Skin + Me Stories: Lianne + Fine Lines & Wrinkles

As much as we love sharing customer success stories, we think it’s just as important to highlight the skincare journeys that don’t always follow the smoothest path. Setbacks and challenges can often occur with prescription skincare, but with perseverance and coaching the results are worth it. Achieving your skin goal takes time, dedication, and often a little extra expert advice to reach the finish line. 

With that in mind, we’ve reached out to real Skin + Me customers who met their skin goals, with a few consultations and formulation tweaks along the way. Today, Lianne, a 41-year-old full-time student from Cheshire talks about tackling her fine lines.

Tell us about your skincare journey over the years?

My skincare routine was always fairly basic up until a few years ago. I had struggled on and off with hormonal acne over the years but mistook it for sensitivity, so was very wary of ‘rocking the boat’, just sticking to a basic cleanser or wipes and moisturiser. It was only as I approached my late 30s that I began to gain an interest in skincare, making a New Year’s resolution to start looking after my skin and develop a proper routine. I started by promising myself that I would use SPF daily and cleanse my face properly every night, no matter what – that meant no more face wipes! I started watching YouTube videos to research different ingredients and formulas and how they might benefit my skin, and it went from there. It’s the one and only time I’ve ever stuck to a New Year’s resolution!

What mistakes did you make along the way?

I definitely chopped and changed my skincare too much. I wanted to tackle every issue at once and flitted from one ‘must-have’ product to the next, never really settling on anything and therefore not really seeing long term results. I’m lucky I never suffered any major reactions, but I’m much warier now about introducing new items and have learned to take it slowly to give my skin a chance to adjust to new products. 

When did you first start using Skin + Me?  

I started using Skin + Me in September 2020. I had seen it recommended by Caroline Hirons and was interested in having one effective product in my routine to really tackle my skincare goals. This coincided with a return to full-time education to train to become a teacher. Giving up my income to pursue this career change meant I knew I had to stop wasting money on multiple skincare products each month and spend my budget wisely on something that would be affordable yet effective. My skin goals were to tackle fine lines and texture, along with the hope that I would see some improvement in my hormonal acne. 

What problems did you have with your Skin + Me prescription?

Overall the process has been amazing, but there were times around months 3 to 4 when I felt like giving up. I started to purge quite badly and really began to doubt the process, wondering if it was worth it. I contacted Skin + Me who reassured me that this was often a normal part of the process as the skin adapts to tretinoin, so I decided to persevere. I’m so pleased I did because once that purging period was over, I never looked back and rarely get any spots now – even my hormonal acne has cleared! It’s almost a year since I started my Skin + Me journey and my skin is probably the most settled and clearest it’s ever been, which is a nice thing to finally achieve as I enter my 40s. 

When did you start seeing a difference to your fine lines?

I had quite realistic expectations of how long it would take to see a difference, I’d say around the six-month mark was when I could definitely see improvement with my fine lines. My texture improved hugely within the first month though, with my skin beginning to look brighter and more evenly-toned.

What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with their Skin + Me prescription? 

I think the main thing is to trust the process and advice given by the Skin + Me experts. To me that means keeping the rest of my routine simple and using the doser daily as instructed.  Be realistic with your goals and understand that improvements take time, but if you stick with it, you will see the benefits! It’s really reassuring to know that there is someone qualified to give advice should you need it: the Skin + Me team we’re able to reassure me that I was experiencing purging rather than a reaction and it put my mind at rest, giving me the confidence to continue with my treatment. It’s also important to remember that things like purging periods are temporary and won’t last forever, even if it feels that way at the time!

What are your Holy Grail products?

Cleanser: iS Clinical Cleansing Complex, this was actually one of the cleansers recommended by Skin + Me, so I thought I’d give it a try and fell in love! It’s effective but gentle and never leaves my skin feeling stripped. 

Moisturiser: Neutrogena Hydroboost Gel Cream, I keep trying other moisturisers but always go back to this one. It’s affordable and not too heavy for my combo skin. 

SPF: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+, it’s lightweight, doesn’t make my skin feel greasy and never stings my eyes, which is a problem I’ve had with most other SPFs I’ve tried.