beyond what a 'Skin, hair and nail' supplement can give you and there will be plenty of opportunity to fire your questions at us.
So watch this space! and in the meantime eat your greens, berries, fish, nuts....
To find out more contact Louise enquiries@uandyourskin.co.uk
www.uandyourskin.co.uk Norwich . London

Eat your way to healthy skin!!

Happy New Year!!!

If your fed up with hearing about weight loss diets then check out my contribution to this Norwich Evening News article on how you can eat your way to healthy skin this year....& make yourself better about the festive fodder you may have indulged in.
Bon Appetite!!

Eat your way to healthy skin...

12 days to a glowing Christmas skin...

Here goes the finale of my 12 days to a glowing Christmas skin...

On the ninth day of Christmas…Perform a facial massage at least once a day.
I give my clients some basic self facial massage movements to do when applying their moisturiser.
Even just using upward and outward circular moves can detoxify, brighten and tone the facial muscles.

On the tenth day of Christmas…Sleep! I know this is a tricky one but try and get as much quality sleep as you can especially if you know you have a heavy week on the way.
Studies have shown that sleep loss is linked to increasing the ageing process.


On the eleventh day of Christmas…However tired or merry you may be, do not commit the cardinal sin of going to bed in your makeup!
Sleeping in a cocktail of oils, dyes, chemicals and preservatives whilst your skin is trying to repair will leave you with dry, spotty, grey skin in the morning.

On the twelfth day of Christmas…You’ve made it! And is you’ve been following these golden rules you should be looking radiant.
If however you are not here’s hoping that you have a U and your skin gift card in your stocking www.uandyourskin.co.uk
Merry Christmas and a ‘glowing’ 2011!

12 days to a glowing Christmas skin...

So far you should have booked in for your facial with me, upped your water intake, started to nurture your Liver (& then ultimately your skin) with Milk Thistle tincture & purchased your MD Formulations cleanser to rejuvenate your skin daily.
Panic not! There is still time to get on board with the above & to continue your quest to glowing Christmas skin come December the 25th by following days 5 to 8.

On the fifth day of Christmas… Shoe horn just 10-15 minutes of Yoga into your day. www.yogajournal.com has some fab, short yoga videos you can watch for free. Yoga is amazing for distressing and for bringing fresh blood and nutrients to the skin…I could go on.


On the sixth day of Christmas…Not using an eye product yet? Now is as good a time as any...look for one with Peptides. This ingredient will pack a punch as far as firming,toning & brightening the delicate eye area, giving you party ready peepers.

On the seventh day of Christmas… Make the most of Vitamin C rich Cranberries by scattering them onto your muesli or porridge. These berries are packed with the anti ageing benefits of antioxidants and will boost your collagen levels and immune system.

On the eighth day of Christmas…Now unless your tee total your undoubtedly going to partake in a glass or two of alcohol. So, if you must opt for red wine since this is rich in polyphenols another powerful antioxidant which defends the skin cells and is good for your heart. (In moderation)

To be continued....
In the meantime why not contact me with any skin related questions you may have or book yourself in for one of my signature facials before all my availability is gone!
enquiries@uandyourskin.co.uk 07810 872 633
www.uandyourskin.co.uk Norwich . London

12 days to glowing Christmas skin…

It’s that time of year again where I start giving my clients the Christmas countdown to the party season.
Like most things to do with the festive season, getting prepared for the influx of party invites, carol concerts and school plays, frenzied shopping and subsequent late nights, takes some planning.

I’m guessing this is your countdown so far; buy and write Christmas cards (realising that you’ve missed the international post deadline) check! Make Christmas pudding and cake (good intention, never happens) check! Purchase Christmas gifts (during a rugby scrum style shopping experience) check! Attend 101 parties, drinks and concerts (whose party is this one?) check! Relax with friends and family on Christmas Eve (fall in a heap after your 3rd glass of bubbly realising that you haven’t had time for that leg wax, manicure & gasp! Facial) check!
Or maybe that’s just how my countdown goes, with a few clients to treat thrown in.

So how do we ensure that instead of looking grey, tired, puffy and blood shot, that we enter a room radiating health, calm and looking, well, fantastic!?
Well here's the start of your 12days to glowing Christmas skin:


On the first day of Christmas… Book and have a professional skin treatment. This is a very busy time for me since I recommend my clients to have a pre party season facial. As ever it will be totally bespoke to tackle the needs of the client whether it’s a total rescue treatment or something to just maintain radiant skin for the season.

On the second day of Christmas… Water!! Yup it’s a must with all the extra intake of alcohol and centrally heated environments. Aim to up your intake to at least 1 ½ litres a day if you want to avoid puffy, parched skin.

