Dr. Jack’s Top 5 At Home Skin Treatments

AUTHOR - DR. DAVID JACK

I wanted to share with you some of my top tips for some excellent at home treatments you can do yourself to keep your skin looking tip top.

1. At home peels

Chemical peels are probably the best way to exfoliate your skin and improve your complexion. Most at home peels are designed with acids such as alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs, for example glycolic acid, mandelic acid or lactic acid), retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) and ingredients like vitamin C. For at home treatments, the levels of the acids will be set so they don’t burn the skin but still give a wide range of benefits including brightening and balancing the oil levels in the skin. I’ve designed my FacePaint Home Peel range with this in mind. These are colour coded for your individual skin issue. 

My Red Face Peel is for oily skin and acne and contains a range of active ingredients including retinol, salicylic acid and AHAs to help reduce oiliness and help reduce breakouts. The Yellow Face Peel is targeted for pigmentation reduction and again contains a blend of specific ingredients that can help with this, including AHAs, kojic acid, retinol and arbutin. Finally, my Blue Face Peel is for hydration and reducing inflammation, so works best in skin types where there is dryness or rosacea. It contains a blend of ceramides (fatty acids that help maintain the skin’s natural barrier), hyaluronic acid, panthenol and azelaic acid.

It’s important to exfoliate regularly (but not too frequently) to help improve the effectiveness of your daily skincare products but not to disrupt the natural barrier of the skin. I usually recommend a once weekly exfoliation with my FacePaint peels.

2. Microneedling

At home microneedling, such as dermaroller or dermastamp is a great way to help stimulate collagen deposition in the skin to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and improve the surface texture of the skin. Microneedling devices for at home use range from about 0.3mm to 0.5mm in depth. The way they work is by creating tiny injuries on the skin, which then stimulate a healing reaction in your body which naturally increases the production of collagen by your own skin cells. Over time, microneedling can help improve the thickness of your dermis (which tends to thin as we age).

There are many of these devices on the market but my favourite at the moment is the GloPro, Microneedling Regeneration Tool, available at Cult Beauty.

3. Home LED Devices 

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. You've probably seen many of these devices on the market, in the form of colourful face masks. There is growing evidence to support the use of LED in treatment of skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and even ageing. The key with LED is persistence - you’re not going to notice a huge difference after just one session but if you can try to fit it into your routine every few days (or ideally every day) for about 10-20 minutes, you really should start to see a significant difference. LED treatments are particularly pleasant and can be a relaxing part of your day to look forward to!

A number of manufacturers produce high quality home LED devices. My favourite at the moment is the dermal flex MD but there are also less pricey models available such as CurrentBody Skin LED Light Therapy Mask

4. Home Radiofrequency Devices

Radiofrequency (RF) is one of the the most popular treatments in my clinic and is used as part of many facial treatments to lift and tighten the skin. RF works by heading the skin to about 41-43 degrees celcius, which then stimulates the cells in the dermis to produce new collagen and elastin. This in turn increases the firmness of the skin and over time can reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Areas such as the crows feet and jowls are popular areas to target. Obviously, at home treatments may not be as powerful as in clinic treatments but regular use can yield some really good results.

My favourite device currently is the Silk’n FaceTite home RF device, which is made by the world’s most advanced manufacturer of radiofrequency devices (both in clinic and home devices). I’d recommend using it once a day for about 5 days then once per week thereafter.

5. Microcurrent Facial Devices

Microcurrent devices work by delivering tiny electrical currents into the skin, which have a similar effect to radiofrequency, i.e. the stimulate the production of collagen and elastin in the dermis of the skin. They also have the effect of strengthening the muscle layer just underneath the skin of the face (the SMAS), which over time can have a lifting effect, particularly for the lower face, jawline and jowls. 

Like all home devices, micro current devices require regular use to really see results. From personal experience, my patients who are strict with their micro current schedules do tend to see pretty impressive results! My recommendation is the Foreo Bear Facial Toning Device.

Useful Resources

GloPro, Microneedling Regeneration Tool
Dermal flex MD
CurrentBody Skin LED Light Therapy Mask
Silk’n FaceTite home RF device
Foreo Bear Facial Toning Device