Serums and Silicones | Good or bad?

Skincare Q&A with Shelley Foster

Have a question about how to care for your skin? Shelley Foster is the owner of Jamele Skincare and a skincare therapist with over 20 years experience. Email her your skincare question on shelley@jamele.co.nz . We’ll post the answer here for the benefit of other readers. Let us know if you are comfortable with your first name being printed or if you wish to be anonymous.

Reader Question

Hi Shelley

I am 82 and my skin is firm and has few wrinkles, except in my chin. I do have a query about serums. Do you regard them as a skin tonic/medicine for healthy skin ? They seem to have only been on the market for about five years. I apply two or three products after toner before I get to actual make up and wonder whether that is a healthy norm. One product, Dermalogica primer, has silicone in it and I wonder about that. It does make my make up go on nicely, providing me with some sun protection and cover for my  slightly red cheeks.

Thanks for this opportunity to write,
Jane.

Shelley’s Answer

Dear Jane,

Thank you for your email.

I do regard serums as an ‘essential’ of a good skincare routine. Applying a serum after cleansing and toning can give the skin a huge boost of essential nutrients. They can be designed for a variety of skin concerns such as dryness, dehydration, pigmentation or anti-ageing.

As an example, the Janesce Re-Energising Ageless Serum contains therapeutic levels of energising plant actives and a generous amount of hyaluronan to plump and revitalise maturing skin. Serums are always concentrated and need to be followed directly by a moisturiser to seal the goodness into the skin. So, yes to serums!

However, I’m not in favour of silicone based products. Silicone binds water to skin, giving that silky feel in the moment. However it does create an occlusive effect on the skins surface. Normal cleansing of the face after wearing silicon-based products can compromise the barrier function of the skin, leaving the skin more red and dehydrated.

I hope that has been helpful to you Jane.

Kind regards,

Shelley