Beauty Boss: Cleansing and moisturising is so vital for keeping your skin healthy

It can be hard to find the motivation to remove your make-up every night,

But a good skincare routine is essential for keeping breakouts and other damage at bay.

Here, cosmetic doctor Mervyn Patterson shares his everyday essential skincare tips.

Sweet dreams

“Sleeping in make-up is a really bad habit everyone should avoid,” said Dr Patterson.

“No matter how tired you are, make sure to cleanse thoroughly every night.

“The material that’s been applied or gathered from the air will be in contact with your skin all night long.

“For example, modern sunscreens are formulated like a mesh structure and contain reflective agents such as zinc and titanium, as well as iron and antioxidants, which absorb, trap and neutralise environmental gas particles.

“It’s essential all this sunscreen and the accumulated environmental pollution is thoroughly removed in the evening.”

Spot the issue

Although most commonly associated with our teenage years, Dr Patterson says spots, breakouts and acne can be very troublesome in adult life, too.

He explained: “Spots are caused by a build up of dead skin cells and sebum in the pores, which leads to an inflammatory response and potential infection from bacteria and yeasts.

“The best strategy is to use a cleanser such as Epionce’s Purifying Wash (£38), as well as a carefully formulated salicylic acid cleanser, to help combat spots and repair barrier function.

“Epionce’s Purifying Spot Gel (also £38) contains sulphur, resorcinol and azelaic acid to rapidly tackle both inflammation and infection, shrinking the spot away.”

High street or high-end?

Can budget brands keep our skin looking health? Dr Patterson says it’s all about the ingredients.

He said: “Cleansing should be a pleasant experience.

“An essential aspect of cleansing is ensuring we don’t disrupt the external skin barrier, as reducing its function can cause outside agents to penetrate easily, and water will be lost from the deeper skin layers.

“Cleansers and moisturisers should contain three key lipid ingredients – cholesterol, ceramide and free fatty acids – that encourage the skin barrier to repair.

Hero to zero

Dr Patterson said: “The modern mistake many women are now making, is believing that using high levels of ingredients such as vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B5 or hyaluronic, is absolutely essential to their routine.

“This message is simply driven by the marketing departments in many skincare companies!”