On the third day of Christmas…Start to take a tincture of Milk thistle and artichoke. This is great Liver support and can help with those rich foods and drink indulgences. The Liver, if not able to function properly, will ultimately cause the skin to eliminate toxins, so start taking it daily now.

On the fourth day of Christmas…Start your way to a brighter skin by using a daily gentle exfoiliator. I recommend the MD Formulations facial cleanser (£25 www.uandyourskin.co.uk) rich in fruit acids to encourage cell regeneration without the need for harsh abrasives.

To be continued....
In the meantime why not contact me with any skin related questions you may have or book yourself in for one of my signature facials before all my availability is gone!
enquiries@uandyourskin.co.uk 07810 872 633
www.uandyourskin.co.uk Norwich . London

Skin Soothers...

One of my approaches to treating the skin is a holistic one. I believe that the skin is a window allowing us to get an insight into systemic problems that may need to be addressed.

Whether it be digestive troubles, stress, poor diet, medication or a period of ill health, our skin is usually one of the first places to shout.
This could be in the form of spotty outbreaks, redness, dryness or a sudden 'sensitivity' to products that we may be using.

That's why I wanted to share with you this article I read courtesy of 'Yoga Journal' which is one of my favourite websites.
I love how this talks about the ancient Ayurvedic therapies & it gives some great remedies for combating skin dryness from the inside out, one of my other firm beliefs.

It explains the principles of Ayurveda & at this time of year helps to work towards calming & nurturing the body & ultimately the skin.
Check out the article & I would love to know your thoughts & experiences with the philosophy...http://www.yogajournal.com/health/2549?utm_source=MyYogaJournal&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=MyYogaJournal

To experience Louise's 'U and your skin' facial & learn more about her approach to improving skin health call: 07810 872 633 email:enquiries@uandyourskin.co.uk web:www.uandyourskin.co.uk Norwich . London

Men’s skincare…just buy your own…!!

Men’s skincare…just buy your own…

Over 14 years ago before my now husband was my husband and we were both at college, he asked me a year into my Beauty therapy training, if I could ‘sort his skin out’. Was this a subtle way of him asking me out for a half pint of Fosters and a bag of crisps? No he really did want me to sort his skin out.

So even at this early stage of my career I guess he had the belief in my knowledge of the skin enough to want me to give him some advice. After a brief conversation about shaving habits and product use I introduced him to a couple of male skin care tips and low and behold, was astounded, when less than a week later his skin was, well, normal again. He was delighted and seven years later we were married.

Now I didn’t just tell you all that to reveal my romantic history I want to talk men and male grooming and write this blog for all the men out there who are dabbling in the men’s’ skincare market….come on you know who you are.

Despite the fact that we are seeing and reading more and more about this side of the market and that the likes of David Beckham and Pierce Brosnan are promoting skin care products for men, men still only spent £57 million last year on skincare products.

You may think that’s a lot of money but its nothing compared with the whopping £602 million that women spend, which means that your average man spends a mere £2.50 a year.

I only have to look at my loyal clientele to see that still the majority of them are women, although, that said this is starting to change and, to my delight, I am seeing more men who are genuinely concerned with the health of their skin than before.

I still think there is a big gap in the market with male ‘A’ doing absolutely nothing to his skin apart from maybe run a razor across his poor weathered complexion to male ‘B’ moisturising daily, exfoliating weekly and coming for a professional facial treatment monthly.

Rather sickeningly men do tend to age a lot better than women (mainly due to the difference in our hormones) however that doesn’t mean to say that they can scrub at their face like it’s a pair of mud covered football boots, or blast it with hot water in the shower, no men’s skin also needs some TLC just in a manly kind of a way.

So just for all you men out there here’s some basic skin stuff that will keep your skin in top condition….I ask one thing though…buy your own.
• Wash your face morning and night with a product that contains a fruit acid. My husband loves the MD Formulations cleanser (www.uandyourskin.co.uk) £25.00, which will gently lift away dead cells daily and prevent in growing hairs.
• Use an environmental shield, to hydrate and protect your skin. One with a SPF of at least 15 would be a good starting point.
• Opt for a shaving cream or oil, since gels and foams will up set the balance of the skin causing shaving rash and dryness.
• Have a regular facial treatment. I recommend my male clients to see me every 4-8 weeks for a deep cleanse and skin health reassessment.
(Statistics sourced from Mintel)

So don't be shy book your skin treatment Bookings:07810 872 633 enquiries@uandyourskin.co.uk

www.uandyourskin.co.uk Norwich . London