I typically have easy, clear skin which I credit to years of enthusiastic skincare practices, professional treatments (like peels, Dermapen and Botox), religiously using professional products and wearing SPF50 every day. But a few weeks after recovering from COVID, I was experiencing painful breakouts, dryness, sensitivity and inflammation, which I was trying to treat at home with a combination of Salicylic Acid and Nyacinamide (typically a powerful anti-acne combination) and pretty much any other remedy the internet recommended. After 6 weeks, I wasn’t seeing any real improvement and was starting to feel desperate – not to mentioned worried about long-term scarring and pigmentation.
My normal skincare routine includes anti-aging actives like: Retinoic Acid (anti-aging) Vitamin C (brightening) Hyaluronic Acid (hydration). As you can probably tell, skincare is one of my favourite hobbies and my having happy, healthy skin bring me joy. Struggling with painful, inflamed acne that can’t tolerate any of my normal products was difficult and after trying just about every product I could get my hands on, I was honestly left feeling a little bit hopeless.
SkinMiles, one of South Africa’s top online skincare platforms and one of my personal favourite shopping destinations, reached out to me and suggested I schedule an online consultation with their founder, medical skincare specialist, Dr Alek Nikolic.
About SkinMiles
SkinMiles opened its doors in November 2015 after Dr Alek Nikolic realised that doctor-only recommended products with active ingredients were difficult to access. “Our patients had to make a special trip to stock up on products because they were only available at certain cosmetic doctor’s practices.” Dr Alek also realised that many people are not sure which products or ingredients to use for their skin types and skin concerns. “SkinMiles was created to allow for more convenient access to doctor recommended active ingredients, and to provide honest, reliable and effective advice for a personalised skin regime, to everyone.” What began as a three person team has now progressed to a fully-fledged business with a combined goal of providing you with the best possible skin care advice and online experience.
www.skinmiles.com
During my Zoom consultation with Dr Nikolic I told him all about my normal routine and what I’d been experiencing since recovering from Covid. It was a relief to hear that I was not his first patient with post-Covid acne, and that he was confident we could sort out my skin with a barrier repair regimen. He created a barrier repairing routine specifically to help balance my skin’s natural pH, which has been damaged by the effects of Covid.
I feel we should focus on getting your skin barrier repaired and healthy. This will allow us to start active ingredients such as retinol and vitamin C. I would stop all topical products except what is recommended
Dr Alek Nikolic
A Skincare Expert’s Recommended Routine for Clearing Adult Acne After COVID
Step 1 – LAMELLE Serra Cleansing Gel
This gentle cleansing gel contains anti-inflammatories and won’t strip away any of the vital skin structures. It helps balance pH levels and is perfect for sensitive skin.
R220,00 | Shop on SkinMiles
Step 3 – LAMELLE Skin Essence Rejuvenate
This is a bio-rich solution, enhanced with organic acids, minerals, vitamins and amino acids containing more than 90% probiotic lysate. Basically, it contains probiotics to help repair the skin barrier and supply it with healthy flora.
R410,00 | Shop on SkinMiles
Step 2 – LAMELLE Serra Restore Cream
This light but very nourishing cream helps to heal, restore and correct the skin barrier. It contains bi-layer recovery ingredients to treat the skin the lipid bi-layer, which is basically the natural oils between the dry skin cells in the top layer of your skin. A healthy skin barrier is super important when it comes to protecting you skin’s immunity against the elements and maintaining healthy hydration.
R530,00 | Shop on SkinMiles
Step 4 – sk.in marvel
(To start after 3 to 4 weeks of the initial repair regime) This powerful serum contains HA, Ceramides,Ferulic Acid Esther (which helps with inflammation) and Vitamin C and E (AOX). These ingredients are the starting point for re-introducing actives and will have beneficial skin barrier effects while also providing beneficial ageing prevention and treatment effects.
R1120,00 | Shop on SkinMiles
Step 5 – HELIOCARE 360o Gel Oil Free Sunscreen
This sunscreen has an oil-free dry touch texture with advanced filters providing broad spectrum protection against UVA, UVB, Visible Light and IR-A. It delivers powerful antioxidant activity and is enriched with anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and sebum controlling technology for sensitive and acne prone skin.
R445,00 – R680,00 | Shop on SkinMiles
SAVE 5% on any SkinMiles purchase with my discount code
Use code tailsofamermaid to SAVE 4% on your next SkinMiles order
Six weeks later and I’m feeling so much more confident in the skin I’m in. Now that my barrier function is back to normal and my inflammatory acne has cleared up, I’m going to start re-introducing more actives and treatments to work on the slight pigmentation and texture issues I’m left with as a result of my breakouts. The full routine is pinned to my highlights, but I’m listing the products below too. All available online from SkinMiles, but if you need personalised advice from Dr Alek Nikolic, founder of SkinMiles and skincare expert, you can book a virtual consultation here. Right now I have a 5% off discount code for you to use on SkinMiles. Use code tailsofamermaid at checkout to save 5% sitewide from 23 – 30 June.
