The back is one of the hardest areas of skin to care for. You cannot see it properly, you cannot reach all of it, and it is often covered by clothing that traps sweat. Breakouts, rough patches, clogged pores and dry skin on the back are common, and many spas offer a treatment designed specifically…
Clogged pores are one of the most common skin frustrations. Blackheads on the nose, rough bumps on the chin and a greyish look across the cheeks can make skin feel dirty even when you wash it every day. It is tempting to scrub hard, squeeze or pull off a pore strip, but those approaches often…
Your skin usually looks its best as you walk out of a facial: clean, smooth and bright. What you do in the next day or two decides whether that glow lasts or turns into redness, breakouts or peeling. Many people unknowingly undo their results by heading straight to the gym, applying a full face of…
Facials are usually marketed as pure relaxation, so it can be a surprise when skin comes out red, stinging or broken out. Stories about burns from peels or infections after treatments at unlicensed spas add to the worry, and many people wonder whether facials do more harm than good. For most people, a facial from…
Glowing skin is one of the most common reasons people book a facial, and nearly every spa menu has at least one treatment that promises radiance. The trouble is that glow means different things for different skin. Dry skin looks dull because it lacks moisture, oily skin can look congested and uneven, and sensitive skin…
A facial is meant to leave your skin calm and refreshed, but a few everyday habits in the days before can make it sting, flake or break out instead. Using a retinoid the night before, waxing your brows that morning or arriving with a mild sunburn can all make treatments like peels, extractions and exfoliation…
You are doing the right thing by wearing sunscreen every day, and yet your forehead has started to feel like fine sandpaper. There are tiny skin-coloured bumps along the hairline, maybe a few red spots, or patches that feel rough and tight. It is tempting to give up on sunscreen altogether. A rough or bumpy…
It might start as a warm, pink area on one cheek, or a dry, angry patch beside the nose that stings when you wash. By evening it feels hot and tight, and anything you put on it seems to make it worse. Red patches on the face are uncomfortable, visible and often confusing, because several…
Foundation catches on the sides of your nose, and by lunchtime there are little white flakes in the creases beside your nostrils. The rest of your face might even be oily. It is a common and frustrating combination, especially when scrubbing the flakes away seems to make them come back faster. Dry, flaky skin on…
The rest of your face looks even, but there is a darker ring or shadow around your mouth, sometimes on the upper lip, sometimes at the corners or across the chin. It can look like a faint moustache shadow or like you have not washed your face properly, even though you have. Concealer never quite…
You smile in a photo and notice faint lines at the corners of your mouth, or a few fine vertical lines above your upper lip when you purse your lips. You are only in your twenties, and it feels too soon. The good news is that most lines at this age are shallow, often temporary,…
They are not big, painful cysts, just a scattering of small bumps and whiteheads along the jaw and chin that never quite go away. One clears and another appears nearby. They tend to be worse before your period, after a stressful week, or when you have been resting your chin on your hand at your…
The rest of your face feels fine, but the skin around your mouth is dry, flaky and a little red. It might sting when you eat something salty or acidic, and moisturiser seems to help for an hour before the tightness returns. Sometimes there are tiny bumps mixed in with the flakes. Patchy dry skin…
You started a new serum or cream a week ago, and now there are fine flakes around your nose and chin, maybe a tight, dry patch on your cheek. Makeup clings to the flakes and your skin feels slightly raw. The question is whether this means the product is working, or that your skin is…
In a mirror the cheeks look fine, but tilt your head toward a window and every bump, dip and rough patch shows up. Makeup catches on the texture, and running a hand across your cheek feels more like fine sandpaper than smooth skin. Uneven texture on the cheeks usually comes from one or more of…
You catch your reflection in a video call or a photo taken from below and notice that the line of your jaw is not as crisp as it was. There is a slight softening just beside the chin, a small droop that was not there a few years ago. In your 30s, that can feel…
You take off your mask at the end of a long shift and your chin looks different: tiny bumps, rough patches, a few red spots and skin that feels uneven when you run your fingers over it. The rest of your face looks fine. The change is right where the mask sits. Uneven chin texture…
The pimple cleared up months ago, but the mark it left is still there. You have tried a brightening serum, maybe a scrub or a lemon remedy you saw online, and nothing seems to change. It is one of the most frustrating parts of having acne, because the breakout is over and yet the reminder…
By mid-morning your forehead and nose are shiny, yet your cheeks feel tight and look slightly flaky. Products that control the oil leave your cheeks parched, and creams rich enough for your cheeks leave your nose greasy. If this sounds familiar, you have combination skin, and you are far from alone. An oily T-zone with…
Most people who deal with a puffy face notice it first thing in the morning. Fluid settles in the face overnight while you lie flat, and it drains away once you are upright. So when swelling does the opposite, building through the day and peaking in the evening, it is worth paying attention. Facial swelling…
You leave the salon glowing, and a few hours later your face starts to itch. Maybe there is a little redness, some small bumps or a tight, prickly feeling across your cheeks. It is a common experience, and in most cases it settles on its own. An itchy face after a facial is most often…