Mardi From The Skin Club Shares Her Secrets With Us!

It’s our biggest organ and we need to take care of it! 

But is that easier said than done when life gets in the way and our chock-a-block to do list just keeps getting longer and longer? 

Nope, says the gorgeous Mardi of The Skin Club in Bowral. 

“Skin is our biggest organ, and it actually needs the most care,” Mardi says. 

“But taking care of it is not as time consuming as it seems. It’s just about consistency and looking at skin from a holistic point of view.”

Mardi says it’s totally doable if we change a few habits. 

And we believe her……her skin is stunning! Talk about walking the talk!! 

Okay, here’s Mardi’s tips on how to keep your skin looking ship-shape and get that glowy feeling.

1 :: Be sun smart   

It’s very hard to stay out of the sun in Australia and catching some Vitamin D from the sun is a good thing! 

So how do you keep your skin safe from the harmful effects of the sun while also reaping the benefits it gives you? 

“Cover up when you’re outside. Wear a hat and long sleeves and, of course applying sunscreen is important too,” says Mardi. 

“But one thing I will say about sunscreen is once you’re inside and don’t need it’s protection anymore, wash it off. It can clog your pores and cause breakouts.”

2 :: Manage your stress

Stress can manifest itself physically in a multitude of ways and quite often, it’s our skin that bears the impact of us not keeping a lid on our high octane lives! 

“I’ve had clients present with everything from hives to breakouts, rashes, eczema, and changes in pigmentation just to name a few,” Mardi says. 

“When your body is in flight or fight mode, you brain directs all your resources into keeping you functioning and alive, which means skin health is the last thing on your brain’s to do list when you’re in survival mode.”

Things like meditation, frequent social media detoxes, good sleep hygiene, setting time aside for regular me time that allows you to stop and breathe, spending time in nature….it will all help……we all know what we need to do, right? Time to actually do it, people!

3 :: Keep an eye on your nutrition

“The impact nutrition has on skin is similar to stress,” Mardi explains. 

“Think about all the work your body is doing when it has sugars, preservatives and toxins to deal with.”

“It’s focusing so much on the elimination of those elements, that skin health ends up at the bottom of the to do list again.”

“Gut health and great skin go hand in hand. I have teenage clients I treat for acne and quite often, poor gut health is one of the reasons they’re having such severe breakouts.”

So eat clean and add fermented foods such as kombucha, miso, yoghurt, sauerkraut and kimchi to your diet. Take a probiotic too. And avoid sugars, processed food, preservatives and additives as much as you can. 

“Antioxidant rich foods like berries, pineapple, leafy greens and fish are great too – they have anti-aging properties,” says Mardi. 

“And if you need to, speak to a nutritionist about supplements. Vitamins and minerals like magnesium, iron, zinc and Vitamin C are great for skin health.”

4 :: Regular visits to your skin care specialist

Yep! You have to invest a little bit of time to save even more time in the long run. 

“Being proactive about your skin health with regular treatments will save you time and money,” says Mardi. 

“I’ve treated clients who have let a skin issue go for so long that it then takes an even greater investment of time [+ money] to sort out.”

“I also recommend having the Healite LED Treatment regularly. The benefits are phenomenal.”

We’re talking skin rejuvenation, minimising scarring, wound healing, collagen and elastin rebuilding and loads more. 

“And we have our 45-minute express facials available for busy clients – one of those a month is definitely doable,” Mardi points out.

5 :: Hydrate hydrate hydrate

We all know it, and we don’t do it as much as we need to but keeping the water intake up is a simple and super-cheap way to improve skin health. 

“Drinking water is necessary for our bodies to run optimally, which will help nutrients reach the skin,” Mardi explains. 

Current recommended guidelines are two litres a day [about 8 cups].

6 :: An effective at home regime with the right products

“I absolutely believe you only need five products,” says Mardi. 

“A cleanser, hydration serum, Vitamin C, retinol / Vitamin A and a moisturiser – that’s it!”

• Cleanse in the morning and evening. Mardi says if you need to cheat, then you can lose the morning cleanse. The night time cleanse is super important for removing the day’s make up and grime. Use a cleanser with a combination of AHA and BHA – these are gentle acids that will cleanse and exfoliate the skin which will save you time. 
   
• Hydration serum does exactly what it says it does – hydrates the skin – which is very important in the Highlands thanks to our extremes in weather. 
   
• Vitamin C is an antioxidant removing the free radicals in your skin which helps slow the aging process down and gives you brighter skin. 
   
• Retinol / Vitamin A is anti-aging. Use the retinol at night on hormonal breakouts. 
   
• Moisturiser to round out the at home regime with some extra hydration.

7 :: Look after your teeth and hair

How is this related, you wonder? 

“It’s about the whole look. If your hair is damaged and teeth are unhealthy, no one will notice your beautiful, healthy skin,” says Mardi. 

“Also, if you have oily hair which touches your skin regularly, especially when you sleep, that can cause breakouts. Clean pillowcases and clean towels will help with that.”

“On the flipside, if you have a dry scalp, you may be treating your hair with oils and serums which could cause skin problems too. It may benefit your hair but not your skin.”

8 :: Be organised and declutter your beauty products

Whose bathroom cupboard is overflowing with beauty products they never use? 

Our hands are up!! 

“We get samples, gifts, two for one deals, things we buy on sale…..it all adds up financially and from a space perspective. You don’t need all that stuff, just those five items I mentioned before,” Mardi says. 

“De-clutter your bathroom cupboards and drawers regularly and get rid of what you don’t need or pass them onto someone who does.”

“It will clear your space AND make your at-home regime efficient, faster and easy to do.”

9 :: Be consistent

This is the key to skin health success!! 

“Definitely. Consistency is VERY important. That’s when you’ll start to see the results,” Mardi says. 

“Using a few different products here or there a few times a week is not going to do a thing.”

“You absolutely will notice positive results from regular visits to the salon and a consistent at-home regime.”

And the best thing? 

“That’s when other people will see the difference too.”

Fab – thanks Mardi!

The Skin Club is a Dermal Clinic in the Southern Highlands, dedicated to helping clients achieve healthy, glowing skin. Mardi provides amazing treatments and advice to all her clients, using the highest quality cosmeceutical Medik8 and Mesoestetic skincare products. 

Book a free skin consultation with Mardi to take your skin to the next level (and be prepared for EVERYONE to comment on how amazing you look – guaranteed!). Oh, and she’s super flexible with appointment times, which is very handy!

…

This blog features friends and advertisers of The Fold Southern Highlands and is fully endorsed by The Fold Southern Highlands. We strongly believe in the businesses and all the information we share with you on The Fold and we’re excited to share the amazing stories and adventures of our local businesses. We want to say a BIG thank you to you for supporting our sponsors who help make The Fold possible.