JENNIFER Rock is known as The Skin Nerd – a title she traces back to her mum taking her for her first facial as a treat for her 13th birthday.
"I remember that while all of the different steps of the facial were taking place, I was asking the poor skin therapist 'Why are you doing that?' and 'Why is this part important?' I was probably a pain to that poor human. It sparked my love of skin and I trained as a beauty therapist, moving on to specialise in facials and later I became a skin lecturer for global brands and accredited bodies.
"As I got nerdier and nerdier about skin, my friends told me I talked about skin so much that I had to put it on social media and thus The Skin Nerd was born."
Rock's online skin consultation business and 'cosmeceutical' store, Theskinnerd.com, is helping people all over the world get their skin on the road to skin health. Now through her debut book, The Skin Nerd: Your Straight-Talking Guide To Feeding, Respecting & Protecting Your Skin, aims to clear up myths about skincare and empower everyone to take care of their skin.
"My aim is not only to help you achieve glorious skin, but also to save your hard-earned money and help you avoid stress in the long run," the north Co Dublin native says.
"Ultimately, this book is about shouting from the rooftops that the skin is an organ and it should be respected accordingly. We poke and pick at our skin, we squeeze it like it's the end of a tube of toothpaste, we cover it in things that strip it dry and compromise its health. This is not right. We can see our skin, therefore we should shield it, feed it and respect it."
Taking a holistic approach to skincare, Rock's book encourages readers to take a 360 degree approach, examining their nutrition, lifestyle, topical skincare and make-up regime.
She writes from experience, knowing all to well what's it's like to suffer a breakout at the most inconvenient of times.
"I suffered from acne as a teenager and it’s an ongoing skin concern of mine that crops up more when I’m stressed, such as when I have a big meeting coming up," she admits.
"I don’t think that adult acne and having spots in any form is talked about enough and recognised as something that may have internal and external triggers like diet and lifestyle. Acne can be an extremely debilitating skin condition for some – it can have a major effect on self-confidence and I think it’s important that we build an awareness around that."
And she warns women not to be tempted to load their faces with make-up to cover-up their blemishes.
"This is actually making their skin worse, as make-up that isn’t pure mineral make–up is often comedogenic, meaning that it clogs pores."
Teenage spots are particularly difficult to deal with emotionally, but Rock advises young people that "they will subside" and stresses that preventing long-term scarring is more important than emergency picking or squeezing.
"Prevention of scarring is key for anyone suffering from acne or congestion and this is why we at The Skin Nerd will continue to teach and educate that there are solutions such as cleansers with salicylic acid, an exfoliating acid that clears out the pore to prevent spots from forming, and how wearing SPF can reduce the risk of post-acne marks."
So what is her best skincare advice?
"There is no nice, tidy, compact answer for this as everyone’s skin is different. However, if you’re using face wipes, bin them. Right away. Wipes are detrimental to the skin and many don’t realise this. They do not remove make-up, they simply leave a film of drying alcohol, sensitising fragrance, oils and traces of make-up on the skin to sit there all night.
"I may be biased but I created the Cleanse Off Mitt® , a microfibre make-up removal mitt, as an alternative to wipes. It is the ideal pre-cleanse step as you only have to add water, et voilá – your make-up is removed. It is suitable for all skin types, even the most sensitive, all ages and all genders."
:: The Skin Nerd: Your straight-talking guide to feeding, protecting and respecting your skin by Jennifer Rock is published in hardback by Hachette Ireland and is available now.
JENNIFER ROCK'S SPOT QUICK FIXES
:: Avoid wearing cosmetic make-up, especially heavy make-up. A full coverage foundation may seem like the solution to your problem but it is absolutely not. Not only does cosmetic foundation trap sebum and skin cells in the pore as it cannot move past the make-up sitting inside the pore, it can also make lumpier, larger spots more noticeable rather than less. Give your skin a break from the cake and lower the chances of them getting bigger. Mineral (not mineralised) make-up is the way to go.
:: Cleanse with salicylic acid-based products. Salicylic acid is a BHA (beta-hydroxy acid) that gently chemically exfoliates the skin, getting rid of the very same dead skin cells that become trapped in the pore causing a spot. It also soothes the skin, brings down redness and inflammation and dries out the spot.
:: Avoid using things that can introduce additional bacteria to the skin or disinfect them. This includes phones and make-up brushes.
:: Popping spots, especially if they are not ‘ready’, causes scabbing, inflammation and infection, and spreads bacteria, causing more breakouts and keeping you in a constant cycle.
:: If you have a big, pus-filled, white pustule (ie the head is very clearly visible under a translucent layer of skin) and you really cannot bear being seen with it, you can go ahead and pop it – and this is the only time you should ever pop a spot. The objective is to release the infection. Be careful not to draw blood and to sanitise your hands and your skin carefully with antibacterial soap.
:: Zap the suckers with a spot treatment that includes salicylic acid, lactic acid or even peptides like in Acne Out Active Lotion. Treating the spot this way may cause it to become a little bit corn-flakey around the edges but if you are able to trade that off against size and redness, go for it.
:: Wear your SPF every day. The sun can brand you with acne marks if you do not wear SPF, as acne marks are pigmentation. Avène has mattifying, mineral and oil-free options.
:: If you have an acne cyst, nodule or a particularly vicious pustule that’s causing you pain, hold ice wrapped in a clean piece of tissue or cloth over it for a while. Ice can bring down the inflammation, even if only temporarily.
