Liz Earle

Thanks so much.

Hi Ruth.

Well, I have to say, I think you'll be very pleased to hear.

I think your routine already sounds perfectly sensible and well balanced.

You know, I think when it comes to skincare, it's easy to feel as though we need a complicated routine with lots of different products, but more is not necessarily more.

Me personally, I don't use lots of things on my skin.

I find a few things that I love that I stick to.

And I think in reality, a simple, consistent routine is often the most effective approach, especially for busy people.

And the more you try and the more new things you bring in, the more risk there is of sensitivity, especially as we get older.

And during our perimenopausal years, which tends to be in our 40s, times of hormonal change and fluctuation can mean that we can react to a skincare ingredient, for example, which we wouldn't have reacted to before.

And once a reaction sets in, it can be quite hard to...

to then calm the skin down.

And sometimes the skin can actually stay sensitised.

And I think most dermatologists would agree that a solid skincare routine really only needs a very few core steps.

So let's start with the essentials.

Cleansing, absolutely removing makeup pollution, sweat, etc.

Keeping the skin barrier healthy without stripping the natural oils.

So I would always go for a cream or oil-based cleanser, balm type thing.

Never anything that foams.

Personally, I think it can be too disruptive.