Bad Acid Trip – And How I Saved My Skin

Posted: Friday 7 January 2011 11:50am

Sue Dann, 52, qualified as a beauty therapist in London in 1977.  In 1998 she moved to Australia with her family and ran beauty salons in Cairns, where she jumped on the acid (as in AHAs abd BHAs!) bandwagon to rejuvenate her skin. The results were initially thrilling but eventually had the reverse effect. Now working in sales, training and business development for Omniderm, distributor in Australia for Dr Spiller Biocosmetic skin care and Herbal Aktiv Peels, Sue wants to educate people about not over-stimulating the skin and, in the process, damaging it.

The photos of me below are taken six years apart and, if I may say, I look younger and better in 2007, aged 48, than I did in 2001.

I had always been a sun-worshipper. Even before I moved with my husband and children to Cairns I had visited Australia every European winter for six weeks, enjoying as much sun as I could get.

After I moved to Cairns to live I was introduced to the “anti-ageing” benefits of acids. I embraced this philosophy, both personally and in my business.

At first I noticed that my skin was smoother and seemed to improve, as explained to me during product trainings. But as the months progressed I noticed a deterioration in my skin.

It felt very tight and dry after cleansing, with increased sensitivity and signs of diffuse redness. I started using stronger acids with the thought that they would be more “anti-ageing”, although I now realise it was only making my skin worse.

When I qualified as a beauty therapist In the UK in 1977 you either had good skin or you had acne. Back then, we didn’t use acids – there wasn’t such a thing as harsh, drying chemicals available for general home use.

What people are doing now is using anti-ageing products and techniques far earlier than they need to. The Dr Spiller philosophy is that if your skin is quite good, you leave it alone. What that means is that you learn to understand your skin – give it what it needs, work with it and don’t force high doses of anything on it.

If you’re using strong products on your skin such as acids, chemicals and high levels of vitamins A and Cs, you’re stripping the natural protection away; reducing the acid mantle that acts as a natural protection for hydration. This causes oxygenation, sensitivity and redness. By continually doing this you’re leaving the skin in a constant state of inflammation.

This is how these “anti-ageing” products are working – you’re actually creating an injury to the skin and then the body naturally goes into repair mode.

You’re damaging the skin on a daily basis and the more you do this, the more you are weakening the skins natural resistance. It can produce free radicals which actually creates the elastin and collagen to break down, leading to lines and wrinkles.  You can read this in any anatomy/physiology book.

Naturally I am biased, but Dr Spiller products do work with the skin’s natural defences. I first realised what was happening to my skin when I started using the Herbal Aktiv Peel and Dr Spiller Biocosmetics products in my Cairns salons.

When I applied products after the peel my skin wasn’t stinging or irritated as it was following treatments with acids. I subsequently stopped using high-level dosages of vitamin C and A-based products which also stung my skin.

Following a Herbal Aktiv Peel and Dr Spiller home care my skin felt plump, moist and calm as opposed to what it was before – tight, dry and irritated. This was how my skin should feel.

After two months and two herbal peels, with daily use of Dr Spiller products, my clients commented on the different appearance of my skin. And they started using my new products.

The whole focus of my businesses changed from “anti-ageing with acids” to “rebuilding the skin” in a more natural way. I realised that there was no need to injure and irritate the skin to achieve the result my clients expected.

Products that help rebuild the skin from damage already inflicted include Dr Spiller’s Rinazell Cream - we call this the First Aid cream  - containing milk peptides. Peptides send messages to the fibroblasts, the agents that grow and stimulate collagen; the body’s own, natural way of reproducing cells.

Dr Spiller Collagen Cream is also excellent along with our treatment creams such as Dr Spiller Anti-Couperous (to treat capillaries caused by sensitivity), Dr Spiller De-Pigmentor creams (brilliant for pigmentation and uneven skin tone) and Dr Spiller’s Vitamin C range (our products contain low doses of Vitamin C).

Ultimately, because the products are oil-based you get far more penetration into the skin. It has been proven you get better hydration with oil-based creams because your skin is waterproof.

Since these photographs have been taken all I’ve used on my skin has been Dr Spiller and, approximately three times a year, I undergo a Herbal Aktiv Peel.

by Jenni Gilbert

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