Blemish-free skin for summer

When I was 15 I had an allergic reaction to a blackcurrant juice (which most likely had some sort of leaked chemical in it, yum!). This allergic reaction turned me into a monster from the swamp (with tiny but rather hideous blisters and red patches all over my teenage face (as if I didn’t have enough to deal with at that age already). Blisters soon left but my complexion was burdened with an unsightly acne for years to come. It wasn’t a cystic acne, don’t get me wrong, but it was eruptions on top of eruptions. That kind of spots that leaves scars and blemishes. Great. How have I dealt with it? 

Well, it wasn’t easy. It was a trial and error kind of learning curve. The most effective product I’ve ever used was La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (£15.50, Boots - buy here). It cleared my thing like nothing else - although the process of dried scaly flakes wasn’t particularly enjoyable, it left me with a spot-free complexion in the end. Ever since then I’ve had a bit of a problem with scaring and blemishes though - even the tiniest scratch of a nail or an open pore can turn into a blemish on my face. With a balanced diet (which is a never ending quest for me), a lot of water, regular exfoliation and a good moisturiser it’s not really difficult to avoid blemishes for me at the moment (touch wood!). That’s before the sun comes out though - any kind of tanning (be it from a bottle or the mighty sun rays) brings out not just freckles on my cheeks - but also any scarring which has been hiding in the depths of my skin. As you can imagine, it’s a pain in the butt!

The key to success is using a high SPF - I like the one from Kiehl’s - the Ultra Light Daily Moisture Defense SPF 50 (£35, Kiehl’s - buy here) because it sits nicely even under a primer & foundation. When it comes to tanning from the bottle I sing the highest of praises for Madame LA LA and her whole range (click here) - this stuff is some crazy magic and I can’t get my head around why it hasn’t been praised by more bloggers yet! The most recent addition to my skin care regiment which has seen my skin improve are products by Anne Semonin. I’ve been using the brightening range (both serum & cream, click here) for a couple of weeks now and can definitely see it accelerates the process of healing when it comes to blemishes and scars on my skin. Not going to lie, this is a luxurious range of skincare therefore I would recommend you pop to Harrods and get a sample first before the big splurge! I’ve become a huge fan of the Anne Semonin Brightening Cream in particular - it’s really rich so I use it in the evening targeting my problem areas - my chin, cheeks and in between my brows. The cream contains a blend of natural ingredients and vitamin C which reduces pigmentation and brightens up the complexion - exactly what I need before I step into the summer sun (although I ain’t worried we gonna get too much of it here in the UK).

Have you ever suffered with blemishes and scarring?

What are your tips to minimise these?

from Cityscape Bliss http://www.cityscape-bliss.com/2016/05/blemish-free-skin-for-summer.html